(no subject)
Title: Three Years Stand
Fandom: RENT
Characters: Benny/Maureen, Mark, Roger
Word Count: 686
Prompt: 023. Lovers
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance-ish?
Summary: It's nothing serious. Benny knows that.
The first time Maureen slept with Benny, it was a matter of convenience. She was lonely after breaking up with Joanne a month ago-a silly argument over nothing that had escalated to Joanne moving out and accepting some position in Boston she probably would have turned down otherwise. She'd been gone before Maureen could talk her out of it. And maybe Benny was lonely too. Alison had finally thrown him out, and while Maureen never could figure out if he'd loved Alison or not, there was the chance he might have missed her. Neither of them meant it to be anything serious.
"Maureen?" Benny opened the door to see her standing there, arms wrapped around herself, looking up at Benny with those beautiful dark eyes. It wasn’t so much a surprise to see her there, now that she was speaking to him again, but at this time of night…
"My apartment's empty," she said softly. "I didn't want to… Can I stay with you tonight?"
He hesitated, watching her. She looked so small and fragile, though he knew from experience that Maureen, of all people, was anything but, and that it couldn't be just his company she wanted. But… It was Maureen. He could hardly tell her know. Benny smiled faintly and stepped aside to let her in.
He'd always loved her smile, and the one she gave him just then served as all the thanks that would ever be necessary.
With the two of them, sex never was a promise of anything more, and they both knew it. Just one night to provide each other a little company… but Maureen had to admit that waking up with Benny's arm around her waist, her cheek against the smooth skin of his chest was something she wouldn't mind repeating.
When Mark found out, she shrugged it off.
"You slept with Benny?"
"Yes."
"Benny. You seriously had sex with Benny."
Maureen sighed and gave him an exasperated look. "Yes, Mark, I did. Oh, stop looking at me like that. Anyway, it's not like it's anything serious, just… a one night stand, that's all. Benny knows that."
But when the time came to pay her rent, she didn't, simply moved her things into Benny's apartment. It was just easier, she reasoned, and she hated to stay in her apartment alone-never mind that, Maureen being who she was, she wouldn't have had she been alone had she made the slightest effort to rectify the situation. And if she was still living with Benny two months later, what of it?
"So what happened to you being a lesbian?" Roger asked innocently one day, or at least as innocently as Roger could ever manage-which is to say, not very.
Maureen just shot him a suspicious look. "What d'you mean?"
Roger rolled his eyes. "I mean you dating Benny."
"I'm not dating him," she responded immediately, automatically.
"Right. You're just living with him. And having sex with him. Completely different." As usual with Roger, she couldn't quite tell if he was sarcastic or serious-sometimes she wasn't sure if he even knew. "I think the question's still valid. What happened to you being a lesbian? Change your mind or something? Again?"
Maureen flipped him off and glanced out the window, determined to ignore him, but his next question prevented that.
"Do you love him?" The tone sounded mocking, but there might be an edge of seriousness to it. Maybe.
"No, Roger, I don't," she snapped at last, annoyed. He didn't reply, maybe put off by her harsh response, or maybe satisfied now that he'd gotten a rise out of her.
It was true that neither of them had ever said the word love. Neither of them needed to, or wanted to for that matter. If no one said the words, they had nothing to lose in the case that it fell apart. And if a month, six months, three years later she was still in his apartment, if she was still sharing his bed, what did it matter?
"No, I don't love him. It's… it's nothing serious. Benny knows that."
Fandom: RENT
Characters: Benny/Maureen, Mark, Roger
Word Count: 686
Prompt: 023. Lovers
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance-ish?
Summary: It's nothing serious. Benny knows that.
The first time Maureen slept with Benny, it was a matter of convenience. She was lonely after breaking up with Joanne a month ago-a silly argument over nothing that had escalated to Joanne moving out and accepting some position in Boston she probably would have turned down otherwise. She'd been gone before Maureen could talk her out of it. And maybe Benny was lonely too. Alison had finally thrown him out, and while Maureen never could figure out if he'd loved Alison or not, there was the chance he might have missed her. Neither of them meant it to be anything serious.
"Maureen?" Benny opened the door to see her standing there, arms wrapped around herself, looking up at Benny with those beautiful dark eyes. It wasn’t so much a surprise to see her there, now that she was speaking to him again, but at this time of night…
"My apartment's empty," she said softly. "I didn't want to… Can I stay with you tonight?"
He hesitated, watching her. She looked so small and fragile, though he knew from experience that Maureen, of all people, was anything but, and that it couldn't be just his company she wanted. But… It was Maureen. He could hardly tell her know. Benny smiled faintly and stepped aside to let her in.
He'd always loved her smile, and the one she gave him just then served as all the thanks that would ever be necessary.
With the two of them, sex never was a promise of anything more, and they both knew it. Just one night to provide each other a little company… but Maureen had to admit that waking up with Benny's arm around her waist, her cheek against the smooth skin of his chest was something she wouldn't mind repeating.
When Mark found out, she shrugged it off.
"You slept with Benny?"
"Yes."
"Benny. You seriously had sex with Benny."
Maureen sighed and gave him an exasperated look. "Yes, Mark, I did. Oh, stop looking at me like that. Anyway, it's not like it's anything serious, just… a one night stand, that's all. Benny knows that."
But when the time came to pay her rent, she didn't, simply moved her things into Benny's apartment. It was just easier, she reasoned, and she hated to stay in her apartment alone-never mind that, Maureen being who she was, she wouldn't have had she been alone had she made the slightest effort to rectify the situation. And if she was still living with Benny two months later, what of it?
"So what happened to you being a lesbian?" Roger asked innocently one day, or at least as innocently as Roger could ever manage-which is to say, not very.
Maureen just shot him a suspicious look. "What d'you mean?"
Roger rolled his eyes. "I mean you dating Benny."
"I'm not dating him," she responded immediately, automatically.
"Right. You're just living with him. And having sex with him. Completely different." As usual with Roger, she couldn't quite tell if he was sarcastic or serious-sometimes she wasn't sure if he even knew. "I think the question's still valid. What happened to you being a lesbian? Change your mind or something? Again?"
Maureen flipped him off and glanced out the window, determined to ignore him, but his next question prevented that.
"Do you love him?" The tone sounded mocking, but there might be an edge of seriousness to it. Maybe.
"No, Roger, I don't," she snapped at last, annoyed. He didn't reply, maybe put off by her harsh response, or maybe satisfied now that he'd gotten a rise out of her.
It was true that neither of them had ever said the word love. Neither of them needed to, or wanted to for that matter. If no one said the words, they had nothing to lose in the case that it fell apart. And if a month, six months, three years later she was still in his apartment, if she was still sharing his bed, what did it matter?
"No, I don't love him. It's… it's nothing serious. Benny knows that."