A/N: Well, I'm back again! So, as I promised in the last chapter, this chapter is dedicated to LiveLoveRENT because she loves Roger/Mimi and tells me often. So here you are! I told you I would dedicate it to you:D I appreciate all the reviews guys!
Disclaimer: I don't own Roger Davis which also means I have no rights to Rent.
I'm Ready For My Close Up!
Randomness With Mimi Marquez: The Kiddy Carnival
I'm sure someone is wondering what happened when Mimi and I went to that Kiddy Carnival after she had jerked me out of my emo/depressed mood. Well let me tell you, it was certainly special. We were probably the second oldest people there (there was an elderly couple escorting their grandkids that were of course older than us) because the entire population was between the ages of 6-13 and most were unaccompanied by adults. This seemed to make no one nervous.
And we did what most normal people would do… we rode on the rides, made out a little, got cotton candy, made out a little more, and spent most of Mimi's pay on disgusting corndogs. We didn't make out after this… just in case you were wondering. They were REALLY disgusting. Other than that though, itt really was a spectacular evening.
(Flashback!)
"Are you sure Mark didn't want to come?" Mimi asked and Roger nodded in affirmative. She seemed to grin craftily at this and snuggled a little more in the crook of Roger's arm that was draped around her shoulders. "Well I'm glad." Roger laughed a little but the depression was still hanging over him. Mimi noticed and quickly tried to make it right.
"So what do we do?" Roger asked nervously as he surveyed the rides with little interest. Mimi sighed exaggeratedly and whirled around to face Roger.
"Are you kidding? When you go to one of these things you're ALWAYS supposed to go on the most dangerous roller coaster!" Mimi explained with mock seriousness. Roger decided to play along for her sake and pretended to be enlightened.
"Oh yeah… duh," he replied with a sarcastic eye roll. This made Mimi giggle at least. "How about that one then?" Roger asked and pointed to a rickety old purple tracked roller coaster with bright green oddly shaped cars, still acting like this was important. The coaster looked like it could fall apart at any moment and several patches of the framework were clumped with rust. It was truly a hideous looking metal deathtrap but it made Mimi squeal in delight.
"That's perfect!" she cried and began to drag Roger toward it, much to his surprise and fear.
"You mean you were serious?" Roger yelped and eyed the thing with distasted. "We could die on that thing!" he protested and Mimi laughed yet again (and not for the last time that night either).
"Oh come on you big baby," Mimi teased and continued to try and drag Roger over. Unfortunately, Roger weighed more than her and he was now putting all of his weight into his heels, balking at the sight of the ride.
"No, Mimi… seriously," Roger exclaimed with fear becoming truly evident in his voice. "This is madness." Normally, Mimi might have had sympathy for her boyfriend and would have left him alone if she hadn't noticed that in his terror he had forgotten his depression. This gave her no choice but to continue with what she was doing.
"I promise that I won't let the roller coaster hurt you," Mimi joked and tugged as hard as she could on Roger's sleeve. "You only live once you know!" she cried in an attempt to guilt him into going into it for her. It worked.
"Fine," Roger sighed and now allowed himself to fall in step with Mimi but still he glared at her. "But if my life ends up being even SHORTER than it's supposed to be because of this I will so never talk to you in the afterlife." Mimi winked at him and gave him an endearing smile.
"I bet you would," she disagreed and Roger rolled his eyes behind her back.
"You're obnoxious," he muttered but the light tone was still in his voice.
"You're a crybaby," Mimi countered and Roger decided not to push it anymore. In fact, they had been so immersed in their silly banter that they hardly noticed that there was a young man ushering them into a car.
Roger uttered an oath as he found himself squashed into the seat next to Mimi with his elbows jutting painfully into the sides of the plastic car.
"It'll be fun," Mimi whispered to Roger in his ear and for a moment he truly believed her and relaxed. But Mimi's spell was broken as soon as the car began to move forward on the perilous track. Roger could literally FEEL the cart groan with the strain of lugging them both up the steep hill the track made. He opted for a stunned silence rather than a stream of profanities for the sake of the children in the cart behind them.
This, of course, all changed once the ride began to pick up speed and reached the top of the hill. Then, Roger couldn't help but let out a little yelp as the car zoomed down and the clanking of wheels against metal filled the silence. Mimi, naturally, was laughing insanely and gripping onto Roger's shoulder with an iron grip. Roger thought it was because she was afraid he would try and jump off in an attempt to save his own skin.
Which had never actually crossed his mind of course.
Once they had reached the bottom of the hill the cart was approaching a turn and Roger was relieved since he thought that meant that car was going to have to slow down in order to make it. Imagine how his heart plunged when they got closer and closer to the turn and the cart seemed to have no intention of either slowing down OR turning.
As the thoughts of the cart flying off the track filled Roger's mind he suddenly came to terms with the fact that he was going to die on this coaster. Almost as if it were instinct Roger reached over and clutched Mimi's waist, pulling her closer. Mimi tried her best not to laugh and instead felt incredibly touched that he had some sort of need to protect her. But she had been on this ride before and knew exactly what would happen.
Roger screwed his eyes shut and wondered why no one was screaming yet since it was obvious they were going to fall off the side of the track. Imagine his surprise when the cart made an entirely safe and sharp turn at the last possible second instead of flying right into the sky and into the crowd.
"What?" he shouted and Mimi couldn't help but giggle a little.
"It's part of the ride!" she called but her voice seemed quiet against the wind that was picking up as the ride continued to speed up. Roger scowled a little but didn't remove his arms from Mimi's waist. He still didn't trust this thing.
Five minutes later, the two were stumbling away from the bright green roller coaster and were making their way to some benches about fifty feet from the coaster.
"I am so going to kill you for that," Roger mumbled as he tried to catch his breath and regain the stiffness in his legs. Right now his kneecaps were trembling traitorously and he would be utterly distraught if Mimi noticed this.
"But it was kind of fun right?" Mimi asked, pretending not to notice Roger's poor attempts at hiding his weak legs. Roger just shot her a glare but squeezed her hand in assurance. He wasn't really angry with her and Mimi was glad to know that she really didn't push him too far.
"It was okay," Roger mumbled, "Once I realized that we weren't going to die." Mimi stifled a chuckle and decided to go easy on Roger.
"Well for being such a good boy about it you can pick the next ride," Mimi compromised and Roger seemed somewhat satisfied with this. However, she noticed that he had a strange look on his face and recognized it with a heavy sigh. "Yes, we can get something to eat first."
"Thank god!"
(End flashback)
That roller coaster was scary! I do have to admit though that it was a little exciting… once we got past all the near death experiences. Mimi actually tried to get me to go on it again but she must have been crazy if she thought I would fall for the 'you only live once' thing again. I had already tried that ride and I wasn't going to have a repeat experience, thank you.
I don't know why but I've always been afraid of roller coasters. I think it might be because they are too unpredictable. I hate it when something is hard to predict. But I love Mimi so I'm not sure how that really works since she's one of the most unpredictable people I know besides Maureen. But in a good way… it's exciting instead of scary. Being with Mimi I mean.
Well I realized something important that night at the fair… something that I could use against Mimi for the rest of our lives. She's afraid of heights.
(Flashback)
"Cotton candy isn't exactly a meal Roger," Mimi informed her boyfriend for the third time that evening. Roger just rolled his eyes at her and took another wad of the sticky fluff off the incredibly high mound.
"You only live once," he reminded and Mimi scowled at him darkly.
"Don't you dare use my logic against me Mr. Davis," Mimi demanded but Roger could tell that she was going to let the matter rest. Besides, she was taking just as much of the sugary sweetness as he was. Hypocrite.
"So what next?" Roger asked through a mouthful of pink.
"You're supposed to pick, remember?" Mimi said with an exasperated sigh. She was just mad because Roger had actually won an argument that night and he took this with great pride.
"Oh yeah," Roger murmured thoughtfully and allowed his eyes to roam around the park. There was a Tilt-O-Whirl that looked a little too tilty for Roger's taste and a Haunted House that seemed to be made of nothing more than crepe paper and cardboard monsters. Frustrated, Roger kept on looking through his options but began to feel too limited when he noticed that there weren't even bumper cars available.
The he saw the Ferris Wheel and a smile tugged at his lips.
"Let's do the Ferris Wheel," Roger insisted and began to walk pointedly towards the towering ride and didn't notice how Mimi paled and hesitated.
"Are you sure you want to go on that ride Roger?" she asked hopefully. Her hopes were destroyed when Roger nodded passionately.
"It's my favorite ride… that's what you wanted me to pick right?" Roger asked, a little impatient. Now that he knew there was a Ferris Wheel he wanted to get there as soon as possible.
"It's so high though," Mimi protested and pursed her lips. "I don't think it's safe." Roger raised his eyebrows suspiciously and Mimi quickly covered up for herself. "I know how you're afraid of these rides… they really aren't well put together at all." Roger laughed shortly and tugged on Mimi's coat sleeve.
"It's no more dangerous than that roller coaster… now come on!" Roger demanded. Mimi didn't want to appear as weak as Roger had been so she followed quietly though the dread was growing in the pit of her stomach.
The going was rough because of the huge crowds but eventually the two reached the Ferris Wheel and were standing in the short line to get on. Roger never noticed how Mimi squirmed uncomfortably next to him or how she stared up at the ride in growing terror. Eventually, a seat was available and the control person motioned for Roger and Mimi to get on. He looked rather cranky so Roger pulled Mimi along rather quickly and hastily helped her into the seat before pulling the safety bar down around them.
Then the ride was going and Mimi was trembling. This time Roger noticed and looked down at her in concern.
"Are you cold?" he asked, thinking of their weak immune systems. Mimi shook her head though faintly and stared down at the ground with wide eyes. Then Roger knew what was going on. "You're afraid of heights!"
"Lots of people are," Mimi dismissed offhandedly. Roger chuckled and pulled Mimi into himself, protecting her from whatever she might be afraid of.
"You do know that I could tease you forever about this right?" Roger asked and he could feel Mimi nod against his shoulder but said nothing. "You're really scared aren't you?" Mimi looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes widened in terror.
"N-no…" Mimi stuttered unconvincingly. Roger sighed and rubbed her shoulder soothingly, letting her know that he was there for her. Or maybe it was to tell her not to try and make a dive out the side like he had considered doing on the roller coaster. This movement made the cart shift noticeably.
"Don't shake it Roger!" Mimi screeched and gripped the sides of the seat in a death grip. Roger held as still as possible and eyed Mimi warily.
"You really need to relax," he noted helpfully. Mimi just shot him a look.
"Sorry for not wanting to plunge to our death!" she snapped and gave him a good hearty glare. Just then, the ride came to a sudden halt at the very top of the Wheel, causing new shrieks to come from Mimi's mouth.
"They're just letting someone else on!" Roger cried in exasperation. "Honestly!"
"So you're a tough guy now?" Mimi asked scathingly, becoming rather insensitive in her panic. Roger just rolled his eyes and turned a little to face her, ignoring Mimi's indignant cries.
"Have you never gone on one of these?" Roger asked. Mimi cocked an eyebrow at him but shook her head.
"Do you think I've ever allowed myself on something this high?" Mimi paused as she thought about something and quickly edited her statement. "Except for maybe the fire escape outside my apartment. Once or twice and it's not nearly this high up." Roger grinned and raised his eyebrows.
"So then you obviously don't know what couples do on these things do you?" he whispered somewhat seductively and Mimi felt her pulse quicken ever so slightly.
"Why you have to ask an idiotic question I've no idea…" Mimi began but was cut off by Roger's lips embracing hers in a lovely kiss. She was happy for the distraction and the affection and eagerly returned the kiss, now realizing what she had been missing. Neither of them noticed when the ride started up again or when they passed the cranky control man before starting up again. By this time Mimi had her arms wrapped around Roger's neck and his hands were grasping at her waist and hair frantically.
Unfortunately (or maybe not) whenever Roger tried to pull away for air Mimi just pulled him back again roughly. He had taken to taking huge breaths whenever he was allowed a brief moment to breath before continuing on with the make out session. How Mimi made it through he had no idea.
"I'm sorry I've been such a jerk lately," Roger managed to gasp out between kisses. Mimi only responded by making the kiss deeper… something Roger was hardly objecting to.
Suddenly they realized that they were stopped and hadn't moved again in quiet a while. They broke apart unceremoniously and saw that the cranky man was glaring at them pointedly, clearly telling them that they needed to get the hell out of the seat. Mimi glanced at Roger and then grinned craftily.
"We'd like to go again," Mimi said and held out the proper amount of tickets out to the man. Obviously, the control man had no objection to this and sent them up again for another round, pretending not to notice when the couple immediately went at it again.
(End flashback)
Yeah… I really love Ferris Wheels. Especially when you ride one with Mimi… she gets all vulnerable and cute and a little desperate too. Not that she objects to making out normally but I don't think she'd ever been that intense about it before. It was then when I was riding it with her that I realized how little I had thought about my mother or my own death. It was something I will always be eternally grateful to Mimi for.
Anyway, the evening went a long splendidly. I didn't get Mimi to go up the Ferris Wheel for a third time but that didn't stop us from expressing our affection on other rides. This included the stupid Haunted House and a Tunnel of Love.
It was probably the most blissful night of my life.
(Flashback)
"Those corndogs were so gross," Mimi giggled as she tossed her napkin and stick into a trashcan. Her arm was draped around Roger's back and Roger's own arm was stuck to her waist.
"Agreed." Roger too threw away his greasy napkins and grinned. "They tasted pretty good though." Mimi nodded and a wide smile flitted across her face.
"As much as it saddens me to admit it, they were pretty good," she agreed as the two wandered aimlessly around the park taking in the sights. "I can't believe that we spent two week's worth of my money on the food here." Roger looked rather guilty at this.
"I told you I would pay with what I had…" he protested but Mimi silenced him quickly.
"No way, you need that for your medication!" she disagreed and glared up at him. Damn him for being so tall! "I have a job, I can survive." Roger still looked uncomfortable but decided not to continue the conversation or else it could turn out to be a major argument.
"It's getting late," Roger noted and looked around the park. "They'll be closing soon won't they?" Mimi nodded and sighed.
"This was so much fun," Mimi murmured and sadly looked around at the glittering neon lights. Roger also looked saddened at the prospect of leaving the park.
"I wish we had more time…" Roger trailed off sadly and Mimi knew he wasn't talking about the fair. She repressed the sigh forming in her throat and she slipped her arm off his back and instead laced her fingers through his.
"Hey," she said and stopped, making him look down at her. "We've still got time." Roger smiled at her and nodded slowly.
"Sorry," he apologized and Mimi waved it away.
"I know you can't help but be morbid. I'm used to it." Roger liked the teasing tone in her voice and they continued walking towards the streets.
The dirt and grime covering the apartment buildings and pavement contrasted so sharply with the brightness of the fair that Roger nearly forgot where he was. It was like leaving some alternate reality and entering into the real world again. It was a rather depressing and overwhelming feeling. And suddenly, for some reason through the bleakness of the atmosphere, Roger felt another great surge of love for Mimi and felt the need to flirt.
"What do you say we go to your apartment tonight?" Roger asked and wagged his eyebrows at Mimi. "You know how light of a sleeper Mark is." Mimi grinned and tightened her grip on Roger's hand.
"We better hurry then," she laughed and she began to run, dragging Roger along behind her. This time though he was far from unwilling and began to run along side of her. Their warm breath came in puffs as the hot air contrasted with the cold and still they ran, ignoring and avoiding the patches of ice and slushy snow.
For a night they were free of fear and regret and were free simply to love.
A/N: I know I usually close with some final thoughts from Roger but I thought this was a better way to end it. I don't know if it really matters though. Anyway, there you are LiveLoveRENT. I hope you liked it. And please, all of you who read this story, review!!