((All characters are Jonathan Larson's. I've written a completely original story here and it's taken me a while – in fact, it's still in the works, and I plan to make it a continuously ongoing project – to write, so I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have. Thanks, and enjoy!))

"How We Gonna Pay?": A RENT Fan-fic


"Good morning, shnookums," came a high-pitched voice, tickling Roger's ear and a pair of thin hands messing his hair.
"What...? What time is it?"
"It's morning, hence the term: good morning."
"Sorry, the shnookums threw me off."
Roger pulled the covers over his head, burying himself in the warmth and trying to block out the annoying voice of his best friend Mark, who seemed to be a morning person today.
"C'mon, pookie, get up," cooed Mark, throwing the covers off Roger's body. "Oo, nice pj's, pal. Lovin' the little music notes!"
"Shut up."
"Get up. We've got work to do."
"W-work?"
"Geez, get up already!"
Mark grabbed Roger's arm and pulled him up to a sitting position.
"Okay, okay, I'm up!" Roger scratched his head, opening his eyes hazily, revealing the already dressed form of Mark, camera in hand, filming. "Oh, please, no photographs," he continued sarcastically, placing a palm over the lens. "What's the deal, Mark? Wait...where'd Mimi go?"
Mark shrugged, putting the camera down and taking a seat on the table across from Roger's bed, crossing one leg over the other. "She said she had some stuff to do. C'mon, get your ass out of bed so we can get a move on."
"She didn't say where she was going?"
Mark rolled his eyes. "Stop being jealous and get dressed." He moved, bending to pick up a shirt and threw it at Roger, hitting him in the face. He repeated the gesture with pants as well.
"Hey, stop! Okay, fine, I'm getting dressed.... I just wish I knew where she went."
Mark made a few loud, false coughs under his breath, whispering, "Obsessive..."
"I mean, she's always going off and I don't know where..."
"Let me say that louder, so you can hear: obsessive."
Roger glared slipping his pants on and zipping them, taking his seat again on the bed to throw on the shirt. "Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot we had a relationship expert in the house!" He stood and gave a mock bow. "Bonjour, Monsieur Cohen! What might I do to win the affections of my dearest love? Do tell!" He batted his eyelashes, puckering his lips.
"Ha ha, that's hilarious, Roger. Your charms are wasted on straight men, however. Call Collins, if that's what you're after."
"Ouch, bitter.... You two still fighting?"
"Yeah...."
A week earlier, Collins had gone out with a guy who was bad in every sense of the word. He treated Collins like shit, making him do whatever he wanted. The man gained a slave. Collins lost his heart.
Mark had attempted to tell Collins what he thought of his new man, but Collins wouldn't hear of it. He said he was happy and Mark was trying to ruin that for him. They hadn't talked since.
"Okay, so what's the deal with this work we're going to do?" Roger asked, changing the subject as he placed his shoes on.
"I got us jobs, can you believe it?"
"No, I can't.... If you say it's at a Cyber Studio, I'll kill you."
"Oh, hell no, Roger! Benny's still a sellout. No changing that. No, no, I got us jobs that are worthwhile."
"Hmm..... Worthwhile jobs?" Roger grinned, standing to his feet, dressed. "The strip club need some more male dancers?" He gyrated his hips and shoulders, winking at Mark.
"Wow, don't quit your day job, Roger."
"What day job?"
"Touché. Let's get outta here." Mark stood, picking up his camera.
"But...where--"
"I'll explain on the way. If I tell you, you won't go."
"Oh, I see.... Wait, can I page Mimi first?"
"No."
Roger rolled his eyes, leaping for the phone, but Mark pulled it away before he even had the chance. "You'll get to make the call when you take the job."
"That's blackmail."
"I know." Mark smirked, dangling the phone just out of Roger's reach.
"You know, I could wrestle the phone from you, easily."
"What would be the fun in that?" Mark set the phone down and pushed Roger out the door. "C'mon, shnookums!"
As they walked out the door, Roger's voice echoed down the hallway. "Stop calling me that!"

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Mimi took a deep breath, biting her bottom lip and shaking her head, her mind wracked with nerves. What would Roger think? How could she tell him?
Her black leather dress showed most of her beautifully tanned legs and her normal leopard-print boots made a soft clicking noise against the hard black marble floor. Her long-sleeved tan shirt showcased the words 'hot stuff'. She walked past a secretary and raised her fist to knock on the door.
"Hey, you there! You can't just go in there!" It was the voice of the annoyed secretary as she stood, grabbing Mimi's arm and pushing her away from the door. "Get out of here, unless you have an appointment."
"Look, Miss...uhhh..." Mimi leaned in, checking the woman's nametag. "Miss Gleason.... Hey, any relation to Jackie?" No response. "Never mind..."
"Do you have an appointment or not?"
"No, but I'm a close friend of hers."
"Oh, I'm sure you are.... Now, please, leave the premises at once."
Mimi shook the woman's hand off her harshly, turning and knocking against the door anyway.
"You can't do that!" Screeched the secretary, fluttering about anxiously. "You just can't--"
"Watch me, sister," Mimi sneered, grinning.
After a few knocks, the large black woman with thick red glasses leering off her nose appeared at the door, angered until she noticed Mimi's timid form before her.
"Mimi!"
"Hey, Joanne. Can I come in for a minute?" They embraced, smiling.
"Yeah, sure, hun. I'm kinda busy, but I can spare a few moments. Is Roger here too?"
"Nope. Just Mimi," she said with a smile.
The secretary seated herself, folding her arms in a huff, watching as the two disappeared into Joanne's office.
"So, what do you think? Nice, huh? That's what they give me for spending half a lifetime in school, taking bar exams and giving my soul to the firm."
"It's nice. Never seen a better office... Hey, you even got a view!"
"Yeah, of the slums," Joanne laughed. "So, what's up?"
"Oh.... I just thought I'd come and see you. Ya know, see what's up and all...."
Joanne placed a hand on her hip, raising a brow and shaking her head. "Yeah right. You've never come to visit me here. Uh oh...Something's wrong...."
"What? No…. Nothing...."
"Yeah, something's wrong. What happened?" Joanne moved closer to Mimi, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Something to do with Roger?"
Mimi looked up at her and sighed. "You're the only person I can talk to, Joanne...."
"Aw, honey, I know.... Here, have a seat." She ushered Mimi to the chair at her desk as she sat on the edge of the table. "Just tell me, what's wrong?"
Mimi swallowed. "You can't say anything to anyone.... Not yet, anyway...."
"Okay. I won't."
Mimi turned those bright eyes to Joanne and gave a half smile. "I'm pregnant."
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"Okay, so what is this secret job, Mark?"
"Just wait. Only half a block to go."
Roger sighed. "Fine.... So, where do you think Mimi went off to?"
"How should I know? I'm only the relationship expert, remember?"
Roger shoved his hands in his pockets, mulling along next to Mark, watching his feet as he walked. "Benny hasn't been around lately, has he?"
Mark turned his head and saw Roger's depressed stance. They came up to a crosswalk and stopped as Mark shrugged. "Yeah. I guess I should tell you they've been having mindless sex for the past three weeks now."
"What?" Roger turned towards Mark, his eyes wide.
"Oh yeah. It was a secret. Whips, chocolate sauce, handcuffs...you name it, they use it. He tells me it's the greatest."
"Really?!"
Mark's eyes narrowed and he shook his head, smacking Roger. "No! Geez, were you taking me seriously?"
Roger began breathing again as they started to walk once more. "Yeah...."
"She's got you all worked up. You should see yourself! You're a mess!"
"I know. I can't help it. She's been very absent lately. Always leaving at the wrong moments, slipping out of bed in the middle of the night." He sighed. "I know; I'm overreacting."
"Well, don't think about it for a few minutes, okay?"
"Yeah."
"We're he-ere!" Mark beamed, ushering Roger into the building before he even got a glance at the name of the place. "Okay, now be presentable."
Roger laughed. "I'm always presentable, darling."
"Oh no, no joking now, Roger."
"Who's joking, honey-buns?" He pursed his lips.
Mark rolled his eyes. "Shut up or I'll call up Benny and give him Mimi's new number."
Roger was silent then.
They walked across the foyer to the desk that sat at the end of it, flowers and plants adorning its mahogany top.
"Wow," Roger muttered quietly. "What've you gotten me into?"
"Just wait. Relax."
Roger surveyed the two long hallways to either side of the desk, dark and gloomy and yet bright in their own way. The ceiling was paneled with a few dim lights hanging like baskets from various locations. Roger leaned against the desk and glanced down at the stationary: "Deep Pen Movies". He wondered what a movie studio, a cheap one at that, would want with him and Mark. Strange...
"Hey, I'm Mark Cohen and this is Roger Davis. We have an appointment."
"Yes, go right in. It's the third door down this left hallway."
Mark smiled. "Yep. I remember. Thanks."
The woman behind the desk smiled, brushing back her short blonde curls, those blue eyes of hers sparkling from behind square silver-rimmed glasses. "Any time, Mr. Cohen."
Mark laughed, leading Roger away. "Call me Mark. I hate Mr. Cohen."
"Okay...Mark." She smiled again as her phone rang. It took her a few minutes to realize this before she jumped for the phone, answering and clearing her throat at the same time. "Hello, Deep Pen Movies. My name's Cindi, how may I help you?"
Mark almost giggled, as they walked down the long corridor. Roger grinned, elbowing Mark in his side.
Roger mimicked, poorly, a woman's voice, "Oh, Mr. Cohen! Down three doors to my left." He puckered his lip, sighing loudly and pretending to brush back locks of hair.
"Shut up."
Roger laughed, patting Mark on the back. "You're blushing. You should ask her out."

"Yeah, yeah.... Let's just get this thing done first, okay?"
"Fine." Roger grinned as they neared the door. "If you don't ask her, I'll do it for you."
Before Mark could argue, Roger pushed the door open and they walked in. A thin, lanky man with dark black hair and deep-set dark eyes stood before them, offering a welcoming smile.
"Oh my God," Roger mumbled, his eyes widening and slowly returning to normal as he returned the smile, shaking his head. "Jonathan?"
"Hey," whispered the other man, coming to stand next to him.
They stared at each other for a few silent minutes before they hugged, patting each other on the back.
"How the hell are you, Roger?"
"I'm good. You?"
"Couldn't be better."
They moved away from each other and Jonathan moved to shake hands with Mark.
"Hey, Jon," said Mark quietly, smiling.
"Hey. I see you brought your camera."
"Never without it."
"Ah, same 'ole Mark."
They all laughed and Jonathan sighed, leaning against his desk, waving his hand to the two seats before him. "C'mon, have a seat, boys."
"Boys?" Roger asked, shaking his head with a laugh. "Speak for yourself. I'm a man. Mark, however..." Again, they all laughed. A moment of silence followed until Roger spoke up again. "H-how's the family?"
"They're all good. How's yours?"
Roger shrugged. "My mom calls once a year or so...."
"You should call her."
"I...I can't. Old problems..."
"Yeah, I understand. So, I hear you've found a new girl. Is it true?"
Roger swallowed, shaking his head warily, wondering if he should really answer it.
"It's okay, Roger. You needed to move on from April. My sister was a wonderful girl, and I know it was hard for you when she died."
"Hard is not that word, Jon."
"Well, my point is, I'm glad you're not dwelling on it. The whole family needs to move on. I'm glad you have."
Roger smiled. "Thanks."
Mark cleared his throat and spoke, "So, why don't we get to business. I'm sure Roger wants to know why I brought him here."
Jonathan laughed. "You didn't tell him?"
"Naw, where's the fun in that?"
Roger rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair.
"Well, let me explain then. A while back I got into the movie business and I was doing some pretty neat little films for television stations. They were small and nothing compared to Fox, ABC, or any of those big stations, but they were enough to land me more jobs like them. Anyway, I eventually got enough money that I wanted to do something with it. I decided on making a movie studio of my own where we take normal people and their stories. Your friend Mark here was my first choice, but I never did get a hold of him. Last week, I met him by accident on the street and we had a good talk. So, we're producing one of his movies."
Roger smiled brightly, nodding. "That's great, Jon! What does that have to do with me, though?"
"Ah, that's the beauty of Mark's movie. It's in need of a soundtrack. Since his movie is about his life and friends and what happens between them, I suggested you provide the music. Anything original -- from rock to sappy ballads; whatever floats your boat."
"Wow, really?"
Mark grinned. "And you can use that song you wrote for Mimi for the end of it."
Roger shook his head, speechless.
"What do you say, Roger?"
"Y-yeah! I'm lovin' this! I can't believe it...."
Jonathan laughed. "Well, get out of my office and get writing!"
Roger stumbled to his feet, his smile spreading across his face until he beamed. "I'm going, I'm going."
"Well, just call me when it's done. I'd like it within two months time, but if you need more, don't hesitate to let me know. Hey, and give your mom a call."
Roger shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."
"Talk to you two later."
"See ya."
"Bye," called Mark as they walked out of the small office shutting the door behind him.
"Wow. Can you believe Jon owns this place?"
"I know, hard to grasp, huh?"
They made their way down the dark hallway again, and they came up to the front desk again. Roger laughed as Mark attempted to go straight out the door.
"Uh uh, loverboy," Roger whispered, pushing Mark towards the desk with such force that he ended up hitting it head on, knocking over one of the plants that sat there.
"Oh, geez, I'm sorry!" Mark cried, leaning over the front to help her pick it up.
"No, it's my fault. I was...uhh...not paying much attention to...."
Mark laughed and soon they were both laughing. After a few seconds they had picked up the plant and had it sitting down on her desk like normal.
"Well, I guess I'd better be off now...."
Roger rolled his eyes, jumping beside Mark. "What he's saying is--"
"Roger!"
"--that he'd love to take you out sometime...say, Friday night?"
Mark hung his head, biting his lip, smiling.
"Oh...." whispered Cindi, blushing too. "Would you tell Mark that I'd love to, or can I tell him myself?"
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Mimi's talk with Joanne had only lasted a few minutes, but it had been well worth every second. She knew that Joanne would give good advice and she had. Just sit down and have a good talk with Roger tonight, she had told Mimi. I'm sure he'll be so happy about this! I mean, it's a special bond of love between you two.

As Mimi strolled down the crowded streets of NYC, she smiled happily, humming a little tune to herself. She hardly realized that she bumped into a man with a light leather jacket and suede boots until he spoke to her, stopping her to face him.

"Hey there, stranger!"

"Hey…Collins!" She beamed even brighter now. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Well, with Mark and I fighting and Roger and you…well, always busy, where's a guy like me to go?" He smiled. "How are you?"

"Better than ever! What about you?"

"I'm…uhh…doing…"

"What's up? Something wrong?"

"I broke up with Trevor last night."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, Mark will be happy to hear that he was right. Is there ever a time when he's not right?"

"Nope. He's good with advice, as long as it's to anyone else but the one who needs it most."

"Himself!" they both added.

"Speaking of Mark, where is he? And Roger too?"

She shrugged. "I headed out early this morning before Roger was awake. Who knows, now?"

"Well, I'm stopping off to visit the market and ATM. Care to accompany me, milady?" He gave a low, regal bow, offering his arm.

She curtsied with a giggle. "Sorry, no can-do. I've got to get back home and talk to Roger. Will you be joining us later?"

"If Mark'll have me…."

"He will. He may be stubborn, obsessive, hypocritical and opinionated, but he's always a good friend."

"You can say that again," Collins replied with a smile. "I'll see ya there then in…say a half an hour?"

"Okay."

"Oh, by the way, I saw Benny a few blocks down the way you're heading. Be forewarned."

She laughed. "Thanks. I'll try to dodge all the hot dog venders, in that case."

"All right. See ya in a few."

"Ditto."

They walked off in opposite directions briskly. Mimi's eyes glanced about in all directions. The last thing she wanted was to talk to Benny. She hadn't spoken to him in a few months now, ever since he moved in with Allison in some swanky palace of a house in New Jersey. Of course, he'd kept calling her until she switched numbers, but he could always get it from Mark in one of his sneaky ways.

"Mimi?" came a soft whisper from her right. There stood Benny, dressed in a thick tan trench coat with a red turtleneck and khaki pants underneath. "Long time no see. You changed your number."

"Hey, Benny…." She hardly knew what to say. It wasn't pleasant running into him ever, and not now especially when she had just found out such wonderful news.

"What, no salutations? No long embraces?"

"I said hello, didn't I?"

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Mimi. I haven't kicked your pals out of their lodging or demanded their rent as of yet, so why am I the bad guy?"

She shrugged. "Pick a reason."

"Still bitter, huh? C'mon, that's ancient history, babe. Besides, what makes you think I haven't changed?"

"Have you?"

"Perhaps. You can be the judge."

"You won't like my answers."

"Aw, gimmie a chance, Mimi. C'mon, is one hug gonna kill ya?"

"Umm…"

"Okay fine. How 'bout a handshake?"

"That I can do."

He held out his hand and she took it warily. Before she knew it, he pulled her close and embraced her tightly, but it was pleasant enough that she didn't mind it.

"You grope you die," she whispered with a laugh.

"My hands have a mind of their own, hun. I can't control 'em!" He smirked, letting her go. "See? I'm not such a tyrannical asshole, huh?"

"I'll give you time to go back to your old Benny ways."

He laughed. "Fine, fine. Anyway, how are you?"

She smiled brightly, almost beaming with pride. "Couldn't be any better if I wished it."

"Oh-ho! Still with Roger?" She nodded. "Is that the reason?"

"Sort of."

"Ah, I'm understanding now." He smiled. "Congratulations, if it's what I think it is."

"And what's that?" she asked, teasing with a wry grin.

"I sense a little love-making has brought about the echoes of little feet down the hallway…. Perhaps a tiny Mimi or a Roger Jr.?"

She nodded and placed a thin finger over her lips. "Sh, you can't tell anyone." She giggled. "Say, what's with you? You are being nice."

"You act like that's unnatural," he pouted.

"Well, no offense Ben, but you were an asshole for about a year and a half. I seem to recall a certain incident where the loft was padlocked."

"I recall other events…. Angel's funeral, ring a bell?"

She smiled genuinely. "That was a nice thing you did. Collins is still grateful, I know."

"Speaking of Collins, I just ran into him. He looks terrible!"

"Yeah…. Long story."

"Well, I don't have the time to hear it, unfortunately. I'll be coming by Mark and Roger's later. Will you be there?"

"I live there now, remember?"

"Oh yeah…. I always forget they give half the city of New York free housing at my expense."

"Benny…."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll see ya later." They embraced again and he patted her behind harshly with a laugh as he walked away. "I told you they had a mind of their own!"

She laughed in spite of herself and turned to continue the way home, alone. So Benny could be a nice guy. Who would have thought?