"Subway", A RENT Oneshot

Post-musical RENT fluff. If I have some of the details off, remember that this is my first RENT fic and that I've only seen the movie, so consider it a movieverse fic.

By the way, I'm not planning on writing any RENT fics anytime soon, but ToThoseWhoGroundMe is going to collaborate with me to write one, though it'll be more her work than mine as she's the one actually writing it.

December 25, 1990. 1:32 AM.

"Mark, turn that goddamn thing off!" Mimi whined.

"No! This is good stuff!" I said, zooming in on her and on Roger, who laughed. We were all on the subway, on our way to bring Mimi to the hospital. She had insisted that she didn't need to go, and that this was not the way she wanted to spend her Christmas Eve, but Roger wouldn't hear it. We practically had to drag her out the door. For awhile, she'd sat with her arms crossed in the corner of the dingy little subway car, pouting, but eventually Roger came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, and she smiled reluctantly and leaned back against him.

Right now, he was rocking her gently back and forth and softly singing "Hey Jude" into her ear. Collins, sitting nearby, was singing along, harmonizing in his low, gravelly voice. Mimi's eyelids were drooping.

I smiled and turned the camera to Maureen and Joanne, who were stretched across three seats and, ah, engaging in behaviors considered indecent for a public transit system.

"Get a room," I muttered.

Joanne looked up and rolled her eyes. "Go to hell, Mark."

Maureen giggled and pulled Jo's head back down. "C'mon, pookie! Kiss for the camera!"

A couple sitting in the corner, the only other people in the subway car besides us, were staring at the two of them, disgust clear on their faces. Maureen smiled sweetly at them, gave them the finger, and proceeded to make out with Joanne.

"What are you gonna use that footage for, anyway?" Roger asked. "Planning on doing another yearlong documentary?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Okay, but turn it off when we get there, please," Mimi yawned. "I don't want to be filmed hooked up to all the tubes and wires and shit."

Collins' mouth became a thin line when she said this. I wouldn't blame him if he never wanted to go near another hospital as long as he lived. I had pulled him aside before we left and offered to stay home with him if he wanted, but he'd insisted on going anyway, for Mimi's sake. He didn't look happy about it, but I could see a sort of calm acceptance in his eyes when he said he'd come along. It wouldn't be easy for him, going back to the place where he had lost Angel, but I could tell that he would be okay.

"I'll put it away. Don't worry."

Mimi glanced at Collins. "Not that they'll hook me up to stuff anyway," she said quickly. "Because I'm fine, remember?" She craned her neck to glare up at Roger.

"I know, babe," Roger said soothingly, lacing his fingers between hers. "We're just making sure."

"You suck," she growled. "But I love you anyway."

"They'll probably kick us all out anyhow," I said.

"Why?"

"We don't look frantic enough to be taking someone to the ER."

"They'll probably just think we're drunk," Maureen laughed.

"Drunk from the joy of a Christmas miracle," I said with a dramatic sweep of my arms.

"Aww, how Dickensian of you," Joanne said dryly.

Collins smiled. "Cheers."

Roger kissed Mimi on the cheek. "Mm-hmm."

When our stop came close, I packed up the camera, then sat back down and stared out the window. Roger helped Mimi stand up.

Maureen's voice brought me out of my reverie. "Whatcha thinkin' about, Marky?"

"Hm?" I said absently.

"You look all contemplative," she said, grinning.

I shrugged. "Not really. I was just thinking... This has been a pretty good year, hasn't it?"

She tugged the end of my scarf. "Yeah. It has been."

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