Note: This idea has been stewing in my head since I wrote my first Rent fanfic. Just took me a while to write it. You don't have to read that one cause I'll fill you in. But it does fit in quite well if you wanna read it…no pressure. (wink) There's also a tiny reference to "Lies My Parents told Me"..but I think you might need a magnifying glass!
"Hello, I'm sorry to tell you that we're not here. We meaning Collins and Angel," She giggled with excitement in her voice, "We're not here. So if you would like to leave us a message please do so after the beep. Take care!"
Beep!
"Thomas. This is your father. I'm going to be in town for a meeting. I thought that we could meet for lunch," The man said as if every word was difficult to say, "I'll be at Verducci's at noon. Come or don't." He hung up.
"Baby…what are you doing?" Collins asked as he emerged from the bathroom wiping his hands on his jeans.
Angel was buttoning up a pale blue dress shirt carefully while watching herself in the mirror. "Whatca mean? Can't you tell? I'm dressing myself. Something you enjoy to do in reverse." She winked at him and then brushed down the front of the shirt to smooth out the wrinkles.
"Yeah but…your wearing a man's dress shirt…and khaki…pants." Collins pointed out his jaw almost on the ground. When Angel found a pair of khakis in Collins' closet, a few months back, she started a bonfire in their living room claiming that she needed to purge the apartment of the evil khaki sprits. After that event Collins was pretty sure that his lover hated the material.
Angel nodded not looking too phased. "I know. I burrowed them from Markie. They're kinda big on me." She glanced down at her butt.
"But Angel…why?" Collins asked putting on his coat, "I'm not really changing my clothes."
Angel smirked and shook her head. "That's not true, lover. You're wearing clean clothes. Which in itself is a miracle." She teased him. Collins preferred to wear the same clothes day after day until Angel could no longer handle the smell of them.
Collins stuck his tongue out at her and then frowned. "Angel, I really didn't want to make a big deal out of this."
She shrugged carefully taking off her black bobbed wig and running her hand along her short natural hair. "I'm not making a big deal. I just think…baby steps."
Coming behind her, Collins hugged her close. "I don't want you to pretend to be someone you're not. I love you for you."
Angel turned around in his arms so they were facing each other. "I know. And I love you too…but…I think it would be better not to put your father in a color coma the first time I meet him."
"I like your tie died halter dress." Collins frowned a bit.
Angel laughed and patted his chest, "That's cause it shows off my arms."
"Uh huh." Collins leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek. "That's exactly why I like it." Angel laughed some more shaking her head.
"Baby steps, hun. Next time I see your daddy I'll be in my Santa suit." She grinned putting her Hello Kitty wallet in her back pocket, as straight men seemed to do. "These khakis…need to be burned."
Collins patted her shoulder, "Don't you worry babe. I don't think Mark will mind."
"Oh good," Angel chirped while grabbing a card on the table. "I got your father a father's day card. I actually found a card for a father of a lover. It was odd. But then again there were also cards for men who own dogs…like from their dogs. They're getting so inventive these days." It almost seemed like fate that the one-day that Matthias Collins called his son was on the holiday that celebrated fatherhood.
Collins took a look at the envelope with Angel's dainty script. It read "Collins' Daddy." He had to smile. "Seems like…you know you didn't have to do that."
Angel waved him off, "It's Father's Day. And your daddy though he may be…"
"A scumbag." Collins finished for her while going through his wallet to check his money status. The man had no problem being so frank about his father. When Collins came out to his parents in high school his father kicked him to the curb. And that was only scratching the surface of their relationship. What got Collins, more than anything, was that his father should have known better. Collins' great-great grandfather was killed for running away from his master. His grandmother walked with the women's suffragette movement. And his father walked with Martin Luther King Jr. One would think that after overcoming all of that persecution, he wouldn't inflict it on others.
Angel groaned. "Honey don't say that…maybe he called you because he wants to reconcile." She had to believe that there was some good in this man. After all, Matthias Collins was involved in the creation of the love of her life.
Collins shrugged pushing his wallet back in his pocket. "I don't really know what he wants." Angel stood on her tiptoes giving him a kiss gently.
"Then give him the benefit of the doubt," Angel said before looking down at the loafers she was wearing. With a whine she pointed at them, "They give me no height. Sorry Mark these…these are going in the fire too."
"Poor Mark, he won't have any clothes left when you're done with this night." Collins chuckled heading for the door and opening it for her.
Angel clapped her hands which were unmanicured, "Oh yay I could make him a whole new wardrobe!"
"Sure Angel…I can see Mark in tie dye now." Collins rolled his eyes but smiled closing the door behind him and taking her hand.
"Oh would you stop Professor? We're going to meet your daddy." She said happily. Collins started to hum the funeral dirge, which resulted in a light slap from Angel. "Think positive," She chimed squeezing his hand a bit too tightly. Collins would accept his father and a have a good time if Angel had her way. And Angel always had her way.
"Angel, baby, you never met my father…maybe by tonight you'll understand," Collins explained as they went down the stairs.
Angel and Collins walked hand in hand into the Verducci restaurant. The two had never been there before. Everything on the menu was practically more than Collins' monthly salary. But the couple had no choice in the matter.
Angel couldn't help but notice Collins' shaky shoulders and sweating forehead. She eyed him cautiously. If he was reacting this way…could his father really be all he said he was?
"Um…Mr. Matthias Collins," Collins said to the headwaiter that looked at the couple from head to toe.
"Ah yes…his wayward…son. Follow me," The waiter said with a snarl.
Angel raised her eyebrow and whispered to Collins, "Who spit in his soup?"
Collins tried desperately to hold back a smile. It didn't seem like the proper thing to do in such a restaurant. But he failed. He looked down at her, dressed in male clothes. She looked just as beautiful. And he found himself loving her even more than he had before.
The waiter guided them to a back table which was furnished with a large bouquet of flowers with a "Happy Father's Day" sign inside it. There were multiple sets of spoons and forks. There were even different glasses at each setting. Angel sighed to herself realizing that this was no Life Café. But it wasn't the table setting which caught her attention. It was the man sitting at the table. The resemblance was uncanny. Angel started to wonder if Collins was even born of a woman at all, or if he was a clone of his father. The only differences between them was the obvious age difference and the way they stood. Collins always had a slouch to him, while his father had the straightest back that Angel had ever seen.
"Hello there," Angel greeted him.
Matthias Collins lifted his eyes to land on Angel. His forehead wrinkled in confusion until his gaze fell on his son. "Thomas…" The man said nodding to his son without any sense of emotion.
"Father." Collins mimicked in the same tone.
Angel glanced back and forth between the two men. It was as if they were waiting for the other to say a word. To dare a syllable or two. Angel took a deep breath and said cheerily, "I'm Angel Dumott Schunard." She held out her hand for Collins' father to shake, but the man ignored her hand.
Collins held a chair open for Angel who sat down slowly afraid to make any sudden movements. Now she was starting to understand why Collins was so wary of his father. There was a coldness in his eyes. As if he was looking through you.
"Where have you been working?" Matthias Collins asked sipping on his mineral water slowly. A waiter came over and took Angel and Collins' drink orders. Two beers. It made Matthias flinch.
"I'm uhh…teaching at NYU." Collins said quickly almost fumbling on his words. Under the table he rubbed his hands together. The sweat was starting to coat his hand. Angel spotted this from the corner of her eye and placed her hands on his.
Matthias raised his eyebrow and then folded his hands on top of the table. "Teaching? What subject?"
Angel stared at the man in disbelief. Could this man know his son so little? Philosophy was so much a part of Collins' life. If he wasn't teaching it, he was reading it. And if he wasn't reading it, he would space out while thinking about it. There were few things that Collins was so addicted to. And yes, it had been years since he saw his son last but…still…
"Philosophy." Collins supplied while nodding to the waiter who brought the beers.
"I suppose there is little that you could do with that other than teaching," Matthias pointed out while straightening his silverware in front of him.
Collins shrugged while squeezing Angel's hand. "Not too much. But I love it…" He looked over at Angel and smiled weakly at her. She grinned knowing what was on his mind. Without a thought, she leaned over to kiss his cheek. The cough of Matthais Collins stopped her.
"If you don't mind…" He muttered averting his eyes. It was official. Angel wasn't so fond of his guy. She leaned back into her chair and offered Collins' father a forced smile.
"I apologize if I made you uncomfortable," Angel replied not taking her hand away from Collins'.
Matthias looked at Angel in silence for a moment. Perhaps he was sizing her up, trying to understand why she was the one that her son had chosen. He blinked a few times and then asked cooly, "And what do you do…Angel was it?"
"Yes," Angel said throwing her head back as if she had hair to remove from her face. "I'm a street drummer. But I'm a clothing designer on the side." She said proudly. It was no secret that Matthias wasn't going to be excited by her profession. His rich taste in restaurants said that much. But Angel was never ashamed of who she was.
Luckily, the waiter came to take their dinner orders. After ordering his meatless meatballs and pasta Collins took a good look at Angel. He didn't give a damn if his father was angered by their meeting. All that worried him was that Angel was going to get offended. It would almost inevitable that she would be. That was why Collins protested her coming in the first place. But she was persistent and he had to give in.
The waiter nodded to them and took off towards the kitchen. The table fell into an uncomfortable silence. Angel opened her mouth ready to break it when Matthais asked, "Thomas, how many times have you been arrested this year? Or are you over that phase?" He eyed Angel as if she was included in a phase. Her eyes went wide. So that's what he thought homosexuality was. Ok…that was it.
"Only twice." Angel answered for him, "And the first time was simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm proud that he stands up for what he believes in. He isn't hypocritical. You should be proud of him as well…holding up the Collins family tradition of speaking out for what's right."
Collins cleared his throat and squeezed her hand telling her without word to calm down.
Matthias smiled sideways and emptied his mineral water with one gulp, "Interesting view on things."
Angel forced a bitter grin on her face, "Oh it's more then-"
"Dad…what are you doing here?" Collins asked suddenly. He really didn't want to witness his lover rip his father to pieces. Not in public anyway. "You haven't talked to me in years and all of a sudden you wanna meet? And it's quite obvious that you don't want to reconcile."
Matthias sighed knowing that their little romp was over. "I'm going to be frank with you, Thomas. You're mother and I are getting a divorce."
Angel glanced over at Collins to see his response. He didn't seem so phased. "Finally," Collins replied, "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to lose your voice before your hair. And the reason that you have to tell me this in New York City is…"
"The divorce struggle." Matthias answered simply ignoring Collins' comment on his marriage, "I could use your words in the court, Thomas. It would be very helpful. Those days where your mother was less than a good mother. And we know that they were many. When you got your scar…for example."
Collins stared at his father wide eyed. Then he bit his bottom lip holding back an enraged laugh. His mother was no picnic that was sure. She preferred the hands off method of parenting, and left her three year old alone in the house to burn his hands on the accessible stove. To that day he still had a scar under his wrist. But then again it wasn't his mother who was knocking at his door.
"So wait…" Angel said a fury raising in her that she hadn't known, "You came all the way here to use him? As a pawn to get money from his mother? You really are as despicable of a man as he said you were."
"Despicable?" Matthias snorted at her word choice.
Angel jumped out of her chair. "Yeah I would call throwing my son out the door because he's gay despicable. Especially after all that your family has been through. Did you ever think for a minute that Collins is part of a minority that needs support just as much as African Americans and women?" She asked her voice raising with every word.
Matthias shook his finger at her. "There's a difference between color and sex then-"
"What? Who you sleep with?" Angel was all out yelling now. Her face was turning a pinkish color and her whole body trembled with rage. Collins simply watched her in awe along with many confused patrons. "Well, Mr. Collins, I have to tell you this. I may have chosen partners over the years but I never chose who I was attracted to. I never said to myself 'I'd rather sleep with a man instead of a woman'. I am who I am. I was born that way. So was Tom. And I fell in love with him. We're in love. And if you think that that is unworthy or not kosher then you…you…oh…go fuck yourself!" She grabbed Collins' hand and pulled him out of his seat.
"Oh." Angel paused and slapped the card on the table, "Happy Father's Day!"
Collins' father sat there speechless and could only watch his son and his very angry lover leave the restaurant.
"I can't believe…I told your father to go fuck himself," Angel giggled to herself. She was now in a silk bathrobe with sm
all purple butterflies. It made her much more comfortable. That also could be attributed to the wineglass in her hand.
Collins laughed and shook his head. "Although I'm still shocked you did it…it was called for. Ass." He pulled over a large tin garbage can in front of the couch where they were sitting.
"Yeah…gotta admit you got a pretty loveless Daddy…we both got the luck of the draw on that one." Angel picked up the clothes and shoes that Mark had graciously lent her and tossed them into the garbage. "Was he always like that? Even before he knew you were gay?"
"Kinda," Collins replied with a shrug. He too was dressed in only his blue fuzzy robe. "Here…" He showed Angel a few pictures of his childhood which he still held onto. "That is my Dad helping me learn how to play catch. A second later he yelled at me for not trying hard enough. And there is my Dad with me at the science fair."
Angel pulled the picture closer to her. "Oh my God is he…?"
"Yep. Yelling at me cause I got third place. Wasn't acceptable. Candid photos are always the most telling," Collins said looking down at it with a small twinge of regret on his face, "Ah well." He tossed the pictures into the garbage can. "You wanna do the honors?"
Angel pulled out the matches and struck it against the sandpaper. "Goodbye Daddy and ugly clothes," She orated it before tossing it inside.
"Nice touch," Collins whispered pulling her closer to him. Angel rested her head on his chest as they watched the fire grow and burn away the past. "Thank you by the way."
"For what, baby?" She asked stroking his lower abdomen gently.
"Sticking up for me…something I could never really do with him," Collins explained. He planted a gentle kiss on her natural hair.
Angel smiled deeply and kissed his exposed chest. "Darling…I love making a fuss." Collins laughed and tightened his hold around her. She continued, "And well…nobody should be looked at the way he looked at you. Or say those things in such a way. Especially you."
"Love you," Collins whispered simply.
"I love you, too," Angel murmured while leaning up to capture a passionate kiss. As the night wore on they made love, their bodies illuminated by the fire they created.