A/N: Yeah, I know, it's been a while. Sadly, I think this story is at the point where there will just be random updates. :( Sadly, that is life I guess.
Also, another note, I'm just going to abandon any attempt at doing Roger's little summary thing before each flashback. It's just awkward I think and I'm getting rid of it. Umm… if you're a fan of those or something I apologize. These things have to happen sometimes though.
One last note. This chapter is partly dedicated to LiveLoveRENT. You will understand why but you have to read to find out. So no more boycotting my stories. ;) This is also partly dedicated to hersheygal because it has some Mark goodness that I threw in there for you. Kind of. Let's just say there's quite a bit of Mark in this chapter.
PreRENT setting.
Disclaimer: I don't own RENT
I'm Ready For My Close Up
An Act of Trust
Roger was lounging around the table area, flipping through a newspaper that Mark had bought a week before with mild interest. He was really waiting for Mark to come home because he had to whine to him about something. Something incredibly important.
As if inspired by Roger's wishing, the door slid open and Mark himself wandered into the apartment space. He smiled at the sight of Roger and set his bag down by Roger's hand on the table.
"Hey Roger, what's going on?" Mark asked. His good mood evaporated when he saw the exasperated expression on his friend's face.
"Mark, this apartment is really boring," Roger stated flatly and went to lean back in his chair.
Mark looked around in confusion. "Roger… we live in New York. What in the hell is boring about that?" Roger glared at Mark for not taking his boredom seriously.
"No, really… there really is absolutely nothing to do," Roger insisted and raised an eyebrow at Mark. "Speaking of that, what were out doing all morning? I woke up and you just weren't around. It's almost noon now." Mark shrugged.
"Oh, you know, I was out buying some food," he explained and motioned to the grocery bag that he had set down on the table. "The bag is right next to your hand," he pointed out and grinned smugly.
"Well, that would qualify as having nothing to do," Roger rolled his eyes.
"Well, Jesus, Roger. Why don't you go out and find something to do?" Mark suggested as he picked up the grocery bag to go and put the few items into their respective places. "It wouldn't kill you. Don't you have a date with April or something?"
"Nope. April is visiting her parents all day and I'm not welcome in that house anymore," Roger explained and shrugged as if this was a perfectly natural thing to say.
Mark raised his eyebrows. "What did you do that got you kicked out their house?" he wondered in amusement.
"Besides Mark," Roger continued as if Mark hadn't responded at all the first time. "Going outside could kill me. I could get hit by one of those crazy taxi drivers," Roger described and shrugged. "Imagine having to die knowing that you might be bored for the rest of your life."
"You're especially annoying today," Mark noted calmly from the kitchen. "What's going on? Are you high or something?"
Roger rolled his eyes. "That's not all I do you know. Really, it's like you think I'm nothing but a dope head."
"More like a smack head," Mark corrected with a smirk. "Alright, since you're so terribly bored why don't you look through that newspaper? I'm sure it has events and all in it."
"I looked," Roger snapped, offended. "There really wasn't much of anything in there."
"Oh come on," Mark rolled his eyes and walked over to the table with the newspaper on it. "There's bound to be something in it."
Mark snatched up the paper and began to scan through the back section looking for ads of some sort. He looked for about five minutes (which was something that only irked Roger more) until he triumphantly slid a page over to Roger and smiled.
"Check out that ad," he suggested and pointed to a section on the page.
Roger rolled his eyes and began to look. Confusion spread across his face as he read out loud, " 'Bennett Group Session: This ain't therapy or fun. It's just conversation'?" Roger raised his eyebrows and sent an odd look over to Mark. "I don't know what you're trying to say to me with that but either way that guy sounds like a fucking dumb ass."
"Please, Roger," Mark sighed and shook his head. "The other ad."
Roger furrowed his eyebrows and read the other ad. "Um, you want to get swim lessons at a local swimming pool? I don't trust that pool. I know we haven't been living here for very long or anything but seriously that pool is gross."
"Dammit Roger," Mark groaned and this time pointed at the actual ad. "I meant that ad."
"Specifics are your friend," Roger muttered darkly under his breath but looked at this new ad all the same. "Acting classes?" Roger asked with amusement. "Oh, that's lame Mark. That is fucking lame."
"Hey, you wanted something to do," Mark pointed out and shrugged his shoulders. "It's free the first time you go. I figure you can spend today there or something."
Roger looked at the ad, thinking it over. "Only if you do it too," he decided and nodded his head.
Mark made a face. "Roger, you know that I can't act worth anything. Remember the event of the fifth grade play?" he asked, causing Roger to snigger.
"Yeah, but it's no fun to do something like this all by yourself," he pouted, quickly losing his chuckles to look serious.
"Fine, I'll go with you," Mark agreed with a heavy sigh. "I'll just want to kill myself afterward if you don't mind."
"It might be fun," Roger grinned and he jumped up to grab a coat. "Let's go!"
"Don't you want to change out of those pajamas?" Mark asked, looking slightly amused. "I doubt Collins will appreciate knowing that his gift was not being taken care of."
"Nah," Roger explained as he slipped into his thin sweater and turned to face Mark. "I think I might just wear them all the time. They're sort of rad." Roger winked and then walked to the door. "Come on, if we're going to do something stupid let's just do it now."
…………………………………………………..
"Why are we doing this again?" Mark hissed as he and Roger took a seat in the middle of the floor of a local community center.
"Because it's free," Roger whispered back. "It was your damn idea too."
"If you weren't so annoying when you're bored…" Mark muttered darkly and fell silent when the instructor gave him a sharp look.
"We're going to start with an exercise of trust," the man explained in a deep voice. "Get with a partner and allow the smaller one to fall back onto the bigger one. The idea is that there's enough trust in the smaller person to know that the bigger one will catch them. Then you can switch."
All at once people started to stand up with animated chatter, partnering up with friends or people that they already knew from the class.
Roger grinned over at Mark. "You want to be partners?"
"Yeah, I guess," Mark agreed with a sigh and stood up. "But only because I don't know another person in this place. Let's see which of us is taller." Roger shrugged and stood up to his full height.
"I think I'm taller by about five inches," Roger decided and laughed down at Mark. Mark frowned and surveyed the height difference.
"It's not that I'm small…" Mark protested quietly as he turned around.
"I know. I'm just tall," Roger rolled his eyes. "Now fall backwards already."
Mark hesitated. "Roger, I don't really trust you." Mark could practically feel Roger's pout from behind him.
"We grew up together and you don't trust me?" Roger whined, causing Mark to sigh in annoyance.
"Okay, let's just get this over with," Mark grumbled and adjusted his glasses. He looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and began to lean backwards.
"Oh shit!" Roger yelled from behind him suddenly, causing Mark to begin to flail his arms in surprise and fear.
"What?!" Mark screeched and tried to right himself but it was too late. Gravity had already claimed poor Mark and he was falling (rather ungracefully) towards what he was convinced was going to be hard concrete.
He instead Roger's hands caught onto his upper back and shoulders.
"Jesus Christ, I was going to catch you," Roger sniggered as he righted Mark again. "I just wanted to freak you out a little."
Mark's face was bright red as he wheeled around to face Roger. "That's why I don't trust you," Mark explained but there was a weak smile on his face. Roger punched Mark's shoulder lightly and grinned.
"Okay, let's see if you catch me now," he suggested while Mark grimaced. Luckily for Mark though the instructor called the group back to attention and began to talk about acting and how it was a gateway to the soul.
Roger and Mark settled back down onto the ground obediently but immediately began to whisper sarcastic comments to one another about something the instructor was talking about. They also performed the various theater games that were required of them but with a mocking goofiness to their motions that caused the other to laugh so loud that the instructor was always snapping at them.
And that was it.
………………………………………..
"I can't believe you improvised so well," Mark commented back in the Loft that evening as the two put a thin layer of cheap ketchup on a slice of poor bread to eat.
Roger just shrugged. "I learned how with April," he explained with a wink. Mark just made a face.
"Don't even want to know," he complained and took a bite into his makeshift sandwich. Roger laughed long and loud at Mark's reaction.
"What's with the cheerfulness?" a loud voice called as the sliding door came open. "Did Roger get Mark high again?"
"No," Roger insisted, stopped laughing and went to go greet his roommate. "I learned my lesson from that."
"I'm a better drunk," Mark added as he also went to meet Collins. "Where the hell have you been all day?"
"I've been out and about…" Collins said mysteriously, revealing his large white teeth in a smile.
"Did you get a job?" Roger asked curiously as he shut the door behind Collins.
"It's practically in my grasp," Collins affirmed with a glowing expression on his face. "A teaching job at a little place called M.I.T.," he added with a laugh and raced toward the kitchen.
"M.I.T.?" Mark yelped as he ran after Collins. "The M.I.T.? Collins, that's excellent!"
"You bought food?" Collins asked innocently, changing the subject. "I was going to say we should go out and celebrate but this is just fine with me." Collins pulled out an apple and began to munch on it thoughtfully. "So what did you guys do all day? You're all… happy looking."
"We just hung around," Mark answered before Roger could go into detail about their embarrassing activity.
"Yeah, we talked and stuff," Roger agreed and took a bite out of his previously forgotten sandwich.
"… Really?" Collins asked in a delayed reaction. "That's what you guys did all day." Mark and Roger nodded but didn't meet each other's eyes. "Okay then. That's really weird." But Collins shrugged it off and took another bite out of his apple.
"Oh, man I think April should be home by now," Roger exclaimed as he took a look at a nearby clock. "I really should go meet her at her apartment."
"You still kicked out of her parents' house?" Collins asked in amusement, shaking his head in contained laughter.
"He knew about this before I did?" Mark asked accusingly, feigning hurt.
"You're still my main man," Roger assured Mark, rolling his eyes. "Calm down Sandra."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Collins laughed. "Is he your main man or your main girl?"
"Shut up," Mark snapped good-naturedly.
"Seriously, I have to go. April will want to go get drunk and complain to me about her parents. I'll see you tomorrow morning," Roger quickly explained and put on his coat again.
"Aren't you going to change out of those pajama pants I gave you?" Collins asked, a frown on his face.
"Roger thinks they're rad," Mark cut in before Roger himself could explain, smirking. "He's wearing them all the time now."
"They're a fashion statement," Roger said, acting offended but winking at Mark. "Later." Roger then swung the Loft door open and slipped out before closing it behind him.
This left Collins to quickly begin interrogating Mark.
"So what's with you and Roger?" Collins asked quickly, eyeing Mark suspiciously. "You two seemed like you were enjoying each other's company." Mark was startled by this and took a quick step back.
"What do you mean? Roger and I are good friends," Mark explained, looking a little offended.
"Yeah," Collins admitted, "But you two were extra nice to each other. Joking harmlessly and all." Collins backed off then and shrugged, going back to his apple. "Was just wondering."
Mark suddenly realized something to quickly that he had to force the bark of laughter that threatened to escape this throat. He and Roger had regained their trust at that dumb acting class. That was what had changed.
A/N: So tell me if you like this new layout. In a review. (hinthint)
And for anyone that got the "Therapy" reference (besides LiveLoveRENT who I already know got it) you're awesome! :)
And a huge apology to how weird and strange this chapter was. I didn't have it in me to try and rewrite it again though so… sorry. :)