"Forces are Gathering"
Disclaimer: I do not own Rent, or any of its characters (although I wish I owned Roger…) and this is purely for fun. In fact it's my first fic, so please don't throw flaming arrows at me or anything. Donuts would be nice. Comments, critiques, criticism, all is welcome.
Chapter One: Red or Blue?
"Do you think the blue one looks better, or the red one?" the blonde-haired camera man asked as he stood in the doorway to Roger's room, holding up a blue tie against his tuxedo, and then a red one. But he only got a funny look from the rock star in return. One of those 'You've got to be kidding me' looks. Knowing he wasn't about to get any help from Roger, Mark rolled his eyes and let his hands drop to his sides, still gripping the ties. "Fine. But you should get dressed, we're leaving in half an hour."
Roger folded his arms, slouching back in his beat-up armchair which was stationed in the corner of his room. "I told you, I'm not going."
"Why not?"
"Because! He's a backstabbing, sell-out, traitor." But Roger only received a look from Mark as the pale blonde folded his arms, letting out a heavy sigh.
"C'mon Roger, just get your lazy ass dressed and let's go."
Walking over to the musician's closet, Mark rummaged through the assorted shirts until he found one that would be suitable enough for a wedding and threw it at Roger. "Besides, even though Benny abandoned his principles for wealth…" Mark began, bitterness seeping through his words, "doesn't mean he's not our friend. Plus you already told April that you were going, so you can't back out now."
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." The rock star caved in with a less-than-joyful tone. Satisfied that he had convinced his friend to go, Mark exited the room, closing the door behind him so Roger could change.
"So did you convince Ol' Grumpy to go?"
Emerging from Mark's bedroom came a beauty that no single word could describe. The slender yet curvaceous figure was adorned in a silk red dress that hugged each of her curves perfectly and fell gracefully to the ground. The dress was a halter-top, a 'V' forming a point near her mid-breast, exposing just enough to not be considered tacky. The brunette's hair was done up in natural curls, perfect spirals dangling down to her neck.
"Oh Pookie! You have to wear the red one, it matches my dress!"
Maureen closed in on the diminutive blonde, taking the red tie from his hand and draping it around his neck, tying it and tucking it in. Giving Mark's chest a swift pat with her hand, Maureen leaned in and planted a prompt kiss on the boy's cheek, leaving her mark in crimson red on his flesh. But Mark didn't seem to mind, he was completely enamored with the girl. She was allowed to do whatever she pleased.
Suddenly the door to the loft slid open, revealing a slender and fragile looking girl with a wide grin displayed on her face. She too was dressed up; wearing a tube-top black dress that extended down to her knees, 'poofing' out at the bottom due to the black petticoat she wore underneath. Despite the spring weather outside, the girl wore a leopard-print, long-sleeved over shirt that tied together in front and only extended to just below her breasts. Her copper-toned hair, usually worn short and untamed, was loosely curled and bounced slightly as she walked.
"Hey Mark, Maureen!" The heels of her boots clicked on the ground as she sauntered over to the couple. Her deep blue eyes spotted the red lip mark on Mark's cheek which caused her to laugh. Using her thumb, the girl reached out, wiping the lipstick off the boy's cheek, which triggered a slight blush form Mark as he became aware of the lipstick.
"Hey April. Your boy-toy's changing. He was complaining all morning about not wanting to go, but Marky here finally convinced him. He says he doesn't want to go because Benny turned his back on us and married for money. And I completely agree! That yuppie ass is betraying us all! But I say 'Hey, let's take advantage of little-miss-rich-girl's money and enjoy our free food and champagne while we're there!'" Maureen smiled proudly and April just laughed at the drama queen's theory. Mark rolled his eyes but couldn't easily hide his smile.
"C'mon now, Benny's not a bad guy, he's our friend. You never know… he could love Allison."
Maureen and April exchanged looks, then stared at Mark with an eyebrow raised in disbelief. It wasn't long before the two girls burst out laughing.
"Yea, right Marky. The only thing he loves about her is what's in her wallet. You just wait, one day he's gonna completely turn his back on you guys, you'll see." April said as she waved her index finger at Mark to emphasize her point.
Just then the door to Roger's room swung open, revealing a well-dressed man wearing black dress pants, a dark blue dress shirt and a charcoal gray tie. For this event, Roger was clean-shaven however he kept his bleach-blonde hair gelled up in spikes.
"Wow babe, you clean up well." April's smile was full of lust as she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'm lovin' this." she said with a laugh as her fingers toyed with the chain that never seemed to leave his side despite the occasion.
"Yea well, don't get used to it." Roger grinned as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, leaning in for a kiss.
"Come on you two, don't get all lovey-dovey now, we've got to get walking, Collins is waiting for us." Slipping his arm around Maureen's waist, Mark led her out of the loft door and headed toward the stairs.
"Sucks that he got stuck being the best man." Roger commented once he got out of the hallway, April trailing close behind with their fingers laced together.
"It's supposed to be an honor" Mark replied, getting a little tired of always defending Benny when he wasn't even there. Why did he bother anyway? Even Mark was a little bit pissed at what Benny was doing, but yet he kept finding himself defending their long-time friend.
"Seems more like a punishment to me…"