moods / phan

epilogue

one year later

"This takes me back," Phil says as they stand at Dan's locker.

It's their last day of school - forever. They've graduated and now Dan is clearing his locker one last time before he and Phil are both going to walk out. A lot has happened in the past year, yet it also feels as if life has been slightly on the mundane side as well.

When they started dating, Cat was slightly upset, but she quickly got over it and remained good friends with the two. Alfie didn't approach the two after Dan finally stood up to him and they were happy about that. Phil's father wasn't able to gain custody, after all, Phil was old enough to decide and had enough of an argument against him.

So everything is looking up for them both as they stand in front of Dan's locker. Their lives have both started to go in the right direction, and their souls remain intertwined at present.

"Yeah, w-when you first freed me from there," Dan says, trying to decide whether he loves or hates this locker. "d-dark, cramped lockers a-are not good."

"I wouldn't imagine so. I remember feeling so sad for you, that you had to put up with this. When I got you out, I just remember wishing I could take away your pain or ease it somehow," Phil says, putting his arm around Dan's shoulder as a small heart glows above Phil's head.

"W-well you h-have," Dan says, gathering the last of his schoolbooks in his arms before slamming the hated metal door closed, "and I'm g-grateful."

"You know I love you, right?" Phil says with a wide grin, looking into Dan's eyes.

"I l-love you t-too, always."

***

"I w-want to take y-you somewhere," Dan says suddenly, looking up at Phil from his place on the couch, putting his wii remote down.

"Why? Cause I beat you in mariokart?" Phil asks with a grin.

"N-no you s-spork, th-this is serious," Dan replies with a playful glare, "b-besides y-you didn't b-beat me."

"Where did you want to go?" Phil asks, standing up and stretching his still limbs out, sighing deeply as he relaxes his tense muscles.

"I w-want to t-take you to v-visit my b-brother," Dan replies, looking down with pink tinted cheeks, "w-will you c-come?"

"Of course," Phil says with a smile, slipping his hand into Dan's own, "now?"

"Yeah n-now," Dan replies, walking with Phil out the door, his fingers threaded tightly though Phil's own.

Half an hour later Dan is leading Phil through a graveyard, weaving through the tombstones on a familiar path. Phil squeezes his hand tightly, offering Dan a silent bit of support. Dan gives Phil a small smile but remains to soundlessly lead Phil on an unseen path. He finally halts in front of one, the stone still quite new and clean compared to the old, worn, slightly crumbling and stained ones they passed previously.

There's a slightly wilted bunch of flowers sitting in front of the tombstone, but apart from that nothing else but grass surrounds it. Dan's grip on Phil's hand tightens and Phil notices how his body begins to tremble slightly.

Phil looks down at the tombstone in front of them. His eyes narrow as he tries to read what's been engraved into the stone.

Tristan Howell
1987-2007
if love could keep you alive you would have lived forever.

Phil watches as Dan's eyes fill with tears, so he untangles their fingers and places his arm around Dan's shoulders instead, pulling him close to keep him steady, and Dan's arm in return wraps itself around Phil's waist.

"T-this is m-my b-brother," Dan stammers, looking from the grave up to Phil, "a-and this is m-my boyfriend Ph-Phil. I-I wish y-you could've met. Y-you're b-both the b-best people I kn-know."

"Aw, I wish we could've too Dan," Phil says, looking from Dan back to the grave.

I'll look after him, Phil tells Tristan in his head, holding Dan close to him. He smiles sadly and rests his head on Dan's shoulder.

"I love you so much Phil," Dan mumbles, slightly dazed, making Phil smile at his loss of stutter.

"I love you too Dan," Phil says softly, and when he feels a warm tear fall onto his head, he pulls Dan into a tight hug, holding him inside his arms as if it will protect him from the harsh world.

When Phil finally releases Dan from his warm embrace, he notices something different about Dan, but he can't seem to place what it is exactly.

"What?" Dan asks, narrowing his eyes quizzically at Phil, "why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just..." Phil begins, pausing mid sentence as a wide smile makes its way onto his face.

"What?" Dan asks, but Phil only smiles at him knowingly;

and then his heart skips a beat.

the end.