Speed Fic Challenge Entry
Title: Bonding Over Beer
Author: Sarah
Feedback: raidertraitor22@comcast.net
Pairing: None, but characters are Mark and April
Word Count: 775
Rating: PG13
Genre: General
Summary: Mark and April meet at a bar and bond over conversation.
Notes: Lyric from Undiscovered.
Special Thanks: To those that read this.
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Rent.
“Anyone sitting here?” a short redhead tapped the startled blond on the shoulder.
“Huh? Oh no, go ahead,” he gestured with a small smile.
“You okay?” the girl asked, arranging herself comfortably on the barstool.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied. “My roommate lost his voice and has a bad cold. My girlfriend thinks she’s immune or something so she insisted on taking care of him, so they made me leave.”
“Shame,” she replied, giving the bartender her order. “I’m April.”
“Mark,” he answered, sipping his own drink. “You here alone?”
“Well, I was supposed to meet my friend from high school, but she never showed,” April replied. “So I thought why not get wasted?”
Mark laughed. April smiled. Mark had a nice laugh.
“What are you drinking?”
“Oh, just Pepsi,” Mark replied.
“Pepsi? At a bar?” April’s jaw dropped. “Bartender, get this boy a beer.”
“Oh no, you don’t -”
“Drink it,” she placed the bottle in front of him. He obliged. What harm could one drink do? After all, he was walking home.
The one beer did a lot more than impair Mark’s vision. One beer turned into two which turned into The History of Mark Cohen.
“So my parents always wanted me to be a doctor,” Mark went on. April was listening intently, actually interested in what Mark said. “I did my first year at Brown as a business major, but when I started the next year, I switched to liberal arts. I mean, I knew I wanted to be in film, but not what exactly. So my dad finds out and says he isn’t footing the bill unless I become some rich jackass doctor like him. So I dropped out. Everyone was surprised. I mean, I was the good kid growing up. Straight A’s, straight edge, the whole shebang. Then I just stopped. I just wanted to be happy.”
April nodded. “Angel wandered too far from grace, huh?”
“Exactly,” Mark replied, waving his hand for effect.
She laughed. “I know what you mean. My parents are very devout Baptists, so they didn’t like my idea to move to the city to start a career in acting. Not proper for a developing young lady,” she mocked a high pitched voice.
“I’m Jewish,” he said. “I know what you mean.”
“It sure gets cold at night,” April switched the topic abruptly. Mark didn’t really notice, too concerned with nursing his third beer. “A lot colder than it did where I’m from.” Mark raised his eyebrow. “Virginia.”
“You should wait til next month when it starts snowing.”
“But next month is Christmas,” April’s eyes lit up. “And then it’s okay for it to be cold.”
Mark laughed and tried to pull April onto his lap. "Merry Christmas. Now sit and tell Santa what he’s gonna have to stand in line for this year."
Smiling, she obliged to Mark’s somewhat muscular arms and situated herself on his leg. “I want a pony and a cow.”
“Something Santa will actually have to stand in line for,” Mark reiterated.
“Fine, fine,” April thought for a minute. “I know! I’ve always wanted to read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Mark raised his voice. “I hate that book.”
“Why?” April replaced herself on her own barstool. “The movie was great.”
“Dorothy is such a bitch,” he said. “She killed the witch for no reason.”
“The witch was wicked,” she said in defense.
“Nu-uh,” Mark slurred, “she wasn’t wicked, she was just misunderstood.”
“Well why don’t you write your own book or play or something?” April joked. “And put the wicked witch back into good graces.”
“I’ll do it,” he smiled stupidly, the alcohol taking away all sense of his judgement - and April’s.
Alcohol was also getting to the people around them. After April mentioned the wicked witch in good graces, a man behind her started laughing demonically. She didn’t think much of it, after all New York was a crazy place. And should she really be afraid of a man with a “Hello my name is Gregory” sticker on?
“Man, this music blows,” she downed more of her third beer. “There was this other band here the other day… oh what’s their name?”
“The Well Hungarians?” Mark offered.
“Yes!” April slapped the bar. “That’s them. They were great. Why aren’t they on tonight?”
“Their lead singer lost his voice,” Mark grinned.
“And there’s a pretty little nurse at home making him all better?” April sighed. The lead singer was really cute, but she knew she had no chance.
“My girlfriend is really pretty, actually,” Mark replied.
April stopped and put two and two together. “Wait… when you said your roommate… your roommate is…?”
Mark nodded. “Yep. The one and only pretty boy frontman of The Well Hungarians.”
“Well, damn,” she said, taking another swig from her drink.
“You should meet him,” he said. “You’d get along.”
“Would we now?”
“Yeah,” Mark grinned playfully, “he likes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz too.”
Fin
Author: Sarah
Feedback: raidertraitor22@comcast.net
Pairing: None, but characters are Mark and April
Word Count: 775
Rating: PG13
Genre: General
Summary: Mark and April meet at a bar and bond over conversation.
Notes: Lyric from Undiscovered.
Special Thanks: To those that read this.
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Rent.
“Anyone sitting here?” a short redhead tapped the startled blond on the shoulder.
“Huh? Oh no, go ahead,” he gestured with a small smile.
“You okay?” the girl asked, arranging herself comfortably on the barstool.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied. “My roommate lost his voice and has a bad cold. My girlfriend thinks she’s immune or something so she insisted on taking care of him, so they made me leave.”
“Shame,” she replied, giving the bartender her order. “I’m April.”
“Mark,” he answered, sipping his own drink. “You here alone?”
“Well, I was supposed to meet my friend from high school, but she never showed,” April replied. “So I thought why not get wasted?”
Mark laughed. April smiled. Mark had a nice laugh.
“What are you drinking?”
“Oh, just Pepsi,” Mark replied.
“Pepsi? At a bar?” April’s jaw dropped. “Bartender, get this boy a beer.”
“Oh no, you don’t -”
“Drink it,” she placed the bottle in front of him. He obliged. What harm could one drink do? After all, he was walking home.
The one beer did a lot more than impair Mark’s vision. One beer turned into two which turned into The History of Mark Cohen.
“So my parents always wanted me to be a doctor,” Mark went on. April was listening intently, actually interested in what Mark said. “I did my first year at Brown as a business major, but when I started the next year, I switched to liberal arts. I mean, I knew I wanted to be in film, but not what exactly. So my dad finds out and says he isn’t footing the bill unless I become some rich jackass doctor like him. So I dropped out. Everyone was surprised. I mean, I was the good kid growing up. Straight A’s, straight edge, the whole shebang. Then I just stopped. I just wanted to be happy.”
April nodded. “Angel wandered too far from grace, huh?”
“Exactly,” Mark replied, waving his hand for effect.
She laughed. “I know what you mean. My parents are very devout Baptists, so they didn’t like my idea to move to the city to start a career in acting. Not proper for a developing young lady,” she mocked a high pitched voice.
“I’m Jewish,” he said. “I know what you mean.”
“It sure gets cold at night,” April switched the topic abruptly. Mark didn’t really notice, too concerned with nursing his third beer. “A lot colder than it did where I’m from.” Mark raised his eyebrow. “Virginia.”
“You should wait til next month when it starts snowing.”
“But next month is Christmas,” April’s eyes lit up. “And then it’s okay for it to be cold.”
Mark laughed and tried to pull April onto his lap. "Merry Christmas. Now sit and tell Santa what he’s gonna have to stand in line for this year."
Smiling, she obliged to Mark’s somewhat muscular arms and situated herself on his leg. “I want a pony and a cow.”
“Something Santa will actually have to stand in line for,” Mark reiterated.
“Fine, fine,” April thought for a minute. “I know! I’ve always wanted to read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
“The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” Mark raised his voice. “I hate that book.”
“Why?” April replaced herself on her own barstool. “The movie was great.”
“Dorothy is such a bitch,” he said. “She killed the witch for no reason.”
“The witch was wicked,” she said in defense.
“Nu-uh,” Mark slurred, “she wasn’t wicked, she was just misunderstood.”
“Well why don’t you write your own book or play or something?” April joked. “And put the wicked witch back into good graces.”
“I’ll do it,” he smiled stupidly, the alcohol taking away all sense of his judgement - and April’s.
Alcohol was also getting to the people around them. After April mentioned the wicked witch in good graces, a man behind her started laughing demonically. She didn’t think much of it, after all New York was a crazy place. And should she really be afraid of a man with a “Hello my name is Gregory” sticker on?
“Man, this music blows,” she downed more of her third beer. “There was this other band here the other day… oh what’s their name?”
“The Well Hungarians?” Mark offered.
“Yes!” April slapped the bar. “That’s them. They were great. Why aren’t they on tonight?”
“Their lead singer lost his voice,” Mark grinned.
“And there’s a pretty little nurse at home making him all better?” April sighed. The lead singer was really cute, but she knew she had no chance.
“My girlfriend is really pretty, actually,” Mark replied.
April stopped and put two and two together. “Wait… when you said your roommate… your roommate is…?”
Mark nodded. “Yep. The one and only pretty boy frontman of The Well Hungarians.”
“Well, damn,” she said, taking another swig from her drink.
“You should meet him,” he said. “You’d get along.”
“Would we now?”
“Yeah,” Mark grinned playfully, “he likes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz too.”
Fin