empire ;; phan

epilogue

it's been nineteen months.

dan's hair is long, too long- he has to put it back now and it's annoying. he briefly wonders, as he tugs it up into a loose pony, how long it will be at the end of his sentence. (dan is hyperaware that there is no end to his sentence. this is basically it forever- cardboard meals on cardboard trays in a room of cardboard criminals.)

dan stops calling phil when phil stops caring. it happened gradually and phil really did try to make it work, but the two were polar opposites- opposites that didn't attract under stress.

"phil, i hate it here," dan would say.

"i know baby, i love you," phil had said for the first 7 months.

but only for the remaining year would phil say;

"should've thought about that before you murdered seven people."

dan had become respected enough to be offered a cell when one of the guys occupying a bunk hung himself from the top floor using a towel. dan admits he considered suicide, but it required too much effort to jump off the stairs. and if he failed, he'd just be thrown into segregation with broken legs and next to no dignity.

dan learnt quickly that he was able to sell himself for commissary- electric cigarettes, magazines, crisps, an extra food tray, etc. that was against the rules, but dan didn't really have a lot to lose. phil? gone. freedom? gone. a longer sentence for breaking the rules? laughable- it can't get much worse than life without parole.

dan was sure by now that he had banged every fucker in this place. from murderers to small time offenders, he had taken them all. most of the men claimed to be straight, having gone gay because of their long sentence, but dan knew better.

"you never go back after your first whiny bottom," dan had moaned as he got fucked against a dirty bathroom wall with 'clean up your cum stains' scratched into the paint.

whilst dan was testing positive for every std under the sun, phil was in rehab. after dan, he fell into drinking again. but it was different this time. it was violent, angry, selfish drinking. a lot of his drunk fits were hard to remember, but not quite as hard as they were to forget.

he had beat chris, one night. beat him until he was breathing through bloody saliva, dribbling out onto his lips, staining his teeth and caking a thick trail down his chin. beat him until black bruises peppered his chest, scarring his skin in a psychological torment, breaking down his innocence in a fit of angry rage and tearing his hope limb from limb, piece from piece, organ from organ until only the lungs remained. lungs that heaved through betrayal and thrived off sacrifice.

phil seriously doubts that he will get better. he admits that this might be his life now. rehab is just a fucking waist of money and effort and phil really cannot be bothered. whiskey is cheaper, anyway. did dan change his life? definitely. phil had never been in love before that stupid boy had forced himself in. was it for the better? please. the only thing dan changed for the better was phil's fucking sex life. (whilst this is what phil told everyone who asked, he didn't quite believe the pathetic excuse that he categorised as 'moving on' himself.)

dan and phil had an empire; one that thrived off the latter. one built on self-pity and beautiful things. one with purity and true love. one that was, seemingly, invincible.

one they were never really prepared for.

a/n
i L O V E D writing this book. it's different from my angst/fluff high school au's and i loved trying something different.
fun fact; this book was inspired by some shitty liam neeson movie i watched half of.
but honestly, i usually keep my books pretty friendly and simple with a bit of light smut so writing about hardcore sex and prostitution and blood and murder was really interesting for me. (that sounds so messed up)
i didnt expect empire to grow so popular so quickly and i LOVE YOU ALL
i wanna thank everyone who read and voted and commented (*cough* phanruinsyourlife *cough* ily babe)
i was gonna do like a sequel but i dont really know how i would do that now dans in prison for life and phil is an alcoholic again bUT ANYWAY thank you everyone. honestly. i love you 💕

stalk me!
instagram:
@/holleemay (personal)
@/boyritto (spam)

check out my other works (if u want)
the love club- phan high school au
confessions of a gay conformist- phan college au
confessions of a queer pessimist- sequel
keep an eye out for other stuff, too!

-holly 🐋