Author's Note: The two reviewers on my first fic were so sweet that I decided to post my fluff piece. It was written around Valentine's Day, based off an RP I did with a friend. Still Roger/April and Pre RENT, only this time, I've included Mark and Collins. And I don't own RENT or any part J.Lar's amazing legacy. Wish I did …
It was a quiet, typical Sunday afternoon in the Loft. Roger was splayed out on the couch messing around on his guitar. Mark was by his side fiddling with his camera on one of the chairs. Collins was in the other chair quietly reading. Apart from the Boho boys was April doing her biology homework on the metal table with a stool, occasionally sighing and chewing on her pencil. Roger had the attention span of a toddler. He would look up every time she sighed and grin at her pursed lips with love in his eyes. Ever observant Mark noticed that moments like these belonged on film. He hastily put the camera back together and quietly filmed, starting with April in her sweats doing homework on the metal table and then panning the camera back to love-sick Roger.
"Pyruvate … Krebs Cycle … ATP," April would mutter, running her fingers through her hair. It was so hard to concentrate when he looked up at her like that, like she was the only person in the room. She moved her focus to her notebook and attempted to write down notes. She heard a deep baritone-tenor voice singing, "Pyeruvate … has to do with biology … and that's not fun-ology … yeah!" and April rolled her eyes, trying to hold back giggles.
"You dumb ass, it's PyRUvate, RU," Collins chastised and went back to his book. April couldn't hold back her giggles anymore. She let out a squeak and got her boyfriend's attention. Roger weighed his options and decided that whining would keep her attention. It worked when he was a child at the store with his mother so maybe it would work now. "Babyyyy, Who's cooler, mitochondria or ME?"
April was trying not to laugh so hard that she ended snorting. Encouraged, Roger put his guitar to the side and walked over. She was too adorable.
"There's no better way to learn biology then to actually DO some experiments," he started, bending to kiss her neck. She wiggled away but Roger caught her hips."No, babe, homework now … fun later. I only have two more problems," she firmly stated. April was stubborn when she needed to get shit done.
Roger resulted to tickling her sides. Now maybe she'd yield. Laughing and wiggling out of his grasp yet again, April slammed her book shut and ran around to the other side of the table. He followed. She deftly grabbed the textbook and ran as fast as she could into their room and slammed the door. Defeated, Roger stared at the door and imagined his girlfriend studying inside … naked. He sighed and gazed at the table where she was sitting. Bingo. Turns out Miss April left her notebook AND pen sitting out on the table. Roger walked to the table and wrote a note. He ripped it out and walked to their door. He casually slipped it under the door and waited on the couch, hands pillowing his head.
Within five minutes, April came back out and sat on her boyfriend's lap.
"Did you finish, A?" Collins inquired.
"Sorta," April distractedly replied while looking into her boyfriend's green eyes.
"It's a good thing you're cute, Roger Michael Davis," she murmured before locking her lips with his.
In between kisses, Roger grinned cockily. He always got what he wanted.
She got up and held out her hand. He stood up and took it, while she led them to the bedroom.
Mark stopped filming and looked at Collins. Staring for a moment, Mark quirked an eyebrow, "I wonder what was on that note," he inquired.
Collins smiled, "I'm sure we don't want to know," he simply stated, gesturing towards the moaning in the next room.
As noise intensified, Mark held back chuckles. "Why on earth did you EVER take Roger to your Philosophy 101 class?"
Collins looked at the door again, rolling his eyes, "Well he was whining about being bored all summer, so I figured if he met someone like her then he wouldn't whine anymore."
Months later, when Maureen was sleeping in Mark's bed while he waited up for them at 4 am, terrified that this was the time they got caught and were in jail, Mark would watch this footage and remember back when April was just the little redhead Freshman at NYU, not a full fledged junkie … not even an addict, and he would allow himself to reflect on simpler, happier times.
