Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

when phil had initially encountered forever, with a wide, irie grin, philza was immediately on edge. he didn't quite know why forever was so twitchy and ignorant of the island's disrepair. 

he was prancing around spawn, black ooze dripping out of every crevice and binary code littering different places, but forever just kept repeating that today was the perfect day!

it grated on philza's nerves more than it should, but it irritated him in a way that made him want to smack forever over the head hard enough to snap out of it. and maybe he does, because perhaps if it works, everyone can focus on finding the eggs with a larger search party. 

what worried philza, however, is that forever was absolutely not acting normal, and in a way that is concerning. forever, the other day, had been nothing more than an emotional wreck once richarlyson had gone missing. hair was frizzy and braids were unorganized, eyebags hung low on his face as his posture slumped and his eyes were constantly red from crying.

and then… suddenly, the next time philza sees him, he's got a grin that's spread so wide it looks uncanny. his eyes are wide open and his pupils dilated. his wardrobe has changed, too, which is the most obvious sign. a tailored white suit, the only splash of color in the entire outfit is the brazil flag that's draped on his shoulder, repaired and adorned with gold chains keeping it pinned to his collar. phil hates that he almost would appreciate the change of color and the splash of gold if it weren't for the fact that it reeks of federation interference. he's immediately aware that this was… not an active choice forever made.

doesn't stop him from getting irritated by it. 

he will perch sometimes, he admits it! he will sit on the edge of his wall, talons digging into the protective siding as he looks out to the citizens of the island… it just so happens that phil's area of perching also gave him front row tickets to the second floor of forever's presidential office, where he has been spending a good amount of his time. if not at his mega-base, he's there.

phil will see him tamper with a briefcase, he's extremely secretive about the contents of it. even phil, using his advantage of having forever's affections, doesn't seem to push forever into answering. it surprises him.

he isn't sure what's in it, but he has a couple of clues. regarding forever's current state of probably being fucking brainwashed, it definitely has something to do with whatever is inside the suitcase. some kind of malicious federation-mandated drug that is messing with his head. as well as a handgun… he's seen the handgun pulled out once on a federation worker in the office. and fuck philza would absolutely do the same, but he didn't know that forever was allowed a firearm.  

i guess you're only allowed one once the federation is sure you won't go against them.

because the most irritating part about all of this? is that he's suddenly singing the praise of cucurucho, saying how he will fix everything and everything will go back to normal once cucurucho can find a cure for everyone. it drives phil crazy, he would have smacked forever with a pan if it weren't for the obvious brainwashing occuring.

of course since forever is president, he'd be the first target for this kind of treatment. it's infuriating, and also it worries phil so much that his throat aches and, no matter how much water he drinks, he can't shake the feeling that he needs to do something .

he retaliates. lava casting the entire office building in a resin of cobblestone, using some old war techniques to inconvenience the federation while he sets out to find some way to help forever. because if he knows anything about the federation, he knows that they probably didn't give forever a choice to take the pills or not. which infuriates him more.

which leads to today.

an average day, both of his kids’ beds are empty and cold. after drinking some coffee (he had been hooked on it recently, due to his depressive state.) and sitting outside on the top of the wall. it's a cool october morning, the leaves on the trees are just starting to turn into a bronze color, and the weather has been cooling down a lot, there's a spice to the air that didn't exist beforehand. and maybe, despite the islands general shittiness, philza can't help but admire the slow morning of this island.

usually he doesn't wake until midday, just how he's always been, so rising with the sun and allowing his wings to spread in the low-cut robe he's wearing is nice. for once, he feels cool but not cold, which eases his mind.

perching again, he stares into the federation building from across the wall, he can't lie, he has been extremely worried about forever's mental state as of late. he isn't quite sure how to help with it, but he knows that he probably should. though he has not a damn clue how to approach the situation.

at least if it was just the richarlyson grief, or just the federation interference, then he wouldn't find the task so daunting. but knowing whatever those sick fucks are doing to him, he knows that it can't be good. and they're capitalizing on forever's misery to make it happen.

once he finishes his cup, he leans back against his chair with a groan as his back pops a couple times and his wings joints click back into place. doing a few stretches before going out, he decides, he wants to go see forever today.

he decides to put on a nice breezy top, pack lightly, and go across to talk to forever. if he can't find ways to actively help him , at least he can keep tabs on him. any lead is a good lead, if he could just find out what was in that goddamn suitcase.

asides from a gun. at least.

it's a nice day outside, though not even tubbo, fit or pac had really woken up for the day, which is what strikes forever's appearance as odd to him. if anything, forever isn't usually awake until later, it's very rare he is up this early… of course, when he's being brainwashed. it makes sense why he would be acting off.

phil decides to not let his brain wander anymore, and promptly pulls out his glider and stands on the edge of the wall, and glides.

—

forever seems to be incredibly antsy, from the moment phil had used the elevator in the dome to go to forever's office, he notices that his "perfect" appearance isn't as perfect today. while the white suit is still beautifully draped over him, and the wardrobe is the same, his eyes are shrunken and sharp. all his movements come off as very… sporadic and impulsive. he's pushing books and papers around just a little rougher than normal, and his grip on his black pen is enough to see his fingers desaturate from the lack of blood flow.

it makes phil's feathers stand on their ends, goosebumps litter his skin. he does not have a good feeling about this.

and the suitcase sits taunting on the desk. so easy to grab. so easy to take. but he doesn't. he keeps his hands neatly folded behind his back.

when he shows up, forever immediately shoots his head in phil's direction, momentary fear paints his face before he relaxes (not really) into a wide grin that feels slightly more genuine. he stands up and opens his arms out. 

"hello, philza! welcome! isn't today just such a great day!" he does a little dance, before sitting back down, eye contact not breaking. "i have a lotttt of paperwork to do, buutt you are one of the people i really trust, so you can stay."

phil stands completely still as forever's eyes expand from shrunken and shriveled to dilated and excited… at least phil knows his presence still has an affect on forever. not the best fun fact in the world, but there's that.

"... yeeahh, hey mate– what're you doin'?" he awkwardly fumbles out, he approaches his desk, and pulls up a chair made of nether-blue warped wood. "i just haven't seen 'ya do much outside of federation stuff… with the voting system, and the vandalism of the office– sorry about that, by the way."

forever waves a hand. "oh! pleh! you don't need to worry, cucurucho may be unhappy about you lavacasting the office, but i managed to negotiate for them to not punish you!" he grins, a little more sneaky. he lowers his voice volume and leans into phil's face. "however, it is a one-time thing… don't do it again, i don't know if i can save you a second time!"

he leans back, and laughs to himself. " oh! oh, philza, how adventurous and curious you are, you just follow your heart's wants. i admire that about you." he leans down, and his pen is back to scribbling on some lines in a paper. phil is… conflicted. 

on one hand, he's glad forever is somewhat still in there, if any of his compliments have anything to go by, he's at least less nervous knowing that he isn't completely gone. he's still savable. he relaxes.

"i mean– i didn't do that to spite you, honestly it was just because i'm fuckin' sick of our eggs being fuckin' missing." he can't help himself, he rants. "and maybe the federation is doing something about it, but i’m not sure." 

he fidgets with his hands, and looks down. away from forever's intense stare. "im worried, it eats me up everyday, seeing their beds empty, y'know? it just doesn't feel like they even care." and maybe phil has screwed up by being so anti-federation in front of the fuckinf president. but he can't find reasons to care. if anything, forever's reaction can, on its own, be evidence for whatever has happened to him.

when he looks up, forever's grin is broken, it's more polite, more real. he melts.

"i used to feel that way too, you know? i…" forever looks around, peering out the windows and around. "philza? do you have anyone with you? i must tell you something, but it is private."

"it's just me, mate, no one else is here, you got my word." phil's complacency. he digs to see where this leads.

forever's chair scoots forward, and a finger gesture indicates for phil to do the same. they are both close to each other with the desk acting as a barrier. he smiles as he pulls out the suitcase and twirls the side that opens towards him. phil, admittedly, gets antsy at the thought of finally figuring out what's in that suitcase. 

"phil… when i was super sad before, it also consumed me. it was all i could think about… " his voice gets quieter. as phil hears a click from the suitcase. indicating its unlocked. phil's fingers twitch, but he glues them to his lap and keeps his eyes forward. 

"but then, cucurucho, he saw how sad and depressing i was, and helped me." he smiles as he pops the suitcase open. "he said he could make me feel better, because i need to feel good so i can finish my mission, don't you agree?"

phil hums a small yeah as he lets forever talk, a hand reaches in the suitcase. looking for something. his eyes are glued to forever's hand and where it goes. so afraid to lose a minute detail.

a clinking sound is heard, like the sound of a pill bottle being shaken. phil immediately shrinks, no, not this.

"cucurucho took me to the federation doctor, they gave me a shot that hurt… but it was worth it! i slept, and then i woke up to a new outfit, and cucurucho gave me these pills. "

forever pulls out the bottle of pills. it's bad. it's a solid-white bottle with a prescription label on one side, "forever playerg, risus pills 20mg, take as needed for symptoms of unhappiness.", and the other side merely has a huge emblem of cucurucho’s face, making it absurdly obvious who was responsible for this.

phil bites his tongue. he cannot jeopardize this.

"and phil, i'm actually not supposed to tell you all this stuff, so i ask you to not tell anyone. please." he looks around, and phil can barely get a picture before forever puts the bottle hastily back into the suitcase and slams it shut (making phil jump) before hiding the suitcase under his desk, away from phil's eyes. "and, phil, i know the eggs being gone is– is, really stressful stuff, if you ever want to take one of the pills, it will help you."

he smiles, and stands up suddenly to start twirling around and hugging himself. "now i feel soooo much better! you will be happier too, i really suggest you should talk to cucurucho."

phil is immensely uncomfortable, but he can't even move, he's tense and the amount of information that has been dumped on him makes him startled. he pushes himself to speak.

"and… you feel better? are you sure? not that i'm doubting you, it’s just…"

forever leans down and puts his hands in philzas. phil's feathers twitch. thank god forever doesn't understand wing language, because in retrospect, phil's apprehension is horrendously obvious.

"you don't even need to worry, i bet cucurucho will even let me stand by your side while you get the shot. it doesn't hurt, i promise, it just makes you suuuuper sleepy, and then you wake up all happy! "

forever backs away, phil knows this scene feels awfully intimate. the worst part is that phil melts in the familiarity of forever being such a flirt. it's just too bad that he's flirting via 'i’ll hold your hand while you get brainwashed by cucurucho.' , he would almost accept the advance.

forever goes back down into his chair, and smiles one final time in phil's direction. "im so busy, maybe it's for the best you go away now! of course, i’ll be available later to talk, talk to me once i am not here anymore, i'll be at my megabase!"

phil being shoved out the door after going on such an emotional roller-coaster feels wrong, but he is not saying no to the opportunity of escaping this encounter with no consequences. if anything, he's on forever's good side right now, when so many people aren't. he almost misses the weight of warm hands in his, but he gets up and puts the chair back where it was. like he was never there.

"of course, uh– give me some time to think on it, i wanna think about this first, but that doesn't mean it's a no, right?" he's walking back slowly to the elevator.

forever grins like phil is the sun. "oh phil, you are just so perfect, you'll look so pretty in their white clothes, i can't wait for you to accept!"

" sure… that's what i said." he makes a small smile back as he waves. "see 'ya, forever. i’ll chat later!"

and with the sudden whoosh of the elevator, he's back on the first floor of the federation office-dome with questions answered, but with a looming anxiety that stirs in his gut as he teleports back to phil and missa.

Chapter Text

it was a slow, may afternoon, and chayanne and tallulah were out fishing in the river near wilbur's house. phil was laid back, feet kicked up on a log.he had placed down, and watched the lure of his fishing pole bobble in the water and make ripples. 

the sun beams are heavy, so both kids are wearing large hats to shield their eyes from the sun. phil merely has his huge hat tilted forward so that his face is shielded as well. the sun's warmth shooting down on the three, it's no wonder the kids keep occasionally splashing in the water to keep cool. phil almost wants to do the same.

relatively, it's a slow day. the river is plentiful of fish though, phil will give the federation this: they do know how to build the atmosphere of a perfect island. while the sun is out for sure, it isn't miserably humid, or hot. it's a comfortable warmth and the water is warm enough to jump in. maybe. once phil is done fishing for salmon and cod, he'll come back to splash in the water, he'll just have to remember to rub some waterproof oil on his wings first.

overall, the day was slow. but not for long.

a loud voice shouts at phil from afar, and so he turns his head to the side and lifts his hat a little bit. there, he sees a blonde running towards him with a hand up waving at him. shirtless, with a pair of black and red shorts on. he smiles fondly, and once forever is within speaking distance, he greets him.

" 'ey mate, what's up?" he turns his head back towards the lake and, when he feels a tug on his fishing pole, he tells he keeps to step back as he rips the fish from the water, and de-hooks its mouth before placing the fish in a small ice-chest with water filled in it. his face now focusing back on the fish in the water as forever stands next to him.

"hello, philza! you know, I have been doing… some things that I think will make you love me."

phil rolls his eyes, but he smiles fondly. " sure about that ." he goes to cast another line out into the river again, and he goes back to laying out, his face now looks at forever. (he has fished for so long, in so many areas in so many ways, he can feel through the fishing line if a fish has caught the bait.)

forever bounces in place, excitedly hopping like a teenage girl. "oh, ohoho! this time, it is good! it will work this time." he proceeds to drop his backpack and prop it up on a nearby tree, and then stands tall as he flexes all his arm muscles and his chest puffs out. purposefully making all of his muscles bulge out and impressively show his build.

when phil chuckles a little he looks to the side to see chayanne shielding tallulah's eyes with a hand as he blocks his body.  phil laughs out instantly, and looks back at forever. who is smirking at phil.

"i look strong , am i not good enough now?" he holds up a bicep, and squeezes it with his other hand to show how firm it is. "you really will be missing out! i am sooo mamadisimo, and all for you. "

phil stares like this is a comedy show, and he's been told the funniest joke of his life that he has to cover up. he snickers a little bit, and can't stop it as it erupts out. luckily for him, forever does not take this as an insult.

"you think i didn't want you because you aren't… ripped? " he hesitates saying it, knowing if he gives forever a finger, he will take the whole hand, so he has got to limit himself and what he says. but it's too late as forever immediately finds the loophole.

" ha! so you do want me!"

"that is not what i said, okay–"

forever hops around in circles as he is beaming. the braid twirls around him, following his movement as he beams. the sun itself has come down and settled itself right near phil's fishing spot. it's endearing, forever is cute , like an excited puppy, but he keeps that as a thought in his head. 

"ohhh philza, you love me… you just don't even know it!" he gets close to phil, putting his arms behind his back, making his chest pop out and protrude into phil's vision. phil can't even lie to himself, forever is built wonderfully, he can tell that forever puts in the hours at the gym… or at the very least, does a lot of physical labor. and his body shows it. yet again, never something that he'd admit, but even he knows a fine man when he sees one.

"yeah, totally , not 'cause I look like your fuckin' ex or anything." he says, but it's with a playful tone. their banter was always playful.

"it's not like that!" forever retaliates, he yells at phil. 

"you literally made me– like– copy your exes catchphrase! and called me american , you just want me because I look like your ex–"

forever puts his hands on phil's mouth. phil's hands shoot up instinctually to grab them, but he stops himself. forever isn't an enemy, he's just playing around.

forever is giggling , that little shit.

phil props his fishing pole on the log so it stays up, but then phil is tackling forever into the grass and pushing him around.

" nooo! hahaha– stop it, philza!" forever is a vision in the grass, his braid twirls nicely in the grass and frames his face. phil is not directly on top of him, but forever is completely laying down in the grass with stray weeds in his hair, while phil is on his knees, leering over him with his hands on his hips. he moves them up to show his innocence. 

"I didn't touch you, i'm just telling you to bug off, you're making me lose focus." he sticks out his tongue and childishly blows a raspberry before going to stand up, putting his hands down. not before a strong, tanned and calloused hand grips his wrist firmly, but not so rough it hurts.

forever has the most pitiful look on his face. "why do you hate me, philza? i am your sugar baby, is this any way to treat me?" he dramatically flips a hand over his head as he arches his back. phil dramatically sighs. "I do everything, i become sexy, with muscles and i even make myself pretty, and you don't even care. "

"you little shit, you are the only one who's 'forcing you to be pretty' — braid your hair! get ripped! i don't give a shit! don't try to make it seem like i asked for it, though."

forever laughs, and suddenly he's trying to pull phil into the ground with him. distantly, he hears a fish line being reeled in, but forever is all he can see right now. (when he looks to his right, he sees tallulah reeling in a fish with the help of chayanne, he makes sure to tell her good job before being distracted again.)

suddenly, forever is rolling, and he guesses forever has forgotten that they are right next to a lake, so he ends up rolling down the hill suddenly, gaining momentum as phil stops himself and gets up, watching forever tumble straight into the river water, fully submerged. making all three of the others laugh.

when forever sticks his head out of the water. water has fully saturated his braid, it's heavy with water and every strand sticks to forever's body. he does not look happy at all , and is giving phil the nastiest look.

" filho de puta! " he exclaims as he lifts his body slowly out of the river, his entire body is soaked and he looks genuinely unhappy. "do not laugh at my misery! oh, philza, you are sick in the head!" 

he steps out, and unfortunately, his shorts have been fully soaked through. not waterproof. it uncomfortably hugs forever in a way that is affecting how he walks. he's hugging his torso with his arms to warm himself up, and even phil understands that… yeeaahh , maybe being soaking wet and half-naked outside doesn't feel nice. he looks over at his kids, nervously. he doesn't want to leave them alone, but he feels somewhat obligated to help out, he did kinda not save him from rolling into the river.

phil gets closer to forever. and just pats him as he undoes his robe. "look– i can get you a change of clothes, do you have any?"

forever seems to think about it, phil almost suspects he'll do it just because it's phil's clothes. but he won't taint this act of gratitude with anything else on his mind.

"i am very cold, i don't know why." forever chatters out as tallulah races next to him and gives him a towel, purple and covered in flowers. he looks down and smiles at tallulah, patting her head. "thanks, tallulah. you are very sweet." 

he goes to sit in an unblocked, sunny patch of grass as he uses the towel to dry out his hair after he's undone the braid. it all lays beautifully golden around his face and down his shoulders, phil almost forgets to pull out his warpstone.

"i'll go get you some new shorts, sorry about the river-water." 

forever yelps out at him. "im fine! I have got clothes back at the favela, it's just annoying to walk around in…" he stops, and phil lets him think, knowing english isn't his first language. "the sun will dry them off, yea?"

"yea, but they need to be off your body to dry, you'll miss some spots if you just leave them on." phil starts to manifest a location for the warpstone. " seriously, it'll only take a few seconds, let me help out." 

before forever can say anything, he's gone.

when phil comes back, he has a pair of a larger pair of black summer-shorts he has spared for boating and gardening. today, he has on his usual green flowy pants, and his soft, linen top that ties, with no shirt on underneath due to the weather. he undoes the tie around the top as he hands the shorts and the robe top to forever, leaving him shirtless.

"take those, under the condition you have to stay here and give me back my clothes when your shorts are done drying." standing next to forever, clothes in his hands, forever stares at phil unapologetically as he accepts. he holds the clothes, and goes to put his thumbs underneath the band of his shorts, and phil has to shout " not in front of the kids! "

forever blushes, but complies as he runs off to a more shaded area. "okay!! I will change over here.".

when be comes back, phil has already fully laid out the shorts flat in the sun, phil is shirtless, but he can live. forever comes back with his top covered in phil's robe and his shorts. he comes in and his hair is down and also drying. he immediately goes back to the spot in the grass, but not before standing in front of phil, and flexing his muscles.

"i look even better in your clothes, you have to love me now!" he smiles, but phil just pushes him away comedically, with a cocky grin on his face. 

“go sit down, you big doofus, this is a one time thing, alright?”

when phil looks over, forever is laying in the grass, hair sprawled out beautifully across the lush greenery and flowers as he looks directly at phil. he merely nods at phil's statement, dreamily, like he isn't paying full attention. “ yeah, yeah, sure… ”

so the day goes on, it's a sunny, may afternoon near the river at wilbur's house. phil, tallulah, and chayanne have lines cast out for fish, and forever is laying in the grass looking at phil as if he is the world. and maybe he doesn't mind so much when forever's wrapped up in phil's robe.

Chapter Text

forever has a little crush on the fisherman.

he's an older man, though not much older than he is. he's currently a prince in running for the throne of his newfound kingdom, although, since he is far-back in the queue of people who are set to get the throne, forever hardly ever expects to have the throne to himself. to be a king.

which is fine with him, all he wants to spend his days doing is relaxing under the sun, or going to extravagant parties. being an extremely attractive member of the royal family, it makes sense that he gets gifted rare jewels and gems, every material item that could be his is .

he is hardly humble about it, either, he flaunts his wealth with gold hair and adorned in gold jewelry as if he was the sun itself. he always parades himself in bright golds and yellows, with splashes of green. he acknowledges he is very beautiful, and he will attract easily a wife.

although, there is one issue about forever's  situation.

he has everything, he can get anything he wants. a snap of a finger, a command to the general people, and they'll have what he wants and more without him ever so much as lifting a finger. his entire life has been adorned and peppered with privilege and compassion, that he's never lived with something he can't have.

nobody. except phil.

phil is the older fisherman, that is who he is to everyone else. a peasant that is well respected for his many skills, and his destroyed wings that once symbolized how holy and beautiful he was. now shriveled over a millenia of damage, he sits with his aged features, still as beautiful as they always are. forever doesn't know much of his past , but he knows stories. he knows the present, too. 

he knows those blue eyes that are dulled and vast like the sea. he knows those tanned and slightly freckled arms from decades of working in the sun. obvious tan lines as his upper face is paler than his lower-half, due to the hat he always wears. a smile is always worn on his features, and is commonly fishing or gardening in his little isolated area of the town.

however, forever knew the truth about this man. he was not "just thirty or so", as he claimed. he's an old immortal that history has long forgotten, sitting in his cottage home with so many memories and stories to tell, it would take forever's  entire life to even explain a quarter of it.

phil's never told him, but he isn't stupid. his intellect may not be the highest in the kingdom… and maybe it sounds crazy. but the fact that phil is such an ancient being, that chooses, despite everything, to spend time with him and deem it worthwhile? it's truly amazing.

phil loves avocado toast.

he asks for a couple of the finest slices of avocado toast in the kitchen, and the cooks give him some strange looks, but follow the order regardless. forever has already a woven basket set, with a bottle of wine inside, and a slot for the toast to go. maybe it's shallow, because that is the only food item that forever has ever seen that man enjoy. aside from golden apples, but forever cannot reasonably obtain that today.

he can already imagine it… golden apple fritters, golden apple pies… it is very hard to find a large amount of golden apples all at once, but they bake into some very beautiful and nourishing desserts if done correctly.

when the toast is offered, he wraps each one carefully and places it in the basket, using a cheesecloth to cover the top to protect it. when he walks out the kitchen, it's with a stride in his step and a unknowing happiness in his soul as he walks to the location of phil's house.

—

the first thing he notices when he arrives is that phil is lazily draped in the hilly grass near the pond. his arms are behind his head as his hat is propped over his eyes. legs crossed, he is hardly even paying attention to the fishing pole, but forever knows that the man is simply so in tune with nature, he'll know when to pull the lure in.

when phil hears the crunch of grass, he takes off his hat temporarily, and his eyes stare up to forever. who's standing above him. phil's expression goes from neutral to relaxed and happy. he smiles before putting the hat back on his face. " 'gmornin, prince forever."

"you do not need to call me prince, philza." phil chuckles at that under his hat as forever sits cross-legged next to him by the lake. he can see phil's hair move away as he slides his hat slightly away from his face, closer to his right ear, so he could view forever.

"i think i have to, actually, pretty sure they could have my head if i don't." his eyes wander away from forever, looking at an interestingly shaped cloud in the sky. "it's pretty dumb, but whatever."

forever puts the basket down beside him in the grass as phil directs his attention to it. "you can call me whatever you want, we are at your house, right?" he smiles as phil gets the idea. the malicious rulebreaker forever always was, being a prince and getting free things was fun, but the whole "you must marry only a royal" was soooo boring.

especially when perfection was right here in front of him.

phil sits up into a cross-legged position too as he adjusts his hat. he peeks into the basket, and feels warmth. peeling back the cheesecloth, he sees a stack of very well-made avocado toast.

"holy shit , don't mind if i do. " he immediately reaches in and grabs one, making forever break out into hysterics as phil starts to chew on it. savoring it, his face seems to change into something that reads unfamiliar. new baker?

"made by the cooks at the castle, only the best for my philza." he giddily smiles as he pulls out the wine. holding up the bottles label towards phil. " and… some high quality wine, of course, if you are interested?"

phil folds back the cheesecloth more, and sees at the bottom there are two wine glasses at the bottom, and he smirks as he tilts his hat back up and looks back at forever. he smirks.

"you sly dog… might as well." he grabs the glass and expectantly holds it up. "don't keep me waiting, big boy."

" ohohoho, if it is pet names we are doing…" he pops open the top and pours some wine into phil's glass. he takes a long sip, and clicks his tongue when he's done, and looks into the liquid as he sloshes it around. "it tastes good, i like this."

he takes another sip as forever pours his own glass, placing the bottle back into the basket and corks it up before going back to lay back and take a sip. not necessarily the most alcoholic stuff he's ever had, but it isn't weak either. it sits nicely on his tongue as he stares towards phil, who is enjoying his drink.

"happy it's cold, it's kinda toasty out here today." phil turns his head towards the fishing rod, and then grips it as he sees it shake and reel a fish in. dropping the fish in the bucket of water aside from him after he was done.

"of course, ahem , sorry for my silence." he smiles and looks at phil's lure bobble in the water. "i just… admit, i like to watch you fish. it's relaxing." he leans to the side a little, and takes another sip of his wine glass. a breezy day, and the sun showers them in a glow. 

"it's just something i need to do." forever looks ahead. "how many have you caught?" 

phil looks down in his bucket, wineglass on the other hand as he places his fishing rod back on a wooden stick. and takes a small sip as he looks at forever. "about four, enough to make a good amount of food."

forever seems stunned. "do you not have enough food?"

"oh, no , i just get my own, have to fish for it, y'know?" he smirks as forever's  distressed face fades. "not that you would know.'

"oh! hush it, you!" he bumps phil's nose with his own, leaning forward suddenly to completely do the movement, and then moves right back to his spot on the grass, with a comfortable distance from his friend.

they stare out, the air settles and, because phil's house is so far out, they do not hear the bustle and chatter of the town or people or any machines, they are together by a pond that is quiet, water flows nearby and only occasional sounds of birds calling and butterflies flying around them builds the atmosphere. 

the grass is lush and green, forever looks down and pressing his hand into the soft grass. it's a little bit prickly, but it doesn't hurt at all. itches at the most , but it almost feels like moss, just without it being wet. making forever's  hand sink a little into the ground and watching the indent of his hand in the grass form as he takes it out.

when he looks up again, it's because of the sound of a fishing pole being reeled in, another large fish is caught on phil's lure, which he de-attaches the mouth of the fish to the hook, and drops it in the bucket of water. 

forever watches him do his work, interested and satisfied with how calm this all is. there is truly nothing imperfect about this moment.

forever loves phil, but he can never have him, he takes another long sip of his wineglass to wash down the thought.

"i think i have enough fish, should i stop…" he questions himself, with his hook in his hand, pondering if he should pass more bait to the end of the hook, or if it's best to wrap things up and go inside.

forever speaks up. "why on earth would you do that? it's so nice out here." it's spoken quieter, as if he's shy about it, with a mutter and a smile. phil looks back at forever and a pleasant, beautiful smile spreads across his features.

"you just like watching me fish." he jabs his elbow into forever's  side playfully, and forever does the same. "of course i do, it's so calm and nice out here." his hair drapes around his face and his blonde mustache

frames his tan skin and features as he takes another sip.

when phil looks at forever's  glass, he notices it's significantly lower than phil's. he raises his glass and drinks a good amount from it. chugging it maybe isn't the best idea, but he doesn't really care.

forever's  staring at him, and phil finally notices that forever's  eyelashes are also blonde, a dark blonde that works beautifully with his dark eye-color.  he notices how his aged features make him look so human.

when phil feels forever leaned on his side, no words are spoken, but the comforting weight of a beautiful prince that phil will never have, in this moment, is beauty.

shared kisses only in the most hidden parts of the lake , phil sips his wineglass again as he reminisces. sat in the dim lighting of phil's cottage home, it's utterly cluttered with items.

maybe one day, in a future life, or in the afterlife, they'll be able to be together. phil doesn't mind waiting. 

he stares at forever's  face, resting in the crevice of his neck and shoulder, pressed against each other, phil's left hand has abandoned the fishing pole, and is interlaced with forever's  fingers instead.

it's not a love that's bound with any laws or rules, just how he likes it.