Hi everyone! This is my first fic in a long time and my first ever multi-chapter fic. This is a Mimi and Angel friendship story. The firstchapter is 3 years pre-RENT, everything else will happen sometime during the musical. The main purpose of this chapter is to lay down how they met, and how many other crucial character things happened. Another thing-this chapter taking place 3 years pre-RENT, both Mimi and Angel's characters, but Mimi in particular, are different-younger, less mature, and less hardened, in Mimi's case. Just thought I'd say that so they don't seem OOC. Forgive me for any mistakes, and thanks to my awesome beta ! (When she beta'd this, she added in here that I couldn't live without her and how she's my idol. Yes, Mary, I caught it and took it out. Sucks to be you. XD )

Disclaimer: If I owned it, it would have never ended.

Mimi Marquez boarded the subway and slumped into a vacant seat. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. The perils of living as a 16-year-old girl alone in New

York City were truly taking their toll on her. Hungry, exhausted, and completely broke, Mimi knew that if she didn't find work soon her far-from-cozy little

lower East Village apartment would soon be a thing of the past.

She watched a few more people board the nearly vacant subway car; a frazzled looking mother with a fussy baby, an old woman, a grungy, angry

looking man, and a young drag queen who smiled slightly at Mimi before taking a seat. Mimi returned the smile a little too late. Not many people had

smiled at her in the past few weeks. But it wasn't as though there had been much to smile about.

Mimi closed her eyes as the subway lurched into motion. She was so frickin' exhausted. She opened her eyes again in time to see the man with the

angry demeanor slinking over to the subway pole in front of the seat where the young man in drag resided. The drag queen looked up at him cautiously,

a slight, polite smile on her lips. Suddenly, without any reason whatsoever, the man began spewing insults and curses, growling down at the innocent

who had done him no harm.

"Sick gay faggot, you disgusting piece of shit, I'll kill you, I swear to god I'll kill you and all of your faggot friends-"

Mimi's jaw dropped in outrage and horror. That nasty skinhead! She hoped that the drag queen would kick him with those lethal-looking platform shoes

of hers! Glancing over, she saw that the drag queen was now turned away from the man, her eyes ablaze and her mouth a small, hard line.

More insults were hurled through the air. Mimi noted with rage that none of the other passengers seemed to really care that an unprovoked personal

attack was taking place a few feet away from them. They simply watched it like a TV show, their faces blank.

Apparently, ignoring it wasn't working. With a sudden rush of motion, the drag queen leapt from her seat and grabbed hold of the pole the skinhead

was holding, facing him. "I am more of a man than you will ever be, and more of a woman than youwill ever get," She snarled in his face. "Leave me

alone."

Mimi was awestruck. The man slunk back to his seat, wearing a dazed expression like he had just been slapped. Looking over to the drag queen,

Mimi saw that she seemed like she was trying not to look too pleased with herself-eyes cast downward, fighting a grin.

"You go, girl!" Mimi hissed. "That was awesome!"

The drag queen looked up,surprised. A grin broke the surface.

"Thanks!" She said with a giggle. "I've always wanted to say that, and the opportunity presented itself."

Mimi laughed. "I have to say, it's an excellent comeback. I'm Mimi, by the way,"

"Angel," The drag queen replied. "Where are you headed?"

"Lower East Village." Mimi rolled her eyes.

"Really?" Angel exclaimed happily. "Me too!"

When the subway lurched to a stop, they got off together and stepped out into the crisp October air. Halloween decorations adorned a few

weathered-looking stoops.

"Isn't Halloween great?" Angel exclaimed while gazing longingly at somebody's jack-o-lantern."It's my favorite holiday, so eerie and mysterious and fun."

Mimi nodded. "I used to love trick-or-treating," she said.

They walked in a comfortable silence for a while, making their way through the Lower East Village. Angel turned to Mimi. "Do you live with anyone?" she

inquired. "Forgive me, but you seem a bit young to be living alone in New York City."

Mimi snorted. "No, I live alone. I'm sixteen, but I'm old for my age. You can't be that much older than me, can you?"

"I'm nineteen," Angel said. "But I guess you could say I'm old for my age,too. How long have you lived by yourself?"

Mimi sighed. "I left home at fifteen. Bit of a sob story. Drunk father, neglectful mother, lots of obnoxious siblings, et cetera. New York City may be shitty,

but it's better than what was home. That's the abridged version of my life, I guess."

She paused. Angel seemed thoughtful, as though absorbing and analyzing this information. Mimi wondered why he hell she just completely

opened up to a near stranger.

"How about you, Angel?" She awkwardly invaded the silence. "Why did you leave home?"

Angel' expression swiftly changed to one of badly concealed anger and hurt; her eyes staring straight ahead, her jaw set. "I didn't exactly leave

home, per se. Home left me."

Mimi opened her mouth to question this, but Angel cut her off, turning to face her, eyes dark and blazing. "I was disowned."

They walked on in painful, aching silence, until Angel hesitantly broke it."We're nearly to my apartment, sugar. I was wondering if maybe you'd like

to stay and have dinner with me?"

Mimi grinned brightly. "That would be great!"

And with that, Mimi Marquez and Angel Dumott Schunard became friends. Mimi realized that Angel was exactly the sort of person she'd been longing for, without really realizing it. Someone to look out for her and protect her, someone to laugh with and cry with. Someone to be her best friend.

One day, Mimi burst into Angel's apartment with a huge smile of relief and exultation on her face. "Angel! Angel! Angel!" She squealed, jumping and

dancing around. Angel looked up from her book, startled, then smiled and got up.

"What is it, chica?"

"Angel, you know how I thought I was gonna be evicted, right?" Mimi asked, bouncing up and down slightly.

"Yeah," Angel said. It had been something they'd been worrying about for weeks.

"Well, I GOT A JOB!!" Mimi sang out. "I have MONEY!! Soon, anyway!!"

Angel grinned brightly. "That's AWESOME, Meems!" she exclaimed. "Where are you working?"

Mimi's exuberant expression disappeared. She looked kind of hesitant.

"Well….they would pay me to dance….." she mumbled.

Angel frowned. She sensed that there was more to it than that. Mimi loved to dance.

"Where are you working, Mimi?" Angel asked again, cautiously.

Mimi looked down. "The Catscratch Club," she said in a small voice.

Angel's face was one of outrage.

"Ang, I knew you'd be mad-" Mimi started to say, but Angel cut her off.

"The CATSCRATCH CLUB?! They hired a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD to work at a STRIP

CLUB?!"

"Well, I told them I was nineteen." Mimi murmured.

"WHY?!" Angel shrieked. "So you can dance around looking like a slut in front of perverted men? What the hell were you THINKING?!"

"I need money, Ang," Mimi said in a pleading voice. "It's not like I want to work there. I'm desperate."

"I could help you," Angel insisted, resisting defeat.

"Angel, honey, you're a street drummer," Mimi said gently. "You can barely support yourself, let alone me."

Angel sighed. "No one else would give you work?"

"No one," Mimi said in a tired voice. "And believe me, I tried."

"Okay, then." Angel gave in. "But I still hate this."

"Believe me, Angel, so do I."

A few days later, Mimi was spending the night at Angel's apartment. They watched movies, ate junk food, and were just relaxing.

"Ang?" Mimi broke the contented silence. Angel looked up from painting Mimi's fingernails blue to match her own.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to tell me, but.I was kind of wondering." Mimi stuttered. Maybe this was too much of a personal question to ask.

"What, Meems?" Angel looked concerned.

"I was wondering…..how did you get AIDS?" Mimi flinched back, feeling stupid for asking such a question. It wasn't her business. Still, the memory of

when she first found out about Angel's condition felt like a slap to the face. Someone so alive shouldn't be branded with a death sentence.

Angel's face was difficult to read. "Well, she said softly, "Basically I was young and stupid. I thought that somebody loved me, and I was ignorant

enough to believe him when he said so. I made a stupid mistake; he left me not soon afterwards, and now I have to suffer from it."

"Oh," Mimi murmured.

"Mimi," Angel said quietly. "It's okay that you asked."

Mimi walked alone out of the dark alley, trying to look as nonchalant as possible as she hurried down the sidewalk. She clutched the little bag

tightly nonetheless-the powder it held was more precious than gold.

"Mimi?"

Hearing her name, Mimi turned, startled, to see Angel heading toward her, smiling. "Hey, chica!" Angel exclaimed, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey," Mimi responded weakly.

"Where have you been?" Angel questioned. "I haven't heard from you since yesterday morning! I thought we had plans!"

Plans? What plans? Mimi could hardly remember. Her world had been so upside-down lately.

"I'm so sorry, Angel, I completely forgot." Mimi glanced around, nervous. She really needed to get home.

"Meems?" Angel said warily, suspicious that something might be up. "Is

something wrong? You seem all twitchy, and your eyes are kind of weird."

"No, I'm fine, Angel, overtired is all," Mimi lied hastily. "I should probably be getting home.."

But Angel's eyes had locked on the little paper bag in Mimi's hand, her

expression growing into one of fear and rage.

"You didn't," She said in a soft, menacing voice.

Mimi opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. For someone so generous and loving, Angel could be pretty terrifying when she wanted

to. She willed her vocal chords to work, feeling cornered.

"Angel, I'm fine, I'm not going to-"

Angel cut her off. "Do you want to get HIV, Mimi?! Do you want to die?! That's how it happens! You're nearly broke and you're spending money on this

stuff that will kill you?!"

Tears slid down Mimi's face. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Angel wore a look of dawning horror.

"You can't stop, can you?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Mimi shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said again, and ran away, clutching the bag to her and leaving Angel alone with her worry and pain.

Two months later, Mimi burst into Angel's apartment, clutching a piece of paper and trembling violently, fighting tears. Angel didn't need to see

what was on the paper. She knew what she would find: a death sentence.

Angel pulled Mimi to her and held her close while she sobbed. "Please, Angel," Mimi choked out. "Don't say 'I told you so.' "

"I won't, honey," Angel's voice was thick with her own tears. "I won't."

Well, there's my first chapter. Don't you just love subliminal /review/

messaging?