1Yep... I know... I'm a terrible person and I need to learn to manage updates... here's the next chapter! Thank you for sticking with this fic... it means a lot.

The talk show is a rip from Maury. I don't know if Maury was around in 1990... but...

...I just did the math. If Angel was real, she'd been dead before I was born. Wow. That's sad.

Pos/Neg

By Donna

Chapter Ten: Forget

It took a week of Mark sleeping on the couch until they were able to talk without tension again. It was an accident. A misunderstanding. That was all.

Mark was well-aware that he had to make it up to Angel. So he resorted to talking to Miss Suzie Dee.

"You really are a freak!" Suzie yelled, "Even though she has AIDS, even though she doesn't want you to have to do any of that bullshit, you'd still do her?"

"Don't put it like that!" Mark begged.

"Please, honey. That's pretty much what it is, and you know it."

"Why is it so weird?"

"How do I put this lightly... Some people enjoy living. And, last time I checked, you don't need sex to live."

"I guess you're right..."

"Of course I'm right. I'm good with these things."

"Heh. Yeah, I guess. What should I do to make it up to her?"

"Do something cheesy. Like flowers. Or an overstuffed thing. Remind her you love her."

"Yeah! Okay! That's cool."

"Here." Suzie handed him a ten dollar bill. "Go to a card store. You're a cute little dork. You'll think of something."

Mark pouted. "Help me."

She nodded. "Okay."

They went to a nearby card store. They found a cute white bear and chewing gum. "Perfect!" Suzie cheered. They paid and left. Suzie handed him the bag. "Get going, okay? Fill me in tomorrow. Same time, same place."

"Okay!" Mark said, waving. He uncovered his bike and rode off to the loft. He waited for Angel, who was out drumming. He decided to pass time by making lunch. Even though he was positive that the bread was too old, he found it acceptable.

After setting up the table he waited. The door swung open and Angel came in. He plopped the pickle tub on the ground and looked up. He looked almost as if he was frowning at Mark. "Uhm... hey."

"Hey, baby! I made lunch! And..."

He gave Angel the bear and gum. Angel smiled. "Oh... thank you!" He shuffled in place a moment, unsure to hug Mark or do nothing.

Mark sighed. "Look, Ang, I'm so sorry for the past week... I know I was an idiot and I promise it'll never happen again."

Angel nodded. "Okay. I believe you." He touched Mark's cheek and looked at him directly in his eyes. Mark smiled. It was a good start.

They ate, talking. They weren't "good as new", but they weren't "bad" either. After awhile they could joke.

"This bear is too cute!" Angel cuddled his bear. "I'll name it after you."

"I'm so honored!"

"Yeah. It's pasty white... just like you."

"Hey!"

"I'm just teasing." He took off his hoodie and put it over the chair. He looked to the old TV Roger and he found in a pawn shop. It wasn't much. It only had three channels and it was constantly fuzzy. But it was entertaining when Angel got sick and they had nothing to do. They sat on the couch with slight distance between the two of them. They turned on the TV and found some talk show. They looked through the fuzz to determine the topic.

"Guy or girl?" Angel read. "Yes! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

Mark groaned. "Hey! That's not fair! You're... you're..."

"Yeah, yeah. Look at that one... Pumkin. Okay. That ass is all padding. Guy."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"But the legs..."

"Watch."

Pumkin did a dance as some men screamed, "That better be a girl!"

Pumkin then pulled out a sign that said, "BOY."

"No way!" Mark screamed.

Angel giggled, clapping. "Told ya!"

Mark groaned, looking reminiscent of the men on the screen screaming in utter horror.

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After Angel beat Mark 10-2 (ten being the number of contestants), they decided to talk about the past week.

"Okay," Mark said, grabbing a pillow, "I'm sorry about when we fought. I really, really am. And I know it was horrible. And I know you don't want me to have to carry your baggage. And I know it sucks. But... but I've never felt this way about someone, Angel. Maureen... she owned me. I was her dog. You... you're different. You're amazing. And... and I just want you and me to do whatever we can to be a couple. And... I'm sorry."

Angel nodded. "I understand, Mark. But there's so many things that can go wrong. Condoms can break, we can mess up... like... I'm sure you've never even had anal sex."

"Erm..."

"I don't have a vagina, trust me."

"Yeah... well..."

Angel snickered at the way he blushed. "It's okay, Mark. I'm over it. If I sat around being angry at anyone who ever tried to get into my pants I'd probably be pretty lonely." He winked. He grabbed Mark and pulled him into a hug.

Mark smiled. They could do this. They could survive.

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The next day was a Life Support day. Paul confronted Angel afterwards.

As Angel fixed her wig on her head she asked, "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just wondering how you're doing."

"Okay."

"Still with Mark?"

"Yep."

"He doesn't really come, much... he should. He's as much apart of this as you, you know. It'll help him understand some things."

Angel nodded, flashing a smile. "Okay!"

At the next Life Support meeting, Mark sat by Angel and Collins. They watched a young woman that they never saw before walk in. She pushed her blonde bangs from her eyes. Angel squinted. This girl had to be one of Mimi's friends from Catscratch. She felt bad for the dancer, who must've just found out about her diagnosis because of the brand new black beeper against her hip. Angel looked at the one she had concealed against her thigh. It was covered in stickers that were beginning to wear off due to too much time on the job. She moved her hand to Mark's and swung it back and forth.

Paul sat down and said, "Hi, I'm Paul."

"Steve."

"Pam."

"Gordon."

"Danielle."

"Sue."

"Mike."

The new girl mumbled. "Hi... I'm Kimmy."

"Collins."

"Hi, I'm Ang--"

"SORRY WE'RE LATE!" Mimi screamed, dragging Roger with her. She waved. "Hi! I'm Mimi Marquez and this is Roger Davis... Roger! Say hi!"

"...hi."

"Ya see, we got HIV and we're friends with Collins, Angel, and Kimmy! My Kimmy! Well, we're joining. Hi."

"Sit down," Paul begged.

Roger and Mimi dragged their chairs loudly across the hardwood floor.

Angel shook her head, slightly embarrassed. Mark tried to stifle a laugh.

Paul rolled his eyes. "I think we can begin."

"Right. Hey, Mark, why're you here? Did you... get... it?" Steve asked.

"Nope," Mark said, shaking his head.

"Mark was invited to join because he's as much a part of this as we are," Paul explained.

"You don't have AIDS... but..." Kimmy started.

"I'm Angel's, erm, boyfriend," Mark explained.

Kimmy squinted at the couple. Sure, they were the first to admit they were quite weird for a couple. They didn't look "right" in most people's eyes, but just the way that she looked at them like they had a fetus attached to them was nerve-wracking.

"So... you don't fuck."

"No! Of course not."

"Wow... like... how do you live?"

"You don't need to live off of that."

Angel looked at Collins and made a face. "She's crazy."

Paul sided with Mark. "Kimmy, they love each other. There's nothing more to it."

Angel tried to ignore the look that Kimmy kept giving them. She seriously thought the couple was crazy. She could have been on to something... but Angel couldn't be sure.

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Aaaaand... next chapter it begins to go downhill... but you didn't hear it from me.