1.1.1 A/N: I am having much fun writing this story. This is my first RENT fic that I think I am actually going to finish. I have two more chapters written so far, just no time to type them. I may move slowly but reviews will keep me motivated hint hint oh and if I write it, chances are its m/r so don't say you weren't warned. They're Jonathan Larsons characters. God bless him.



"How the hell did we get here?"

Mark asks his roommate who is across the room perched on a folding chair strumming his guitar.

"What d'ya mean?" Roger asks without looking up.

"Look at our lives. I mean, can two peoples' lives seriously be more fucked up? In the past three years I've been in and out of that Maureen phase, we've met Angel and lost her, same with April and Mimi."

The mentioning of those names forces Roger's eyes to droop. Mark keeps going with his speech while making his way over to Roger.

"But you know what? When you think of it, it's not so bad. Just think, Mimi and Angel are probably together again and who knows, maybe they even met April."

Mark's words caught Roger's attention and he is looking into Mark's eyes, listening in more ways than one.

"And I have found you."

Smiling, Mark says this while snaking his arms around his lover's waist.

"No, actually," Roger begins sarcastically, "I've always been here. It just took you this long to figure out how much you love me."

He grins angelically. Mark puts one finger underneath Roger's chin and kisses him sweetly.

"Don't flatter yourself."

Roger pulls Mark onto his lap kissing him deep with Mark smiling between each kiss, everytime. After about a minute they break apart. Mark still on Roger's lap with his hands tightly holding onto his neck.

"So what do you wanna do tonight to celebrate Christmas Eve?" Mark asks seriously but notices Roger's sullen and confused look.

"Umm, Mark? First of all we have never made a big deal of the holiday and second of all, did you forget you're Jewish?" Roger looks up at Mark's face while chuckling.

"Yes, I know I'm Jewish!" Mark hits Roger's arm playfully and laughs with him. "Doesn't mean I can't celebrate Christmas if I want to. Plus, we haven't really done anything special, just you and me. Please?"

He looks at his musician with the most adorable look that he could give.

"Fine," Roger replies "I'll call the strippers."

Mark glares at Roger with a look of ten thousand deaths. He gets up from Roger.

"You are such an asshole." He says this but can't keep a straight face and smiles.

Roger gets up and puts his hands on Mark's shoulders having to bend his knees to be at Mark's eye level.

"I'm just kidding. If you want a special night you're going to get one." Mark smiles but that quickly vanishes.

"Roge, you sure?" Mark asks. "It's not really…uh, you, ya know?

Roger's eyes soften as he lifts Mark's face to meet his own and kisses him, making his answer obvious.

"I'm positive," and the smile reappeared on Mark's face.

After moments in silence Roger speaks. "Now you go film or do whatever the hell you do for hours when you're gone and I need to get ready."

Mark appears perplexed though intensely curious. "Get ready?"

Roger nods his head. "Yes, no more questions, now go!" He gives Mark his camera, turns him in the direction of the door and hits his ass, shooing him out of the loft. Mark obeys and leaves while shaking his head, his face asking enough questions to explain his confusion. Roger is left in the loft alone with a smug grin on his face.

Mark walks through crowds with his camera, like always. He can't stop thinking about what his mischievous boyfriend might possibly be up to. When it came to Roger nobody ever knew.

Roger was back at the loft getting things ready. He was frantically searching, scampering, and cleaning until everything looked decent, for what Roger considered clean anyway.

Mark sat on a park bench. Even for Christmas Eve the streets are packed. He can't help but analyze every soul that walks by; he's a documentarian, that was his job. He saw people walking dogs enjoying the holiday, others in a hurry to get somewhere forgetting that it was even Christmas Eve. His favorite things to watch were the couples cuddling in each other's arms and sneaking kisses. Normally seeing people so happy would either depress him or sicken him, but since he fell in love with Roger that had changed. Sure they wouldn't get married and have kids, or even be fully accepted in society but it did not matter. They were clearly in love; those other things meant nothing when they were in each other's arms.

1.1.2 Roger is still thinking of special ways to please Mark. He was always so bad at this mushy, sentimental stuff. However, with Mark it was much different. He didn't have to hide his sensitive side with him. Mark was always an emotional basket case himself, if anything, Mark made Roger feel good about that side of him. So why is he having such a hard time thinking of what to do for his boyfriend? Nothing would ever be good enough for his Mark. He had done so much for Roger. 'How can I possibly repay him?' He picks up the phone and dials.