(no subject)
Title: Longer Goodbyes
Author: Alex
Feedback: Yes, yes, yes, please! I rarely write Collins and I'd really like to know what people think of the version of him that I write.
Pairing: Collins/Angel
Word Count: 926
Rating: PG
Genre: Angst
Summary: Collins wants a longer goodbye, but Angel isn't promising anything.
Notes: ...Don't have any, nope.
Special Thanks: To Aubrey, because I totally stole her Benny for the end, and because she got me into this. And to Evie and Beth, who's Mark and Mimi gave me the start of the story.
Spoilers: If you don't know who the I'll Cover You Reprise is for, DON'T READ.
Warnings: Death. And Collins-breaking, some people don't like that.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters whatsoever.
"Hey, chica." Mimi grinned and kissed Angel's forehead, squeezing her hand gently.
"Good to see you, Meemsa," Angel said with a smile. She loved Mimi's visits -- right now, Mimi was the only one who didn't seem to fake her smiles the minute she walked through the door into the hospital room.
Of course, Mimi didn't come alone today. Mark hovered in the doorway, holding awkwardly onto his camera. Angel considered beckoning him closer, before following his gaze to where Collins sat curled up in a chair in the corner. He'd come as soon as visiting hours started and fallen asleep about an hour after showing up. My poor Tom, she thought, closing her eyes. He looked as if he hadn't slept in a week when he walked in that morning, and, if what Roger told her was true, he hadn't.
There was a soft groan, and Angel opened her eyes. Collins was waking up. She looked up at Mark, who met her eyes and nodded, taking Mimi gently by the arm.
"Come on, Meems. Let's get out of here," he said quietly. Angel closed her eyes and listened.
"But we just go-" Mimi's protest was cut off quickly. "Oh, oh, okay. Let's go get a soda or something. I can't figure out how."
There was a friendly sarcasm coloring Mark's words. "You just put the coins in that big machine that says Coke on it, press the buttons for what you want, and wait for your refreshing caffeine boost of choice."
"Oh, so that's how that thing works!" Mimi replied cheerfully, and their voices grew too faint to hear as the doors closed behind them. It was only moments before Angel felt Collins' hand on her arm.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.
"Not too bad." Angel opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "Maybe even well enough to get out of here soon."
It was obviously the wrong thing to say -- Collins' shoulders tensed up completely, and Angel mentally kicked herself.
"Sorry, baby."
"Don't apologize." With a heavy sigh, he sat down in the chair next to her bed, running his thumb over her arm.
Angel struggled to sit up a little, and actually managed it. Gently, she took his hand in both of hers. "Baby, I'm gonna be gone soon. You know that, right?"
Collins shook his head, desperately squeezing her hand. "No... No, Angel, Angel you can hold on... I know you can..."
"Tom," she said softly, and he looked away.
"How long do you think?" he asked after a long silence, and from the tone of his voice, she knew he was trying not to cry.
"A couple of days at least.... a week at the most." She tightened her grip on his hand and could feel the shudder that ran through his body. "I wish it was longer, but..."
"I'm sorry you have to go through this," he mumbled, looking at the sheets.
"I'm not," she started gently, but he cut her off.
"I know." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Forget regret, right?" he asked, bitterness tainting the words
"At least try?" She held her breath and locked her gaze onto his.
He nodded, and slowly, she let out her breath.
"Come here... give me a kiss," she whispered.
He looked like he was about to cry, but he did. It was long, and sweet, and it was final. And it broke both their hearts a little more.
When he pulled back, the door opened, at just the right moment that meant whoever was on the other side had been waiting. Mark stood there, fiddling with his camera again.
"Collins, man... visiting hours are almost up..."
Collins looked like he was about to protest, but Angel shook her head. He sighed, kissed her forehead one more time, and stood up.
Mimi pushed past Mark and barreled over to the bed, enveloping Angel in a tight but careful hug.
Angel smiled slightly. "Be good, okay, Meems?"
"You know it." Mimi smiled back at her and backed away a few steps. "All right, we oughta go, right Mark?"
Mark sighed. "Yeah, Meems." He stepped back to let her out and turned to follow her, but paused and looked over his shoulder. "Collins... you coming?"
Collins nodded, squeezing Angel's hand. "Yeah. In a second." He looked back down and brought Angel's hand to his lips for a moment. "I'll be back tomorrow," he said softly. "Promise to hold on till then?"
She closed her eyes and nodded. "I can hold on till then."
Frowning slightly and wishing she had promised, he kissed her hand and left.
Angel Dummont Schunard died that night in her sleep.
***
"Tom?"
Collins didn't look up from the floor where he sat, sprawled on the floor of the hallway in front of what was Angel's room. "Yeah?"
Benny knelt down and touched his best friend's arm. "You okay, man?"
Collins shook his head and continued staring at the floor.
"You wanna talk about it?" Benny asked gently.
Finally, Collins looked up, and the only time Benny could remember him looking that lost and hopeless was when he got his test results back. "She said she could hold on till I got back, Ben," he whispered, and started crying. "I should've known why she didn't promise."
Even though Benny hugged him, even though he was saying it was going to be okay, and even though Collins had always believed his friend when he said that, since the pair was six, he didn't believe him this time.
Author: Alex
Feedback: Yes, yes, yes, please! I rarely write Collins and I'd really like to know what people think of the version of him that I write.
Pairing: Collins/Angel
Word Count: 926
Rating: PG
Genre: Angst
Summary: Collins wants a longer goodbye, but Angel isn't promising anything.
Notes: ...Don't have any, nope.
Special Thanks: To Aubrey, because I totally stole her Benny for the end, and because she got me into this. And to Evie and Beth, who's Mark and Mimi gave me the start of the story.
Spoilers: If you don't know who the I'll Cover You Reprise is for, DON'T READ.
Warnings: Death. And Collins-breaking, some people don't like that.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters whatsoever.
"Hey, chica." Mimi grinned and kissed Angel's forehead, squeezing her hand gently.
"Good to see you, Meemsa," Angel said with a smile. She loved Mimi's visits -- right now, Mimi was the only one who didn't seem to fake her smiles the minute she walked through the door into the hospital room.
Of course, Mimi didn't come alone today. Mark hovered in the doorway, holding awkwardly onto his camera. Angel considered beckoning him closer, before following his gaze to where Collins sat curled up in a chair in the corner. He'd come as soon as visiting hours started and fallen asleep about an hour after showing up. My poor Tom, she thought, closing her eyes. He looked as if he hadn't slept in a week when he walked in that morning, and, if what Roger told her was true, he hadn't.
There was a soft groan, and Angel opened her eyes. Collins was waking up. She looked up at Mark, who met her eyes and nodded, taking Mimi gently by the arm.
"Come on, Meems. Let's get out of here," he said quietly. Angel closed her eyes and listened.
"But we just go-" Mimi's protest was cut off quickly. "Oh, oh, okay. Let's go get a soda or something. I can't figure out how."
There was a friendly sarcasm coloring Mark's words. "You just put the coins in that big machine that says Coke on it, press the buttons for what you want, and wait for your refreshing caffeine boost of choice."
"Oh, so that's how that thing works!" Mimi replied cheerfully, and their voices grew too faint to hear as the doors closed behind them. It was only moments before Angel felt Collins' hand on her arm.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly.
"Not too bad." Angel opened her eyes and smiled weakly. "Maybe even well enough to get out of here soon."
It was obviously the wrong thing to say -- Collins' shoulders tensed up completely, and Angel mentally kicked herself.
"Sorry, baby."
"Don't apologize." With a heavy sigh, he sat down in the chair next to her bed, running his thumb over her arm.
Angel struggled to sit up a little, and actually managed it. Gently, she took his hand in both of hers. "Baby, I'm gonna be gone soon. You know that, right?"
Collins shook his head, desperately squeezing her hand. "No... No, Angel, Angel you can hold on... I know you can..."
"Tom," she said softly, and he looked away.
"How long do you think?" he asked after a long silence, and from the tone of his voice, she knew he was trying not to cry.
"A couple of days at least.... a week at the most." She tightened her grip on his hand and could feel the shudder that ran through his body. "I wish it was longer, but..."
"I'm sorry you have to go through this," he mumbled, looking at the sheets.
"I'm not," she started gently, but he cut her off.
"I know." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Forget regret, right?" he asked, bitterness tainting the words
"At least try?" She held her breath and locked her gaze onto his.
He nodded, and slowly, she let out her breath.
"Come here... give me a kiss," she whispered.
He looked like he was about to cry, but he did. It was long, and sweet, and it was final. And it broke both their hearts a little more.
When he pulled back, the door opened, at just the right moment that meant whoever was on the other side had been waiting. Mark stood there, fiddling with his camera again.
"Collins, man... visiting hours are almost up..."
Collins looked like he was about to protest, but Angel shook her head. He sighed, kissed her forehead one more time, and stood up.
Mimi pushed past Mark and barreled over to the bed, enveloping Angel in a tight but careful hug.
Angel smiled slightly. "Be good, okay, Meems?"
"You know it." Mimi smiled back at her and backed away a few steps. "All right, we oughta go, right Mark?"
Mark sighed. "Yeah, Meems." He stepped back to let her out and turned to follow her, but paused and looked over his shoulder. "Collins... you coming?"
Collins nodded, squeezing Angel's hand. "Yeah. In a second." He looked back down and brought Angel's hand to his lips for a moment. "I'll be back tomorrow," he said softly. "Promise to hold on till then?"
She closed her eyes and nodded. "I can hold on till then."
Frowning slightly and wishing she had promised, he kissed her hand and left.
Angel Dummont Schunard died that night in her sleep.
***
"Tom?"
Collins didn't look up from the floor where he sat, sprawled on the floor of the hallway in front of what was Angel's room. "Yeah?"
Benny knelt down and touched his best friend's arm. "You okay, man?"
Collins shook his head and continued staring at the floor.
"You wanna talk about it?" Benny asked gently.
Finally, Collins looked up, and the only time Benny could remember him looking that lost and hopeless was when he got his test results back. "She said she could hold on till I got back, Ben," he whispered, and started crying. "I should've known why she didn't promise."
Even though Benny hugged him, even though he was saying it was going to be okay, and even though Collins had always believed his friend when he said that, since the pair was six, he didn't believe him this time.