It had been another month, the once dark house was now filled with sunshine. Jackson was now able to touch Mark without the latter flinching and sometimes Mark would hold his hand. Jackson stood at the kitchen island sorting out the seeds he was going out to plant, he was going to get Mark and plant them together. Mark had made amazing improvements but it was still hard to get him outside or even eat properly, he smiled as he recalled how Mark would mimic his actions when they were eating, Mark would pick his fork when Jackson picked his and copy everything Jackson did, he would pick the same things Jackson picked, chew when he chewed and swallow when he did, it was his own way of communicating with Jackson. Jackson felt a sharp pain in his heart, he rubbed his chest and ignored it, it had been happening more frequently lately.

Mark stood behind Jackson watching him smile to himself ‘ya what are you smiling at’ he walked closer and saw Jackson grimace and rub his chest like he’d been doing lately ‘why? Does your heart hurt because you miss me? I’m here now’ he walked to the island and picked up a seed he recognized 'roses'.

“Oh there you are, I was just about to come for you” Jackson handed Mark an apron “it’s spring, the birds are singing, the bees are pollinating, love is in the air, come on” Jackson grabbed the apron back from Mark and put it on him when the latter just stared at his face.

‘Love, how does that feel like?’ Mark smiled in his mind ‘I know how to wear an apron’

Jackson held Mark’s hand and pulled him along to the backyard, he looked over his shoulder and smiled when Mark squeezed his hand.

“Look I bought roses your favorite” Jackson took Mark’s hand and put the seeds in them “you plant them”

‘I’ll give you one rose every day when they bloom’ Mark put a couple of seeds in the hole Jackson made.

“Roses are red and they smell like, like…um...” Jackson couldn’t find the words to describe it, how do you explain color and smell to someone like Mark “it’s...umm... beautiful” Jackson looked up into Mark’s eyes.

‘It’s ok, I see the beauty and the color through your eyes’ Mark gazed into Jackson’s eyes.

“I like them because even though they look soft and delicate, they are very strong and is able to survive the harshest of winters and bloom again in the spring” he tore his eyes away from Mark’s

‘wow! That’s the same reason I like them’ Mark put the last bits of seed in the hole Jackson made.

Jackson and Mark watered the flower seeds after they were done, Jackson sprayed his hose at Mark and giggled when Mark sprayed his back at him, he sprayed him back and chased after him when Mark tried to get away from him, he heard a sound escape Mark's lips that sounded like a grunt, he dropped his hose and grabbed Mark “you laughed didn’t you? Do it again Mark” he held his face,

Mark wanted so much to let the laughter in his heart flow through his throat and fill Jackson’s ears, a grunt escaped his lips and he lowered his eyes. Jackson held his head up and forced him to meet his eye “Mark you’re smiling”

‘am i?’ Mark thought his muscles had just tightened ‘ah so that’s what it feels like when you smile’ he touched his face.

Jackson kissed his cheeks and hugged him twirling him around, as Mark felt the wind in his hair he let his laughter out. Jackson put him down “You laughed!!!” he swept the hair away from Mark's face and they stared at each other. Jackson picked up his hose and sprayed Mark's face, Mark run and Jackson chased after him, their laughter echoing through the bright spring morning. Mark liked the sound of his laughter, it was strange hearing himself laugh for the first time but seeing the glow on Jackson's face when he laughed made him want to keep on doing it.

A week or two went by, Jackson and Mark sat in the living room opposite each other, Jackson had decided to teach Mark how to make facial expressions. Jackson fell on his side laughing at Mark’s facial contortions “That is not excited Mark, this is” Jackson made an excited face and Mark tried to copy him. He watched him and was proud of how far he had come, Mark laughed with him, hugged him, ate, took his pills and did everything he was supposed to. Mark stopped copying Jackson’s facial expressions because his face was aching and just laughed at the goofy faces Jackson was making. His heart warmed over watching Jackson goof around, a couple of months ago he was dead inside but Jackson came around and gave him so much life, he brought sunshine into his dark world and added color to his life, he wanted to let Jackson know what he meant to him. He got up and took Jackson’s hand he dragged him behind him and stopped in front of his drawing room ‘don’t laugh, if you laugh you’re dead’ he hesitated and opened the door. Jackson was shocked Mark had taken him to his secret room, he had never asked Mark what he did in there and was glad Mark was willing to share a part of himself with him. Jackson looked around at all the black and white paintings around him, Mark was letting him into his world, letting him see the world the way he saw it “it’s beautiful Mark, you see beauty in everything” he run his hand over the single rose drawing, he saw the paintings of himself and his heart skipped a beat, him eating, him brushing his hair, him staring into space, him with a single rose flower and himself without his glasses “ I can’t see without my glasses” he laughed softly "do i really look like tha