Author's Note: Look, look. Chapter one of Civilian. Yay! Model Prisoner has 122 reviews now. That's crazy. I'm happy. And here is the much anticipated sequel. I hope to make this one a bit lighter in mood, but we'll see. Sorry this beginning chapter is so short. I'll try to update soon, but with Hierarchy of Needs and school, it's a bit crazy right now. Enjoy!

CHAPTER ONE: Beautiful Song

For a wonderful day

Sing a beautiful song

-- Beautiful Song

Roger sits on the couch the day after seeing Mark for the first time in weeks, scribbling out some lyrics for a new song. His mind keeps wandering from, further away from the task at hand each time. He saw Mark last night. He talked to Mark last night. Mark is coming home. A foolish grin slips on to Roger's face. When he looks down at his lyrics, he finds that he's spelled courageous as couratious. He hurriedly scribbles out the mistake and fixes it. His pen stops moving immediately, however, when the door to the loft opens.

Mark walks in, bag in hand, hair flattened against his head slightly from the April rain. He grins a bit at Roger and closes the door. He discards his things and wet jacket in his room, then returns to stand in front of Roger.

"Hi," Mark says.

Roger watches him, smiling just slightly.

"Hi."

"I'm back."

"You're back."

There's a nervous tension growing between the two men, and it does not go unnoticed. Roger fiddles with his pen for a moment before setting it down. Mark shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

"Are you a parrot or something?"

Roger looks at Mark again. It's clear in his expression that he doesn't quite know how to retort to that.

"I haven't seen you for a month, and you come in and start making fun of me? That's appreciation." He rolls his eyes a bit.

Mark laughs and sits next to Roger.

"That's right, Rog. I have no appreciation for you at all. I despise you."

"I knew it. At last the truth comes out." Roger tosses his pen at Mark, and grins when Mark frowns. "You had it coming, Cohen."

Mark shakes his head in amusement, having missed this easy fun between them. He pulls his feet up on the couch and puts his hands on his knees.

"Are you working on a new song?" He nods to the paper Roger was writing on.

"What? Oh, yeah. Just the lyrics though." Roger picks it up and looks at it. "Want to have a read?"

"Well … I don't know … What, with me not appreciating you or anything." With a cheeky grin, Mark takes the lyrics from Roger and scans them over. "So that's what's so different about all these new songs of yours … They're kind of cheerful."

Roger hits Mark in the shoulder slightly.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Mark laughs at Roger's offence. Normally he takes Roger's scowls seriously, but the response was so typically Roger that Mark can't understand how it couldn't be considered comical.

"Face it. You're other songs are filled with angst. Don't try to deny it."

"They're not filled with angst." Roger pouts. "They're artistic."

"Sure, Roger. Sure." Mark gives Roger a consoling pat on the shoulder, then hands back the lyrics. "I want to hear this once it's done."

Roger nearly beams. He can forget, for the time being, what Mark just said about his old songs, because he loves it when Mark takes an interest in his music.

"I suppose I can arrange that."

"Good, good." Mark gets up. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Yeah. You kind of stink."

Mark shoots Roger a small glare, to which Roger replies with an angelic look, and goes to take his shower. Roger shakes his head and laughs.

Author's Note: There you all go. I hoped you liked it. Reviews, as proven with Model Prisoner, make me write more. Hehe.