Come to the Cabaret [Rent/Cabaret Fanfiction]

Chapter One

"A nightclub, Roger. You're suggesting that you perform for a nightclub." Mark crossed his arms and looked over his friend tiredly. He had nothing against going out to nightclubs with his friends, but Roger didn't have to dress it up to make it sound like something it wasn't.

"It's not a nightclub!" Roger protested, throwing his hands into the air. "It's just a place where people hang out, drink, and maybe watch some people dance."

"So...a nightclub." Collins grinned cheekily, clearly enjoying Roger's frustration. "Look, man, there's nothing wrong with nightclubs, but it's definitely a nightclub."

"It is not." Roger repeated for the upteenth time that night, face turning pink. "I wouldn't perform at a nightclub."

"Wouldn't until now, you mean." Maureen teased, running her fingers through the man's short, blond hair. She laughed as he jerked his head away from her and fixed her with a glare. "How did you get this gig, anyway?"

"A girl was telling me about it." Roger mumbled, crossing his arms defensively. "She came to one of my gigs and she works there, says that it's fun."

"Oh, so you got pulled in by a pretty face." Maureen snarked, batting her eyelashes dramatically. "I should've known. What was her name?"

Roger rolled his eyes and shook his head, but answered anyway. "April. Her name was April." A smile appeared at the corner of his lips and Mark just rolled his eyes.

"I have nothing against you working at a nightclub, Roger." He said, leaning against a wall. "Really. At least you have a job."

"I don't have a job yet." Roger pointed out, standing up and grabbing his guitar case. "I was offered to perform for tonight and only tonight. If I impress people, they might give me an actual job." He ran a hand through his hair. "I told you guys because I thought you'd support me."

"We do support you!" Maureen hopped up. "That's why all of us will be there to watch you perform tonight. Right, guys?" She looked around at the others, who seemed taken aback by this declaration. "Right. We're going." She said firmly, not allowing any of them to interject.

"You don't have to do that, really." Roger insisted. "It was stupid. I don't know if I'll even get the job."

"It's still our job as your friends to be there for you." Maureen said, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "When does it open, what's the name of the club, and where is it?"

Roger sighed. "It opens at like nine, it's called the Kit Kat Club, and it's downtown." He shrugged. "You can probably google it."

"Okay! We'll do that." Maureen kissed his cheek with a flourish. "This is your big audition. You've got this, it's what you've been preparing your whole life for." She smiled. "Break a leg."

The blond looked mildly confused, probably not understanding the stage lingo. "Thanks?" He shook his head. "I've gotta go. I'm supposed to be there by seven."

Maureen nodded and released him, waving him out of the door and blowing him a kiss. She turned back to her friends with a sly grin. "Roger at a nightclub, who saw that coming?" She plopped onto the couch with a sigh. "Benny can not know about this. He'd freak out."

Collins laughed. "It would be worth it to see his face." He took a hit from the blunt between his fingers.

Mark shook his head. "Maureen's right, he would absolutely freak out." He sighed. "It's better if he just doesn't know."

Collins shrugged. "If you insist." He passed the blunt to Mark, who declined. "Are we actually going tonight?"

"Of course we are!" Maureen threw her hands into the air. "We are good friends and we will support him." She smirked to herself. "Also, it will probably be a lot of fun to watch people perform."

Collins laughed. "You have a point there." He agreed, settling back into the couch. "Alright. I'm gonna take a nap first. Wake me when it's time for the show." He laid down and threw his feet over Maureen, who huffed, but smiled at her friend. A night at a club sounded like fun, after all. What could go wrong?