empire ;; phan

chapt. fourteen

the sun.

warning; lots of graphic stuff in this one- very graphic violence & drug use. also this chapter is written really weirdly (it may be difficult to read if you struggle with dyslexia)

when ginny isn't there, phil is. they sit and talk and kiss lazily until the sun goes down and phil has to leave.

"have you ever done drugs?" phil asks dan, tracing his fingertips over dans lips.

dan cocks his eyebrow. "why? you a cop?"

phil laughs. "no, i was just curious."

dan hesitates. "yeah, i have."

phil is hardly surprised. "okay."

there's a breathable silence.

"have you?" dan asks quietly. his head is against phil's chest, his body between his legs, his neck craned back so he can see phil.

"nope," the older boy admits.

dan twists his face up in consideration. "do you want to?"

phil lightly pushes dan off of his chest, twisting around so he's facing him. "are you offering?"
-
dan ties the belt around phil's forearm, tightening it gently.

"you good, baby?" dan whispers, readying the needle.

phil nods quickly. "how long will it take?"

"not long for you." dan smiles warmly, kissing phil's shoulder, leaving soft bites in a trail down his arm until he's below the belt.

phil closes his eyes in a wince as dan presses the tip of the needle into phil's vein, emptying the liquid tar into his bloodstream.

dan's right. it doesn't take long. in ten minutes, phil is  B L I N D  high and
c
   o
       l
          l
            a
               p
                  s
                     e
                        s
                           s
S d Ra wkCa b onto the couch when he tries to stand. dan laughs, injecting the heroin into his own arm. phil's eyes are glazed over, his azure irises barely visible beyond the black dilation that's taken over. dan collapses onto phil's chest, breathing heavy, long breaths.

"how do you feel?" dan mumbles.

"hmm." phil hums in reply.

phil thinks the
t
  i
c
  t
o
  c
of the clock gets more DEAFENING the more he stares at the t wi s t ing hands that s.   L.    O w l.  y  mrohptogether with the walls. his jaw is slack, his tongue d e a d weight between his teeth. the record playing is ruined into a screeching track of low and high pitches that become excruciating. phil thinks he hear dan talk, but it's all

in audi ble NON
s
              ens
          e

now.

phil is too busy inspekteng the back of his hand to reelies the officer

s m a s h i n g

dan's limp body onto the ground. the only time phil snaps out of his trance is when dan is screaming his name.

philrunphilrunnowphilgophil

"da-"

"don't even say his name!" ginny demands,

r i p p i n g 

phil off the sofa by his hair. does it hurt? phil isn't even sure. he can see dan scamper up, slipping on blood and leaving footprints in his wake. whose blood? mine? phil asks himself. phil doesn't think dan is coming back as he tries, but fails, to reach his hands to his face. ginny F I R E S punches into phil's face, R A I N I N G his elbows upon his chest. phil can taste blood, too. it's in his mouth and nose and he thinks it might even be p oo ling from his ears. he tries to call for help, but only a g u r g l e escapes with the coughing splatter of salvia mixed with lead hot crimson dribbling back
d
o
w
n
into his oesophagus. he gags on his own blood, drowning in it, as ginny drags him through the house and out onto the porch, down the _s
                   __t
                      ___e
                          ____p
                              _____s and onto the pavement. it's dark out, the air is crisp and for a split second, ph I L C AN

      breathe.

phil barely spots dan through his bloody eyelashes as he runs down the stairs, trying desperately to rip ginny away.

"enough," dan screams. "enough, ginny!"

only is it when the f1rst gunshot f1res

b A N g

does phil fall unconscious.