I won't tell 'em your name |tag: MIMI! FINISHED

[ROGER DAVIS]

scars are souvenirs you never lose
the past is never far
did you lose yourself out there?
did you get to be a star?
and don't it make you sad to know that life is more
more than who we are
you grew up way too fast
now there's nothing to believe
and reruns all become our history
a tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
and i won't tell noone your name.

Sometimes, if the weather was nice and the mood struck, he played in central park. Sure, it was alot different from Tompkins Square, but it offered more chances at money. Roger found that people (mainly tourists) loved to hear live music. Even though busking was slightly on the illegial side, Roger still did it, because like it or not, there were things that needed to be paid. Sure, he didn't have thousands of bills (being almost dirt poor brought that luxury) but he had to pay for Mimi and his AZT supply for the month, and the shit kept getting more expensive as the days ticked by. Maybe that was their plan, Roger thought silently. They hiked up the prices of the medicine that was helping to keep them alive because...what? Because they deserved it? He wasn't sure. People looked at the HIV+ of New York with a sort of air of distrust. Discomfort. Some people would pity them. Oh, Child, they'd say, their foreheads wrinkled in concern, eyebrows drawn together and a frown on their faces. Oh, you poor, poor child. You're just a baby. Others would turn their noses up. Fucking drug addicts, fucking whores and prostitutes and faggots; they deserved what happened to them. They deserve every little thing that happened to them. Mainly, it was the jesus freaks that stood in the middle of Times Square, preaching that the end was nigh. God will come down and smite the heathens. Right, Roger thought with something of a smirk. God wouldn't come down in the middle of New York City. He'd get his ass kicked.

Plucking out on the strings of his guitar, Roger watched as a woman came up, dropping a few coins into his guitar case. A smile spread on his face, though he wondered as the well-dressed woman walked away, if that was her change from the grande latte that she just had to have before her weekly board meeting. Or the change from that english scone that was just to die for and way too expensive. He remembered when April had been alive, she used to sit down next to him in Tompkins Square, bobbing her head along with the music and sucking down the cigarette, telling everyone that came up that her boyfriend, Roger Davis was going to be the next Bob Dylan. Roger would scrunch his brows up, making a disgusted face and tell her that Bob Dylan looked like a troll. She'd move, press her lips against his cheek, and told him he didn't look like a troll. He looked like her super hot boyfriend, and he'd be better than Bob Dylan. He'd be better than everyone. He did miss April, sometimes. Mainly it was in the middle of the night, or around the month of April itself. He'd never say it to Mimi, of course.

Mimi had been asleep when he slipped out; he had kissed her on the forehead and told her he was going out. He'd see her after she got home from work. She had fallen back asleep as quickly as she had woke up, and Roger had simply stared. There had been so many things that had gone on; he had gotten back and for the moment, it seemed like they were alright. He had wondered when it would end, at least in the back of his mind where his self-loathing hid. Sooner or later, it would tell him, it was gonna end. He was going to run away, or she was going to leave, and he'd be alone again. It wasn't worth it, his mind tauntingly told him. It wasn't worth it in the end to have his heart broken again. But it was the times that she made him happy that outweighed the fear he had. It was the times when she made him smile the most, the way she called him chico and the way she spoke Spanish when she was angry, calling him all sorts of things that he really didn't need a translator for. It was the times when she came home after a long shift at the Cat Scratch Club, tired and aching and said that the only thing she had been thinking about all day was him. The jealousy would subside, and they'd get lost in a sea of sheets and arms and legs.

He continued to pluck on the guitar, singing almost idly as he watched the people around him. He figured he wouldn't see Mimi down in Central Park, seeing as she was still working, but it didn't stop him from turning his head every time he saw brown hair and a short skirt covering mocha skin. His brain was obsessed with her, and he wouldn't have it any other way.[/size]

[cuervo]

(OOC - I have been between writing in third and first person. I honestly don't know the best way to write Mimi yet, so I'll be experimenting for a while as I get used to her. Let me know how you feel.)

Beats of music...shadows...the halo of white crowning unruly coils of hair of the lioness as she danced. Her body was like the motion of an ocean wave as it crashed across the stage. Mimi's legs and arms draped elegantly along the bars, the cool metal against her warm skin sending her a pleasant tingling sensation as she belted out her final song. Ribbons of blue light created patterns against her face, her expression twisted into one of seduction as her passionate voice whispered and rasped directly to the audience.

Only on the surface was she alive. Behind appearance, there was always truth. And Mimi's truth for this day was that she felt exhausted, and for those long hours she had been performing, the one thought that had stained her thoughts and propelled her to keep moving was the very image of Roger Davis. His low, soothing voice and his touch that invaded her senses - how his large embrace would envelop her tiny figure and render her powerless. He would either tackle or tickle her, and she would become utterly vulnerable. But she trusted him. He always took care of her. There was no reason to put up her defenses around him.

The crowd roared, the marvelous sound filling the entire club. Mimi smirked and purred to the audience a final time before collecting her funds and sliding backstage. $120. A fair take - not amazing but still good. She could buy a sweater with that, or perhaps a gram or two for a piece of precious heaven.

But, she was cutting down for now. Roger was here. Roger needed her. Mimi needed Roger. Roger.

That's right, I've got somewhere to be today,she thought happily to herself. She had a lover she could surprise, and surprise him she would. He would either be waiting up for her at home and if not, out and about...but never too far.

The weather outside was suprisingly pleasant, the young woman noted as she stepped outside for the first time since early in the morning. Her signature leapord-print boots clicked against the pavement as she walked, her big eyes soaking in the daylight sights around her. Yes, she could take a stroll through the park maybe. Sometimes Roger liked to play there to the tourists and other gatherers.

Sure enough, as Mimi walked down the beautiful path guarded by winding trees on either side, she looked ahead and spotted a figure towering over most of the people around, stringing a guitar. His spiked blonde hair was usually most noticable from far.

Mimi grinned and decided to take a less obvious route so she could better plan her attack. She easily hid in the crowds of people and maneuvered herself behind Roger without him noticing.

When she was finally in a good position behind him, she covered his eyes with one hand. Before he could even react, she expertly slipped her hand behind the waistband of his jeans, and slipped a twenty dollar bill against his lower back. A playful gesture.

Mimi then brought her lips close by his ear and said, "I need you more than I need it."

It was a bit cheesy, but it would allow him to know just how much she wanted him. It would show him that he was on her mind. He mattered more to her than money, than dancing, even smack. Roger truly did.

[ROGER DAVIS]

It was easy for Roger to get lost in the music. It flowed and twisted, spreading around and inside of him until he felt at complete peace. Unfortunitely, this also meant that Roger hardly payed attention. Roger felt hands slip, one to his eyes and the other to his hips, and he turned his head slightly, feeling lips by his ear. He felt his body stiffen slightly, not of surprise or fear, but pure lust. Mimi could make every fibre of his being tense up at a word. "You know, I'd be careful if I were you on where you put your hands, mamacita. I've got a super hot girlfriend that's a hell kitten when she's mad."

The warmth of her breath, the feeling of the money pressed against his back, all of it made Roger smile and stop strumming, leaning back against her with a slight smile. "I missed you." he felt himself murmur, moving his head slightly so that her lips brushed against his cheek. He turned in her arms, brushing his lips across hers for a moment, the smirk not able to leave his lips for anything. Pulling the dollar from the waistband of his pants, he tucked it in the waistband of her skirt as his lips moved to hers, hands moving to her hips. "I love you." he murmured against her lips before pulling back. He looped his arms loosely around her thin frame, pulling her hips against his as he swayed slightly with her. "I wrote a new song today while you were gone."

It was then that Roger's mind instantly reminded him of what he could have bought with that twenty bucks in the past, and it made his head dip slightly before he lifted it. "So, how was your day, baby?" Roger asked, and then paused, lifting a finger. "But I don't wanna hear about how many guys were there. Or what you did. Or what you wore." He paused, knowing that with all those rules, she wouldn't be able to tell him much of anything besides the fact that she walked into the Club.

"Nevermind. The last thing I need to hear is to hear how many dicks you made hard tonight while you were dancing." Roger replied with a shake of his head. "C'mon, let's go get something to eat. Y'know, this really hot girl in awesome leapard boots came by and just gave me twenty bucks 'cause I sang her a song. Isn't that nice of her? I think she was flirting with me a little. Well, she was flirting with me alot. I think she wanted to fuck me, can you imagine? I tried to tell her my heart belonged to someone else, but she simply wouldn't have any of it. I think you should watch out for this girl." Roger teased with a smirk, pressing a kiss to the side of her head before he smacked her lightly on the butt. "C'mon. Food."

[cuervo]

On second thought, it seemed an awful cruel joke to tease Roger with the twenty dollar bill in relation to his past struggles that they were both aware of...But he embraced her warmly as he usually did, and in turn Mimi melted into the cradle of his arms, reveling in relief.

"I missed you too," she replied, the sound of her chuckle becoming muffled as Roger pressed his lips to hers. Mimi wrapped her arms around his shoulders and returned the gesture with equal fervor.

"I'd love to hear that new song."

Roger then asked her about her day, but quickly shifted gears from genuine interest to genuine disgust. In the pit of the young woman's stomach, knots twisted and tightened as a result of an odd sensation of guilt. Before, no one person had ever forced her to experience that sting of shame regarding her job at the Cat Scratch, until the day she met Roger. Of course she couldn't be in his presense all the live long day, while the both of them had their passions to pursue and their daily dues to go about - but it was never simple to come home to him with the knowledge of his disapproval.

Mimi sighed and poked Roger's somatch playfully. "It'd still be nice if you pretended you were interested."

But Mimi didn't feel too jaded, and as Roger changed the subject, she thought it best to go along with his speed. The last thing she wanted this moment was a tired arguement, where the same song would be sung like that of a broken record on either end.

Now it was this boy's turn to tease. She rolled her eyes but grinned to indicate her amusement.

"I'm sure now that I'm here to save the day, she'll get the message." Mimi took his hand.

"Where to? I feel like Japanese today..." she said nonchalantly as she walked with him.

[ROGER DAVIS]

It'd be nice if you pretended you were interested.

"It's not that I'm not interested, baby." Roger replied honestly, wrapping his arm around her waist as they walked. "And before you even say it or think it, it's not that I don't like what you do. I just--I don't like thinking that guys go home and jerk off thinking of you. Or go home and fuck their wives, thinking of you." Roger explained, knowing that he probably sounded jealous, but it was true. He was jealous. "However, since I don't want to make all of this sound horrible, there are upsides to your job.."

When she spoke of saving the day, Roger arched an eyebrow. "Oh really? Y'know, I don't know." Roger told her honestly, shaking his head slightly as he clicked his tongue. "I mean, she was wicked hot. Awesome ass, too. Hard to live up too. She moved awesome, too. I'm not a betting man, but I bet you she'd make me straight up come in my pants with her lapdances." A smirk crossed Roger's face, and he pressed his lips to her ear for a brief second. "She sorta turned me on, too."

Pulling back, he heard her talk about Japanese. "Ehh, I don't know, baby. Last time we ate Japanese I got sick to my stomach. How about pizza?" Roger asked, moving in front of her to take her hands as he walked backwards. "I have an idea." Roger told her, watching her. "You. Me. Candlelight and a bottle of cheap wine. Hey, we can even get cheap spaghetti and make a night of it. C'mon, baby. We havn't had a romantic night-in in a long time." He paused, and then added. "Well, I mean like, last night we did. And...the night before..." He paused and smirked. "C'mon. You and me, makin' a night of it." Roger moved closer to her, holding one of her hands up in almost an impromptu dance though there was no music around while the other snaked around her waist.

[cuervo]

All right, so Roger said he was interested. Mimi sighed to herself for using an innaccruate choice of words that had bordered accusatory. Of course she couldn't understand what it was like to be him - sit at him either by himself or with Mark, writing new songs or playing around New York. Despite her efforts to open him up a little more to social gatherings and celebratory events, Roger still was a bit of a loner. That carefree fun loving side of him existed and she had knowledge of this, but sometimes it did take a bit of soothing to coax it out. He certainly had no idea what it was like to dance beneath a spotlight and cater to a hungry audience night after night. At times it was exhilirating and empowering but at other times it was exhausting and bearable at best.

She chuckled. "This is your roundabout way of flattering me, isn't it? Not exactly creative, but you still get points for being cute."

And yes, as Roger concluded to his envious ramble, there were always the perks to her job...free access to clubs and bars all across New York...a reputation...a chance to flaunt her stuff and perform for people.

Mimi shuddered slightly as she felt his lips on her ear, the wetness of the tip of his tongue...

"Oh, I don't know, Roger. I'm thinking if any girl so much as mentioned your thigh, you'd come through your pants..." she shot back teasingly.

Mimi allowed Roger to reject the idea of eating Japanese, as he had a far more romantic idea. The young dancer smirked and entwined her fingers with his, resting a hand upon his shoulder as they swayed as if they were beginning to waltz.

"Hm...I might have to think about it, as you say its just like any other time...anything particularily special in it for me?" she answered in such a way on purpose, batting her eyelashes flirtaciously. Go on, impress me.

[ROGER DAVIS]

Feeling her shutter against him, Roger couldn't help but smirk. The power he held over Mimi sometimes was more intoxicating than any alcoholic drink. More of a high than any drug. The power she held over him was more than anyone had ever held. She spoke, her voice husky and he felt his smile grow slightly. "Guilty as charged. But you know you're the only girl that knows how to really turn me on." Roger replied honestly, feeling them sway to some sort of music that only they could hear.

When she spoke, almost challenging him, Roger leaned in, pulling her closer to him. He continued to sway, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist. At one time, a night could have been made with alcohol and sex with a bump of heroin to seal the night. And he would have been lying if he said that he didn't sometimes think of taking that sweet release, that perfect feeling.

He leaned in, pressing his lips against hers to try to shake the thought from his mind. He broke only slightly from her lips. "We'll eat dinner that we can pretend I made for you. I'll draw you a bath." he pulled her hips against his, swaying slightly. "Then, dessert. Mark has ice cream that I stole from the Loft. But, oh no," Roger said with a grin, moving to run his tongue across where her pulse beat wildly. "We don't have any bowls and I really want ice cream." A breath escaped his lips, warm against the slightly chilly air. It wasn't as cold as it could be, but it wasn't the warmest, either. He could feel the goosebumps rise on his own skin as well as hers. Things were most certainly getting warmer for the two. However, Roger pulled back, grinning almost like an impish child as he released her hand as if they had just been talking about the weather, and not what they were going to do to each other when they got home. "But, you know, if you think it's just like every other time..." Roger let himself trail off, more than sure that the Feline's frustrations were going to be shown from his teasing. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her as if the world was ending, however, the more he teased her, the more it built up inside of her until she exploded and usually grabbed him, taking what she wanted. It was that build up and release that turned Roger on the most.

"...y'know, unless you're not down with that. If it sounds boring."

[cuervo]

Hot breath tingled the skin of Mimi's cheeks as Roger's face drew closer to hers yet again. Oh, silly, sentimental, Roger. God knows what thoughts were running through his head. The Spanish mamacita did have a good idea, though. Perhaps memories of April twinged his heart strings, or the thought of what money could have bought nagged at his conscience, as it did to hers on occasion. Maybe he felt regret for not being able to take her out for a romantic dinner on the town at one of those hot to trot fancy schmancy restaurants crowded with those pretentious long noses and stiff upper lips they both loved to make fun of.

Mimi pouted playfully, then chuckled. "You're not even capable of cooking up some good ol' Kraft Dinner?" An obvious joke.

She left her hips sway correspondingly with the movement of his own body, pressing her pelvic region harder to his but still maintaining that little agonizing gap between their lips as the intensity of her fiery eyes burned into his own deep sea blues. Sultry was how she did it.

The petite young woman allowed her lover to release her hand and pull away from her, raising her eyebrows high. He was trying to lure her into that trap, ball and chain.

"What now - so coy and reserved? Let's run wild, Roger!" she cried suddenly, throwing her arms into the sky.

"Race me...last one to the loft's a hairless Chihuaha!" And with that, Mimi began to run, as fast as her short legs and her sexy leapord print booties could take her.

[ROGER DAVIS]

"They make hairless Chihuaha's?" Roger asked, though his question was unable to be answered as Mimi broke away from him and into a sprint, running through the twists and turns of Central Park. She was fast (though Mimi weighed all of five pounds soaking wet, so it wasn't like she had to carry alot of weight when she ran) though Roger tried to be faster, feeling his legs stretch and burn as he ran. Well, he knew he'd get his work-out for today. He hadn't ran this much in years.

He caught up to her, moving to wrap his arms around her waist quickly to stop her. He moved, lifting her up, cupping his arm under her butt to hold her up. His breath was slightly panting, but the smile was wide on his face.

"Y'can't leave me that easily."

It was the complete and utter truth; Mimi had refused to leave him when he had first seen her, and had refused to leave him when he had tried to escape her in Sante Fe. She had latched herself onto him, stubbornly and feircely, refusing to let go even when he had begged her to. Begged her to leave him, to let him go because it wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth her troubles to try to break him open.

But in the end, Roger knew it had been worth it. Even through the heartache and pain that they had both suffered, it was worth it when he had heard her say she loved him right before she had seemingly died and left him just like April had. He had realised then something that he had been deathly afraid of; saying that he loved her. He had admitted it to her, possibly too late. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Roger felt his smile drop only slightly as he looked into her eyes. His voice dropped slightly to almost a slight whisper.

"I love you, y'know that?"

[cuervo]

A childish giggle escaped Mimi's lips as her petite yet lithe body twisted and turned around the sharp curves and pathways of the gorgeous park, her unruly hair flying out behind her and catching the occasional leaf or twig.

"Sorry!" she cried breathlessly to an elderly man after she brushed him accidentally as she sprinted past. He furrowed his brow at her and grumbled something under his breath, but the elderly woman on his arm smiled, appreciating the joyful air of young love before her.

Despite all her vices, it was easy for the nineteen year old to run as efficiently as a cheetah. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing through her coils, and how weightless her body became as she picked up real speed, boots thumping the pavement below her hard. It was a wonder the heel didn't get caught in a crack, or that Mimi hadn't tumbled to her knees by now.

"Come and get it, Roger!" she teased.

And only mere moments after she said this, she expelled a gasp of surprise as his big strong arms locked around her frame once more. Roger cupped her butt with his palm, supporting her.

Mimi grinned. "But I just did..."

But it hadn't been for long, she had to admit. Oh well - the chase had been fun while it lasted!

Suddenly, the mood became serious, and even more tantalizingly passionate as his blue eyes bore into her brown ones. she gave him a few brief nods.

"I love you too, Roger...I have always..." her eyes twinkled slightly.

[ROGER DAVIS]

Breaths escaped his lips, hitched up and he realised that he needed to quit smoking. Or at least cut down. He'd do it tomarrow, he told himself as he felt Mimi's legs wrap around his waist. He knew people around them were probably staring, watching him with eyebrows lifted. Some were probably scoffing to themselves and turning their noses up. Young, stupid kids, they would probably have said. Then there were others that would have probably dreamed for what Mimi and Roger had. Even with all their heartaches, even with the plain and simple fact that sooner or later, whether the two liked it or not, one of them was going to die. The other wouldn't be far, Roger knew. He was sure that if Mimi died, he'd find a way if he didn't die of heartache first. He heard her say that she had just gotten away from him, and Roger shook his head, lifting her up slightly to adjust her in his arms. "No. No, you can't."

It had been hard for Roger to say that he loved Mimi; not because he didn't love her, but because he was afraid. Afraid to love again. Afraid to give himself to someone so deeply because he was afraid that he'd get hurt. But after he had left for Sante Fe, he realised that he had needed Mimi far more than he'd like to admit. But when he had came back, she had been so sick, so close to leaving him that he knew that if he didn't say it then, he'd probably never get a chance again.

He felt a light smile cross his face as he heard her say that she had always loved him. The thought hit him to tell her that she shouldn't love him as much as she did, because she would get hurt in the end. That she shouldn't have loved him because he'd end up hurting her.

But he loved her too much to hurt her again. "Did you?" Roger asked, watching as her brown eyes sparkled as they always did when she smiled or when the moonlight hit them. He leaned in, pressing his lips lightly against hers. A smile spread on his face, breaking their lips as his eyes closed. "I love you. I love you." he whispered over and over again, peppering her face with kisses before he twirled her around with a laugh until he nearly colided with another person standing on the sidewalk of Central Park.

The laughter couldn't be stopped from Roger's lips as he held onto Mimi tightly, nearly stumbling from the near collision with the stranger. "Sorry! Sorry! Baby--" Roger said, and then his voice dropped down to a whisper, trying to sound stern but the giggles bubbled from his lips. "Baby. You almost ran into him!"

[cuervo]

"Yes...of course" Mimi replied eagerly, nodding her head in affirmation and smiling. How could Roger doubt her? Doubt what they had? It was special, didn't he know? She honestly felt it in her heart, that she had never shared a love like this and never would again. This was forever - today. And this day, just like any other, was an opportunity to live it up.

Mimi giggled as he planted soft kisses all across her face, she made sure to grab his lips every now and then and pull on them gently, teasingly as he twirled her round and round. Suddenly, they collided with another innocent stranger on the sidewalk and Roger began to splurt frantic apologies. Mimi restrained a giddy laugh.

"You knocked that poor lady like a chess piece and you blame me for almost bumping into her? Really now, Roger!" she exclaimed, thumping her finger against his chest.

"You're the one who needs to watch where your going..." Her brown eyes were still twinkling mischeviously, her voice retraining its husky tone.

"Let's go home, I've been dying to be there all day...especially with you..." And with that, Mimi took his hand and began to sprint homebound.

(Sorry for the lack of quality today :/)

[ROGER DAVIS]

Yes, of course.

A breath escaped his lips as the smile spread on his face. Taking her head between his hands as she kissed him. "Y'keep kissin' me like that, we're gonna have problems." Her finger thumped against his chest as she blamed the entire thing on him. Her voice slipped down, husky and low and he felt himself swallow, dipping his head slightly to meet her eyeline. "Why don't you show me."

And soon, they were off, moving faster than their bodies could take them back to their apartment in the industrial building that held no heat and no power, but held more happiness than anyone could ever imagine. The air was colder as they came upon the entrence to the building, and as Roger moved up the stairs, he pulled Mimi close, rubbing his hands along her upper arms to warm him and her up. Fishing into his pockets, he dug for the key and as they came upon the large steel door, he shoved the key in, sliding the large door open. The entire apartment was getting on the colder side, and Roger felt a shiver cross over his body. He crossed the small room to the tiny couch, and flopped down onto it, legs hanging off of the arm as he groaned in almost pure happiness and pleasure as he closed his eyes.

"God, I've been wanting to lay down the entire day." He had been feeling extra tired lately, though he wasn't sure why. He made a mental note to ask the doctor the next time he went to the clinic, and also made a note to not tell Mimi. She didn't need the stress and he didn't need the constant hovering that he knew she would do if she knew. Opening his eyes, he felt himself smirk as he settled his gaze on Mimi.

He had to wonder how he had manage to end up with her. Sure, he had tried hard to push her away, just for his own sanity, and yet, she had still hung on. Why, Roger wasn't sure. For all of the ego-boosting he gave himself, for all of the times he had told women that he was the best thing since sliced bread or the Yankees, his true self esteem was very low at times. It was also very manic; one minute, he could be completely and utterly loving himself, and the next, he could be hating the very skin that he lived in. Maybe everyone was crazy, he told himself as he tucked an arm under his head. Maybe he wasn't crazy, instead, maybe everyone else was insane and he and Mimi and the rest of the Bohos, maybe they were the only sane ones.

But for whatever reason, Mimi loved him. He wanted to ask her why she loved something that could easily turn on her, like some sort of caged wild animal. His mouth held the sweetest of compliments, but Roger knew it held the most violent of curses. He could cut someone down with a word, knowing what to say and when to say it and they'd be on the ground. Mimi had been on the cutting edge of his mouth at times (something that he wished he could take back, because really, she didn't deserve it) but he had remembered sitting in the hospital room after Mimi had been found in the park, after she had died and awoke and he remembered telling her with his hand in hers that he'd try to be better, but he couldn't promise that he wouldn't make her cry. He would try not to; it wasn't what he wanted to do, but it was a protection mechanism that had been set in place because even though the blisters and redness were all gone from the one time he had gotten burned, the scars, though invisible, still remained. They would never go away, no matter how much he wanted to cover them up.

He forced the thoughts from his mind, and crooked a finger in Mimi's direction, a smirk on his face.

"C'mere, baby."

[cuervo]

And they were off again, running, the soles of their shoes (and the heel of Mimi's boots) thudding and clicking against the pavement, splashing the rain puddles with their fingers entwined. It was a wonderful feeling, and though they had been in the haul for a few months now, there was not one moment where Mimi felt bored with their relationship, or like it was stuck in a cycle. There was always some sort of thrill that accompanied their adventures together, a twist at the end of a long and trying day to look forward to.

They entered the apartment together and raced up the stairs, Mimi chuckling as Roger ran his hands over the sensitive flesh of her arms. "That tickles!" she exclaimed, batting at him only slightly. She knew he was trying to be considerate and warm her up, but her reflexes kicked in.

It was cool inside, as expected. Though the young woman didn't really mind. She spotted a red and yellow plaid mess hanging off the arm of the couch, and idenfitied it as one of her sweaters. Mimi snatched it off the end of the couch and slipped it on hastily. Better.

"Tired today, baby?"

Roger had dropped on the couch harder than boulders, but at least he looked relaxed now, and even considerably more pleased than before if that was even possible. A smirk curled Mimi's lips as she neared him slowly, on purpose.

"Making me come with one finger I see...you're a talented man..." she teased, her hand sliding up the rim of the couch, over his shin, and then coming to a stop on his thigh.

The feline leaned forward and swung a leg over Roger's lap and lowered herself expertly, moving her hand up across his chest before it came to its final stop on his shoulder.

"Now that you've got me, what you gonna do about it?"

(I'd imagine they look something like in your signature now, but focused on eachother instead, haha)

[ROGER DAVIS]

"I've been tired since I woke up. Just a bad day." Roger commented, watching as she turned to look at him and slowly came to her. A breath escaped his lips as she slowly moved toward him. "What can I say? I'm talented. Wanna find out what I can do with all five?" Roger asked, though he felt himself swallow as Mimi's had slid up the couch, over the arm of the couch to his shin. He found himself arching up slightly, feeling her hand stop at his thigh. "Mimi." His voice got caught somewhere in his throat until the word he had spoke was only a pained whisper. His tongue darted out to lick suddenly dry lips, until he watched as she quickly launched her leg over his lap, lowering herself down onto him. Moving his hands up, he slid them up her back as she slid her own hands across his chest to rest against his shoulder.

I'm a part of you now, you know. April had whispered it in his ear one night in the dark, the only light coming from the strikes that streaked across the sky. The rain poured down against the roof, and he remembered her shifting on top of him, her muscles clenching tight around him as she smirked, nodding through her high as she said that yes. Yes, she was a part of him now.

He had whispered the same thing to Mimi once, when the room was dark and quiet and their breathing had returned to something that resembled normal, the shaking stalling to leave them tangled up in each others arms and legs. That she was his and he was hers. Forever. They both shared each other's heartache and pain and disease and if one of them died, they both died.

Roger lifted himself up slightly, pressing his lips against the hollow of her throat. His hands slid down to her hips. "There's alot of things I'm gonna do to you." Roger whispered against her throat, his voice slightly husky against the soft flesh of her neck. "But I just wanna be with you." For the months that he had been in Sante Fe, he had longed to be with her, even though he knew he had to stay away. She was something that he had dreamed about, even while awake. Something that he had seen when his eyes weren't closed. He saw her face in crowds, only to turn his head and she'd be gone. He saw her outline in the darkened hotel room at night. He'd feel her warm breath on his skin in the middle of the night when he was most lonely and hear her whisper low in his ear. When he had came back, after Mimi had better, they had attacked each other with a passion that rivaled most star-crossed lovers. The passion hadn't ended, but it had been a while since they had simply been together. Not tangled up in arms and legs and sheets, but something deeper and simpler.

He had promised her that night in the hospital room that he'd try to never make her cry, and so far, he had kept his promise. He wondered, though, how long the promise could be kept. He never meant any of it, he knew, but yet somehow, he always managed to do things he didn't want to do. It was the last thing he wanted to see; big fat tears rolling down her cheeks because of something insensitive or plain mean that he had said out of frustration or almost instinctive protection. He was sure Mimi knew by now that it wasn't said to be hurtful by any means; but it was a means of almost primal protection. A way to keep away the pain. If he grew the wall thick enough around his heart, he could keep the pain from hurting him again.

But somehow, Mimi had broken that down time after time. It was the way that she looked at him with her big, brown eyes. The way that she smiled. The way that she whispered his name into his ear with a rushed passion, as if the world was falling around them and they needed to run. It was the way that she would say that she was only his without moving her lips. Roger sighed out against her throat, his eyes closed as he wrapped his arms around her thin waist tightly. "Let's go to bed. Let's go to bed and stay there until no one remembers who we are." In a perfect world, they could both start over. Both could make new lives together, free of AIDS and death and heartache until it was only them and happiness.

If only they lived in a perfect world.

She was so thin that Roger's hands almost touched in a full circle at her waist, and he trailed his lips up her neck, breathing out a warm sigh and feeling her skin pimple up at the feeling. It made his own body shutter slightly. "We can run away." Roger whispered, unsure if he was talking truths, if he wanted to run away from New York with Mimi to some far off place like Sante Fe again. "We can run away and stop running from each other and you can lay me down somewhere and we can just...be still." Sure they weren't running from each other now, but sooner or later, something would happen to cause their feet to move, if not physically, then emotionally, and they would be running just as fast as their bodies or minds could take them. It's what they both did, Roger realised. They both ran out of instinct. His eyes lifted to hers, and he stared at the brown eyes that he had fallen in love with at first sight. The ones that had haunted him for a year after he had left. THe ones that he thought he'd never be able to see again, for one brief moment. His voice was low against the softness and darkness of the room.

"...I think I'm drowning."