A/N: More angsty stuff! I can't seem to stop! Maybe it's the sadness of finding out about RENT closing… yes, it sucks, guys, but we mustn't let the man keep us down! Blast those soundtracks and watch the movie a million times over. And moo. It's the only way to beat the yuppie scum.
So now I'm done with that, enjoy the angstiness!
…
Mark hadn't left the loft since the day Roger left. The combined shock of losing his best friend and Angel in the same week had nearly destroyed him, and he had turned off his camera and shut the door as soon as Mimi and Benny had left the building the night of Angel's funeral.
Maureen was worried. Normally the task of cheering up Mark fell to Collins or Roger, or failing that, Angel. But seeing as Collins was in no state to cheer anything up, the responsibility fell to the drama queen. But, she wasn't sure if she would actually be able to make him feel better, or if she'd end up making things worse. Still, she was determined to try.
Maureen knocked on the door of Mark's bedroom, expecting to be told to get out, but Mark said nothing.
He could be asleep, she reasoned, gently pushing the door open. So there's no harm in checking, right?
Mark sat on top of his bed, unmoving, staring at the wall. His eyes were red from crying, and he looked somehow even paler than usual.
"Mark?"
"Leave me alone, Maureen."
She frowned, crossing the room determinedly to sit on the bed in front of him. When he didn't protest, she took both his hands in hers and looked into his face. She didn't say anything, just stared at him until he met her eyes.
Mark flinched back from the diva's gaze. "What?"
She shrugged. "Nothing."
Mark looked down at their joined hands.
"Maureen."
"Yuh-huh?"
"I don't… I'm scared. I don't wanna be left alone."
Maureen had never really understood Mark. She'd been attracted to him, sure, and she had almost loved him, but she'd never really known what was going on inside his head. He was the one who'd always been left out, had always been content to sit behind his camera and watch everyone else having fun, but he didn't want to be left alone?
"I don't want everyone to leave me," he whispered, pleading with her.
Without thinking, Maureen put her arms around him, rocking him gently back and forth. He clung to her, needing someone to make it okay.
Maureen had never understood Mark. But now, for the first time, as she struggled to find something to say that would make everything better, she began to feel sorry that she hadn't tried to.
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