Work Text:
Title: Hard To Overcome Is Love
Author: marco
Fandom: ER
Pairing: Doug/Mark
Summary: Doug's broken and Mark tries to help him getting back together. Little does he know he's the indirect reason of Doug's problems...
Archive: Anywhere, but please ask first.
Rating: PG13
Parts: 1/1
Status: Completed
Spoilers: Season 3 - neither Doug nor Mark are involved with anybody.
Series/Sequel:
Website: N/A
Disclaimer: ER isn't mine, no matter how much I'd want it to.
Authors notes & Warnings: Umm, slash? And... kind of an AU, really.
Dr. Mark Greene was getting ready to go back home as he noticed his colleague, University roommate and best friend Doug Ross still in his work clothes, sitting on the bench, looking blankly in front of him, hands entwined together.
"Doug?" he asked, softly.
"Lemmaone." The Peadiatrician muttered under his breath.
"What?"
"Leave me alone." Doug said out loud. "It's none of your matters."
"Hard day?"
Interesting choice of words, Dr. Ross thought, but said, "Yeah."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"NO. I just asked you to leave me alone, but you don't seem to understand English pretty well, do you?"
"Well," Dr. Greene answered, "I can be pretty dumb, when I want to."
Doug simply shrugged his shoulders in defeat, as to say 'OK, you've won, game over.'
"So, what's wrong?" the tall, balding but still really handsome man asked again.
"Not here." The shorter doc replied. "They'd gossip about it."
"You should know." Mark joked, knowing that the man talking was nicknamed "Dr. Intercom".
"Maybe it's better if we go at my place... if you're not on now, that is."
"No problem. I'm off until tomorrow afternoon." Was the answer.
So, Doug opened his locker, put his lab coat in, put on his coat, and went outside with Mark, who had already his coat on.
Then, they walked to Doug's house, silently.
Mark was worried by his usually talkative friend's broody mood. Something had happened. And it was something dead serious.
Then they arrived. Doug opened the door and led Mark inside, still without saying a word.
Doug looked sadly at his friend's worried gaze and wondered how'd he felt if he'd tell him the reason for his mood was him. Well, not directly him, but he was still part of the equation.
Part of this desaster that made him feel so empty.
"So Doug, now can you tell me what's the problem, huh?" Mark then said. "I promise I won't tell." He added jokingly.
"OK... you know, it's kinda personal and... well,... well, there's no easy way to say this: I'm gay."
Mark was surprised. And I do mean surprised. He didn't understand; his best friend had always been a womanizer... scratch that... a ladies' man. He liked women, and he liked them a lot. There was nothing that could make somebody think Douglas Ross could be gay.
"Oh." He settled for a neutral response. "Since when do you..."
"Know it?" Doug answered. "Know that I like guys better than girls? Since High School, I think. I had to kiss a basketball teammate on the lips for a dare, and that kiss went... uh... south. I thought it was some kind of passing fad, that I was probably so horny that I could get hard no matter what, but truth was that as years passed, I noticed it was here to stay. And I was ashamed of it. So I became Sir Date-a-lot."
"A cover." Mark said. "Well, I can understand being afraid of people's rejection. But why didn't you tell me? I'm your best friend, for screaming out loud! What were you afraid of? That I'd stone you?"
"NO!" Doug screamed. "It wasn't that! It was... well... I..."
"So?" the taller doctor asked.
"I..." Now or never, Doug thought. " I did it because I was afraid of destroying our friendship by telling you that, and how I feel about you!"
"Destroying it? And how?" Mark asked again. "By telling me that you love me? It wouldn't be so shocking, given that I love you too."
Doug let a hopeful smile curve his mouth. "You mean... you're in love with me?" he said, thanking God for his breakdown.
Mark just nodded, and smiled in that lopsided way of his.
Then, he suddenly asked "If you're gay, why did Carol..."
"If you're talking about calling off the wedding, she realized she loved another man - Shep, not me -, when she slept with me she did just that and when she tried to kill herself..., well, only she could tell you why."
"But the others... Linda, Diane..."
"It was just sex with them, and they knew it. I can jump from girl to girl, but I always respect them, no matter what. I know what it means to be on the receiving end of that treatment."
"Well, I meant also how could you do it with them if you weren't in it?"
"Fantasies, buddy, fantasies." Doug replied, back to his charming and playful tone. "Mostly about you, me, and a bedroom."
"I guess I can believe that." Mark assumed, smiling broadly.
"It won't be easy, though." Doug said. "Hiding this at work..."
"Doug, 'the true course of love ne'er run smooth.' And about work, I think we're both professionals. If they find it out we won't deny it, but we're not going to shout it from the rooftops either. Is that ok with you?"
"Sure it is, buddy." Dr. Ross said, looking into his best friend, confidante and now lover's warm brown eyes and finding himself not wanting to direct his look anywhere else.
"If it's OK for you, it's OK for me, too." Mark said before leaning down to kiss him.
THE END.