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"I'm at the tube station. Be at your place in ten. 🩷"
Dan Howell-Lester smiled at the text he had on the phone. Any chance he got to surprise his husband, Phil Lester, he was going to take it. He saw the Ring doorbell go off and he headed towards the door, as Pancake ran right next to him.
"Pancake Pancakes Howell-Lester, you get back right now. We know what happened yesterday when your Papa opened the door."
Dan said, grabbing a toy and giving it to her. She occupied herself with the toy just as Dan opened the door. He smiled at their friend Louise who stood just on the other side of it.
"Ahhh! Dan, you look...angelic."
Dan blushed. He hadn't seen Louise since right before the hard launch when he and Phil had taken a trip up to see her and the kids. He hugged her and grabbed the packages that she was holding.
"Angelic?"
"Yes darling. You're positively glowing."
"Oh, I think I look just like Dan, but thank you."
Louise put the crate she was carrying down, and turned back to look at him.
"You're Dan living authentically. And that's what makes you glow."
Dan blushed an even deeper shade of red. He'd heard that before. From their other friends, some close business associates, family. But it was still hard for him to get used to.
"Thank you, Lou. That means a lot coming from you. And thank you for this."
Dan said, smiling at the crate. He walked over to it and squat down in front of it. He saw a little sleeping black, white and tan bundle inside of it and grinned.
"Hello pretty girl. Hi. I'm your Papa, Dan. You're a present for your sweet Dad."
Louise watched as Dan bonded with the small Corgi puppy that was inside the crate. She knelt down beside Dan, petting Pancake as she watched him.
"She's got all of her shots, so she's ready to go there. All of her paperwork is also in that bag. I brought her some of the treats we've been giving her."
"Lou, you're an absolute queen. Do you wanna stay? He literally should be back any second. I sent him on a Tesco run."
Louise grinned. They all hadn't spent a prolonged amount of time together recently, and she had nowhere to be at the moment, so she nodded. Dan took the Corgi puppy out of the crate and held her to Pancakes.
"This is your sister, Cakes. You have to be really nice to her."
Pancake walked over and sniffed the Corgi puppy. Dan watched cautiously, as did Louise. Pancake continued sniffing her and gave her a small lick before turning her attention back to the toy.
"Good girl, Cakes. Good girl. You're Daddy's good girl, aren't you?"
He said, patting her while he held the puppy. He heard his phone go off, and he smiled. He handed the puppy to Louise and motioned for her to head into the office. Louise nodded and he stood up, storing the empty puppy crate in the cupboard. He heard the door open and shut and he felt an inner peace settle over him.
"Bug?"
"In the living room, Bub."
Dan said, watching as Pancake chewed on her toy. Phil walked in carrying a bag full of stuff that they'd needed, and he grinned seeing his husband waiting for him.
"Hi beautiful."
Phil said, going over and placing a sweet kiss onto Dan's lips. It conveyed everything he felt in that moment for his husband, and Dan blushed.
"Hi. Did you get everything?"
"I did. Including those weird olives you eat."
"The ones with jalapenos and garlic stuffed in them?"
"The very ones."
Phil said, taking three jars of olives out and putting them in the snack cabinet. Dan waited, and finally got impatient. He gently grabbed Phil's hand and smiled.
"You do love me! Come sit. I have a surprise for you."
Phil left the rest of the groceries on the counter, and let Dan lead him toward the couch. He sat down and took Phil's hands, kissing them.
"Dan, are you pregnant?"
Phil blurted out. Dan chuckled softly, shaking his head. He knew when Phil got nervous about something, he just blurted out random things.
"Not in the actual sense, my love. Lou? Can you come out here please? We're ready for you."
The office door opened, and Phil watched as Louise stepped out. He noticed that Louise was holding something. It took him a second for him to register what she was holding, but when he did, he gasped.
"Bug?"
"Yes?"
"Is that a Corgi puppy?"
"It is." Dan said, smiling the goofy smile that he reserved just for Phil. It usually came across in videos as his "Heart Eyes Howell" look.
"Is it...for me?"
"It is. You gave me a dream, now I want to give you yours. Louise's Corgi Regina had puppies. She called me and asked if you wanted one. I wasn't going to say no."
Louise handed the puppy to Phil and he gasped. He looked at Dan lovingly and kissed him gently.
"You are my dream, Bug. And that came true. This is just the icing on the cake."
Phil said, petting the dog gently. He was lost in her for a bit. He alternated between shooting loving glances between the puppy and Dan.
"Do you have a name for her, Bub?"
"Flame Susan Nuki Howell-Lester. Susan for short."
Dan snorted. He knew he'd name the dog something silly. But that was his husband. Full of whimsy and magic, and he wouldn't change anything for the world.
"Susan and Pancake. Our sweet daughters."
"Our little family is complete, Bug. And that is a beautiful feeling."
Phil said, so grateful to be loving the man sitting in front of him. He was grateful to live the life he did. And that was a blessing he never took for granted.