2nd RENT fic for me. XD
It's not a sequel to "Give In To Love Or Live In Fear" though. Ü Angel lives in this one, and I'm not killing anyone this time. LOL. Wanna ask me why Angel's not dead? Well, coz she's my favorite character, that's why. And Collins is too cute to be alone. XD
Disclaimer: Jonathan Larson, I am not worthy to stand in your presence. (kowtows)
Chapter 1:
The loft: August 1, 1991 am, Eastern Standard Time
"Roger!" Mimi instinctively slapped her boyfriend on the face.
"YEOW! That hurt, Mimi!" Roger sat up on the couch and rubbed his cheek.
Mimi giggled and kissed it to make it better.
"It was your fault, you were playing!" Mimi scolded jokingly.
"I couldn't help myself," Roger defended himself; leaning in to kiss her again and get back to what they were doing.
Mark was sitting at the kitchen table, tanking with his camera and trying to ignore Mimi and Roger's animal sounds as they made out on the couch. Those two did it anywhere, anytime. Even in the boiling heat of summer.
After a few more minutes, Mark couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his camera on the table.
"Can't you guys do that in Roger's room?" he yelled, covering his ears.
Roger looked up from the couch, his face red and sweaty.
"It's too damn hot in there," he simply said, going back to Mimi.
"Well I live here too and I can't work with you two making out all day!"
"Were going to stop for lunch sometime, Cohen. Quit being an ass," Roger snickered, kissing Mimi's neck. His girlfriend laughed along, but felt a little sympathy for the boy.
She pushed Roger off her. Roger growled.
"See what you did?" he shot at Mark.
"Put on a shirt," Mark ordered, feeling good about his success.
"IT'S TOO FUCKING HOT TO BE WEARING SHIRTS."
"Heard that, Meems?" Roger added, smiling slyly at his girlfriend.
Mimi was too preoccupied rummaging through her bag for something.
"Where is that damn thing?" she swore, bringing out various items from her bag.
"What you looking for?"
"Mark's Christmas present."
"Why does he get a present and I don't?" Roger pouted.
"I have yours in the bedroom," Mimi giggled, fishing out a pair of keys from her bag.
"AHA!"
Mimi walked over to Mark and dangled the keys in his face.
"Merry Christmas!"
"Mimi, Christmas is 4 months away," Mark said knowingly, but taking the keys anyway.
"I know, I'm not an idiot," Mimi snapped. "But since you're being such a turd, I thought I'd give it to you now so you'd quit whining."
Mark eyed the keys. "And what am I supposed to do with these?"
"They're the keys to my apartment, silly. I decided we could trade rooms," Mimi grinned, Roger clapped his hands as if liking the idea. Mark had to admit that it wasn't such a bad one too.
"Thanks, Mimi, REALLY."
"Now shut up, get out of here and leave us alone."
"With pleasure."
Mimi happily pranced back to her boyfriend.
"Do you want your gift now?" she batted her eyelashes.
"Hell yeah," Roger said, quickly rushing to his room.
Mimi laughed and got something out of her bag. Mark saw that they were birth control pills and a packet of condoms. He rolled his eyes at the couple.
"Hello? I don't got all day!" Roger whined.
Mimi tossed him the condoms and he caught it with one hand. He took one look at them and frowned.
"Mimi," he threw her back the condoms. "Those never work. It's either they slip off, break or are too small."
Mark laughed. Roger shot him a dirty look.
"I bet they'd fit you."
"Shut up."
Mimi walked over to Roger and thrust the box into his stomach, as if forcing him to take it.
"Just do it or you'll gift will have to wait till Christmas," she warned.
"Alright, fine," Roger grumbled. "But my dick won't be able to breathe."
The Performance Space: 2 pm
"Pookie, you're not doing it right."
"Shut up and let me concentrate, Maureen."
"You have no idea what the hell you're doing, let me call Mark."
"DON'T CALL MARK!"
Joanne twisted and turned the wires of Maureen's sound equipment in her hands. In the two years she'd been her girlfriend's production manager, the wires never agreed with her. Mark just flicked one switch, and everything was back to the way it was. She always wondered how he did it.
"OW!" Joanne licked her electrocuted finger.
"That's it, I'm calling Marky," Maureen announced, making her way to the phone.
Joanne cringed.
"He's coming by in a bit," Maureen announced again, putting down the phone.
Joanne dangled her feet over the stage, frowning. She hated it when Maureen called Mark to fix the equipment. She hated it when she wasn't good at something – or better than someone at something, at least.
"Aw, pookie. Don't glum and bum again," Maureen cooed, bringing her hands around Joanne's waist.
"It won't work, Maureen," Joanne said between gritted teeth.
"Okay, Miss Ivy League."
Joanne shot her a dirty look as she skipped over to her brown microphone to practice her speech for her new protest.
"ANIMALS DON'T LIKE GETTING THEIR ASSES SHAVED! JOIN ME AND BURN CLOTHES MADE FROM ANIMAL FUR!"
The speech went on and on and on.
"ANIMALS GET COLD WITHOUT THEIR FUR! WE HAVE HEATERS ANYWAY!"
Joanne winced from Maureen's flaky high pitched voice.
"HELP ME, OR I'LL SHOW YOU HOW IT FEELS TO BE ROBBED OF HAIR! I'LL SHAVE OFF SOME OF YOUR OWN HAIRY ASSES AND SEE…"
"MAUREEN," Joanne declared, shocked at where the protest speech was going.
"What?"
"You can't tell people that. It's… sick," Joanne's face distorted awkwardly.
"Well it's true," Maureen argued.
Joanne cocked her head the opposite way.
"Or maybe I should just say this: ANIMALS ARE DIRTY. YOU MIGHT BE WEARING FUR THAT HAS TRACES OF CRAP ON IT FOR ALL YOU KNOW!"
"MAUREEN."
Maureen laughed and kissed Joanne on the cheek.
"Just kidding, I won't say that," she promised. "Only the crap part."
The Gap Clothes Line Building: 4 pm
"Miss Schunard?"
"What is it, Bernice?" Angel pressed a button on her speaker.
"Someone's here to see you."
Angel wedged her pencil between her lips and pinned a red cloth to a pink one. She snipped away the excess with skill.
"Is it important? I'm kind of busy," she said, sketching her new invention on a paper.
"It's fairly important."
"Who is it?"
"Well it's…"
"Let me speak to her, dammit," Angel heard a low familiar voice.
"Hey baby, I brought you some lunch, I heard you haven't had any," Collins' big grin already drifted in front of Angel's face.
"Hey Colly!" she exclaimed happily, putting all her work aside.
She ran to the door and into Collins' arms. They kissed and Collins held up a bag of fast food. It was just like him to be so thoughtful.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed gratefully, dragging Collins inside her office.
"Should I cancel your other appointments, Miss Schunard?" her secretary called. Angel slammed the door on her face, and she knew that meant yes.
"Take a look at this brand new top, Colly," Angel said, holding up her new art work. It was a long sleeves, with a pink body and red sleeves. Angel had sown in some orange stripes and blue linings on the back.
"It's beautiful, Gelly," Collins grinned, bringing out two cheese burgers and two glasses of coke. He took a vicious bite out of his and wiped some mayonnaise from his mouth.
Angel sat on his lap and ate her sandwich in smaller bites.
"You're cute when you eat," he teased, throwing his trash inside the bag.
"I know, honey."
They both laughed.
"Miss Schunard, Nicole says that you can't miss the meeting today. She says she needs you there," Angel's secretary buzzed in again.
"UGH," Angel rolled her eyes.
"Do you want me to take you away now?" Collins smiled.
"You heard her, my boss will fire me," Angel frowned.
What a bitch, both of them thought.
"Easy, I'll rewire the building's electricity system and we'll have you out in a jiffy," Collins laughed. "Oh, and say that I kidnapped you."
"What's the catch?" Angel smiled back.
"We'll discuss that later tonight," Collins said seductively.
"DEAL," Angel exclaimed more than happily.
The Life Café: 7 pm
"LA VIE BOHEME!"
Everyone in the café laughed as the usual Bohemian gang of 7 came in for their weekly meal together at the Life. They always said those three words when they came in.
"Please don't move the tables this time," the owner muttered as a ritual. The gang never listened to him anyway.
"Hey Meems, let's put these tables together," Angel said.
When everyone was settled, they ordered and went off chatting again.
"I gave Mark his Christmas present today!" Mimi declared, Roger's arm around her chair.
"FINALLY," the whole table sang.
"He's been complaining about you two for weeks," Collins said, his feet rested comfortably on the table. "If you ask me, he's just jealous."
The film maker scowled in Collins' direction.
"I'm just playing with you, boy," he laughed.
"I made a new top!" Angel announced her good news.
Mimi and Maureen clapped in glee and asked when they could have a fit.
"As early as possible, of course, my models!" Angel laughed.
"I think I'm going to put up my own filming agency," Mark piped up.
"Ooooh, that's awesome Mark!"
"I'll call it 'Today 4 U'" Mark beamed.
Angel and Collins exchanged a hi-five.
"HEY! All of you BETTER go to my protest next week," Maureen demanded.
"Or she'll shave your hairy asses and make it into a coat," Joanne whispered.
"We'll go," the whole table put their hands up.
"What's up with you, Jo?"
"Nothing, just this REALLY BIG CASE that I might get a lot of money for," Joanne flipped it off like a fly on her lunch.
"As always," Collins teased, earning himself a punch.
"Roger, you haven't said anything yet. No luck with finding a band?" all heads turned to the pretty boy musician who was busy running his hand up and down his girlfriend's leg.
"Oh, no," he grinned.
"You seem pretty okay with that," Joanne remarked.
"Well, everyone did something spectacular today, but I think I did the hardest thing ever."
Mimi looked at him. "What?"
"I got finally got Mimi in bed."
"AW, SHUT UP!" the whole table chorused. "YOU DO THAT ALMOST EVERYDAY."
"But I did something amazing today."
"Do we need to know?" Maureen scrunched her face up.
"He fit his dick into a tiny condom," Mimi giggled.
The whole table fell silent.
"Wow," Mark breathed. "That IS an accomplishment."
Everyone burst out laughing.
"WHERE'S THE WINE AND BEER?" They all suddenly yelled.
A waiter immediately came on cue and slid all the glasses and mugs of alcohol across the table, they all caught the handles deftly and raised them up for a toast.
"TO BOHEMIA!"
A/N: That was just an intro chappie. XD It gets better, I promise. Mimi's twin sisters show up in the next chapter, Mark moves out and other stuffs! LOL. Press that review button! XD