Work Text:
When they got back together, Marvin and Whizzer decided that they should get a new apartment together, settling on a nice place, and after a long day of putting everything in place, they were lying on their bed, talking, mumbling sweet nothings to each other, happy to be together.
"Something is missing." Whizzer said suddenly, staring at the space up their bed. Marvin looked up at the empty space and couldn't help but ask what is missing, and when Whizzer's answer was art, confused Marvin asked why they need a piece of art in their bedroom, he liked their bedroom simple and plain.
"Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colours flowers, so does art color life." That was Whizzer's explanation.
So here they were, going together on a sunny day in New York City, traveling and looking for art selling places where they can find the missing piece for the perfect bedroom. They didn't know what they were looking for, maybe a painting, maybe they can hang a shelf above their bed and put on it a small statue, they didn't know yet, what they did know is that Whizzer wanted it to be special, breathtaking, and something that will fill the room with the sweet atmosphere of serenity.
When they got into the third shop, Whizzer's eyes were immediately locked on a black and white photo of a flower, calla lily was its name. Marvin thought it was the most hideous photo he had ever seen, but he decided to stay calm, tie his tongue, and to not make any bad comment about Whizzer taste; a photo won't ruin the progress he has made over the 2 years of him and Whizzer being separated, he changed so much, became a better person. maybe trying to understand Whizzer can help him understand the love for the photo better. Whizzer couldn't stop admiring the black and white photo, and started to tell Marvin about the meaning of it:
"This photo was taken by Robert Mapplethorpe, photographer, artist, I decided to be a photographer because of him, a role model of mine. this photo reflects his fascination with physical beauty and flaunt his technical facility in representing it. Here, Mapplethorpe isolates, lights, and crops the lily to emphasize its paradoxical combination of strength and ephemerality"
Ephemerality? such a weird choice of words to explain a flower photo, not even a colored one but, you know what? Whizzer's explanations made his thoughts about the photo less unkind and more understanding, every piece of art has a meaning behind it, even if you can't understand it. if this was made by Whizzer's role model and made Whizzer's heart beat in excitement and Whizzer's face light up with a beautiful, perfect smile, this was the chosen art to hang on the wall.
It was a late night, their bodies being close to each other, perfect for each other. "A lily or a rose never pretends, and its beauty is that it is what it is." Whizzer said out of the blue. Marvin had a hard time understanding the philosophy of Whizzer, some sentences that came out of his mouth were so complex, his mind was full of beautiful, mystifying words, that wanted to make the world a more understanding place.
"The rose does best as a rose. Lilies make the best lilies. And look! You - the best you around!" Marvin said, trying to fit into Whizzer philosophy, which made Whizzer laugh, feeling the room with his laugh. his laugh was one of the best sounds Marvin ever heard.
Time passes, the photo still hanging on the white wall and Whizzer got sick, badly. He kept saying he is having faith, sticking to faith. when he had to be rushed to the hospital because even breathing started to be the hardest thing to do, and the doctors said that this is the bitter end of his prime moments in life, he is suffering from an unknown disease, and that only God can tell him why he of all man was the one to get sick, all Whizzer did was to smile, a smile full of sadness and fear of the unknown. but still, Whizzer didn't give up and until the end he had faith.
When Whizzer felt that this is it, the end, he waited for the daily visit of Marvin and told him that "Faith is like a lily, lifted high and white." Marvin didn't understand what Whizzer meant.
When Marvin was standing in front of Whizzer's grave, he understood what Whizzer meant. whizzer's head was high in the air even in his final moments and Marvin was sure Whizzer was proud of the life he had. his life was short, suddenly taken from him; why? because life is not fair and cruel, but Whizzer's life was a paradoxical combination of strength and ephemerality. like a black and white photograph of a Calla Lily.
Whizzer's grave was full of beautiful Red roses and white lilies.
the Aids pandemic was horrible, many young souls like Whizzer died after a long and tiring fight of the unknown. "This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all, and the dead will be commemorated and will struggle on with the living, and we are not going away. We won't die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. Bye now. You are fabulous creatures, each and every one. And I bless you: More Life. The Great Work Begins."