Days pass peacefully. Dan and Phil grow more comfortable with one another, and eventually Phil can't imagine his home without Dan there. Dan heals, his bruises fading and his cuts closing, leaving behind only a few light scars. His cough diminishes as well, breathing easier without smoke hurting his lungs. As he heals, the galaxy fades from his eyes to reveal a deep, chocolatey brown that Phil thinks is just as beautiful.

Phil spends a lot of time in his garden. The summer sun shines merrily through the leaves of the trees and onto the soil that Phil buries his fingers in, the scent of warm Earth and plants surrounding him. Dan usually opens the window in Phil's room and leans out, hesitant to actually leave the house but wanting desperately to feel sun on his face. Phil grows accustomed to Dan's quiet approach to life, never forcing him to talk and relishing in the sound of his voice when he does choose to speak.

Phil comes into the cottage, a wicker basket of potatoes and assorted vegetables resting on his hip. Dan comes in from the bedroom, where he was looking out the window.

"I want to go on a walk," he states, his voice quiet.

Phil sets the basket down and looks at him, eyes wider than usual. "Really? That's wonderful! Do you want me to come with you?"

Dan shrugs a bit before shaking his head. "Want to go alone."

Phil nods. "Okay. You go on your walk, and when you come back I'll have dinner ready."

A small smile tugs at the corner of Dan's lips and he inclines his head before pulling on his boots and heading out into the woods. Phil watches him go, proud that Dan is finally ready to leave the cottage and explore.

Phil prepares dinner, minutes slowly becoming an hour. He tries not to fret too much or think about where Dan is, but eventually he's completely occupied by his worry. When rain starts to pound against the roof, he feels his heart beating harder. Where could Dan possibly be? What if he's lost? What if he got eaten by wolves?!

He starts to pace, and as he passes the door he hears a soft knock. Heart leaping into his throat, he turns towards the entrance and opens it to reveal Dan, rain soaking his hair and running down his face. His clothes drip and his brown eyes are downcast, and Phil doesn't know whether to hug him or demand why.

"Can I come in?" he asks, his voice so soft that Phil barely hears him over the rain.

The guardian barely holds back his splutter. "You're living here right now. You don't have to ask to come in, especially if it's raining!"

Dan meets his eyes for a moment before looking away, his face going red. "Back home, you never come into someone's home without their stated permission. It's custom."

"Is that why you haven't been leaving the house?"

Dan blushes an even deeper red. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

Phil exhales. "Well, from here on in you always have permission to enter my home, okay? And while you're here, it's your home too."

The space boy smiles a little bit and steps inside, taking off his boots and putting them beside Phil's. Phil retrieves towels and dry clothes and places them in Dan's arms with an order to get changed before he catches a cold. Dan goes off to get changed and Phil returns to cooking, so many emotions running through him that he can barely sort them out.

He pours hot stew into two bowls just as Dan emerges from the bedroom, clothes dry and hair still mostly damp. Phil beckons him over to the wood stove, where he hands him his bowl and motions for him to sit. Dan settles on the floor, sighing as heat washes over him. The stove, which sits in the near centre of the cottage, helps heat the home during the winter and allows Phil to cook hot meals, and often on cold nights he'll sit beside it and fall asleep on the rug where the two of them now sit.

"Feel better?" Phil asks. Dan nods, his eyes slipping closed as he cradles his bowl in both hands.

They eat their stew in peaceful silence, and by the time they're finished Dan is nearly falling asleep sitting up. Phil watches him out of the corner of his eye, and eventually he stands up and retrieves a blanket from his bedroom. Dan's eyes snap open when he feels the blanket land on his shoulders, but seconds later he's falling asleep again. Phil wordlessly coaxes him to lie down, and with Phil's leg as his pillow he drifts off. The guardian plays with his hair, which has dried curlier than usual thanks to the rain and the heat from the stove, and indulges in the feeling of Dan being close to him.

Without the deep sleep that comes from healing and exhaustion, memories from the crash start coming back to Dan subconsciously.

As Phil is looking at the flames flickering in his stove, getting lost in his own thoughts with his fingers tangled in Dan's hair, the space boy stirs. His fingers clench and relax, eyelids fluttering as he flinches, and Phil is alert in moments.  He places a gentle hand on Dan's back, prodding as softly as he can, as Dan whimpers and flinches again.

"Dan, hey, wake up. Dan, you're okay."

Dan jolts and in a second he's upright, sitting on his knees. He sways a little, blinking a few times as he remembers where he is. Phil watches him, preparing himself to deal with any range of emotions.

Without a word, Dan sits down flat and wraps his arms around his legs. He shudders and buries his face in his knees, trying to take deep breaths. Phil sets the blanket aside and moves closer to him, rubbing his thumb back and forth over his shoulder. The space boy doesn't look up, back shuddering with what Phil believes are tears he's trying to hide.

"What was it about?" Phil asks as gently as he possibly can.

Dan just shakes his head and pulls away from Phil's hand, getting up and scrubbing his face. He turns away so Phil can't see his expression and goes to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Phil stares, a dagger going straight through his heart. What did he do wrong? Was it something he said? Did he do something offensive?

Phil gets up from the floor, torn. Does he go and check on him? Does he leave him alone? He's never felt so lost, and he hates it. He hates not knowing what to do. He hates when Dan is sad.

Phil covers his face with his hands, feeling utterly helpless for the first time in his life.