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Chapter Text

When Mark arrived at Johnny and Lisa's place at noon, he already had an uneasy feeling growing in his gut. His conversation with Lisa yesterday was a little bit strange, and the tone of her voice when she said good-bye to him was very uncharacteristic. If he didn't know any better, it almost sounded... seductive? But that was crazy! She was engaged to Johnny, so the sultriness in her words MUST have been all in his head.

He knocked on the door and Lisa opened it quickly, beaming when she saw it was him. Her carefree smile took the edge off him a little, and he relaxed ever so slightly. The two of them had been good friends for the longest time, hitting it off almost immediately after she had started dating Johnny, so he tried to convince himself that there was no way she would jeopardize both their relationships with Johnny. Despite his denial, there was a twinkle of mischief in Lisa's eyes as she greeted him.

She ushered him inside and invited him to make himself comfortable. As he sat down, she walked behind him slowly, her fingers lingering against his skin just long enough to be suspicious. He forced himself to ignore it, hoping to GOD that he was wrong about her intentions. She handed him a drink, brushing his fingers with hers as he accepted it. He gulped loudly as it became more and more clear what she was hoping for, but still he refused to believe it. He took a sip of wine as she removed her blouse, revealing a strapless dress with a low back and it suddenly hit him that she was serious. His entire body filled with dread, but he still hung on desperately to the small shred of hope that he was misinterpreting her. He decided to just get it over with and ask her straight up what she was doing.

"I mean, the candles... the music... the sexy dress? I mean... What's going on here?"

She gazed at him longingly, her expression changing from friendly to... something he didn't recognize. She sat on his lap like she did a hundred times before, but the atmosphere was different this time, making him feel stifled and claustrophobic. She moved even closer, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I like you... very much... lover boy..."

He stared right back at her, trying to pinpoint anything that told him this was all a ruse, but her eyes didn't give away any hint of teasing. He scoffed and furrowed his brow as his brain struggled to comprehend what was happening. None of this made sense... What was she thinking?? He never thought of her as the type to cheat, yet the evidence stood before him.

"What are you doing this for?"

His voice came out weaker than he intended, giving away how truly uncomfortable he was. All she did was smirk at his question, stroking his cheek tenderly.

"What's the matter? Don't you like me...? I'm your girl...?"

He bristled as she turned his words against him. Sure, he'd said stuff like "that's my girl!" to her many times in the past, but he never thought of it as anything other than playfulness. Had he been unwittingly leading her on all these years?? He sighed. If that WAS the case, he knew he better clear the air fast. He removed her hand from his face before speaking.

"Johnny is my BEST friend... You're gonna be MARRIED next month, come on!"

She huffed, putting her wine down before turning her attention back to him, placing her hand against his cheek once more.

"FORGET... about Johnny...This is between you... and me..."

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Forget.

Johnny???

A spike of anger erupted in his chest and he fought to stay calm. What she was asking was... impossible! There was no way in hell that he was going to do anything that would hurt his closest friend. Johnny was the most important person in his life... To think that Lisa was able to even SUGGEST betraying her fiance made her seem like a complete stranger. He pushed her away gently and started to stand.

"I don't think so. I-I-I'm leaving now."

She pushed him back into the chair, cupping both sides of his face, pining him in place.

"Please don't leave...! Please don't leave! I need you!"

Bile rose in his throat at her persistence, and he shoved her away more firmly this time, quickly escaping out the door without another word.

It was hard to describe the unpleasant emotions that were swirling through him, so he tried to distract himself as best he could by keeping busy throughout the day. It worked for awhile, but his thoughts always strayed back to Johnny.

Oh god, Johnny! What was he going to think?? How was he going to react??

Not only the fact that Lisa wanted to cheat on him, but with Mark of all people!

It wasn't fair! Johnny didn't deserve any of this! He had ALWAYS treated Lisa with the utmost respect and love and THIS is how she repaid him??

By attempting to commit the ultimate act of breaking the trust in the relationship?!

It made him sick to his stomach!

He scrambled to lift his phone from his pocket and dialed with determination.

"Hey, Johnny, what's up? It's Mark. Listen... We need to talk... can we meet up sometime this week? There's something I think you should know..."

Chapter Text

Lisa had been calling his phone constantly over the next few days.

Both Mark and Johnny were so busy with work, that they weren't able to meet until 3 days after the incident. Mark tried his best to ignore Lisa's calls, but picked up a few out of sheer politeness. It was always the same topic. Lisa poured her heart out to him, confessing her love to him and her unhappiness with Johnny. She genuinely seemed to want to have her cake and eat it too, and Mark just couldn't understand.

How Lisa was unable to see how much she was giving up... how truly lucky she was to have found a caring man like Johnny, was beyond Mark's comprehension. He felt his friendship with Lisa growing increasingly distant with every unfaithful word she said. He wondered how things would have turned out if he had stayed with her that day. Would she have honestly tried to get him into bed? Just the thought of kissing her made him cringe, let alone anything else.

He never expected anything to test his bond with Johnny to this extent, and it opened his eyes to where his true desires lay. He never knew just how strong his love for Johnny was before he was asked to commit such a horrible deed. He wanted to be as loyal to his best friend as Lisa SHOULD have been. He wanted to treat him right and show him that there was no way cheating would ever happen if they were together.

But he had no idea how he was going to break the news to Johnny about what Lisa did. He couldn't bear to see the pain in his face, but he knew that it was better than letting Lisa pretend nothing was going on.

It was finally the day.

Mark sat on their roof, anxiously waiting for Johnny to join him. He passed the time by throwing a football into the air and catching it, and it made him feel a little better. Tossing the football with Johnny had always been one of his favorite things to do, so he subconsciously associated it with joy. He was just starting to rehearse what he would say, when he heard angry, muffled ranting coming up the stairs.

"...I did not hit her! It's not true, it's bullshit!! I did not hit her! I did not!!" Johnny came storming through the door, pausing when he saw he wasn't alone, "Oh, hi, Mark!"

"Oh, hey Johnny, what's up?"

"I have a problem with Lisa..."

Mark perked up, hoping that she had come forth with the truth, taking the pressure off him to be the one to say it. Johnny sat in the chair beside him before continuing.

"She said that I hit her."

Mark made a sound of disbelief. Johnny had never even hurt a fly, so why would he suddenly become violent toward the woman he had treated like royalty for over 5 years? Still, he was curious about the situation.

"What?? Well, did you??" he asked, even though he guessed the answer.

"No, it's not true! Don't even ask!"

The hurt in Johnny's voice confirmed what Mark already knew - That Lisa was becoming a sneaky, lying, manipulative bitch.

It was hard to see why she was doing this, and the only POSSIBLE reason Mark could come up with was that she wanted Johnny to end it with her first. At least that way, she could play the sympathy card to all their friends if it came to picking sides. Mark's resolve to get Johnny as far away from her as he could was cemented, and he looked him straight in the eye.

"I believe you. I shouldn't have even asked such a dumb question. Listen, Johnny... There's something you should know about Lisa..."

Johnny put his hands behind his head, nodding at him to keep going.

"I... I don't know how to say this but... Here goes..."

He took a deep breath, hoping Johnny would understand that it wasn't his fault.

"Lisa, she... the other day when you were at work, she asked me to come over for a talk and she... I'm sorry, man... She came onto me."

Johnny's eyes became slits, silent shock and rage caused him to start shaking. Mark held his breath, letting Johnny absorb the information. After a few minutes, Johnny stood and started pacing.

"Did you... you two didn't..."

Mark cut him off before he could even finish his thought.

"No, of course not! I would never do that to you! I told her no and ran, I swear!"

Johnny stopped and looked at him, face contorted with misery and confusion. Mark figured he'd better spill the rest while everything else was still fresh.

"She's also been calling me. Asking me, well more like begging me, to come over and make love to her. She keeps saying she loves me and she wants me, but I keep turning her down. I guess I must have pissed her off, cause now she's moving to hurting you directly. I think she's making up stories to get attention and hoping that you'll end the engagement before she does. I'm so, so sorry that I have to tell you this, but I can't let you stay ignorant through all this, because you'll just end up getting even MORE hurt."

There were tears streaking down Johnny's face now, and Mark felt his heart breaking. He stood up and closed the distance between them, grasping both of Johnny's hands in his own.

"Don't you understand, Johnny? You deserve better! You should be with someone who would never take you for granted! I don't know what's going on in Lisa's head right now, and I don't really give a shit either! She's turning downright evil! You don't need that kind of negativity in your life! I love you!"

Mark gasped as he realized what he just said. Both his and Johnny's eyes grew wide. He didn't mean for those words to be spoken, but in all the stress of the situation, they tumbled out before he could stop it. His face went red and he tried to turn away, but Johnny caught his chin with one hand, wiping his tear stained cheeks with the other.

"Is that true, Mark?"

Mark hesitated, but he had already dug his grave, so he might as well own it.

"It's true, Johnny. I've been doing a lot of thinking this week, and I've really learned a lot about myself. You're my best friend, and being put in a position like that made me discover how much you really mean to me. I love you and I want to be with you, and I promise you a lifetime of loyalty. If... if you feel the same, that is..."

Johnny was silent for a long time. It was a lot to process all at once, so Mark didn't pressure him into rushing. They just stood there, still holding hands, while Johnny made his decision. Giving up Lisa, getting with Mark... It was going to be a huge change for his life.

Johnny smiled as he saw the possibilities.

"I think I might love you too, Mark."

He leaned forward and caught Mark in a sudden and passionate kiss. Mark wasn't complaining as brand new thoughts for his future danced in his head. After a few seconds, he broke away and smirked, picking up the football he had dropped.

"So, what do you say? Wanna toss the ball for awhile?"

Johnny laughed and took his hand once more, and together they made their way to the park.