A/N: So, I really should be working on my other stories because I'm so behind. However, I was listening to "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" today and thought about how cute the song "Happiness" would be for a RENT fic. So… please give this a chance and gave me a helpful review at the end! Please! Thanks!
Brief Summary: So, the idea behind this is that the RENT characters are sent into a vortex of brief happiness (I know, amazing right?) when Mark makes a little discovery. Therefore, they sing the song "Happiness".
Disclaimer: I don't own either musical.
Mark Cohen was cruising along on his bike, eyeing his camera in the basket on the aforementioned bike to make sure it didn't fall out and shatter, and wondered where his life was going. Because, let's face it. Mark's life wasn't really wasn't going well at all.
Mimi was sure to die at any moment and everyone was waiting on pins and needles for her to relapse again. It was nearly a week after the incident of Mimi's almost-death and everyone was anxious. Roger was moping around because of it too and refused to leave Mimi's side for one instant and insisted on watching her every movement and possibly plotting how he would die once Mimi was gone. Collins was in and out of depression, usually drinking himself into a stupor each night and really not of any help to Mark at all. Maureen and Joanne were not fighting in public anymore, for Mimi's sake, but the daggers they shot at each other suggested that they were fighting worse than ever behind closed doors.
So basically, Mark's life was falling apart. How long would it be before all of his friends were gone? He was depressed all the time and not able to see the silver lining in the situation. At the rate this was going, Mark was likely to end up like all of the tragic moviemakers before him. Dead. But from what? The possibilities were endless. Suicide was the most likely…
But as Mark was thinking about the cheerful path his life had taken, he was nearly thrown from his bike. Because he wasn't really looking at the pavement before him, Mark had run over something with the whirling tires and it was now lodged in the bottom. Heaving a sigh, Mark climbed off the bike and flipped it over, after removing his camera of course, to see what was stuck in the tire. Imagine his amazement when he found it to be a lonely, forlorn pencil.
It wasn't a remarkable pencil, but it was slightly old-fashioned and was colored dark blue. Mark nearly gasped in spite of himself. It looked exactly like the pencils that he used to bring to school when he was just a small boy, when life was so much easier. He picked the pencil up to his eyelevel and just stared at it, wondering if this was supposed to be his silver lining. It did seem to lift his spirits so… he actually felt a little happy.
What Mark didn't know was that this sudden act of happiness brought something upon his friends and himself. It's called a musical number. All of them were instantly infected and the rest of the world seemed to follow suit.
"Happiness," Mark sang lightly, tucking the pencil into his coat pocket and getting back on his bike, "Is finding a pencil." He then soared off on his bike, pedaling easily and was much more pleased than he was before.
Mark passed by a restaurant without looking in, so he didn't notice Collins ordering his lunch at this particular moment.
"Sausage with pizza," Collins sang contentedly, examining the large slice and then biting into it with gusto. He actually had set the bottle of vodka on the ground next to him and instead indulged in an old favorite of his.
Mark's bike then pulled into the parking lot of the Loft, not knowing that Roger had just made a major installment in their apartment.
"Telling the time," Roger added, stepping back with Mimi to examine the new clock that was now ticking forward. It had been broken for the longest time and Roger had actually gone out to get batteries for it so that he and his roomies could tell the time. Mimi sighed and hung off of Roger's elbow.
"Happiness is learning to whistle," Mimi sighed, resting her head on Roger's shoulder now. When she had mentioned earlier that day that she never learned how, Roger had quickly taught her because he was the master of such things.
As Mark tied his bike up in the parking lot, Maureen and Joanne were walking up the street to make a surprise visit to Mimi and Company.
"Tying your shoe for the very first time," Maureen giggled in the song, pointing to the practical tennis shoes that Joanne had insisted she wear. Maureen hadn't worn shoes that tied up with laces in such a long time that she had nearly forgotten how and the simple practice had pleased her enormously. Joanne grinned back at her and draped an arm around her girlfriend's waist.
"Happiness is playing the drum in your own girl band," she added, smiling at the memory of her and Maureen trying to start a band but opting for protests instead in the future. How horrible Joanne had been at the drums… Maureen had nearly collapsed for laughing so hard.
The two girls saw Mark in the parking lot and ran to catch up with him so that they wouldn't have to knock to get in. Mark waited for them, smiling, before accompanying them up the stairwell. They opened the loft door to find Mimi and Roger admiring the new clock.
"And happiness is walking hand-in-hand," he sighed, crossing the room to look at the newly fixed clock as well. Maureen and Joanne also came over but sat on the couch instead, chatting with Mimi animatedly with Roger at her side. "Happiness is two kinds of ice cream," Mark sang wistfully. The others noticed and nodded in agreement.
"Knowing a secret," the Latina mock whispered.
"Climbing a tree," Roger added quickly, thinking of how he used to climb up the branches of an oak in the park where he used to grow up.
Just then, Collins too entered the loft with a half-eaten pizza in hand, and quickly entered the song.
"Happiness is five different crayons," he mused and flopped down on an empty spot on the couch next to Joanne. Joanne rolled her eyes at him but also contributed.
"Catching a firefly and setting him free," she sang but at this last bit shot a glance at Maureen. Maureen noticed and squeezed Joanne's hand knowingly, flashing her a wink.
"Happiness is being alone every now and then," Mark realized, now knowing why he enjoyed editing his film so much in a secluded spot. It was his special alone time.
"And happiness is coming home again," all of the friends harmonized together, sinking into the familiar feeling of all of them being together again in one place. Those were the happy times.
Mark quickly whipped out his camera to capture his friends' smiling faces, not wanting to forget this moment. Even Roger was smiling in spite of himself, not even pretending to be sulky. Mark then sang quietly to himself as he filmed, watching his friends through the camera screen and smiling softly.
"Happiness is morning and evening. Daytime and nighttime too," Mark thought and then quickly realized what this epiphany was all about. "For happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you," he sang and smiled lovingly at his friends. They were his wonderful, beautiful friends that he now knew that he loved more than anything in the world.
"Happiness is having a sister," Joanne sang fondly to Maureen as the rest of them looked on with relieved smiles. At least they weren't fighting again. Maureen squeezed Joanne's hand again but then reached into her bag and revealed…
"Sharing a sandwich," she replied and held out half of her sandwich that consisted of lettuce, tomato, and not much else. Unfortunately, Collins quickly reached over and grabbed half before distributing this amongst the rest of the bohemians. Maureen laughed and broke off a piece for Joanne and herself before passing the rest on.
"Getting along," they sang in unison, smiling and giving each other a small kiss before digging into the pieces of their sandwiches.
The bohemians had unknowingly formed a semi-circle in the middle of the Loft and looked at each other eating the small pieces of sandwich and coming to a realization all at once.
"Happiness is singing together when day is through," all six of them harmonized and turned at once to notice that the sun was setting through the grimy window of the Loft living room. Then they turned back to each other and smiled widely. "And happiness is those who sing with you." It was funny how a musical number could bring together so well. "Happiness is morning and evening. Daytime and nighttime too!"
Mark carefully set the camera down and looked at his friends without the camera. They were all smiling and laughing. For a moment, all of the relationship issues and the death had left their faces. Mark couldn't be happier.
"For happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you," he sang by himself and packed his camera away to actually experience this once in a lifetime moment. He sat down on the arm of the sofa next to Collins as the music in their heads began to dwindle down to nearly nothing.
Suddenly, Roger looked over at Mark on the other side and had an odd sort of look on his face. It was as if he was contemplating something very much. Finally, he opened his mouth and finally said his carefully worded sentiment.
"You're a good man Mark Cohen," he declared and allowed his smile to widen. The others looked over at Mark and agreed unanimously. All of the things that Mark had done for them suddenly flashed through the bohemians' minds and they realized how true this really was.
Mark was flustered under the sudden acknowledgement. He simply nodded in an offhanded thanks but beamed on the inside. He hadn't been so happy in weeks.
The music came to a beautiful halt. Sadly, when this happened, the spell was quickly broken.
…
"What just happened?" Collins wondered, once more grabbing his Stoli and taking a swig.
Maureen and Joanne just looked at each other and shrugged. Then, suddenly, Joanne's eyes narrowed. "Don't think I forgot about the club last night Maureen!" Maureen's hands fluttered up to defend herself from her ravenous girlfriend.
"It's not my fault you bought me so many goddamn drinks," Maureen snapped back, glowering. "Or that you ditched me for nearly three hours to go do who-knows-what!"
"This has been… interesting but I've got to head out," Collins explained sadly, the same depression hovering over him again. "I'll be sure to call every now and then." He then got up and took another gulp from his bottle, heading unsteadily out the door.
"Are you too cold Mimi?" Roger asked in concern. When Mimi nodded feebly he quickly ushered her off to get a couple blankets, even yanking his own sweater off to give it to her as well. Mimi tried to protest but Roger wouldn't hear it as they exited the loft.
Maureen and Joanne were glaring at each other, grabbing their coats and heading after Collins. Mark could actually feel the volcano of hate bubbling up between them. Soon they were gone and the arguing echoed from the stairwell through the Loft's thin walls.
Mark sighed, feeling the familiar gloom spread through him. But he felt the pencil poking through his jacket and smiled a little again. At least he now knew that everyone could be happy for a little bit.
He walked off to the kitchenette humming a vague tune before he stopped walking, startled.
What the hell was the song he was singing?
A/N: So that was it. The moral of this story is, let's all just be happy. If the bohos could be happy for 3 minutes and 30 seconds of musical goodness then we can at least double that, right?
Anyway, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukhah, Happy Kwanzaa, and have a great whatever else you might celebrate!