To Save Roger
(rated for possible future content. M/R, Joanne POV, Mark is their key to saving
Roger.)
"I went to Harvard for this?" Joanne froze. "Deja vu, much?" Sighing, she finished
folding the laundry and headed up the stairs.
Mimi was in no condition to do her own laundry. Roger hadn't so much as shifted
positions since she'd gotten sick, and Mark wouldn't leave Roger. Collins and Maureen
worked long hours every day just to be able to keep them all alive, so Joanne was left with the
domestic chores. Her own work was done via cell phone and the occassional business dinner.
"Thank God for Steve," she thought as she kicked the door to Mark and Roger's
apartment open. Dropping the basket of clothes next to the door, Joanne headed into Mark's
room to find the filmmaker lying on the bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
Silently, tears trailed down his cheeks.
Without moving, Mark said, "It's not fair Joanne. The one person who was able to
reach Roger, and now she's slowly slipping away."
Sitting on the bed next to him, Joanne nodded. "I know, Mark, I know." She paused
thoughtfully. "I think one of us needs to be able to reach him, the way Mimi did. But the only
people he'd be even vaguely interested in are me and Maureen, and, well. You know how that
would work."
Mark opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it. He tried again, but with the
same result.
"Mark? Just spit it out already."
He sighed. "It's just that there is someone else, but it would require telling you
something no one but Roger and I knows."
Joanne put her hand lightly on his chest. "You know I won't say anything to anyone."
At Mark's look, she added, "No, not even Maureen."
Mark shifted nervously, then nodded. "ALright then. You know me and Roger have
been friends since high school, right? Well, not being the athletic type, we were a bit
more...uh...active in figuring out who and what we were. Neither of us wanted to sit alone and
figure it out in our heads. So we made an agreement." He paused.
"What kind of agreement?" the lawyer pressed.
"That if we didn't chicken out in a week, we'd meet at his place when his parents
weren't home and...experiment."
Joanne blinked. Everyone who'd ever met Mark had questioned his sexuality. But
Roger...Roger being gay, or even bisexual, had never entered her mind.
"So the following Saturday, his parents went on vacation. An hour after they'd pulled
out of the driveway, Roger and I were sitting in his basement, awkwardly summoning our
courage. Finally, we each took a deep breath and...well, we kissed. For awhile. Neither of us
was anxious to stop. When we did, we agreed that it was definately not a bad thing." He
sighed. "It never went further than some clumsy groping, and we both agreed that we were still
attracted to girls. But we also agreed that this was very desirable. My point is, I'm not sure
about him and his thoughts on the subject, but I know I've always had feelings for him."
Joanne sat and thought for a moment. Thinking back, she remembered the occassional
longing glance cast in Roger's direction when the filmmaker thought no one was looking. Come
to think of it, there were a few times she'd swear on her bar exam that Roger had given Mark
similar looks, though fewer and far between.
Grinning, Joanne patted on Mark's chest. "Leave it to me. You're our key to saving
Roger, and I'm gonna make sure it works.
(rated for possible future content. M/R, Joanne POV, Mark is their key to saving
Roger.)
"I went to Harvard for this?" Joanne froze. "Deja vu, much?" Sighing, she finished
folding the laundry and headed up the stairs.
Mimi was in no condition to do her own laundry. Roger hadn't so much as shifted
positions since she'd gotten sick, and Mark wouldn't leave Roger. Collins and Maureen
worked long hours every day just to be able to keep them all alive, so Joanne was left with the
domestic chores. Her own work was done via cell phone and the occassional business dinner.
"Thank God for Steve," she thought as she kicked the door to Mark and Roger's
apartment open. Dropping the basket of clothes next to the door, Joanne headed into Mark's
room to find the filmmaker lying on the bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
Silently, tears trailed down his cheeks.
Without moving, Mark said, "It's not fair Joanne. The one person who was able to
reach Roger, and now she's slowly slipping away."
Sitting on the bed next to him, Joanne nodded. "I know, Mark, I know." She paused
thoughtfully. "I think one of us needs to be able to reach him, the way Mimi did. But the only
people he'd be even vaguely interested in are me and Maureen, and, well. You know how that
would work."
Mark opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it. He tried again, but with the
same result.
"Mark? Just spit it out already."
He sighed. "It's just that there is someone else, but it would require telling you
something no one but Roger and I knows."
Joanne put her hand lightly on his chest. "You know I won't say anything to anyone."
At Mark's look, she added, "No, not even Maureen."
Mark shifted nervously, then nodded. "ALright then. You know me and Roger have
been friends since high school, right? Well, not being the athletic type, we were a bit
more...uh...active in figuring out who and what we were. Neither of us wanted to sit alone and
figure it out in our heads. So we made an agreement." He paused.
"What kind of agreement?" the lawyer pressed.
"That if we didn't chicken out in a week, we'd meet at his place when his parents
weren't home and...experiment."
Joanne blinked. Everyone who'd ever met Mark had questioned his sexuality. But
Roger...Roger being gay, or even bisexual, had never entered her mind.
"So the following Saturday, his parents went on vacation. An hour after they'd pulled
out of the driveway, Roger and I were sitting in his basement, awkwardly summoning our
courage. Finally, we each took a deep breath and...well, we kissed. For awhile. Neither of us
was anxious to stop. When we did, we agreed that it was definately not a bad thing." He
sighed. "It never went further than some clumsy groping, and we both agreed that we were still
attracted to girls. But we also agreed that this was very desirable. My point is, I'm not sure
about him and his thoughts on the subject, but I know I've always had feelings for him."
Joanne sat and thought for a moment. Thinking back, she remembered the occassional
longing glance cast in Roger's direction when the filmmaker thought no one was looking. Come
to think of it, there were a few times she'd swear on her bar exam that Roger had given Mark
similar looks, though fewer and far between.
Grinning, Joanne patted on Mark's chest. "Leave it to me. You're our key to saving
Roger, and I'm gonna make sure it works.
