Rent

Pre-movie.

Set before the musical, this is how the guys all started living together.

Roger walked into the loft apartment, barely knocking on the door. There had been a ad in the paper, the classifieds, about a opening for a roommate. He was a musician, had lived in New York all his life, and had just moved out of his parents house. Hey, eventually you have to spread your wings right?

He liked the neighborhood. Well, as much as you could like a run down neighborhood with a little class and tons of homeless people, but hey, it's not like he's renting the neighbors, just the apartment. Hopefully. Otherwise, he'd be back with his parents in no time.

A skinny blonde guy walked up to him. He had glasses, and had a real, well, nerdy poor guy appearance to him. Not that there was a problem with that.

"Oh, you must be Roger," the man looked at him, "well, I'm Mark, and I believe you've already met the philosopher Collins," Mark gestured expansively at the man sitting at the window, who waved amicably.

"Just so you know, before you get all settled in, I'm gay. If that's a problem, I'm real sorry," Collins spoke from his perch. He laughed at Roger's startled expression, "I'm not interested in you."

"Collins, do you have to start off every roommate's stay here with that. Couldn't you kind of wean them in on that fact?" Mark seemed perturbed.

"Wait, are you too a couple?" Roger asked. Collins hooted.

"No, man. I just knew the guy from NYU. Filmmaking student. Has some crazy ass plan to be a director some day," Collins looked at him, "What about you? What are you going to be once you move onto greener pastures?"

"Me, I'm a rocker."