Voices
A Rent fic by Nami
Mimi couldn't sleep. That wasn't necessarily an uncommon occurrence for her, but she could usually find some way to lull herself back to sleep. Roger's steady breathing helped with that, most often. This time, however, nothing could get her back to sleep.
She sat on the edge of the bed in the main bedroom of the apartment that she and Roger shared. She looked over her shoulder, brown eyes softening at the sight of her sleeping lover. He looked so much like a child when he slept. Mimi treasured those rare times when she woke before him and could watch him sleep. She sat watching him for a few moments before standing up.
She made her way to the bathroom and, humming the tune Roger had written for her, walked to the sink. She turned on the water and splashed her face with it for want of something to do. She pulled back, gasping at the iciness of the water, and toweled her face off. She heard the water running in the sink and, when she opened her eyes, found that the sink was filled with water.
Frowning, Mimi moved forward to drain the standing water, but froze just short of the sink when she heard a soft whisper from somewhere behind her.
"Mimi..." she turned, thinking it was Roger, to find that no one was there. She looked out into the bedroom. Roger was still sleeping peacefully where she had left him. Shaking her head, Mimi turned back to the sink. And stifled a shriek.
The water, which had been clear moments before, was now tinted red. Eyes wide, Mimi looked into the water. Instead of her reflection, though, she saw the image of a beautiful girl with long blonde hair, clad in a terrycloth robe, drained of her blood. Mimi reeled back, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her mouth with both hands.
Ever since she had left the rehab nearly a year ago without completing the program, she had suffered hallucinations. Collins said it was probably an after effect of withdrawal from the drugs and Roger said that it wouldn't last forever. It seemed, in fact, that they had ended months ago. I guess not. Mimi sat down on the edge of the toilet seat, head in her hands. Jesus. When she looked up again, the blood and water in the sink were gone. Sighing in relief, Mimi stood up and moved unsteadily to the door.
She glanced at the mirror and did a double take. No way. She thought, eyes widening again. "No way in hell."
"Hell?" the spectre in front of her chuckled. "No, not hell, Mimi. I never went to hell. I wanted to. I wanted to go... someplace. But I was screwed over in death, too." The girl was brilliantly white. Her blond hair hung in wet tangles over her shoulders and in her blank eyes. She shifted her gaze to the bedroom. "How is he?"
"Wh-Who--"
"Me?" The girl pushed up the sleeve of her bloodstained bathrobe, revealing a slashed and puckered wrist.
"A...pril?" Mimi guessed, mouth falling open when the girl nodded. "Oh my god."
"No shit." April tossed her hair over her shoulder. "How is he? I see that he's still alive." Mimi nodded stupidly. "Well, he was never a quitter, I guess. Not like I was. No, Roger was never one to quit. He just ran. Ran and fucked up his life with drugs." April crossed her arms under her chest. Mimi could only stare. "And you're Mimi."
"Y-Yes."
"And you have it, too, right?"
"AIDS?" Mimi nodded. "Yeah, I got it." She shook her head. She was talking to this hallucination as if it were really April. "This is crazy." The spectre laughed outright at that.
"Shit, you really understate things, don't you? Look, I came here for a reason. I wanted to talk to you."
"Huh?"
"I want to talk to you. I loved Rog. I don't know if he ever got that through his skull, but I did love him. And he loved me. And now he loves you. Listen, girl, he doesn't know how to love lightly, understand? When Rog loves someone, he loves her with his whole heart, body, and soul."
"I know." Mimi said with a fond smile.
"Good. Then maybe I don't need to tell you this next part, but I will anyway." April, or the spectre that was April, drew herself to her full height. "I'll kick your ass from here to Jersey if you let him get hurt again." Mimi blinked at that. "I hurt `im. When I killed myself, I hurt him. And you hurt him with all that Benny shit. But now he's finally going somewhere. And you helped him. I'll give you that much. You helped him where I couldn't. But now you better stay with him. If you let anything happen to him, I'll come back here and fucking kill you." Mimi nodded solemnly.
"I understand." April sighed.
"Good." She began to fade.
"Wait! If you're really April and you're really dead, could you tell me... is Angel where you are?"
"Angel?" Confusion crossed the spectre's features. "Oh! That queen Collins was with. No, he moved on." Mimi nodded, relieved and sad.
"Thanks."
"Remember what I said, Mimi." The spectre's voice vanished and Mimi felt, for the first time, the tears that were falling down her face.
"Mimi," a new voice cut through the silence. The bathroom faded and Mimi was surrounded by darkness. "Mimi." She blinked awake. She was still in bed, looking up into Roger's face. He was propped up on one elbow, light brown eyes troubled.
"What's wrong?" Mimi whispered sleepily.
"I should ask you that. You're crying." Roger touched her cheek and she felt that it was wet.
"Oh!" Mimi wiped the tears with the sleeve of the nightshirt she had commandeered from Roger earlier that night. "It was nothing. Just a dream."
"A nightmare?" Mimi thought about it, then smiled, tugging her tall lover towards her.
"No. Not a nightmare."
.:end:.
Notes, etc.
Characters aren't mine.
I had to guess at April's personality, since she isn't there in the actual storyline. Hope you enjoyed this mini-fic! It's the first one I've ever done with a theme like this.
A Rent fic by Nami
Mimi couldn't sleep. That wasn't necessarily an uncommon occurrence for her, but she could usually find some way to lull herself back to sleep. Roger's steady breathing helped with that, most often. This time, however, nothing could get her back to sleep.
She sat on the edge of the bed in the main bedroom of the apartment that she and Roger shared. She looked over her shoulder, brown eyes softening at the sight of her sleeping lover. He looked so much like a child when he slept. Mimi treasured those rare times when she woke before him and could watch him sleep. She sat watching him for a few moments before standing up.
She made her way to the bathroom and, humming the tune Roger had written for her, walked to the sink. She turned on the water and splashed her face with it for want of something to do. She pulled back, gasping at the iciness of the water, and toweled her face off. She heard the water running in the sink and, when she opened her eyes, found that the sink was filled with water.
Frowning, Mimi moved forward to drain the standing water, but froze just short of the sink when she heard a soft whisper from somewhere behind her.
"Mimi..." she turned, thinking it was Roger, to find that no one was there. She looked out into the bedroom. Roger was still sleeping peacefully where she had left him. Shaking her head, Mimi turned back to the sink. And stifled a shriek.
The water, which had been clear moments before, was now tinted red. Eyes wide, Mimi looked into the water. Instead of her reflection, though, she saw the image of a beautiful girl with long blonde hair, clad in a terrycloth robe, drained of her blood. Mimi reeled back, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her mouth with both hands.
Ever since she had left the rehab nearly a year ago without completing the program, she had suffered hallucinations. Collins said it was probably an after effect of withdrawal from the drugs and Roger said that it wouldn't last forever. It seemed, in fact, that they had ended months ago. I guess not. Mimi sat down on the edge of the toilet seat, head in her hands. Jesus. When she looked up again, the blood and water in the sink were gone. Sighing in relief, Mimi stood up and moved unsteadily to the door.
She glanced at the mirror and did a double take. No way. She thought, eyes widening again. "No way in hell."
"Hell?" the spectre in front of her chuckled. "No, not hell, Mimi. I never went to hell. I wanted to. I wanted to go... someplace. But I was screwed over in death, too." The girl was brilliantly white. Her blond hair hung in wet tangles over her shoulders and in her blank eyes. She shifted her gaze to the bedroom. "How is he?"
"Wh-Who--"
"Me?" The girl pushed up the sleeve of her bloodstained bathrobe, revealing a slashed and puckered wrist.
"A...pril?" Mimi guessed, mouth falling open when the girl nodded. "Oh my god."
"No shit." April tossed her hair over her shoulder. "How is he? I see that he's still alive." Mimi nodded stupidly. "Well, he was never a quitter, I guess. Not like I was. No, Roger was never one to quit. He just ran. Ran and fucked up his life with drugs." April crossed her arms under her chest. Mimi could only stare. "And you're Mimi."
"Y-Yes."
"And you have it, too, right?"
"AIDS?" Mimi nodded. "Yeah, I got it." She shook her head. She was talking to this hallucination as if it were really April. "This is crazy." The spectre laughed outright at that.
"Shit, you really understate things, don't you? Look, I came here for a reason. I wanted to talk to you."
"Huh?"
"I want to talk to you. I loved Rog. I don't know if he ever got that through his skull, but I did love him. And he loved me. And now he loves you. Listen, girl, he doesn't know how to love lightly, understand? When Rog loves someone, he loves her with his whole heart, body, and soul."
"I know." Mimi said with a fond smile.
"Good. Then maybe I don't need to tell you this next part, but I will anyway." April, or the spectre that was April, drew herself to her full height. "I'll kick your ass from here to Jersey if you let him get hurt again." Mimi blinked at that. "I hurt `im. When I killed myself, I hurt him. And you hurt him with all that Benny shit. But now he's finally going somewhere. And you helped him. I'll give you that much. You helped him where I couldn't. But now you better stay with him. If you let anything happen to him, I'll come back here and fucking kill you." Mimi nodded solemnly.
"I understand." April sighed.
"Good." She began to fade.
"Wait! If you're really April and you're really dead, could you tell me... is Angel where you are?"
"Angel?" Confusion crossed the spectre's features. "Oh! That queen Collins was with. No, he moved on." Mimi nodded, relieved and sad.
"Thanks."
"Remember what I said, Mimi." The spectre's voice vanished and Mimi felt, for the first time, the tears that were falling down her face.
"Mimi," a new voice cut through the silence. The bathroom faded and Mimi was surrounded by darkness. "Mimi." She blinked awake. She was still in bed, looking up into Roger's face. He was propped up on one elbow, light brown eyes troubled.
"What's wrong?" Mimi whispered sleepily.
"I should ask you that. You're crying." Roger touched her cheek and she felt that it was wet.
"Oh!" Mimi wiped the tears with the sleeve of the nightshirt she had commandeered from Roger earlier that night. "It was nothing. Just a dream."
"A nightmare?" Mimi thought about it, then smiled, tugging her tall lover towards her.
"No. Not a nightmare."
.:end:.
Notes, etc.
Characters aren't mine.
I had to guess at April's personality, since she isn't there in the actual storyline. Hope you enjoyed this mini-fic! It's the first one I've ever done with a theme like this.