Title: Prime Suffering Years
Author: RJ (thebohoproducer)
Feedback: Makes me squeal like the fangirl I am
Words: 1192
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/Angst
Pairing: Angel/Collins
Summary: Angel finds Collins' old photo album from when he was in High School. And learns a little about what made Collins who he is now.
Notes: This my first non-humor or fluff fic so please be easy on me.
Special Thanks: to Little Miss Sunshine for the title, and the inspiration, and to Jonathan Larson Always, THANK YOU!!!
also I would like to thank my bestest friend Pookie, Maureen and Yoko Ono (yes we have weird nicknames for each other), and my big sister Sally for taking me to see RENT in the movie theaters and sparked my obsession and for being a RENThead herself, and for already giving me permission to sing "Your Eyes" to her twins when they are born and also to my unborn Nieces Gabby and Gracie (Identical Twin Girls), can't wait to meet you, only one more month. (i'm gonna be a first time Aunt).
Warnings: Swearing and violence
Disclaimer:I DON'T OWN emotion i RENT...(tear)...also I don't own Marcel Proust or Little Miss Sunshine
"High school, those are your prime suffering years" Little Miss Sunshine
It was a a warm spring day, Collins was sitting at the coffee table hunched over papers, with a red pen in hand. Every so often he lifted the pen and wrote a letter in the upper right hand corner, and then moved on to the next paper.
Angel can waltz out their bedroom and sat down next to her lover, in her hands she held a photo album that said 'Thomas' Photos'.
She then proceeded to set the book down on top the stack of papers to be graded.
"Angel What Are Yo-" He noticed what the book was.
"Hey my old photo album, Where'd you find this?"
"It was in a box in the closet", She replied
Collins opened it up.
"Oh my god is that-" Angel asked laughing, Collins nodded and bit his lip to stop from laughing at the picture of a 14 year old Roger Anthony Davis who was sporting a lovely bowl cut, glasses and braces.
Nothing about the picture said 'future ex-junkie, HIV+, wanna be rock star'.
They flipped the page to look at another photo. There was a boy with Afro, and in a football uniform, with a helmet in his hand. Angel didn't recognize who it was until she read the jersey 'Collins #33'.
"I didn't know you played football, honey" Angel said.
"Yeah, I was quarterback for the Scarsdale Tigers up until my Junior year," He flexing what little muscle he had left from his Football years.
They turned the page again, it was another picture of a 16 year old Collins sitting on a raty old couch although his eye was black and his lip was swollen, bruises and scrapes covered his face.
"Oh honey, what happened to your face" Angel asked worried to find out the answer.
"Nothing baby, I had had a football injury that was all" Collins answered a little to quickly.
"But it doesn't seem like it was nothing" Angel said in a soft, loving tone.
The tone is her voice reassured Collins and before he knew he what he was doing he began to open up, the memories he had been trying to forget came back.
Flashback
The Collins Household
September 28, 1985
"Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you" Collins said looking up from his dinner plate.
"What is it son" his father Warren Collins asked.
"I'm gay"
The room went silent, Until the little voice of Ed, his little brother, spoke up.
"What's gay mommy?"
"Nothing sweetie" his mother Liz Collins responded.
"How long have you known this" Warren asked with angry tone.
"Now, Warren don't be mad the boy, Thomas we support you fully in whatever you do" Liz said putting a loving hand on her son.
"TO HELL WE DO! I AM NOT HAVING ANY SON OF MINE BE A FUCKING FAIRY!" Warren fumed
Ed began to cry terrified of his father's anger.
"STOP YELLING AT HIM! YOUR SCARING ED!" Liz said "Thomas take your little brother upstairs"
Collins did as he was told, and brought Ed into his room and sat there with him.
His parents were still yelling at each other, and Ed was still crying.
"Shh, it's okay, big bother will protect you" He whispered into his little brother's ear while rubbing his back.
Foot steps stomping, up the stairs. The door swung open to reveal his father.
"YOU FUCKING FAG! I DON'T WANT YOU IN MY HOUSE AGAIN!"
"I'm not leaving this house and unless Ed is with me" Collins said confronting his father head on from his spot on the floor
Warren pulled him to his feet and slapped him straight across a the face, then punched him in the face, once, twice, Collins was down on the ground.
Warren couldn't believe what he had just done, neither could Collins who still was on the ground, wincing in Pain.
Warren walked away and went down the stairs you could hear the front door close and the car engine start.
Liz ran to her son who was still on the floor not knowing how to react, Ed sat in the corner crying again.
"Go to one of your friend's houses and take Ed with you, okay, stay there until your father calms down."
Collins nodded and packed a bag for him and his brother, and then proceed, to call his friend Mark.
Ring...Ring...Ring...
"Hello" Mrs. Cohen picked up the phone.
"Hey, it's Thomas, is Mark there?" Collins asked
"Let me see" Mrs. Cohen shouted Marks name a couple times then Mark picked the phone.
"Hey Collins, Whats up?"
"Can me and Ed stay at your house for a while?"
"Your Dad didn't take it well I guess"
"No, So can we-" Collins didn't need to finnish his sentence
"Of course" Mark said
End Flashback
Collins voice began to crack
"and it didn't end there, once word got out at school they started to taunt me"
Flashback
The locker room after Football
October 15, 1985
"Hey, look it's little fag boy" Jason said one of Collins' teammates.
Collins just ignored him
"Faggot I am talking to you"
He pushed Collins on to the ground
"To scared to say anything queer"
"No, Just not dumb enough to stoup to your levels" Collins respond getting up
Jason pushed him to the cold ground of the locker room again.
"You'll regret saying that queer, you better not show up for practice Thursday, it will be much worse than this," Jason warned him walking away.
Then Alex walked up and kicked in the face
"Don't be getting any ideas fag"
End Flashback
Collins was now in tears.
"Honey, It's okay" Angel soothed while rubbing Collins' back.
Once Collins had calmed down, he whipped the tears from his face.
He sighed, and put his arm around Angel
"Do you know who Marcel Proust is?" Collins asked
"Wow, that was random"
"You didn't answer my question Angel"
"No, but I am guessing he has something to do with philosophy" Angel replied
"Well not exactly, that year, my Junior year in High School, I did a report on him for English 11 Honors. He was a gay French writer, never had a really job , total loser, spent 20 years writing a book almost no one reads. But he's also probably the greatest writer since William Shakespeare, anyway, he gets to the end of his life and looks back and decides, all those years he suffered. Those years were the best years of his life, 'cause they made him who he was. All those years he was happy? were a total waste, he didn't learn a thing. So I think those years in fear of coming out and those years of suffering through High School and being bullied, made me into who I am" Collins explained.
"The wonderful man I fell in love with" Angel said kissing him on the lips passionately.
Collins was the first to break the kiss.
"Suffering pays off" Collins said kissing her again.