Disclaimer: Jonathan owns all.
Mark looked up from his camera when he heard a knock on the door. He looked over at the clock: 9:46. With a very loud, animated sigh, he pulled himself away from his camera to see who could possibly want to bother with him at this hour. Walking forward, he expected to see Roger. He always came crying to Mark when he got into a fight with Mimi.
He pulled the door open, surprised to see Mimi standing there. "Hey."
"Is Roger here?" she asked. She sounded upset.
Mark squinted. The hall was dark and Mimi was hard to see. "No, I thought he was downstairs with you. Why?"
She sighed. "We had a fight and he stormed out a few hours ago. I assumed he came up hear to cool off, and when he didn't come home, I got worried about him."
"Oh." Mark never knew how to handle Roger and Mimi's relationship. He wasn't sure if it was jealousy or if he was just immature.
"I better go find him," she leaned against the doorway, burying her face in her hands. The light emerging from the dimly lit apartment hit Mimi's bare arms. The reason for the fight was apparent as Mark saw the dark purple track marks running up and down Mimi's arms.
"Do you want to come inside?" Mark offered, stepping aside.
Mimi looked at him, nodding slowly and walking in. He shut the door and walked her over to the couch. They sat down, silent for a few moments.
Mark looked at her and could see was trying to fight back tears. Pushing a dark curl out of her face, he asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Mimi looked up at him. "He just doesn't understand." The tears started as Mimi began muttering something about drugs, Benny, and Roger walking in. Mark could only pick up a few words. "I didn't mean for it to happen this way, he just… he just doesn't get that I need to do this slowly."
"That's just how Roger works," Mark tried to explain. "He's just… not used to loving someone who loves him back." He reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, lifting it so he could see her face clearly. Mimi's expression changed. She raised her hand to Mark's and laced their fingers together.
"Mark," she whispered.
"Shh," he whispered, pulling her into a tight hug. "It'll be okay." She moved her hands around his neck and buried her face in his chest. Mark's hand landed in her soft curls and the other softly massaged her back. "It's okay," he kept saying, placing a light kiss in her hair. No, no, no, Mark regretted it immediately. Oh god, no, she's Roger's girl.
Mimi felt the touch of Mark's lips on her head and looked up at him. Faded brown met icy confusion. "Mark," she murmured again, leaning into him. It took him by surprise when her lips crashed into his, her tongue breaking the barrier of his lips. He kissed her back, closing his eyes and holding her tightly. Mark didn't intend for it to turn out this way. He just wanted to help his friend – his best friend's girlfriend. But for some reason, he wasn't rejecting Mimi's advance. He wanted it; it felt right. No one show him any affection after Maureen left him, and that was a long time ago. He wasn't ready to reject it.
Mimi pulled back, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't…"
"No, it was…" Mark looked at her with a lopsided grin, "nice actually."
He took her bruised arms from around his neck and stared at them. He leaned down, kissing away her pain and mistakes. "Mimi," he whispered, pulling her close.
She willingly fell into him, closing her eyes, an image of Roger flashing in her mind. "What about…"
"Shh," Mark murmured, twirling a lock of Mimi's hair around his finger. "We'll worry about him later."
Right now, it was just the two of them. Mark and Mimi, Mimi and Mark, locked together in a broken embrace until the troubles of tomorrow caught up to them. But for now, they were safe, cared for, loved.
Fin