This is going to be my last quick update...I mean, unless I get some inspiring reviews bats eyelashes. I'm new to writing certain things, so forgive me if the beginning doesn't flow or feel just right. And be sure to read the scenes at the bottom!!
Don't own RENT or any of the characters therein.
Bad Times and Good Dates
"Mmm, Marshall." Mark murmured against the mouth pressed heatedly against his.
Marshall responded by sliding his fingers through Mark's hair, angling his face a bit more so he could deepen the kiss.
Mark and Marshall were standing at the top of the stairs of the café, Mark's back pressing hard against the door and Marshall using the excuse of not wanting to fall down the stairs to press his body close to Mark's.
They had just finished their fourth date, this time out to a rather good sushi restaurant where they had stayed and talked until the owner had started to glare at them. Now it was time for Mark to head home, and Marshall was seemingly having a hard time saying good bye.
Mark pulled away slightly, smiling at Marshall. "I probably should go." He said quietly.
"Mm, just another minute." Marshall wrapped his arms tighter around his waist, leaning in for another warm kiss.
Mark kissed back for a moment before pulling away again. "Mmm…I should-" Marshall cut him off with a soul kiss before pulling back after a few moments.
"Yeah, maybe you should-" Marshall started before Mark's lips quieted him. Marshall moaned slightly as Mark's warm tongue searched his mouth, and pressed impossibly closer.
After a few minutes, they finally broke for air. Mark smiled sheepishly at him. "Its late."
Marshall sighed. "Yeah." They stared at each other's flushed faces and moist lips for a moment before both leaning in for one last brush of the lips.
"I'll leave you a note, kay babes?"
Mark smiled. "You better." He responded before opening the door and stepping out backwards into the street where the air was much cooler than his heated skin. Giving a little wave, he walked over to where he'd locked his bike up and tried not to look behind him.
Mark was a little surprised to see Roger up when he got home. It was easily two in the morning, but then again Roger usually seemed to be awake when he got home. He probably had become nocturnal at some point without Mark noticing.
Mark smiled at him, unable to end his good mood. "Hey."
"Out wasting more of our money?" Roger growled slightly, not looking up from his notebook.
Mark sighed. He didn't feel like explaining that he'd been on a date and Marshall always paid for him during their dates, mainly because he didn't feel like explaining anything to Roger. He was in too good of a mood to let the musician spoil it.
"No. Did you take your AZT today?"
"I really don't remember asking you to be my mother. You're such a fucking control freak." Roger snapped.
"Whatever. Just take it if you haven't. I'm going to bed." Mark muttered before escaping into his room.
LINELINELINELINE
"That's it? That's all you're telling me?" Reye demanded.
Mark smirked. "Yep. That's all you need to know."
"That wasn't even a summary. Come on, I want to know what happened! Marshall won't tell me a thing." She whined.
"I know. He told me I didn't have to tell you anything I didn't want to either…and frankly, I'm not going to explain every hug, kiss and grope."
Reye grinned. "There was hugging, kissing and groping?" she asked excitedly.
"Reye, I swear to God, if you go into another squealing fit I'm never coming back here." He threatened.
She pouted at him. "Fine."
There was a moment of silence before Reye smiled. "So its pretty amazing how quickly you adapted to your fluid sexuality, considering you not only stood by your sexuality's rigid lines but were in the belief that you were straight just some weeks ago."
Mark laughed softly. "Yeah, I guess…. I don't know, I just stopped thinking that it was all about definitions and I just went with how I felt and what felt good."
Reye grinned. "Yes! You got it! You understand the non-existence of sexuality now. I told you it was all preferences not laws, I knew you'd see it." She exclaimed happily.
Mark laughed. "Well, I don't know about that. I still think sexuality exists…I just don't think its exactly concrete."
"Well, that's a good start, at least."
Mark stared at her for a while, looking as if he was debating something before he finally spoke. "Reye, you're really smart, it makes me wonder: when's the last time you were in school?"
Reye looked much taken aback. She popped her gum, running her fingers through her curls absently. "Um, new subject time."
"You mean, you make me spill about every date I have but you won't tell me about school?" he teased.
She laughed slightly. "Basically."
They looked at each other for a few moments before Reye sighed. "I'm eighteen, okay? I don't need to worry about school anymore."
Mark gave her a look and Reye laughed.
"Okay, I'm almost eighteen, need a couple months still."
"So when was the last time you were in school?" Mark persisted.
Reye popped her gum again. "Okay, seriously new subject time."
"Well, okay…but what am I going to do, tell the truant officer? You know you can trust me."
She shrugged and conceded after a moment. "I didn't want to go to school after I left Tiffin, because I knew once I went they'd have record of me and I'd have to keep going. Right now, I've never been to school here, I get paid under the table, my name isn't on Marshall's rent agreement…I technically don't exist, so I have nothing to worry about. I like it that way." She explained slowly.
Mark nodded. "I see…so you've never been to high school?"
She smiled. "No, I went. Went to almost a quarter of freshman year. I was young for high school, got moved up a grade in elementary…. I don't know, I was good at school…got good grades without having to try. You know, I was that girl. But it never meant anything to me, I didn't miss it when I stopped."
"I see. I can understand that. I always did my best in school to please my parents, but it never meant anything to me either, which is why leaving Brown was so easy for me. I guess you just got up the nerve before I did."
She smiled and shrugged. "So, anyways, how goes things with Rogman?"
Mark chuckled sadly. "Oh the usual, snide remarks, harsh glares and angry silences. I don't think I'm ever going to understand why he hates me so much now."
"Oh Sweettooth, he doesn't hate you." Reye said comfortingly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He looked at her disbelievingly. "How would you know, Miss Reye?"
She shrugged and smiled. "Because no one could hate you, you're too good a person. I mean, just look at you! After everything Roger's done to you, you still don't hate him, do you? Fuck, you're still nice to him and take care of him, even, don't you?"
Mark laughed. "That doesn't make me a good person, that makes me pathetic."
"Hardly." She paused. "Maybe he acts like he hates you because he really hates himself and is jealous of you." She offered.
"Jealous? What could he possibly be jealous of?" Mark scoffed.
They both knew what he could easily be jealous of, but neither mentioned it. Instead, Reye grinned and said, "Well, perhaps your smokin' hot bod."
Mark laughed. "Oh yeah, sure…who are you talking about now?"
Reye grinned mischievously. "Well, Marshall seems to think you have a smokin' hot bod."
She laughed as Mark turned red. "Grow up." He mumbled.
She giggled and ruffled his hair playfully. "Sorry, but he does…You know what, I'm not sorry. You're damn lucky, my brother really likes you."
Mark stayed tinged pink. "Really?"
She laughed. "Of course! I mean, he never tells me too much…but I know Marsh, and just by looking at his face whenever he gets home from seeing you, I know he's crazy about you."
Mark couldn't help the rather dopey smile that came onto his face.
Reye smiled at him. "And you know what, Sweettooth?"
"What?"
"Marshall's damn lucky, too."
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So, thats it for now. I've dried up my shortlasting inspiration well. BUT this chapter only leaves me with one more fillerpage to write, and after that, the real fun starts. Because people have so much trouble reviewing this fic ; (20 people who have it on their favs, 48 who have it on alert, and only 2 reviews on both of my latest chapters...anyone want to explain that one? ...nobody loves me!!! wails and cries) hehehe, sorry, I'm prone to theatrics every now and then.
ANYWAYS, I thought that perhaps, if this chapter isn't enough to get people pressing that nifty review button, then I'd give some...tastes of the chapters to come. (many of which I have half written already...I'm unable to write a story straight through from beginning to end, I must write it in chunks, and never in order).
The ... signifies that I either took something out to cut down on spoilers or that the scene/sentence doesn't end there. [insert word means that I'm just clarifying a pronoun, like he/she. So anyways, here's what you have to look forward to (oh and PS: these are ordered randomly):
LINELINE
He was seriously surprised, it didn't seem like Reye to do something like that. She opened her eyes and looked at him before laughing.
She leaned towards him with a lazy smirk. "Baby, you don't know what I'm like."
Mark's eyes widened. Her eyes...he had seen those eyes before, many times. ...
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Roger laughed. "Is this Reye aware that you'll never pay this tab?"
Mark readied his angry reply before stopping himself as he realized Roger was joking with him. "Fuck off." He responded with a grin. Reaching out, Roger slugged him on the arm playfully.
They were silent for a moment before Roger said, "Hey, you want to go with me to my set tonight?"
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Mark just stared at [Roger. He could hear every breathe from his lungs, feel every heartbeat. A knot formed in the center of his throat, choking him. He wasn't used to this... This fucking hurt...
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Mark opened his eyes, wincing at the bright light. He heard voices, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Then the voices got louder and one of them was shouting…and then two of them. And then a new voice came in and then it got quiet. Groaning, he threw an arm over his eyes, only to feel something tug at his skin. ...
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He stumbled in, and nearly fell into Roger. He looked up at him, noting that Roger did not look happy.
"Where the hell have you been? Its five in the fucking morning and you didn't even come home last night!" Roger demanded.
Mark stared at him, irritated. "Where the hell have you been, Roger?"
"How the fuck does that make any goddamn-"
"And since when have you cared where I go?" he snapped, interrupting him.
Roger started yelling something, and then stopped, taking a step closer to Mark as he starts looking him up and down... Suddenly, Roger's eyes go wide...
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Roger looked the filmmaker up and down. Mark was wearing brown corduroys and a green sweater. His scarf was missing, revealing numerous hickeys on his neck and leading down under his sweater. His eyes were half closed. His lips were dark and bruised.
Roger frowned deeper. Mark hated hickeys, always had, yet he kept coming home with more and more. He remembered how upset he had been after the one time Maureen had given him a hickey. He actually stood up to her about it and complained about it to Roger long after the actual hickey went away.
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Roger watched the door shut before walking over to the couch and collapsing on it. He braced his elbows on his knees, holding his face in his hands. For the first time he forced himself to see the truth: he had lost Mark.
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