A/N: Though mostly a friendship fic, this story also has slight sexual tension between Angel and Mimi. You've been warned.
It was a careful balancing act. She sat up straight, keeping her core tight…her hands gripping onto the bar as she literally sat on the edge of her fire escape. As her feet dangled, she smiled…confident that she looked pretty cool right now. Most people would simply stand on the grid…behind the safety of the cage-like railing…but not Mimi. She was going to enjoy the sunrise her way. She was going to be daring and free…or, at the very least, appear as such.
The problem was that Mimi wasn't really in the mood to enjoy anything right now. Despite the leopard print robe she'd pulled on over her pajamas, the cold still penetrated her very bones. And, no matter how cool she looked, she was beginning to feel uncomfortable…the bar underneath her was starting to be a pain in the ass…literally. Her ass was going numb.
Might as well go back inside before I get bruises…
With a small sigh, she slowly began to turn herself to the side. To lift one leg and swing it over the side of the railing…
A shrill car alarm sounded off from somewhere behind her…somewhere close. This startled her, making her jump. The frightened feeling escalated to panic as she felt herself slipping…falling over the side of the balcony. Her heart leapt in her throat…
Holy shit!
With a strangled cry, she caught the railing with both hands….grasping it as hard as she could. Her arms quivered as she tried to pull herself up….no go. In the early morning hours, she felt weak for several reasons. She was still semi sleepy, she hadn't eaten anything yet…she hadn't even shot up yet.
So much for being cat-like and graceful…
In the back of her mind, Mimi was grateful for the robe she had on. She would not have wanted 'the best ass below 14th street' to be on display in such an unflattering way.
"Roger! Help!!" She screamed, glancing up desperately at the fire escape above hers, hoping that, by some miracle, Roger's lazy ass would already be up by now. Chances for rescue were slim, though…she knew that he hardly ever got up before noon. What about Mark?
"Mark! Are you up there??!" Mimi yelled. "Get your ass out here! Help me…"
She kicked her legs, glancing down at the pavement below. Roger was probably still sleeping, Mark must've been out, she felt too weak right now to pull herself up…was going down the only option?
How far is it? Not very…I could just let go and try my best to land on my hands and knees…
The dancer shook her head, tightening her grip on the metal bar. Her frightened expression turned grim…
No way! With my luck, I'll probably end up falling backwards and smashing my head on the sidewalk...
Suddenly a soft voice from the street below cut into her thoughts…
"Mimi-chica? What are you doing??"
Mimi's heart soared with relief. She didn't dare turn her head to look in case she lost her grip. But she knew who the voice belonged to without even having to look, anyway.
But what the hell? What kind of question was that? What did it look like she was doing??
"I'm doing my morning stretch, Angel." Mimi replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Really?"
"No!! Get up here and help me! Please!" The Latina was exasperated.
"Just let go, honey. I'll catch you." Angel's tone was bright and sincere.
"Angel…I'll probably crush you falling from this height."
"No you won't, sweetie. You don't weigh much…"
"Just get up here!!" Mimi yelled, sounding angrier than she meant to. But she was desperate, her fingers were going numb.
"Okay!" Angel chirped as happily as ever, not noticing the irritation in Mimi's voice.
"Thank you." Mimi sighed. When her reply was met with silence, she assumed her friend had gone inside the building. Mere seconds later, Angel poked his head over her railing, grinning down at her. The dancer nearly did a double take…the whole process must've taken under 8 seconds. She blinked up at him in surprise.
Angel practically flew up here…
"Hey, Mimi!" Came the cheerful greeting.
Mimi grunted out a reply. She used her last bit of strength to drag herself up, the railing now coming up to her chest. Angel bent down, wrapping one arm firmly around her waist. The Latina slid an arm around his neck, the other over his thin shoulders. She prayed that he didn't drop her.
"Honey?" Angel spoke softly. "I'm going to have to grab your ass and use it as leverage. I hope you don't mind."
Mimi couldn't help but smirk a little as he told her this. She tried to keep herself from giggling.
"Go for it, Ang."
She bit her lip as she felt his hand on her ass. Suddenly, she was being yanked up and over the railing with surprising strength. The two of them stumbled through Mimi's open window, and finally back into the apartment. They both squealed as they tripped and fell to the floor, Angel landing on his back and Mimi…landing on top of him.
"Thank God…oh, thank God…." She choked out between breaths, her heart pounding with relief. "Angel…thank you! I was so scared…" She raised her head to look at him…he was cracking up.
Mimi followed suit…the whole situation was pretty hilarious. She was just glad to be back inside the damned apartment.
"What is up with you??" She giggled, rolling off of Angel and sitting up. She extended a hand to him and pulled him into a sitting position as well. "Why are you acting so weird today??"
"Take a guess." Angel winked at her.
"Ummm…" Mimi thought for a moment. "Are you drunk?"
"No."
"Strung out??"
"Nope."
Mimi frowned in confusion. "I don't…oh! I know…you're stoned, right??"
"I thought it might've given me inspiration for some new beats today." Angel gave her a lazy smile, then he shrugged. "But this was much more interesting than the usual drumming session, anyway. I thought I was seeing things when I noticed you hanging off your fire escape…" Angel trailed off, his gaze dropping to her knee. "Hey…you're bleeding…"
Mimi glanced down at her knee. "I guess I must've cut it when I fell. Oh, well…better a scraped knee than a broken neck."
The two friends grinned at each other.
"Mimi! Are you okay??" The door to Mimi's apartment swung open and Roger came running towards them…he looked blurry-eyed and his long, sandy hair was even messier than usual.
Angel stood up, pulling Mimi to her feet as he did so.
"What happened?" Roger wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "I heard you screaming…"
"I fell off of my fire escape. I'm fine now, Roger…Angel helped me."
Roger sighed, the worried tension in his face melting away. "Thanks, Angel."
"You're welcome, honey." The Latino smiled. "Well, I should get going…I left my pickle tub on the sidewalk. And Mimi…" He reached forward, pulling his friend into a tight hug. "Don't fall off of any more fire escapes while I'm gone, okay?"
She giggled, returning the hug. "I won't."
They parted and Mimi watched as he turned and walked out of her apartment. She had butterflies in her stomach for some reason. She and Roger stood there in silence…
"Mimi?" Her boyfriend arched an eyebrow, looking at her in confusion.
"Yes?"
"Do you smell pot??"
Mimi began to laugh.
THE END