Disclaimer: Mark's not mine, Roger's not mine, Mimi and Maureen and Collins aren't mine… Get over it, y'all.
The Collection
He looked so amazing, sitting on the balcony with his guitar. Mark couldn't help but stare when he walked in and saw him. He was picture perfect, playing a song Mark didn't recognize and singing softly. Mark raised his camera and filmed for a good 30 seconds before his subject noticed him.
"Hey, shut that damn thing off, would you?" Roger complained, coming inside. Mark pretended to turn it off, ducking his head to hide a small blush that was creeping over his cheeks.
"Sorry, but it was a good shot!" he defended himself, trying to nonchalantly keep the still-recording camera focused on his roommate.
"Good shot my ass." Roger laughed. "You were just trying to get footage to moon over when you think I'm asleep." Mark froze, the only sound the faint whirring of his camera. Roger shifted a little uncomfortably in the silence. "Er…turn the camera off, Mark."
"Oh, right…" Mark shook his head and turned the camera off, setting it on the kitchen table. "What did you mean by that, anyway?" he asked, trying to sound confused and defensive. Roger rolled his eyes.
"Mark, buddy, you don't think that your video stash is secret, do you?" he asked sarcastically. Mark gaped at him, unable to respond. He had, indeed, thought that his stash of videos was known only to him. They weren't sexual, or anything that really needed to be hidden, except…they were all of Roger.
Roger playing guitar. Roger laughing with Mimi. Roger getting in an argument with Maureen. Collins had caught Mark filming that fight, but everyone thought it was for the footage of Maureen. But it wasn't. Heck, he even had a video of Roger and April dancing to Fred Astaire the Christmas before April died.
It had started out by accident. Mark had been filming without any real thought to subject matter, practicing different trick shots and camera angles. The only other person in the loft that day had been Roger. When Mark went to review the shots, though, he was struck by the fact that Roger had an amazing presence. He hadn't really noticed it in years, but seeing it on film made it evident again.
After that, Mark would occassionally, when he had no ideas for anything to film, find Roger and film him. Sometimes it was straightforward, letting Roger ham it up for the camera. Other times, he would set the camera down and let it run, hoping to capture Roger unguarded, when his emotions could be easily read in his eyes.
Slowly, his casual hobby had become nearly an obsession – there was a crawlspace under the floor of Mark's closet, and every inch of it was filled with videos of Roger, dating anywhere from their first few months in New York to last week's night out with Collins, Joanne, and Maureen. The more Mark filmed his best friend, the more he realized how much he cared about him.
He didn't realize how deep his feelings went, however, until that fateful fourth of July when Benny found Roger downstairs in the old factory, passed out and nearly dead from an overdose. It was then that Mark realized that he loved Roger. Not as a best friend, or a brother, but as a lover. He wasn't about to admit it, however, especially since Roger had just lost his girlfriend and Mark was dating Maureen. But as the months passed, and Mark's purpose in life became to take care of Roger, he lost Maureen. And he didn't care, not in his heart. But his mind was saying "Don't let her go! If you don't have her, you'll fall for Roger, and you'll just get your heart broken!" So Mark held on to the memory of his relationship with Maureen, and everyone thought that he just couldn't get over her when, in fact, he hadn't loved her like that for months. And then Christmas came, and Roger met Mimi…
He only wanted Roger to be happy, and Roger had seemed SO happy with Mimi around. So Mark made sure that Roger realized how he felt for Mimi. Mark's heart broke completely, but it was alright, because Roger was happy.
And now Roger was confronting him with the evidence of his love.
"Mark." Roger sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Look…I know. And…I'm sorry, but I don't feel that way about you. I love Mimi."
"I know." Mark whispered, looking down and biting his lip. "I'm glad. I j-just wanted you to be h-happy." Roger smiled crookedly, apparently unsure of what to say.
"Thanks. You're my best friend, you know." He added. "You always will be." He hugged Mark with one arm and retreated to the bedroom, where Mimi could be heard humming a broadway love song. Mark stared at the closed door for a long, silent moment. Then he turned to the camera on the kitchen table and turned it off.
He would watch this scene many times tonight.