You Are My Sunshine

Epilogue

Dan gritted his teeth through the pain, holding as still as he could. He was almost there, just a few minutes more. Of course a few minutes actually meant nearly an hour at which point there were tears in Dan's eyes, but when he looked down to see the slightly raised flesh with the fresh ink scrawling out words on his arm, he knew it was worth it.

Dan thanked the tattoo artist and gave him a generous tip, pulling his sleeve down to cover the fresh tattoo, then made his way to his backyard where he knew his husband would be waiting for him.

Sure enough, Phil was sat in the backyard on a blanket, their boxer Rose laying next to him in the sunlight.

Dan came up behind Phil and tackled him, pinning him onto his stomach, kissing his cheek.

"I hate you!" Phil laughed, sitting up once Dan got off of him.

"I love you too." Dan responded, earning himself a kiss.

"Phil you're so pale that the sun is literally reflecting off of you." Dan laughed, watching the scowl cross Phil's face.

"Oh, you think I should tan?" Phil asked, unbuttoning his shirt.

"I wouldn't complain." Dan responded, and watched as his husband pulled his shirt off, revealing his pale but beautiful skin. Phil smiled and laid down on his stomach, and Dan admired his back.

Phil's back was a watercolor garden. Dan traced the flowers with his fingers, absentmindedly, as he remembered what each meant.

The flowers travelled from Phil's left hip all the way up to his right shoulder, and it was like a timeline.

At the base there was the yellow Tulip. The first flower Phil had given Dan to tell him there was sunshine in his smile. A smile that appeared more often now than it ever had before.

Moving up there was the white and red tulip that Dan had given Phil, saying 'your eyes are beautiful'. Then the white lilies Dan had picked meaning 'it's heavenly to be with you'.

The daffodil was next, reminding Dan of the day on the boat, remembering Phil's smile as he explained how they said 'the sun is always shining when I'm with you'.

Next were the mixed zinnias, and Dan had been a bit surprised when Phil had gotten these, since they were in 'remembrance' of Daisy, but Phil explained that it was still a big time in their lives and instead of representing a goodbye to Daisy's life, they were truly the mark of when Dan had said goodbye to his own life, learning that there was an entirely new one waiting for him.

The zinnias were followed by the white heather, and Dan remembered the kindness in Phil's eyes when he had spoken their meaning, telling Dan 'I'll protect you'. He had, and he still did to this day, and Dan loved him so much for it.

An Azalea was next, and Dan loved this flower because Phil gave him these whenever Dan was feeling down or if Phil wasn't going to be around for the day. He always reminded Dan of what they said, 'Take care of yourself for me'. If Dan was having a hard day and couldn't bring himself to take care of himself for him, he could always snap out of it when he remembered he was doing it for the love of his life.

Next was a Viscaria, the small purple flower reminding Dan of he and Phil's dance in the kitchen after Phil recited the language behind this flower, meaning 'Will you dance with me?' He also remembered how Phil had given him a small bouquet of these at their wedding before their first dance, and how Dan had wrapped him up in his arms, never wanting to let Phil go as they swayed to the music.

A small Camellia was next, and Dan laughed at how shy Phil had been to tell Dan the meaning behind this flower which said 'You're a flame in my heart'. Phil truly was a flame in Dan's heart. It had started out small, just a match, but now Dan was filled with a roaring blaze that he never wanted to quench.

A small stalk of white hanging flowers came next, reminding Dan of when Phil had picked the stem after their first encounter with Louise, saying they represented 'a return to happiness' and said 'you make my life complete'. Dan remembered thinking that Phil had only meant the first half, but now he knew that they truly did complete each other. Lilies of the Valley had to be one of his favorites.

A large sunflower was next, and though all the other flowers held meaning to him, this was the most important. This was also the largest on Phil's back, and he smiled when he heard Phil hum as he traced the large yellow flower on Phil's back and shoulder blade. This sunflower represented the day he realized he was in love with this man.

A small Jonquil followed, representing Phil's acceptance of Dan's affections.

Next was a simple collection of roses, reminding Dan of the day they first told each other they were in love, and Phil had given him a red rose.

Finally, there was a collection on Phil's shoulder of small white flowers with pointed petals and yellow stalks. Orange blossoms. The first time Dan had actually used the book Phil gave him all those years ago, looking up the meaning to find the perfect flower. When he found that orange blossoms represented 'Eternal love' and 'Happiness in Marriage', he knew they were the perfect bouquet to offer Phil when he got down on one knee.

Dan traced these flowers, smiling.

"I love you." Phil mumbled into the blanket, and Dan knew he could tell which flowers Dan's fingers were tracing over.

"Hey... you're not the only one with a mark now." Phil sat up, raising his eyebrows questioningly.

Dan pulled up his sleeve, and watched as Phil read the elegant script contained between two delicate sunflowers.

Why worry about the world when you have the sun?

Phil looked up at Dan, confusion in his eyes.

"That was when I knew I loved you. I realized you were the sun in my life, and as that thought passed through my mind, I realized I was a goner. That was when I went out and found that sunflower."

Phil smiled, eyes squinting together in a touched expression. He got up and returned a moment later with a small plant, holding it above Dan's head. This was one plant that Dan did know the meaning to.

Dan grinned, and leaned in to kiss his husband under the mistletoe, knowing he had found his sun.