Falsettos - The Man Who Made Me Smile

Lunch

"Marv, eat your food", Cordelia spoke softly, holding his hand gently. The touch made Marvin snap out of his thoughts. He had been playing with his food for the past three minutes, letting silence be the host of this lunch they were having in his apartment with Cordelia and Charlotte.

Marvin cleared his throat and shook his head. "I am not hungry", his eyebrows knitted together as his eyes looked over at Whizzer's empty seat. No one dared to sit there since. 

Cordelia sighed, knowing this was not worth the fight. Charlotte decided to stay out of it, knowing that she couldn't help in any way - as much as Cordelia could, anyway.

Both women saw him get up from his chair and throw his lunch on the trash. Of course Cordelia got hurt, she had made Marvin's favorite - linguine. Charlotte held her girlfriend's hand tightly and smiled at her. "It's not your fault, Delia", she reassured the other woman. Cordelia only smiled at her loved and nodded.

The man disappeared into his room while they both spoke, it was the perfect opportunity to get away and lock himself up in his bedroom. He had grown sicker for the last few weeks, since his last visit to the graveyard with Jason. Food was starting to taste like cardboard, for as delicious it could be for others, it just didn't taste good in his mouth. At least he still had energy to go to work, to go out for ice cream with Jason and to watch TV. 

"He's been losing so much weight", Charlotte ranted, "He looks like a walking mummy, he's grown pale, his eyes get lost"

Cordelia crossed her arms. "His eyes have always done that since Whizzer- you know...", she hated to even think of that again, she loved Whizzer.

Charlotte shook her head. "He keeps on getting worse and worse, Delia. He refuses to go to the psychiatrist, he doesn't even want to come see me anymore he doesn't-"

"Maybe he wants to end it all, Char", Delia stopped her, shaking her head lightly, tears forming in her eyes, "That's why we come visit, even if he doesn't want us here. None of us can afford to lose another family member", and by the time Delia had said all of that, Marvin had been standing there, on the hallway. 

His eyes were in complete pain but she was right. Cordelia was right. He had been meaning to end his life for days, weeks, months now. Marvin didn't know why he kept on waiting, or anticipating it, day after day. He just... did.

Marvin hid his face in his hands and broke down, falling on his knees as he did so. The warmth from Cordelia's embrace made him feel better, that was something he was definitely not expecting. She was his best friend, she knew how to make him feel better - most of the time, at least.

The two of them stayed like that for a few minutes, until he calmed down. "How about you go lay down on the couch, and I'll make you some coffee?", she offered.

Calmly, Marvin nodded and got up, bringing Charlotte along with him and cuddling with her on the couch. She chuckled softly and put an arm around him, caressing his back as best as she could - it was something she always did whenever Cordelia was feeling down, and it seemed to be working with Marvin for now.

The man drank his coffee like it were a lifeline, something to keep him alive and going. But today, even if he had been feeling like dying the entire time, somehow being curled up with them both on the couch, watching the crap Hallmark movies Whizzer liked, he felt an inch of happiness growing inside of him after all this time.