Fugitive
Chapter Three
I Am Made of You
Collins found himself waking up to Angel, out of drag, totally asleep next to him. A smile slowly tugged up at the curves of his mouth and he turned to lay on his side and gently brush the pads of his fingers across Angel's face, paying close attention to his lips. He turned his hands to brush the knuckles across his cheeks now and when Angel's eyes began to flutter, he leant forward and pressed his mouth to the smaller man's.
This was, to say the least, a surprise wake-up for the drag queen, who smiled and leant into the kiss. His hands gently rested on Collins' bare shoulders and he found himself in a passionate embrace with the other man yet again. Some time later he turned in his lover's arms to look up into happy, dark eyes. "I love you."
Collins smiled more and nodded, kissed every tip of every finger on both of his hands. "I love you too baby." He said softly. "You're so perfect."
Angel glanced up at the clock and pouted a little, looked up at Collins again. "We have to start getting ready." He said gently, eyes locked on Collins'. He realized that their hearts were matched in beat almost perfectly. He could only smile warmly.
Collins frowned and looked at that clock, confused momentarily but he soon realized. "Ooh. Life Support." He murmured as he slipped out of bed, allowing Angel to sit up now.
"Yeah, Life Support." Angel said and with a devilish grin reached out to lay a hard smack to Collins bare ass. Collins leapt in his skins and then grinned back at Angel before going into the bathroom to clean up. Angel dressed and then went in, put some makeup on and opted to just bring his wig and wear a headband.
The moment they walked into the frigid New York air she changed her mind and put the wig on her freezing head. They reached the Community Center and Mark was already there, but no Roger. She was saddened but only briefly. She hugged Mark and sat, they gave their introductions and then one man start talking about the fear of the unknown. Will they lose their dignity? Will anybody care?
They could all relate and to her great joy, as they comforted one another Roger walked in and began to talk about April and his chilling note. Once the meeting was over they all walked out, and she was rather happy to see Collins hugging Roger on their way out.
"I am so proud of you."
"Thanks."
Collins and Angel exited the subway stop with Mark and Roger after a particularly interesting conversation about moving to Santa Fe and opening a restaurant. Mark asked for the time and cursed, looked to his friends. "I'm late for Maureen's soundcheck, I gotta go." He eyed Roger for a moment, then snagged his arm. "Here, you can come with me." He pulled him in the direction of the Space.
"Bye!" Angel called with a wave.
"See you later." Mark called back.
Angel looked to Collins, who smiled a little sheepishly. "It's cold."
Angel smiled, even though he was worried about Collins getting too cold. "C'mon." She said softly, pulled him into the direction of some street vendors. They spoke softly of their new commitment, it was almost like a commitment ceremony between just the two of them. They vowed to be their to death, and longer. They vowed to love one another.
They found a coat vendor and Angel bought him a leather duster, helped him put it on and they darted off to the end of the street before Collins stopped running and pulled Angel close to his body, the heat of him, he liked to believe, was what was keeping him warm in that moment. He slow danced with her briefly before dipping to press a loving kiss to her lips, Angel kissed him back with a bit more fervor and they parted and smiled at one another.
It was such a beautiful beginning, and it would play through Tom Collins mind many, many times over the last couple years of his existence.
For Angel Schunard it was not something to continue to think on, it was one lovely memory to be added to. Sadly, she had no idea just how few memories they would create. Not that such a thing would ever have brought her down.
When you love someone, so deeply. They become a part of you. It's easy to succumb to any desire.
They went to the show and both Collins and Angel were harassed by cops when it went from peaceful protest to insane riot. They all made it out, and although Mark came out late they were all together. Then the maitre d' gave them a hard ass time until Angel revealed that she could pay for dinner that night, and after joining the tables and giving Benny and his 'partners' a hard time, all Angel could do was watch Mimi.
It was now, more than any time in the last two days that they'd seen each other that she recognized the shape of those cheekbones, and the roundness and color to those dark, always smiling eyes. Eyes which gave away more drug use than Angel would like for them too. She'd heard about this Mimi girl, and now, in realizing who she was, it hurt her deeply to remember those things.
It looks like my baby sister got away fine, Mimi chica.
After dinner all of them were too drunk and stoned to talk to anyone about anything, and Collins had a raging erection from Angel having thrust up against him in their toast to sodomy. Angel was quick to pull him along the damp streets to his apartment, the clothes came off so fast and in such a colorful swoop that Angel laid there momentarily just to watch them fly from the ceiling slowly down past his sight.
The next morning, they were so sore, however, that both would be willing to bury their heads in holes, side by side in the ground. They took the day off of all contact, knowing their friends would all have hangovers as well. But bright and early the next morning Angel crept from the bed, left Collins a note and made his way, out of drag to Mimi's apartment.
She answered after a few moments, obviously tired, having been awoken by his knocking but she smiled nonetheless when she saw him. "Well hey Angel, come on in." She held the door open and went to sit, offered him a place with her.
"Want some coffee?"
"Sure sugar, you look like you could use it. I didn't mean to wake you."
She laughed and stood as she went about preparing it. "It's eight o' clock in the morning."
"I really am sorry, I'm always up by now. Well, excluding yesterday."
Mimi shuddered visibly, bringing him a cup of instant coffee. "Please, we shall not speak of yesterday morning."
They laughed together. "Anyways, what brings you here? I wasn't expecting you. Is everything. . .?"
"Mim," He set his cup aside after only a couple of sips. "What do you know about your very early years?"
"Oh." She shrugged, the subject obviously troublesome. "Well I was born in Puerto Rico and moved here with my foster family when I was five. They were New Yorkers who adopted me from Puerto Rico, I was an orphan."
His heart was pounding. "An orphan?"
"I had a brother but he left so soon after my parents died. I don't remember him at all."
"Mimi. . ."
"Oh, Àngel." She laughed softly, he hadn't heard his name pronounced that way in so many years now. Too many years. "Do you think I do not know who you are? I've known from the moment you first walked up to me and hugged me!"
And it was only instinct for him to move forward and hug her again, collapsing to a sobbing heap on the floor, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head, just grateful to suddenly feel so close to her. It had hurt him so bad to let her go but it had obviously, so obviously been for the best.
"But hermano," She said, pulling back to gaze into his loving face. "You're sick too. . ."
"Yes."
She blinked some tears away, then looked back up at him. "So mother and father, they. . ."
He frowned deeply and touched her face, the poor child, she obviously didn't know when or how she'd contracted it. "No, Mimi chica. They died because they were killed by people, not AIDS. I got it from a man who raped me once."
She looked at the ground. "What makes you think AIDS isn't a way for men to continue killing each other?"
"I never said it wasn't, sweetie. I never once said it wasn't. But there's no sense in us going about placing blames and feeling sorry. We have to make the most of this time we have, Carpe Diem, do you know what that means, Mimi?"
She shook her head.
"Seize the day." He smiled gently at her, wiped some tears from her face with the backs of his hands. "No day but today. They do actually know what they're talking about at Life Support. There's no sense in holding back when we could all be having the most beautiful lives and I intend to make do with the time I have."
