#puts him around my neck like one of those airplane pillows and naps like that

[donttellpeterparker]

Euro Trip

Summary: A trip of a lifetime right? Going abroad with your friends and the guy you were head over heels for... how could anything possibly go wrong?

Requested: No

Word Count: 2k+

Warning(s)?: FFH Based, Please don't read if you haven't seen FFH

masterlist (xx) request (xx)

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Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Euro Trip

''I have a plan!'' Ned turns to look out Peter with a confused expression.

''Okay, first, I am going to sit next to Y/N on the plane, second-''

''Wait what?'' Ned cuts in. immediately starting to disagree with Peter's idiotic plan to win you over.

''I'm going to buy a dual headphone adapter and watch movies with her on the plane, the whole time, third-''

''Okay...'' Ned buts in again, his eyes searching the classroom for you. You were currently sitting over with your friends, writing something down in your book.

However, Peter just ignores Ned's hostility and continues on.

''Three, while we are in Venice I was thinking of getting her flowers, though she doesn't really like flowers but she loves the Sunflower and Red rose combo so I figured I'll get her that but on a necklace instead-''

''Nice...''

''Then five, when we get to Paris, I am going to take her to the top of the Eiffel Tower, give her the necklace and tell her how I feel and... step six.... hopefully she feels the same way'' Peter eyes dart across to you as he uttered the last part, watching in awe as you tilted your head back and laugh at whatever it was your friends were talking about.

''Oh and don't forget step seven'' Peter's eyes go back to Ned in confusion.

''Step seven?''

''Yeah, don't do any of that'' Peter tries to hold in his scoff.

''Why?'' Why wasn't Ned on board with this plan, it was a fool proof plan. Peter had gone over every possible scenario and this was the best one, even Karen agreed. Though admittedly, he was slightly embarrassed that he talked to his A.I about this.

''Because I wanna be Bachelors in Europe!'' Now Peter scoffs.

''Man...''

''No seriously, I may not know much as a guy but I do know this, Europeans love Americans... and more than half of them are women!''

''Okay... sure... but I really like Y/N, okay? She's awesome, she's super funny in a kinda dorky way and sometimes I catch her looking at me and I feel like she-''

''Oh shh! She's coming'' Ned and Peter quickly both shut up and glance down at their work sheets in front of them which were both already done of course.

''Hi dorks, excited about the science trip?'' I spoke up with a smile, glancing at both of them. However Peter glanced up at me nervously, already feeling himself getting tongue tied.

''H-hi... o-oh yeah we were just... talking about the trip'' Peter plays with his pen in his hand to try and get himself to focus a little. His heart was beating faster and faster by the second. The crush he had developed on you came on very sudden, almost immediately when you guys became friends. I gave them both a weird look but thought nothing of it seeing as Peter was always like this. It was honestly the cutest thing to me.

''Yeah well, Peter's plan'' Ned interjects. Peter stiffens as his eyes widen.

''You have a plan?'' I asked Peter, my eyes never leaving his. God they were so chocolaty brown...

''Oh no I... I don't have a plan'' He had wanted to kill Ned so badly right now.

''Oh he's just going to be doing a bunch of school work while we are on the trip and collect some dining spoons from each continent'' Peter felt relieved with the smooth lie Ned had told you yet stiffened once again at the last part he had said. My eyes now glanced over both of them suspiciously.

''Like a grandmother?'' I had no filter with anything so I was always quite blunt. Peter's eyes widen as he quickly shake his head, pointing his pen towards Ned.

''No he'll be collecting spoons I'll just be... uhhh... doing my school work.. yep'' He glanced down now and fiddled with his pen a little more.

''Okay umm... that was a little bit of a roller coaster'' I tried to joke as all of us emitted strained laughs.

''Little tip, download a VPN so the government can't track you while we are gone'' I furrowed my eyebrows to myself once I heard how stupid I had sounded.

''Smart... will do'' Peter compliments, smiling at me. I couldn't help but to smile back and nod my head, not liking the effect he seemed to always have on me.

''Bye'' I gave them both a small wave before quickly walking past them as soon as the bell chimed. Both Peter and Ned turned to look at each other, Ned smiled.

''Well I think that went well'' Peter just shook his head and dropped it on the table, exhaling his breath he hadn't even known he was holding.

~*~*~*~*

''Okay come on guys, single file line please!'' Mr Harris had looked more stressed then ever, frantically moving his hands in the air while they were still holding his clipboard. He always stresses when it comes to trips of any kind and honestly I could see why. He could barely keep his shirt buttoned never mind keeping a hoard of teenagers in check. Though Mr Fitz was well calm, probably because of the mini pillow comfortably around his neck as he was taking a day nap standing up.

''God I am so excited! I can't wait for the 8 hour plane ride! The boats we'll take to the hotel! All the different Museums we'll visit, the food, the wine-'' I swiftly laughed and put my hand over my best friends mouth to stop her from rambling.

''Calm down okay? We haven't even boarded yet'' I smiled softly to myself even though I felt like rolling my eyes.

''I know but this is so exciting!'' It was exciting, though if I was going to have to listen to her ramble on for the next 8 hours stuck in a confined space I would go insane.

''Hey he's staring again'' I turn my head to my best friend and over to Brad in the distance, his eyes immediately locking with mine. In reality he was 5 years younger then me, one of my friends kid brother yet since the blip, he aged whereas I didn't.

Not gonna lie though, those 5 years had turned him into practically a Greek God.

''He would put Zeus to shame...'' I watched as she stared lovingly at Brad, it honestly made me a little sick to my stomach. Yeah he was good looking but a total jackass too.

''Isn't that the guy who had two man ponies? no one looks good in a man pony'' Her smile instantly fell from her face as she turned to glare at me. I laughed as she stormed off, joining the rest of the class in the line up.

''Now Boarding flight 2376 to Venice Italy, please make your way to gate 37 for your departure in 20 minutes'' A woman's voice came over the PA system.

''Okay guys hurry up! let's go! We are not having a repeat of what happened last time! Move it!'' Mr Harris lungs would eventually die out soon from all the screaming. I smiled to myself as I followed the class, getting gently shoved along by the teacher to hurry up.

''You did practically insult my soul mate but, who are you sitting next to on the plane?'' My best friend turned to face me while the others began boarding in front.

''I'm not sure'' I shrugged my shoulders, looking straight ahead. I could see the familiar brown locks in front, smiling towards the stewardess before walking through the gate. My best friends eyes follow and she snickers.

''Hopefully it's not next to Penis Parker'' Sometimes I had wondered why I was even friends with her, she was ruder than me.

''Y/F/N, stop'' She knew I liked him so she did everything she could to bug me about it.

''What? I'm just saying, I heard he snores like, really loud'' I laugh at her and push her along to the front.

''Whatever dork''

~*~*~*~*

The plane was a lot more bigger than I had imagined. It was probably a very bad time to begin getting claustrophobic. I popped in my ear phones and played some calming music to ease my nerves. I hadn't even been on a plane before till now.

''Do you want the first shift or second? I could take either'' Mr Harris spoke up to Mr Fitz from just a little in front.

''Give me the third shift'' I laughed softly to myself.

''I can't chaperone these kids alone'' Mr Harris complains as he walks over to his seat as Mr Fitz walk further onward, immediately sitting down getting ready to take a nap.

''Hey Peter, this is called an airplane, it's like the buses you're used to except it fly's over your crappy town, not drive through them'' I was beyond annoyed once again with Flash.

''Hey ma'am, he blipped so technically he's 16, not 21'' I smiled as she turned to Flash and took the alcoholic beverage right out of his hand.

''Hey what are you doing? I don't even know this girl'' Flash yelled in the distance. I smiled and turned around to smile at Peter. He smiled back in thanks. I continue down the aisle and find my seat. I was beyond grateful that it wasn't next to my best friend who would definitely talk my ear off the entire time.

~*~*~*~*

''I need your help to get me to sit next to Y/N'' Peter turned to Ned swiftly once he saw Brad make his way up to you, having a quick conversation before taking a seat in the row before.

''No, what about our plan? Bachelors in Europe'' Peter stares at Ned in disgust.

''That was your plan, not mine, mine's foolproof'' Ned rolls his eyes and sighs.

''Not entirely...'' Ned mumbles to himself but Peter just ignored him, glancing over at his best friend with puppy dog eyes.

''Alright fine'' Ned gets up and begins walking over to your row. I glance up and offer a smile, noticing Ned seemed a little on edge.

''Hey guys'' Jenny from beside me just nodded her head, not really interested in conversing.

''There's an old lady sitting in front of us and she's wearing like a crazy amount of perfume and it's setting off Peter's allergies, you know Jenny, if you could just switch places with Peter real quick-'' Ned was speaking so fast I almost didn't hear him.

''He's allergic to perfume?'' Jenny asked incredulously. Ned paused and looked deep in thought. My eyes scan his face, seeing if he was lying or not.

He definitely was.

''Yeah, yeah umm... it makes his eyes water'' Mr Harris turns around from in front of us and his eyes widen.

''You said Peter had a perfume allergy?'' Ned looked mortified as Mr Harris shot out of his seat real quick.

''Uhh...'' Ned stumbled.

''I know from experience that a perfume allergy is no joke!'' I tried to stifle a laugh as Mr Harris struggled to get his seat un-buckled as Peter rose in the distance.

''Y/N stand up'' I did as he said and rose as well.

''Y/N, you take my spot, Ned take Y/N's and Peter let's get you up here'' I sat down at my new seat and glanced beside me to see Brad already beaming. Great. However, what I failed to notice was how my best friend was sitting on the other side of him, sending me a glare. I glanced at her and just shrug my shoulders.

''Thanks for bringing this to my attention Ned, everyone's safety is mine and Mr Fitz top priority...'' He trailed off, glancing towards the already snoring teacher fast asleep.

''Well thank you, come on Peter!'' Peter look disgruntled as he grabbed his carry-on bag and followed Mr Harris reluctantly.

''I got a dual headphone adapter if you want to watch a movie?'' Brad asked me, catching me out of my thoughts. I turned to him and smiled.

''Only if it's depressing, or funny'' I joked. Brad laughed and smiled, reaching into his backpack. However just a few rows down from them Peter could hear the conversation perfectly thanks to his spider-senses.

He was completely and utterly guttered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Am I spotting a mini series perhapsss? xx (P.s probably be the same length as ‘One Hell Of A Night’’’

[alj4890]

New Year's Eve

A Choices Fan Fiction of The Royal Romance, Red Carpet Diaries, and Perfect Match

@lxaah11​ ​​​ @alleksa16​ ​​​ @penguininapinktuxedo​ ​​​ @blackcoffee85​ ​​​ @stopforamoment​ ​​​  @hopefulmoonobject​ ​​​  @krsnlove​ ​​​   @annekebbphotography​ ​​​  @gibbles82​ ​​​ @cora-nova​ ​​​ @bella-ca​ ​​​ @hopelessromantic1352​ ​​​. @sunflowergirl05​ ​​​ @desiree-0816​ ​​​ @greywitchyshots​ ​​​ @lilyofchoices​ ​​ @moodyvalentinestories​ ​​​ @emceesynonymroll​ ​​ @dr-nancy-house​ ​​ @aworldoffandoms​ ​​ @ab1901​ ​​ @flyawayboo​ ​​ @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​ ​​.

Masterlist

A/N Here it finally is! The end to this multi-part fluff! Not gonna lie, I'm quite proud of myself for not allowing this to turn into a big series and for finishing up on New Year's Day, LOL! Anyway here is a final look at this New Year's AU for bff @krsnlove​

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Epilogue

The Royal Palace, Cordonia

Dec. 31st, one year later...

Amanda slowly opened her eyes and wondered if she would be forced to get up and answer the door. 

She turned over and peeped at her husband of two months and sighed. Thomas was still softly snoring. No getting out of this.

She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and groaned at the early morning hour. She made her way to the door and stuck her head out.

"Forgive me your grace," Bastien began, "but King Liam wanted to make certain you arrived downstairs in time."

"Et tu Bastien?" She said then promised she would be down in a few moments.

"Early morning pests." She muttered as she stumbled around in the dark to find her clothes.

Thomas turned a lamp on and blinked against the brightness. "What are you doing awake?"

"I have something to do downstairs." She explained. She leaned down and kissed him. "It won't take long." She laughed when he pulled her back in bed.

"Wouldn't you rather stay here?" He placed a kiss on her neck.

"You have no idea how much I want to." She reluctantly left his arms and got dressed. "I'll be back shortly."

"I'll keep your spot warm." Thomas promised as he turned the lamp off.

Thirty minutes later, she hurried downstairs. The palace was still dark and hardly anyone stirred. She went to Liam's study and paused at it being empty.

"Bastien!" She called out.

"Yes, m'lady?" He came into the room

"Where are the others?"

The king's guard averted his eyes from hers. "They," he coughed and took a step back. "They should be down soon, they wanted me to wake you up earlier so that you would be here in time."

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I--" her eyes narrowed. "That will be all."

He quickly exited.

She plopped down in a leather chair near the fireplace and plotted her revenge.

"Good morning." Liam called out to her twenty minutes later.

"Don't you good morning me!" She snapped. "Why was I awakened before the rest of you?" She slowly rose from her chair and approached Liam.

"Now Amanda," he quickly put the desk between them. "You know as well as I that getting up in the mornings is not your strongest--" he ducked the pillow being swatted at him.

Drake and Olivia entered, grinning at the sight of Liam running from Amanda's attack.

"I see she found out your plan." Olivia called out.

Liam paused to answer and got a mouth full of pillow. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you finished?"

Amanda stuck her nose up and walked away. "For now."

Olivia joined her on the sofa and set her hands on the beginning of a noticiable baby bump. "I don't believe my heir likes early mornings any better than you do."

Amanda smiled and leaned down close to Olivia's stomach. "I knew you would be perfect." She said to the baby.

Drake chuckled and came up behind Olivia. He gently rubbed her shoulders as they waited on Maxwell to appear.

"Do we have it ready?" Drake asked.

Liam unlocked a cabinet and pulled out a wrapped gift. "Right here."

Maxwell came in a few moments later, yawning. "What's going on? I didn't think we had to be ready for the wedding until this afternoon."

"We don't." Liam explained. "There is something though that the four of us wanted to give you."

Maxwell paused in stretching. "Who? Me? You want to give me something? It isn't my wedding day."

"We know that, idiot." Olivia rolled her eyes. "We were all there months ago for that three ringed circus."

Maxwell grinned. "Nadia and I know how to throw a wedding to remember."

Liam held the gift out to him. "I believe you will understand why we did so once you see it."

Maxwell sat down in a chair and ripped into the paper. He lifted the lid and frowned at the leather bound book. "Um...I'm still not understanding it."

"Open it!" Amanda ordered.

Maxwell lifted the heavy book and turned to the first page. There was a picture of the five of them along with his prediction he made a year ago. "Hey! This is us! You made us into a book!"

"More like a yearbook." Drake explained.

Maxwell turned the page and grinned at the pictures of the five of them when they first arrived in New York a year ago. Then there was the picture Thomas took of four of them in front of the tree by Rockefeller Center.

He then noticed the captions and tidbits written with each photo. They offered a remembered funny or poignant moment that he was either a part of or one of the others were.

The book continued on with all that had occurred within the year: Liam courting Riley all these months. Drake and Olivia becoming engaged during the reception of Maxwell and Nadia's wedding. Thomas and Amanda's low key red carpet wedding. Liam's proposal to Riley at the Statue of Liberty. An ultrasound photo of Drake and Olivia's early fall surprise. All the year's memories were in there.

The last page held copies of handwritten notes to him about how they didn't pay much attention to his prediction, but now were grateful for him pointing out how special that New Year's was. They expressed how happy they were in having him as one of their best friends and knew that next time they would pay closer attention of he ever predicted such life changing moments again.

Maxwell sniffed as he finished the last letter and got up silently to hug them all.

"Not so tight!" Olivia muttered when he pulled her into the group hug.

"Thanks." He mumbled while trying to keep his emotions in check. "You know you all mean the world to me and this," he wrapped his arms around the book, "means everything to me."

"Can we go back to bed now before we have to get ready for the wedding?" Amanda pleaded.

"I know I could use a nap." Olivia stood up and linked arms with Amanda. "Coming gentlemen?"

The five made their way upstairs and parted at the different wings.

_________________

Wedding Reception/New Year's Eve Party, The Royal Palace Courtyard...

7pm.

"Can you believe that those two are together because of us?" Addison exclaimed. "Our Fairy Godmother powers are off the charts!"

"We did good." Jessica smiled when Liam and Riley cut the wedding cake.

"Yes, we did." Holly clinked her glass of champagne with theirs and watched the two share a kiss.

8pm.

"So have you and Hana decided on the most important thing?" Ryan asked.

"I think we've got everything planned out." Rashad explained.

"What he means is the honeymoon." Matt explained.

Rashad grinned at the movie stars. "That was the first thing we planned when we chose a date."

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Seth patted him on the back. "Lucky for me Jess was willing to put up with my suggestions on the best places to go."

"So, when is the big day?" Ryan asked.

"January 31st. Exactly one year and one month from our first date." He said, standing up to greet Hana with a kiss as she told him she was the one to catch Riley's bouquet.

9 pm.

"Remember our first dance?" Maxwell asked as he pulled Nadia onto the dance floor.

"You know I could never forget that." She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him. "If this had not been a wedding reception, I would have worn my white dress in honor of that night."

He smiled, dimples deepening as he held her close. "In three months, it will be our first anniversary."

"Yes it will." She giggled as he kissed the tip of her nose.

"Since it is customary to give a paper gift," he trailed off to tease her.

"Maxwell!" She wagged a finger at him. "Don't you dare!"

He twirled her and brought her back close to his body. "How does airplane tickets to wherever you want to go sound?"

She squealed and kissed him. "It sounds like you, perfect."

10 pm.

"Happy?" Riley asked as Liam pulled her off for a moment alone.

"Happier than I thought was humanly possible." He held her in his arms as they looked out over the capital.

"When you told me a year ago what you intended, I didn't think we would actually be here together, married." Riley admitted.

"And now?" He asked looking down into her eyes.

"And now I can't imagine living any other way." She looped her arms around his neck. "I am very happy to be your wife."

"And Cordonia's Queen." He added, softly kissing her lips.

"That pales in comparison to being with you for the rest of my life." She whispered.

11 pm.

Thomas sat down with Amanda at an empty table, observing the guests enjoying themselves.

"I think I preferred our New Year's Eve last year." His dark eyes met hers. "Minus the broken ankle."

She laughed and leaned against him as his arms came around her. "It was nice being just the two of us."

"I suggest we make that our annual plans." His lips found hers. "As happy as I am for Liam and Riley, I look forward to being alone with you."

She smiled against his lips. "I think you're rubbing off on me. I'm looking forward to the same thing." She gripped his lapels as his kiss deepened.

"Do you think anyone would notice if we quietly left?" He whispered.

"Yes. We all would."

The couple looked up at an irritated Addison. Her arms were folded and then she pointed toward the crowd. "Go be sociable! You can be alone later."

Thomas glared at her while Amanda laughed. She slipped her arm around him as they followed Addison back to the party.

"We'll try again in a few minutes." She whispered, drawing a smile from him.

11:55 pm.

"Almost time!" Riley wrapped her arms around Liam, smiling the smile of a joyful bride.

"Another new year." Drake muttered, carefully placing his hand on Olivia's stomach. "Just seems like yesterday we were doing this."

"I'm very happy it wasn't yesterday." Amanda leaned back in her husband's embrace. "I prefer not to be on crutches." She smiled as Thomas tightened his arms around her. "Makes dancing so much easier."

Maxwell felt that strange prickling sensation come over him again as he looked at his closest friends waiting on the fireworks to announce it being midnight. "I think it's happening again!"

Nadia looked up at him while he wrapped his arms around her. "What? What's happening?"

"It can't be." Amanda breathed when it hit her what he meant. "We already have the ones!"

Drake shook his head in doubt. "Must have been something you ate."

Liam's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Maxwell nodded as the timer continued the countdown. "Something huge will be happening next year."

"Of course it is." Olivia smirked. "I will be giving Lythikos it's future duke or duchess."

"Not only that," Maxwell's blue eyes met those around him. "We will all be expecting babies next year."

[quercussp]

Let your balalaika sing

Rating: T

Word count: 3.3k

Summary: Dan and Phil go to Russia during the Interactive Introverts tour

Authors note: This story is written for the @phandomficfests tour fest. A huge thanks to my wonderful betas @megiaolf and @terpia, to @templeofshame and to my husband for support and inspiration.

Warnings: mild sexual content, short reference to violence and death, implied/referenced homophobia, mention of anxiety.

[read on ao3]

They arrive in Moscow early in the morning. Well, morning might be the wrong word, according to Dan. 4:30 am shouldn’t be considered morning, it’s practically the middle of the night. But the sky outside of the plane’s small window is lit up by the rising sun, and the city they are descending on is beginning to wake up, with cars that look like small toys driving across tiny ribbons of roads.

Dan considers waking Phil up so he can see the view from the airplane as they are arriving. He looks to his side and finds Phil sound asleep, his head tilted back, mouth open and a tiny bit of saliva trailing down his chin. Dan smiles softly and decides to let him sleep. It’s been a long night and they have a big day ahead of them, and he knows that Phil gets really grumpy when he is sleep deprived.

Just as the plane lands Phil jerks awake, with a confused look on his face.

“Where… we there?” he mumbles, rubbing his eyes and feeling for his glasses that are in the seat pocket in front of him.

Dan doesn’t answer. The morning feels thick and heavy, and the air outside seems grey. He can barely make out what the pilot is saying because of his heavy accent, but he is assuming that it’s the standard “welcome and thank you for flying with us” message.

They get out of the plane and walk through the sleepy airport, their bags in hand, towards the passport control stands. Dan leads the way as Phil still looks as though he hasn’t woken up properly yet, and he also tends to get lost even when he is at his sharpest. He knows that Marianne and the rest of the crew are somewhere behind them, but he is too tired to look back and wait for them.

They join a small queue of people standing in front of a passport booth labeled “all visitors”. Everyone around them seems subdued and sleepy. There is a big family standing in the neighboring line, with a crying toddler sitting on a large plastic checkered bag, while the mother is looking through her purse and a person he assumes is the grandmother is speaking very fast on the phone to someone.

It takes them about twenty minutes to get to the border agent, a tired looking young woman, who asks them the goal of their visit in a sleepy voice.

“We are doing a show here” answers Dan, but for some reason it comes out as a question. The woman in the booth flips and stamps their passports with a bored look on her face and hands them back to Dan.

It takes them another 30 minutes to get all of their luggage and reunite with their crew. All Dan can think of is coffee, and he can see that Phil is practically falling asleep on his feet.

Their entire party walks through the green corridor into the arrivals zone, where a small group of people are gathered around, waiting for other people. Marianne leads the whole group to a tall bald man holding a sheet of paper with Marianne’s last name on it.

“I’m Konstanstin. You can call me Kostya. Welcome to Moscow!” the man introduces himself. He has an accent and his voice is a bit croaky, but his eyes are twinkling and his hand feels warm and strong when Dan shakes it.

“You ready? Let’s go” says Kostya, leading them out of the airport to a road where dozens of taxis are waiting around, with drivers shouting “Taxi! Taxi!” at them.

Kostya has arranged a couple cars to come pick them up. He helps them arrange their luggage, and then gets behind the wheel of one of them. Marianne joins him in the front, while Dan and Phil slide into the back.

They drive out of the airport and onto a highway. Kostya looks around the car a little nervously, perhaps debating whether or not he should start a conversation. But Marianne is already deep in her phone and Phil has fallen asleep, leaning against the window, so instead Kostya turns on the radio and continues driving.

The drive is a long one. There are barely any cars on the road as it’s so early, and Dan spends his time watching the landscape pass out of the window. The radio is playing some kind of pop music in Russian and he doesn’t understand a word they are saying. Dan feels like he is on another planet.

When they decided they wanted to go to Russia for the tour, it was more of a hypothetical idea. They saw multiple people telling them to “come to Russia” on twitter and younow, and they always answered with “we would love to”. Now that they are here, Dan can’t help feel like it might have been a mistake. Perhaps it’s the sleep deprivation, or the leaflet he was given at the embassy back in the UK that recommended them to stay away and wipe all their phones, he feels oddly nervous. Logically, Dan knows that he and Phil were totally safe. They have a guide and everything is arranged for them, they heard multiple people assuring them that everything will be fine, and just in case, they had hired a second bodyguard. But it still feels as though they are entering a world where the rules are different, where they are vulnerable and exposed.

By the time they get to the hotel Dan feels a bit nauseous, and he desperately needs to pee. He pokes Phil to wake him up and they all pile into the lobby of the hotel, dragging their suitcases behind them.

The lobby is posh and dimly lit, with classical music playing quietly in the background. Marianne and Konstantin walk over to check them in, while the rest of the crew sits on the plush couches near the hotel bar.

In a couple of minutes Marianne walks over to them and passes out hotel keys. She also passes Dan an envelope of Russian money she exchanged for them and two sim cards.

“Your plans won’t work here, Kostya got you temporary mobile numbers. You have your spare phones, right?” she asks.

“Yeah, they’re in my bag” Dan answers, while Phil takes the hotel keys from her and starts walking towards the lift.

Their hotel room is on the 9th floor. It has two beds and a walk-in shower, and a great view of the city.

“Is that the Kremlin?” Phil asks, gesturing to a pointy building that could be seen in the distance, towering over all the other structures.

“Isn’t the Kremlin supposed to be red?” replies Dan. “It also isn’t that tall, right? It’s really old. Maybe it’s one of those 7 skyscrapers Andrew was telling us about”. He walks into the bathroom, finally peeing in the toilet, then shedding his wrinkled clothes and stepping into the shower. The hot water makes him feel a little more alive and after shaving and brushing his teeth, he almost feels human. He walks into the room, wrapped in a plush white hotel robe, and signals to Phil that the bathroom is free.

While Phil showers, Dan puts the sim cards into two old iPhones they bought for this specific trip. The pamphlet they got from the UK ministry told them to avoid using their phones as a precaution against hackers and to protect their personal information. It also told them to stay away from crowded places, not make eye contact on public transport, avoid showing expensive technology and to not be affectionate to each other in public.

It’s not that Dan and Phil didn’t follow the exact same recommendations when they were in London. They tend to avoid large crowds, partly because of social anxiety, and partly because of the very high risk of being recognized by fans. They also do their best to never engage with anyone while taking the tube or bus, because a tired angry Londoner traveling home from work in an overcrowded train car isn’t someone you really want to be all close up and personal with. They try to not wave their brand new iphone Xs around in crowded spaces, as both are aware that pickpockets are common in London. And they also don’t show affection in front of strangers. For obvious reasons of fearing their audience seeing it, but also because none of them have the energy to deal with people’s reaction to it.

But for some reason, the fact that those things were written out in an official document issued by their government makes Dan really uneasy. It fills him with a nervous energy, the type that makes you tremble and jitter, and makes breathing seem like almost an impossible task.

“Do you want to take a nap?” asks Phil, as he walks out of the shower. His skin is pink from the hot water, and his hair messy and wet, hanging across his face. Dan suddenly has the strongest urge to be as close as possible to him. Perhaps it’s nerves. Or maybe it’s a feeling of doing something illegal. Or just the fact that they haven’t had sex in three days.

Dan walks over to Phil and pulls him into a hug, resting his cheek on Phil’s shoulder.

“Yes,” he mumbles, snuggling deeper into Phil’s neck. “Marianne was thinking of going out to breakfast, but we have a couple hours before that”.

“Just let me put some pajamas on,” murmurs Phil, pulling out of Dan’s embrace. Dan instantly feels cold and jittery again.

They both put on some boxers and settle into one of the soft plush hotel beds.

“Why do hotels always have so many pillows,” grumbles Dan, as he pushes three decorative pillows out of the way and onto the floor in order to reach the four big fluffy white ones.

After a bit of adjusting, they end up spooning with Dan wrapping his arms and one leg around Phil’s body. It’s soothing to feel Phil’s gentle breaths and steady heartbeat, to inhale his familiar scent, just a bit tainted by the smell of the hotel body wash. In about three minutes, Dan is fast asleep.

*** They end up going out for brunch. Konstantin meets them in the lobby, all smiles and cheery greetings, and leads them out into the city. He asks them what would they like to have and unanimously everyone answers coffee.

Kostya leads them to a Starbucks, where they get some lattes and pastries and sit down on a sofa near the window.

For some reason Dan finds it surprising that he is in a Starbucks. He feels stupid to be surprised, as he has never yet been to a city that didn’t have one, but it still feels weird. He points it out to Phil, who chuckles and tells him: “yeah, it’s almost like the people here are just the same as anywhere, and also like overpriced American coffee”.

They finish eating and Kostya takes them to the metro. The city is busy and loud around them, there are people hurrying in every direction, and all of it looks so similar to London.

Kostya helps them pay for metro tickets and leads them through the gates and to the escalator. He is telling them something about how the Moscow Metro is the deepest one and how it was used as a bomb shelter, but Dan is only half listening. Instead he is watching the people passing him on the escalator, some of them grumpy looking and looking down, some talking with their friends in loud voices, some listening to music. No one pays them any attention.

The escalator is really really long. Kostya wasn’t joking when he was talking about how deep they are underground. It takes them a full two or three minutes to get all the way down, and when they do, Dan is immediately struck by the sheer grandeur of the station they are on.

“This is a tube station? It looks like a freaking castle!” Phil exclaims, and silently Dan agrees with him. The whole station is covered in marble and fancy molding, the ceilings are as high as in a cathedral, and the walls between massive arches are covered by mosaics, showing battle scenes, with soldiers brandishing red flags. The station is illuminated by lights that hang from brass chandeliers. If it weren’t for the people running all around them and the signs pointing to different lines, Dan would easily mistake this for a grand hall of some sort. Konstantin leads them through the crowd and towards an arriving train.

After some Russian words Dan can’t understand, he hears the announcer say “the next station is Smolenskaya” in English and the train plunges into the darkness of the tunnel.

It takes them about ten minutes to get to their destination. The train makes several stops and every time Dan is amazed by the architecture of the stations. They all seem different and over the top grand. The people around him seem to care very little about the beauty of the stations, they go on and off the train, some of them carrying coffee cups, others looking at their phones or reading books. They look so very normal, but everyone's advice about being careful keeps him on his toes, and he feels the anxious and uncomfortable feeling returning.

They spend the morning walking around the city center. They visit the Kremlin and Red Square, go to the GUM and some museums. They meet many subscribers, they buy some ice cream, drink some more coffee. The whole day feels so… so un-unusual compared to their other tour stops. Sure, it’s a new city in a new country, but for some reason Dan expected it to be much more different. He keeps noticing similarities to other places he’s visited. The streets are filled with the same stores with the same brands of clothing, fast food restaurants on every block, and Dan has counted that they passed five McDonalds and three Burger Kings just in the morning alone. Perhaps the only difference is that most people speak a different language, but then again just a couple of days ago in Amsterdam they had the same experience.

Throughout the day Dan starts to relax a little. Konstantin leads them around, talking animatedly about the history and architecture and telling silly stories from his life. They go into souvenir shops where Phil annoys the salesperson by asking them to show him the biggest and the most ridiculously expensive matryoshka doll and then buying a super cheap one. They notice that all the souvenir shops sell t-shirts with Putin’s face on them and Marianne jokes that Dan should buy one ironically. Dan laughs and threatens to fire her, but in the end buys a fluffy hat with ears with “Moscow” embroidered on it because why not.

They walk past the Kremlin, talking animatedly to each other and start walking on a wide stone bridge across the Moscow river.

“What’s that?” Phil asks Konstantin, pointing at a heap of flowers lying on the side of the bridge, surrounded by lit candles.

“Oh, that’s where Boris Nemtsov was shot. It’s his memorial,” answers Konstantin without a pause. He continues to talk about how the memorial keeps getting vandalized and how people continue to restore it and bring flowers every day, and then about how in the winter it’s hard to keep the sidewalks clean from snow and moves on to explain that there is an ice rink constructed on the Red Square every winter.

There is a cold feeling in Dan’s chest. He remembers reading about this story in the news, about how a politician who opposed the government was shot in the back right in front of the Kremlin a couple of years ago. He remembers reading about it, but until now he couldn’t picture it. That it happened in the heart of this city. Right where he and his crew are walking around taking pictures. 100 feet away from where he took a selfie with some excited and out of breath fans. Less than 5 minute walk from a Starbucks.

***

They eat dinner at a traditional Russian restaurant and of course Dan spills bright red beet soup all over himself. The food is good, but the jitters are back and he feels exposed and out of place. He sees Phil looking at him every now and then with a concerned expression, but doesn’t say anything.

Later that night, in the hotel, Dan finds himself wide awake even though he is exhausted. Phil is lying next to him, playing some app on his old iphone. He wants to ask Phil if he feels the same way, but can’t find the words. Instead he snuggles into his chest and asks him what they should talk about tomorrow in the intro to the show.

He thinks Phil understands the unspoken question though, because he puts down the phone and combs through Dan’s curls, softly telling him that they should talk about the souvenir shop.

They end up making love, both being quiet and overwhelmed a bit, but overcome with affection and gratitude for each other. It’s the kind of sex that Dan calls “stress sex” in his mind. The type which has the main goal of reminding them that they are here, and that they are together, and that they can overcome anything. He falls asleep with Phil’s dick still inside him, feeling ridiculously small and fragile in Phil’s arms.

***

The next day is busy with setting up the show, sound checking, and then suddenly the meet and greet has started, and they are hugging people and taking photos and smiling. Dan is grateful for all of that, because he knows how to do this. This is his job, it’s what he’s best at. So he smiles and hugs people and takes selfies.

Some of the fans they meet speak very poor English, but they do their best to understand what they have to tell them. For some reason their stories feel particularly important to Dan. Perhaps it’s because every once in a while someone tells them that they have no one to talk to other than the people they’ve met through the phandom. Some tell them that watching their videos made them speak English better. A shy 16 year old mumbles how they inspired her to come out to her parents, and how she is here with her girlfriend. One fan asks them to sign a pride flag and something clenches in Dan’s chest when he does it. He catches Phil’s eye and he sees the same tension that is grasping his heart right now.

The show is as always a success. They laugh and have a blast, and Dan is drenched with sweat by the end of it. The audience gives them a standing ovation and they leave the stage exhausted and worn out, but excited and pumped with adrenaline.

They end up ordering room service to their room. Dan decides to mess up the second bed just in case, to make it seem like someone slept there, but his effort is screwed up by Phil yelling “Dan, babe, could you bring me my contact lense solution please?” from the bathroom at the exact moment as the hotel employee is carting in their dinner. To Dan’s relief, the man doesn’t flinch even a little bit, but politely smiles and tells Dan to enjoy their dinner, shutting the door behind him.

They fall asleep in each other’s arms again. Phil falls asleep first and Dan listens to his steady breathing. For some reason he can’t shake an image from his mind. The grey stone barrier of a bridge, covered in flowers, some dried up, some new, with candles lit all around and a framed photo of a smiling man with a black ribbon wrapped around it.