You Are My Sunshine

Chapter Six

B: You did well.

P: I know.

B: I don't know what you're doing, but keep it up. People are starting to come back.

P: I will keep it up, but not for any audience.

B: Louise is the new love interest. We want you to try to steer him in the right direction.

P: That wasn't part of our agreement. I'm not here to play your games. I'm here to keep him happy. I'll make sure he's where he needs to be, and out enough for you to get what you need, but I'm not messing with his mind. I'm here to keep it clear.

B: You're walking on thin ice....

P: You need me.

-

Dan woke up alone. He had stayed at Phil's the night before. He didn't really need to, but he wanted to and Phil hadn't asked him to leave. Apparently it was a 'safe spot' where he wasn't watched, so he wasn't too keen on spending the night anywhere else. When Dan looked to the end table, he saw a fresh Azalea had replaced the one he'd crushed with his coffee mug the day before. There was another note under this one, though it was much longer than what he had woken up to before.

Azalea - Take Care of Yourself For Me

I had to run by the flower shop to water the pots, can't have my plants dying on me :) There's coffee in the pot and cereal in the cabinet, and you can help yourself to anything else. I should be back around noon, but if I'm late it's just because I got held up at the shop. If you get the energy, you might want to make it to your house and freshen the place up a bit... there aren't cameras here and Louise wants to come have dinner with us soon. They're going to want it for the show, so she can't come to my place. Don't worry about it, though, we can take care of all that together when I get back if you like.

Love, Phil

The note made Dan smile, and he looked at the clock. 9:46. He had at least a little more than two hours until Phil would be returning... may as well make some food, get ready, and then head to his house to get started. God knows it needed work, he neglected it for over a month when he had thought Daisy was dead, and he hadn't returned since Phil had taken him away.

Dan heated up some coffee and poured a bowl of cereal, changing into another outfit Phil had left out for him. Dan smiled. Phil was so thoughtful. He knew that a part of him should be mad at Phil for keeping this all a secret for so long, and an even bigger part of him knew he should be angry right now. Not at Phil, but at everything. He should be angry and stressed and freaking out, and part of him was. Part of him was on overdrive, but it was easily forgotten most of the time, because for the first time in his life, Dan was happy.

For the first time in his life, Dan had someone who treated him like an equal. He was so used to people treating him like he was superior, and he hated it. Phil would ask him about his day, but then continue to tell Dan about his own. Phil would disagree with Dan if they didn't share the same opinion. Phil was a ray of sunshine in Dan's life, and he couldn't find it in himself to worry about the world around him when Phil was there.

Why worry about the world when you have the sun?

This question stuck in Dan's brain, and he mulled it over for a while, allowing a shy smile to cover his face. Phil was the sun in his life. He made his way to the backyard and found the flower he was looking for, abandoning the decision to go to his house and instead carrying this flower to Phil's shop. He had something much more important to do now.