#riff fanfic
Note
Hi! You’re such a fantastic writer!! I was wondering if you could maybe write a story where Riff survives the rumble, but needs medical attention and the reader is there to comfort him. (If it’s not too much to ask) Thank you!
thank you! i appreciate it so much ❤️ i love writing for my boy riff
fem reader x riff
warnings: injury, talk of wanting to die/death, weapons
Death Wish
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“happy rumble day, Y/N,” riff said excitedly as he came out of Y/N’s small bedroom and into the kitchen where Y/N was preparing breakfast in the middle of the afternoon.
“you know i’m not a fan of this, riff.”
she kept her back to him, and he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around the tops of her shoulders.
Y/N was the complete opposite of riff. she wasn’t even sure how she fell in love with him in the first place. they had opposing views, as she was constantly promoting peace between the two gangs in the city. but, they did have something in common. Y/N was outspoken, and brave, and stood up for herself. she was a good girl who liked bad guys, because bad guys brought out a fiery personality in her. and riff fit that definition perfectly.
riff squeezed Y/N’s body a little tighter. “come on girly, you know me. i’m going to be safe. those sharks can’t lay a finger on me,” he said quietly, kissing the back of her head before stepping away.
“i know you, you can hold your own. that’s not what i’m against. i don’t like the idea of this rumble in general,” she stated.
riff’s calm demeanor was growing into an impatient one. “it’s necessary. this is our turf, and no one gets to come into this city and steal what we worked so hard to build.”
Y/N noticed a complete switch in his tone. he went from being sweet to being sharp all in a matter of seconds. she turned around to find riff’s cold eyes fixated on her own.
she walked closer to him, and he looked down at her. “the sharks can’t steal land that was already previously stolen.”
riff frowned, his accent getting thicker with every word. “we were here first.”
“were you?” Y/N replied sassily.
riff’s playful side smile came back once more. “why are we arguing? i love you, and you love me, and you’re making me breakfast,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. Y/N couldn’t help but fall into his trance. “we can agree to disagree.”
she rolled her eyes. “fine. that’s not going to stop me from trying to prevent this though.”
“i know it won’t.”
Y/N went back to her spot at the stove and continued to cook the meal. she finished it up, and split it into two for both her and riff. they sat down together at the small table, awkward silence thick between them.
“what time do you have to go tonight?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“it starts at midnight in the salt shed,” he replied.
“are you worried?” Y/N questioned quietly.
riff shook his head. “no. the sharks can’t do anything to me and my boys. we have the upper hand.”
she knew it was better to stay quiet than fight riff again, so she silently nodded her head and continued to eat. eventually, they finished eating and they cleaned up their messes.
“i’m going to go out, gotta see my boys before the big night,” riff said, smiling to himself. he stepped closer to her. “i’ll see you tonight, right?”
Y/N nodded. “yeah, i’ll meet you before you go to the shed,” she said back, her voice almost monotone.
riff rested his hands on her hips. “good,” he replied before placing a loving kiss on her lips. “see you later.”
he excitedly ran out the door, and Y/N watched as her one love walked out of her apartment to go make the most stupid decision he’s made yet. which, considering the amount of dumb decisions he’s made, truly says something.
she didn’t have the greatest feeling about tonight. maybe that was just because she was prone to excessive worrying. regardless, something didn’t feel right about what riff was doing. she tried her hardest to ignore the gut feeling that was making it’s presence known.
Y/N tried to keep herself occupied for the rest of the afternoon. her anxious thoughts kept her from going anywhere, so she decided to release her crowded thoughts into deep cleaning the entire apartment. it was long overdue, and she figured keeping busy would help calm her racing mind. by the time she had completed her task, it was nearing six o’clock. she decided to go out and meet riff at his jets group spot in the city.
she took a walk in the cool summer air as the sun began to fall behind the skyline. she arrived at the spot, and her quiet footsteps alerted baby john.
“riff, you’ve got a visitor,” he stated, causing the rest of the jets to flick their eyes to whoever it may be.
riff rounded a corner, and Y/N took notice of his appearance. he looked like he was ready for war in his vest covering his cream colored shirt, and his icy eyes widened when he saw her. she wondered why riff was so surprised, until she glanced down and saw a gun in his hand. he quickly slid his hand behind his back to hide it.
“Y/N, what are you doing here?” he asked almost frantically, stepping closer to her. every few steps he made, she would take a step back.
“riff, why the hell do you have a gun?” she asked, her voice cracking. “what do you think you’re going to do with it?”
“it’s just a precaution, darling,” he reassured, trying to calm her down. she shook her head. “the sharks are bringing heat, so i gotta bring heat.”
“oh yeah? and what happens if you get hurt? you and your boys are going to shoot them? what if they take your gun and shoot you?”
“that’s not going to happen, Y/N, i know what i’m doing,” riff said back, dropping the gun and finally approaching Y/N. he held her shoulders tightly.
“please riff, don’t do this,” she said in response, her eyes brimming with tears.
riff sighed. he considered it, but eventually removed his hands. “i’m going to bring it, but i won’t use it. okay?”
Y/N wasn’t happy with that either, but she nodded nonetheless. she felt a little bit better knowing riff wouldn’t be using it.
riff kissed her forehead. “the boys and i are goin’ out soon. i’ll see you when the rumble is over, yeah?”
“yeah. i love you,” she said quietly, resting her head on riff’s chest. his calm heartbeat immediately relaxed her. he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“i love you too, girly. it’ll be over before we know it.”
Y/N left, not sure what to do with herself in the meantime. she decided that since she wanted to be awake when riff came home, she would take a short nap back at her apartment. she walked home without a sound, and immediately went to her bedroom and went to sleep.
before she knew it, her body shot up out of bed and she checked the clock on the wall, which read 11:30. she paced around the room a little bit, and came to the conclusion that she couldn’t wait at the apartment for riff to come home; she had to see him.
Y/N threw on a sweater and hurriedly walked out the door, running down the streets to the salt shed. she kept a close eye on her watch, knowing that the rumble would start at midnight.
as she approached the shed, she heard the familiar sounds of footsteps down the pavement, and she spun around a building to hide from the jets. she held her breath as she watched the boys prepare for war and wait outside the shed. riff didn’t look like the sweet boy she knew and loved, he seemed almost animalistic.
then, right as her watch showed her that it was midnight, the boys walked in, and she knew the sharks had arrived. Y/N made her way closer to the shed when she knew the coast was clear, but on her way, a figure ran past her vision.
she tilted her head, and ran closer. that’s when she saw anybodys trying to get into the shed.
“anybodys!” she whisper yelled, catching their attention.
“Y/N, what are you doin’ here?” anybodys asked, catching the closing shed door.
Y/N ran up to the door. “i’m here for riff.”
Y/N always liked anybodys. she knew riff and the rest of the jets wouldn’t let anybodys in the gang, and quite frankly, they treated him like garbage. if Y/N caught this behavior, she would try her best to put a stop to it. anybodys was a great friend to her.
“it ain’t safe for you here!” anybodys whisper yelled back.
“i gotta be here, i wouldn’t be able to live with myself if i wasn’t.”
anybodys finally gave in, and together they slid under the door and gently closed it, hiding together behind a pile of salt. not long later, the door began to make noises from the outside, as if someone was trying to get in.
Y/N and anybodys sunk further down, until tony and chino slid their way under the door as well. she knew tony didn’t want the rumble to happen just as much as she did.
her eyes then stayed fixated on riff. Y/N could see from a mile away the reckless abandonment that was ever present in riff’s demeanor. he was prepared for anything.
“why are they talking so much?” Y/N asked to herself quietly. then, she watched as riff slid tony his gun. at least he was keeping his word.
they all talked more and more, and tony shared some words with bernardo. she couldn’t make out what was being said.
then, bernardo sent a punch to tony. Y/N gasped, and covered her mouth. tony didn’t fight back. bernardo flung his fists repeatedly at tony as the sharks and jets simultaneously yelled.
tony quietly said something to bernardo, and a full out brawl started between the boys.
“i can’t watch,” Y/N whispered, not being able to pry her eyes off the sight in front of her.
tony pinned bernardo and sent punches as the boys roared. then, as bernardo was nearing a blackout, he stopped. Y/N knew tony didn’t want to fight. he stood up and saw the outcome of what he was doing.
Y/N looked away for a split second, and when she turned around, bernardo and riff had knives in their hands and were eyeing each other.
“oh dear god,” she whispered. her face went pale as she watched riff.
she could tell riff didn’t want to do this anymore. there was fear in his eyes that wasn’t there before. bernardo and riff were afraid of each other.
they swung around the knives like it was choreographed. tony caught riff, leaving his back open for attack from bernardo. Y/N felt like yelling to tony to let him go. riff struggled to get out of his grasp.
then, he freed himself and turned around right into bernardo’s knife, which impaled him in his upper leg.
Y/N screamed. she didn’t care if she was caught at this point. she heard anybodys exclaim her name, but her world went silent. she came out behind the salt pile when she saw riff fall to the ground. tony took the knife and in return stabbed bernardo.
Y/N gasped again and took a step back. the room froze, confused as to what had happened. in a matter of seconds, two rival gang leaders lay injured on the ground, one being sprawled out dead.
Y/N ran into the action, and her footsteps alerted the group. their shock didn’t last long, for red and blue lights began to shine in through the windows.
the boys scattered, and tony backed away slowly, realizing what he had done.
“Y/N! tony! we have to go, now!” anybodys yelled trying to stop Y/N.
she ran to riff’s side and bent down next to him. he was still alive, but losing a lot of blood.
“Y/N… w-why are you here?” riff asked quietly.
“don’t talk about me, i’m here to help you, okay? we’re going to get you out of here.” she rested her hand on his cheek, and riff gently held her wrist.
“i can’t walk. you can’t get me out of here yourself. besides…” he took a deep breath in. “you’ve got company coming. you need to go now, Y/N.”
she began to cry. “i’m not leaving you riff,” she looked up to see anybodys ushering tony out.
“anybodys, tony! help me get riff out of here!”
tony left, and anybodys hesitated before running to riff’s side to help Y/N.
“Y/N, don’t do this. you’ll be caught,” he said again.
“you’re an idiot if you think i’m going to leave you here to die,” she fired back. she took off her socks and quickly tied them into a makeshift tourniquet to wrap around his leg. the pair stood him up on his good leg and he wrapped his arms around Y/N and anybodys’ shoulders, and together they hobbled out of the shed just in the nick of time.
anybodys and Y/N guided him into an alley not far from the shed, but far enough to stay out of the eyes of the police. they laid him down against the wall as he faded in and out of consciousness. “stay with me riff, please!” Y/N said as anybodys sent her a look. “thank you anybodys, i owe you one. i can take it from here,” she said hurriedly. anybodys nodded before running off to find tony.
“i’m going to fix you up, okay?” she told him frantically. luckily, she brought her purse which contained gauze, alcohol, and tape.
“y-you’re not a nurse,” riff said quietly.
“i know i’m not, but i’m not going to leave you alone to die. i can’t.”
she used the tourniquet around his leg to dab up the blood after untying it, and then she took the alcohol out of her purse and poured it over the wound. riff grimaced and squeezed Y/N’s arm tight.
she finished it off by wrapping it in gauze tightly and taping it down. “this won’t last you long, you need stitches.”
“we gotta wait until the heat dies down, Y/N. they’ll know this is from the rumble,” he pleaded.
“riff, we can’t wait any longer. that gauze can only hold you off for so long. i know the people that work the emergency room, they know i don’t get involved with the rumbles. it wouldn’t make sense for me to even be at the rumble. trust me, i know what i’m doing. they won’t know a thing.”
riff rolled his eyes, complying with the plan. Y/N helped him stand, and they hobbled a few blocks away to the nearest emergency room.
they walked in, and immediately the nurses took action. they took riff back and got to work on fixing his wound. Y/N knew them, for her mom actually used to work with these ladies in the same emergency room.
“how did this happen?” one of them asked, writing on a clipboard. riff looked to Y/N for an answer.
“um…he was getting ready for the big rumble tonight. when him and one of his gang members were practicing, he accidentally jabbed him in the leg before the rumble even began,” Y/N said, hoping the excuse was good enough. “riff just now decided to tell me.”
“he wasn’t at the rumble?” the nurse asked. Y/N shook her head.
“looks like your buddy got you pretty deep there. Y/N did everything right though to take care of you,” one said to riff, peeling away the soaked gauze to unveil the wound.
“we’re going to go get the equipment we need to fix him up,” another said before all of them piled out of the room.
“i don’t want to get stitches,” riff said as Y/N pulled over a seat next to him.
“you would have died, riff. it’s kind of a miracle you’re still here. the stitches are going to save your life.”
“what if i didn’t want to be saved?” riff said loudly, causing Y/N to be taken aback.
“what?” she questioned.
riff avoided eye contact. “why do you think i wanted you to leave me there? my death wish was obvious to everyone but you, Y/N. i kept it from you because of this exact reason. i always knew the outcome of today, i was supposed to die.”
tears formed in Y/N’s eyes. “riff, i-”
“what do i have to live for? tony’s no longer a jet, i’m losin’ my territory, you deserve better than me, so what do i have?”
Y/N took riff’s hand. “you have me. i don’t need anything better.”
riff finally made eye contact with her. he squeezed her hand back, and tears formed in his eyes as well. “you’ve been there for me more than anyone else, and here i am treatin’ you like shit.”
“i don’t care, riff. i’ll always love you regardless of anything. i love you more than you’ll ever know. i couldn’t bear to lose you today.”
riff smiled and rested his hand on Y/N’s cheek. “i don’t deserve you.”
the nurses came back in and gave him pain medications while also numbing the area around and in his wound to prepare to stitch it up.
“i’m scared, Y/N,” he said quietly. she went to the free side of the bed and took his hand.
the nurses quickly stitched him up, and riff pressed his eyes closed the entire time. he held on to Y/N’s hand tightly.
“all done!” the nurse said, stepping away from the bed. “we’ll keep you here for a while longer to monitor you and make sure everything is okay, but you should be able to leave later tonight.”
they thanked the nurses and Y/N and riff were left alone again.
“thank you for not giving up on me,” riff said, admiration in his eyes.
“i would never.”
#mike faist#mike faist imagine#mike faist x reader#mike faist fanfiction#mike faist riff#west side story#riff fanfic#wss riff#riff lorton#riff x reader#riff imagine
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When We're Alone
A/N: 18+ Smut based on request
"Riff smut plz!!! (Maybe the reader being one of the Jets little sister)"
Masterlist
I arrived at my building and immediately recognized the sound of The Jets. As I climbed the stairs to my apartment, their hollering became louder and I groaned in frustration. Diesel told me he was working at the auto shop late tonight, why are they here? I open the door, slowly looking around, my eyes land on a small group of rowdy boys standing around my kitchen table. When I walk closer, silence fills the room as they turn to stare at me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask pointedly, looking from one to the other before looking at Riff, their leader. He’s sitting at the table, casually with his legs propped on the chair next to him and a tooth pick in his mouth.
“We’re waitin’ on yer brother, girly,” He leans back further into the chair.
“Well, you’ll be waitin’ a while,” I say walking past them to the fridge, pulling out a jug of lemonade and pouring myself a glass. “He’s workin’ late,” I turn back to face the group, “There’s really no point in you all hangin’ round.” I mumbled the last part, hoping not to anger them.
Mouthpiece lets out a loud groan, “Yer kiddin.” He turns his attention to Riff, “Can we go now?” he sounded like a whining child.
“Yeah,” A-Rab shouted, “She said he’ll be late.” The boys started to get worked up again, all shouting over each other. I attempted to get them to quiet down, but of course, they ignored me. Until Riff stood up, silencing them all.
“Alright,” he spoke slowly, taking the toothpick out of his mouth. I watched as he locked eyes with Ice briefly before giving a nod. “Roll out, boys.”
I watched as they began to file out the door, running down the stairs, the yells starting to become distant. All of them, except Riff. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw he had returned to his earlier position at the table. A lump grew in my throat, as I felt his stare.
“Mind if I wait here?” His voice was much softer than when I had heard him speak earlier. Not knowing what to say, I nodded back quickly returning to my lemonade. “Sorry about them,” he gestured towards the door.
“It’s fine,” I sigh out, “I’m kind of used to it by now.” I rolled my eyes and he smiled back. He had a beautiful smile that lit up his face, he looked like he wouldn’t hurt a fly when he smiled but I know better than that. I realised I was staring and quickly shook myself out of the trance. I watched his smile turn into his signature smirk, as he stood up from the table slowly.
“When did Diesel say he’d be home?”
“He didn’t,” I croaked out. My eyes went big at the sound of my voice, I had really hoped I wouldn’t sound nervous. I coughed, pretending to clear my throat. “Just that it’ll be late.” I stood up a little straighter, trying to recover from my little hiccup.
“I see,” Riff slowly began to walk towards me. “So it’s just you and me tonight,” he spoke lowly and I felt his hand lightly brush against my waist before resting on my hip. “Hows about we have a little fun?” He looked down at me, mischief reflecting in his eyes and I watched as he lowered his gaze on my body.
I was used to this side of Riff, whenever we were alone he couldn’t keep his hands off me. Not that I mind at all, he’s gorgeous. We always had to be careful though, Diesel would kill me if he knew I was foolin’ around with one of the Jets, not to mention the leader. I looked Riff up and down, returning his smirk before turning away and walking towards my bedroom. He quickly followed me, closing the bedroom door behind himself.
“I don’t know how long we have,” I said while slowly unbuttoning the shirt I had on. He nods at my words, but he’s too distracted by my body.
“Better get started then girly girl,” he replies smugly. I take off my top, revealing a red bra and Riff groans to himself before closing the space between us. “You sure you weren’t expectin’ someone? You’re lookin’ real sexy.”
“This is nothin’,” I say gesturing to my bra, doing my best not to blush. “Besides The Jets always come on Fridays and yo-,” I realize what I said and freeze, stopping mid-sentence.
“Oh really?” Riff wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in even closer. He clearly caught what I said. “You mean to say, you get all dolled up for me?” His lips were on my neck in seconds, kissing and sucking lightly. I moaned quietly at the contact and I felt him smirk against my neck. “Jump,” he mumbled, as he moved his hands to my thighs. I did as he said and he caught me, wrapping my legs around his torso.
His lips now crashed onto my own in a wave of passion. I felt him walking me over to the bed before dropping me on it. His eyes, now dark and filled with lust, racked over my body. I felt his hands grip my skirt and rip it off in a matter of seconds, my panties were gone next. I propped myself up so I could see him better, his muscles glistened from sweat with each movement. I smirked to myself as I watched him frantically remove his clothes. His hands returned to my body, slowly making their way up my legs, I knew Riff was doing it on purpose.
“Riff,” I moaned, “stop teasing.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” He asked, in a playful manner. I watched as he slowly lowered his face to my pussy, maintaining eye contact with me.
I gasped as I felt his mouth leave kisses around my folds. His tongue moved expertly on my clit, rubbing small circles and earning a moan from me. A shiver ran through my body, feeling him suddenly blow onto the sensitive area. My hands grabbed his hair and he let out a grunt, burrowing his face into my pussy deeper. My legs began to shake as I got closer to my climax, I couldn’t help but moan out in pleasure.
“I’m so close, Riff,” I moan out and I feel him stop abruptly, pulling himself up to a standing position. I sat up, watching his every movement, mesmerized by his beauty.
“Not yet,” he said sternly, yanking off his boxers. His cock was already hard and looking at it made my mouth water. I instinctively licked my lips, looking up at him, waiting for approval. His smirk reappeared, “ya wanna suck me doll?” I nodded back in response. “How about ya suck me and then I pound that pretty little pussy?”
“Yes please,” I moan back in response. I grab his member by the base and slowly insert him into my mouth. He lets out a quiet moan as I take in his length, putting his hands in my hair. I feel him start to push my head further into his cock, making me gag slightly, the feeling making me wet. I let out a moan on his dick and I feel his grip on me tighten.
“Just like that,” He moaned, “be a little slut for me.” I moaned again at his words and hollowed out my mouth, starting to deep throat him faster. I moved my hand to his balls, massaging him lightly, earning another moan from Riff.
“That’s enough,” he practically growled and pulled me off of him, pushing me back onto the bed. He lined his cock up with my opening, thrusting deep into my pussy. I moaned as he quickened his pace, digging my nails into his back. My moans turned into screams moments later and I did my best to match his movements.
I could feel my orgasm nearing, and I threw my head back in pleasure, Riff’s name spilling from my mouth. I wrapped my legs around him tighter, pulling him impossibly closer to me. He leaned in, connecting our lips again sloppily. I bucked my hips into him, and he moaned into my mouth before lightly biting my lip. I came hard on his cock, a small scream of pleasure escaping my mouth. Quickening his pace, Riff quickly filled me with his cum before pulling out.
We stayed in bed for a moment before the sound of the door made us both jolt up. I started to fix myself, making it look like I was sleeping. Riff scrambled to his feet, putting his clothes on in record time before heading over to the window. He looked at me then back and the window, pausing briefly. Within seconds he was right in front of me, placing one last kiss hungrily on my lips and then dashing right back over. He sent me one last glance, giving me a wink then slipped down the fire escape.
#riff smut#riff west side story#wss jets#smut#riff imagine#mike faist#mike faist fanfiction#west side story#wss#riff lorton#riff wss#riff fanfic#riff x reader#wss 2021#west side story 2021#wss riff
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Taking care of you
I wrote both Riff and Dodge, because I had a cute scenario for Dodge already in mind, but I also wanted to write again for Riff so... yeah. Hope you like it🤞
Chapter summary: And I was wondering if you could do a oneshot with Riff or Dodge about the reader being sick and him taking care of them? If not that’s okay :)
For @Charliedelancey
Dodge.
Let's make a list, shall we?
Nausea, headache AND vomit... what a wonderful day.
Fuck.
Today was supposed to be a good day: breakfast, shower and a date with Dodge.
He would've taught me how to ride a horse.. fuck.
I have to warn him we gotta postpone it so I grab my phone and call him.
"Hey babe" he quickly picks up the phone.
"Hi" I weakly say.
"Hey hey.. you okay? What's wrong?" He ask worriedly.
"Just.. this morning I woke up and I felt nauseous, my head feels like it would explode anytime and I threw up what I think was also last month meals..I don't think we're gonna see each other today" I tell him.
"Oh baby... don't you worry okay? Just rest, we'll see each other soon. Promise me you would rest" he says sweetly.
"I promise. See you soon"
"See you, baby"
And I hang up the phone.
I decide to make some tea, maybe it would help a little.
In the meantime the headache stopped, thankfully, but I still feel like throwing up anytime.
I go to the couch and just lay down closing my eyes focusing on my breathing and trying to relax.
After a while I hear the doorbell.
What. The actual. Fuck.
Who could be now?
I groan standing up and go to the door.
I smile as soon as my eyes land on Dodge's.
"What are you doing here?" I ask surprised.
"My baby isn't feeling well... what else was I supposed to do?" He asks rhetorically and let himself in closing the door behind him.
"Wh-" I start.
"Nah uh, you now go to bed and I'll make some food" he states walking up to me and moving his hands to frame my face.
"I will just throw it up.." I whine.
"You need something in your stomach, love. No complaints. Go upstairs and lay down, I'll be there soon" he kisses my nose, giving me a small push towards the stairs.
I do as he say and walk to my room to lay down on the bed.
After a few minutes he comes in and sits on the bed with me.
"The soup will be ready in a few minutes." He informs me, stroking my leg under the cover.
"You didn't have to come" I say to him.
"I know" he smiles. "We got a date, remember?"
"And what a wonderful date this is" I sarcastically reply.
"Well.. let's see: I'm with you, you can't get away from my cuddles and I get to take care of you... I'd say it's pretty wonderful" he explains.
"I..." I'm speechless.
"See? Can't argue, I'm right" he says proudly.
"Fine" I say trying to hide a smile.
"Good girl. Now rest and I will fetch your lunch, my lady" he dramatically says.
"Thank you, kins sir" I reply.
He just smiles and come up to kiss me sweetly.
"I love you"
"I love you too"
Riff.
My head is killing me...
My stomach is killing me...
Just my luck..
I promised Valentina I'd help her at the store, so here I am, hiding my pain ad much as I can.
"You sure you're okay, querida? You look pale" Valentina asks me worriedly.
"Yeah.. I'm fine" I lie.
"If you meed to go home, go. No te preocupes, okay? Don't worry."
"I'm fine" I lie again.
She sends me a sceptical look and just goes downstairs.
While I'm cleaning the counter the doorbell jingles I look up and roll my eyes seeing Riff entering the store.
"You know you can't be here" I tell him.
"Hi to you too, beautiful" he replies.
"Hi"
"You're okay?" He asks.
"Yeah" I say quickly.. or way too quickly.
"You're clearly not" he states. "Come, I'll walk you home"
"I'm fine. It's nothing" I tell him as I keep cleaning, avoiding his stare.
Then all of a sudden I feel my head spinning like crazy, I have to grab the counter to keep myself standing.
"It's clearly not nothing." He says, he's worried, I've never seen him this worried.
"I'm... I'm fine" I weakly say.
"Yeah sure and I'm a billionaire. Where the witch, I'll tell her I'm walking you home" he asks, already heading for the basement.
He comes back soon after, followed by Valentina.
"Ay ay, mi niña, go home. I can manage today" she reassures me.
"I'll send Tony to help. Is that okay?" He asks Valentina, who just nods.
"But.."
"No buts" Riff cuts me off "Let's go"
He gently grabs my arm and lead me out of the store, heading home.
After he made me lay down, he made tea and brought it to me.
"You're burning, pretty girl" he says touching my forehead.
"You always say that" I try to joke.
"True. But this time literally. Give me a second" he says getting up and walking round the bathroom.
He comes back with a wet cloth, that he put on my forehead.
"There" he says and slightly caresses my face.
"Why are you so worried?" I ask.
"Isn't it obvious? I like you, a lot. Why else do you think I come to the store this often?"
"To annoy me" I guess.
"Yeah.. also that, but that's because you look cute while mad" he says with a grin.
He gently grabs my hand stroking my knuckles.
"So.. what do you say.. would you let me take care of you?" He asks, hope filling his eyes.
I look at him and I see sincerity.
I smile at him.
"Yeah, Riff. I'll let you take care of me"
He seems surprised, but leans down to press a small kiss on my lips.
"And... when you get better... I hope you'll let me take care of you I'm other, more fun, ways" he says with a smirk.
"You're the worst" I slightly push him and he laughs.
"Oh as if you never thought about it" he jokes.
I laugh.
"You're denying!" He exclaims.
"Maybe" I say.
He smile at me and kisses me again.
"Try to sleep. I'll be here the whole time if you need me" he tells me.
I smile and close my eyes trying to get some rest, knowing he will take care of me... in any way apparently.
#mike faist#mike faist x reader#riff fanfic#riff x reader#west side story#riff imagine#wss riff#riff west side story#west side story imagine#panic prime#dodge mason smut#dodge mason imagine#dodge mason#dodge mason x reader
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Riff x Reader: Breakfast
POV- You get your period and Riff shows his loving, sweet side by helping you out.
Notes: Hi guys! I’m not a new writer but I’m fairly new here so I hope this isn’t totally horrible. Welcome to my page and I hope you enjoy!
words: 566
Warnings: Blood, swearing, riff being too darn cute to handle.
——-
The familiar ache in your lower belly was enough to jolt you out of your sleep. It was either that or the gushing feeling of “Oh shit, I just ruined my sheets!”
You throw the covers off of you and stand up in one swift motion. Sure enough; an angry red stain grinned up at you, soaking up in the sheets. You swore under your breath as you changed your sheets and made your way to the bathroom.
You could’ve sworn you had at least another week before life grew its monthly horns. The ache in your lower belly grew to harsh pangs as they spread to your back.
’Of fuckin’ course you had to bleed through’ you thought, peeling the bloody shorts and underwear off your body. Of all days, this was the one that had to begin awful.
Your boyfriend, Riff, was supposed to be coming over in an hour to go for breakfast. The last thing he needed to be met with was his girlfriend turning into bloody Mary.
/////
Water droplets slowly dripped from
each bundled strand of hair and you dried yourself off from your shower. It really had a way of waking you up and you got dressed quickly. As you made your way to the door, a familiar pang in your stomach made you groan. Checking the time on your phone, you still had about 20 minutes until Riff would show up.
‘I can go lay down for a little and take a bit of a rest before going out.’ you thought to yourself, making your way to the bedroom.
The pain relievers looked tempting as you glanced at them on your way. You knew they would only worsen your bleeding as they’d always done in the past. Now you were left to deal with the cramps. You’d rather that than an overly heavy flow.
You curled yourself into a ball on your bed in desperation to stop the cramps that beat the shit out of you. You found yourself dozing off.
———
A soothing hand rubbed your back and you opened your eyes to see Riff staring back at you, a concerned look etched onto his handsome features.
“Thank god, Angel, ya nearly gave me a heart attack!”
How long were you asleep? You rubbed your eyes and smiled at him. “Sorry, I fell asleep for longer than I meant to. I had some…. issues.. but I’m ready.” Riff stared at you blankly.
“Issues? What issues, sweetheart? What’s wrong?” Your face turned a shade of red and you stared down, pursing your lips to prevent a goofy grin from spreading on your face.
“Wait… Do- Are you- Have- oh.”
You kept your head down in embarrassment but Riff’s rough calloused hands lifted your chin up and forced you to look into his eyes.
He cupped your face with his hand. “Let’s stay here today, girly girl. I’ll make you breakfast, well I’ll try to make you breakfast. How does that sound?”
Your heart fluttered at his sweetness. You leaned in and sweetly kissed him on the lips. “Perfect, baby. Thank you.”
Breakfast consisted of eggs and slightly burnt toast, which he was very apologetic about, but you didn’t care. It was perfect. Riff spent the rest of the day massaging your back and making sure you were okay. You fell asleep that night in the arms of your loving boyfriend.
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Morals: Riff Lorton
Masterlist
Notes: Sorry if I don’t update that fast.
Warnings: Sexual assault, violence, swearing, explicit smut
Update: This used to be a Y/n story but I decided I’m going to change the name to Lily, so if you see any stray ‘y/n’s that I forgot to edit out, please lmk. Thank you so much and enjoy!
Chapters
Chapter 1 ✔️
Chapter 2 ✔️
Chapter 3 ✔️
Chapter 4 ✔️
Chapter 5 ✔️
Chapter 6 ✔️
Chapter 7 ✔️
Chapter 8 ✔️
Chapter 9🔜
Chapter 10
Lily!!!
I’m still undecided on the amount of chapters that will be in this story. Any amount that you see written on here isn’t certain, it just helps me plan out. Thanks and enjoy!
#riff wss#riff raff#riff x oc#riff fanfic#riff west side story#tony wss#valentina west side story#anybodys wss#tony wyzek#wss riff#riff lorton#mike faist riff#riff imagine#riff x reader#west side story
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Hey!!!!! Long time i know life has been crazy not much time to write but i promise i have stuff in the works!! i plan on writing for
Riff (again)
Dodge Mason
Jeremiah Fisher (The Summer I Turned Pretty)
also i went to a Big Time Rush concert so i’m in a frenzy and may write something but that’s a big IF😂.
Let me know if you guys are interested in any of these characters❤️. Hope you’re all doing well!!!!
@roythespeedy @whisperofsong @mikefaistwasinnewsies @mikefaistmiamor @jeremiah-fisher
#mike faist#wss 2021#wss riff#riff#riff west side story#west side story#west side story 2021#riff wss#riff x oc#riff x latina#dodge mason#panic#panic amazon#riff fanfic#west side story riff#wss#jeremiah fisher#the summer i turned pretty#big time rush#kendall schmidt#carlos penavega#logan henderson#james maslow
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Updated my West Side Story fan fic!!! Go check it out, comment and follow :)
#west side story#west side story riff#west side story fanfic#riff west side story#riff fanfic#wss jets#wss riff#fanfiction#fan fiction#fanfic#fan fic#fan fic update#fanfiction.net
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Fight or Flight has been giving me the Riff x Anita feels!! I just read Chapter 7 and wow…this ship has so much potential it’s crazy.
Right?!!! I'm so genuinely impressed, not just with the writer's boldness in choosing to follow their heart and write about a part of this fandom that is so obscure and rarely thought of, but also the way in which they write about Riffnita (that's the ship name that my friend @westsidelegendary and I came up with for them); you can tell that this person has experience writing fiction, not just fan fiction, and the care that they take with the story and characters brings so much more to them than there was in the original musical! It's incredible and I love it so much, and at the same time I'm in agony thinking about how rare this pair is and how many people simply don't consider it or find it offensive (it's not!!!).
#RiffnitaForever!!
#west side story 2021#riff west side story#stephen spielberg west side story#west side story#west side story riff#west side story anita#wss anita#anita wss#anita#anita x riff#wss riff#riff fanfic#wss#wss 2021#riff#riff x anita#riff wss#anita west side story#wss stephen spielberg#mike faist#ariana debose#wss fanfic#riffnita
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Normal people: look up an actor to see what other shows they've been in
Me: sees a hot character and immediately researches for fanfiction about them
It's an instinct now.
#newsies fanfiction#newsies musical#newsies 1992#spot colon x reader#newsies#west side story x reader#newsies x reader#spider man fanfiction#spider man x reader#criminal minds x reader#criminal minds fanfiction#descendants x reader#carlos de vil x reader#riff (west side story) x reader#jd x reader#thomas shelby#thomas shelby x reader#musical fanfics#avengers fanfiction#spencer reid fanfiction#fansies#fanfic#newsies broadway#peter parker x reader#spencer reid x reader#quartermaster x reader#q james bond#do i have issues?#jd heathers
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riff x short!latina!reader who has a very heavy accent and is extremely shy. riff and her are secretly dating and he teases her a lot and it's all cute and fluff? ty, love ur writing!
i’ve missed writing for riff 🥲
female reader x riff
warnings: none
Confidential Couple
•
“good afternoon, riff.” Y/N said in her thick puerto rican accent, meeting up with him in a secluded alleyway.
riff looked up from lighting his cigarette. “hey Y/N, how’s my lady feeling today?”
“good. and you?”
“my day has gotten a whole hell of a lot better now that you’re here.” riff replied.
riff and Y/N both knew how bizarre of a partnership their relationship was. gringos weren’t supposed to like puerto ricans, and vice versa. especially when riff is the leader of the jets, infamously known for being overprotective of their territory.
Y/N and riff met completely on accident. one day, riff stumbled across a group of puerto rican men beating up on a girl who he believed to be white at first. when he scared the men away and saw that the girl was, in fact, not white, he felt the need to help her anyway. normally, in any other circumstance, he wouldn’t have helped. but she seemed different than all the girls he’d been betrayed by in the past. she carried herself differently, and riff took note of that right away.
riff tried not to become friends with Y/N. and Y/N tried not to become friends with riff. she was extremely shy, and she didn’t want to let her walls down for riff. when Y/N mentioned to him that it was a regular occurrence for the group of older men to beat her up, riff couldn’t help but feel remorse for her. that was a weird feeling for him, as he had never truly experienced it before, especially with a puerto rican girl. given her inherited introverted nature, riff wanted to keep the men that hurt Y/N at bay for as long as possible.
riff tried his hardest to avoid Y/N because he knew if any of the jets saw him anywhere near a puerto rican, he’d practically be exiled. however, something about her kept drawing him back. maybe it was because he desperately craved an escape from living his life as a gang leader. whatever it may be, as more and more time passed, the more often he found himself with Y/N. eventually, a casual friendship developed into a secret romance.
riff opened his arm to give Y/N a hug. given her small stature, she rested her head just below his shoulder in the hug, and riff reached down to reciprocate it.
“what would you like to do today?” Y/N asked, pulling away.
“not like we can go many places, right?” riff replied, taking a puff from his cigarette.
Y/N loved her relationship with riff, despite hating how secretive it had to be. she completely understood why he needed to keep it a secret, it was just a downside to falling in love with a gang leader.
she shrugged in response, looking down.
“you’re extra quiet today, what’s wrong?” riff asked bluntly, stepping closer to her.
“i’m always quiet, riff.”
he laughed and ruffled her hair playfully. “i know that, i just thought you seemed even more quiet than usual, that’s all.”
Y/N shrugged. “i know, i just wish we could do more together. i wish we didn’t have to hide.”
riff sighed, rubbing her shoulders with his hands. “i know girly girl, but it’s safer for the both of us if we keep it a secret. my boys find out, i’m dead. your people find out, you’re dead. the more secretive we are, the better.”
Y/N looked down, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “we can still have fun today.”
after more discussing, the couple decided on playing card games, eating snacks, and resting for the whole day at riff’s place.
riff’s hang out spot was an abandoned train car in the junkyard. he had set up a small table and a bed for him to rest on. for him, it was home. Y/N liked the simplicity of his “house”. she wasn’t into everything lavish and grand.
Y/N couldn’t decide if riff let her win at cards over and over again, or if she was actually really good at them. but, she also figured riff would actually play every so often so she would lose, and riff could tease her about being bad at cards. regardless of the outcome, she enjoyed this valuable time with him.
after a few hours into one of their last games, riff sat up in his spot, holding up a finger that silenced Y/N.
“riff, what-”
“shhh!” he interrupted, listening. Y/N sunk back in her chair a bit.
then, she heard it too. it was the sound of footsteps growing closer and closer to riff’s train car.
“shit,” riff started, standing up. “you gotta hide.”
“hide, seriously?” she whispered back.
“yes, i mean it. these people will not approve of you, and i don’t want them to hurt you, now hide!”
Y/N scrambled to find a sufficient spot to hide in riff’s small abode. suddenly, she realized there was just enough space under his bed for her to hide.
“go, go!” riff said, helping her under the bed. when she disappeared, he sat quietly at his table when a knock sounded on the metal outside his home. Y/N held her breath, trying to keep anxious tears from spilling out of her eyes.
“who is it?” riff asked monotonously.
“a-rab and tiger.”
riff lit a cigarette and took a quick puff. “come in.”
they stepped into his train car and looked around. “who were you talking to in here, riff?” a-rab asked.
riff kept the cigarette he was smoking resting on his lips. “no one.”
“so you were talking to yourself?” tiger asked, not believing riff for a second.
“yes.” riff said coldly, with a sharp “s”.
a-rab squinted at him, before smiling playfully. “you hidin’ a girl here, riff?”
“no.”
“then how ‘bout we have a look around?” asked tiger.
“not like you can even look around much, this is a small place.” riff replied.
meanwhile, Y/N watched the feet from outside the bed walk past multiple times, and it took all of her energy to not make a noise. she was frightened of riff’s friends.
she watched as a pair of shoes stopped in front of the bed, and before she knew it, a pair of eyes that weren’t riff’s caught sight of Y/N. she snapped her own eyes shut, hoping that if she didn’t see him, he wouldn’t see her.
“oh tiger, i think i found something.”
“a lady?” tiger asked, bending down to take a look.
“yep, riff’s hiding a lady.”
“and for good reason too,” riff started harshly. “there’s a reason she had to hide when she heard you two. she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
“we just want to meet the lucky gal.” tiger said.
“no means no, tiger. now leave.” riff said with a very stern tone.
tiger and a-rab exchanged looks, before going on either side of the makeshift bed and lifting it to the side before riff could stop them.
tiger and a-rab gawked at the sight before them. “woah.” they both saw that Y/N was puerto rican, and not white like they had expected. she had light tear marks on her face.
Y/N looked up to the men and saw their confused, angry, and hurt faces before backing herself as close to the wall as possible.
“you assholes!” riff yelled, storming over to the two jets.
“riff, what the hell is this?” tiger asked.
“how could you do this to the jets? how could you betray us like this?” a-rab continued. “she’s puerto rican!”
“you guys didn’t have to see this. i kept this a secret for a reason. you guys stormed in here and did your own thing, and now we’re all angry. you two need to leave. as your leader, that is an order.” riff yelled, stepping closer to the boys.
Y/N watched the scene unfold in front of her in horror. tiger turned to her, and began to speak. “what have you done to riff?” he started. “he used to be like us. what kind of puerto rican witch shit did you do to make him like you?”
Y/N froze, trying to find words. she stuttered as more slow tears fell out of her eyes. she hated that she was so shy.
“look, she can’t even speak when spoken to, lousy pig!” a-rab yelled.
“hey!” riff yelled again, pushing the boys towards the opening of his train car. “the only person that gets to say anything about Y/N, positive or negative, is me, you hear? now scram before i take a chain to your head.”
he pushed them again and they ran out, not looking back. riff watched as they ran far away.
riff whipped his head around and saw Y/N crying on the floor. he walked over to her, sat down next to her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. she leaned her head in and rested her head on his chest, and riff kissed the top of her head.
“i’m sorry, Y/N. i’m so, so sorry.” riff said quietly, gently rubbing her arm.
Y/N lifted her head up and looked at riff. he turned his head so his eyes met hers. “i was scared, that’s all. i guess this crying is a little over dramatic, isn’t it?” she said, laughing a bit.
riff wiped her tears away. “yeah, it is.” he teased.
Y/N giggled, and riff laughed back. “i’m kidding, you handled it just fine. i’m happy they didn’t do anything to you.”
the two sat comfortably together until Y/N fully calmed down. when she did, they stood up, and riff looked down on her. he held her hands in his own for a moment, and then he let go of one and placed it on the side of her face, tilting her head up so she looked at him.
“you know, i always forget how short you are.” riff whispered.
Y/N rolled her eyes. “riff, ni siquiera vayas allí. don’t even go there.”
#mike faist#mike faist imagine#mike faist riff#mike faist x reader#riff x reader#mike faist fanfiction#west side story#wss riff#riff imagine#riff fanfic#riff lorton
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Do Over - Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Pry & Protect
Masterlist
“Have you always lived around here?” I asked Riff, as we walked through the entrance of my apartment.
“Born and raised,” he shrugged, closing the door behind him, “you’re talkin’ to a real New Yorker.” He gave me a wink and a toothy grin before he continued walking over to the couch. I followed him, taking a seat on the chair across from him.
“Are you close with your family? Do you have any siblings? Do you still see them?” I blurted out questions faster than my brain could process and I could see the surprise on Riff’s face.
“Slow down,” he replied with a chuckle. “I can’t answer that fast.” I shrunk down a little in my chair, looking at the floor causing him to sigh at me. “What did ya say? Am I close with my family?” I nodded my head and he continued, “I don’t have any real family left.”
Riff looked at my face, trying to gauge my reaction. I nodded again slowly, still looking down. I couldn’t help but feel sad at the idea of Riff alone with no family, but I could relate in a way. My only family was my little sister and I couldn’t imagine being without her.
“My Ma was a saint but she died when I was 15, no real siblings, only chosen ones.” Riff leaned back into the couch as he spoke, his eyes were fixated on the wall in front of him. “And my dad was a real asshole,” he said with a slight chuckle. “Slept all day, drank all night. He’d leave us for days or weeks at a time doing who knows what. One day he just didn’t come back.” I watched as Riff’s eyes began to glass over slightly and I couldn’t help but picture a young Riff waiting and looking for his dad to come back home. I didn’t realize but my eyes had started to water and soon I was wiping back a tear that had shed. “Anyway, that's when my Ma got sick.” Riff finally looked over to me and saw that I was crying. “Hey, we can stop talkin’ about it. I don’t want to make you cry.”
“I just can’t believe he left you both,” I mumbled out, doing my best to recompose myself.
“If ya ask me it was a good thing.” His words confused me and I think he could tell. “My old man wasn’t exactly a nice guy. He didn’t treat my Ma right and as I got older he didn’t like that I noticed.” I nodded, understanding what he was talking about immediately.
“I guess that’s where all your anger comes from,” I spoke aloud more to myself but he nodded in agreement.
“My dad didn’t teach me much but he taught me to fight. Let’s just say he stopped teachin’ me when I got better than him.” Riff was staring at me intensely, trying to see if I truly understood what he meant.
“Tell me about your mom,” I spoke a little softer, not being able to read his expression and I was worried I’d upset him somehow.
“Nicest person I ever met. She’d help anyone, doesn’t matter if she couldn’t, she’d find a way. Everyone that met her, loved her. How she ended up with my dad I’ll never know.” Riff looked down at the floor for a moment. His smile returned briefly as he began to speak again, “Ma was always singin’ while she cooked but she wasn’t a great cook.” He let out a laugh, “I remember one time I told her about this sandwich I dreamed about so she tried to make it for me. It was disgusting and she made a huge mess makin’ it too.”
I couldn’t help but join in the laughter, it was nice to forget about the bad stuff in the past for a moment. Riff smiled at me and gestured for me to sit beside him on the couch. I moved next to him and he slid his arm around my waist pulling me in closer.
“That’s why I care about my Jets. They’re my guys. All of ‘em come from shitty homes and people who don’t care about ‘em.” His tone was more serious, “that’s when they come to me,” he shrugged, “I look after ‘em like they’re blood.”
“That’s why you’re so protective of Baby John.”
“You got it, doll. He’s a good kid, but he ain’t got no one lookin’ out for him. Or at least he didn’t till I made him a Jet.”
“You’re a good person, Riff.” He raised an eyebrow at me, questioningly. “No, really! You take care of all those kids like it’s nothing.”
He shrugged again, “ya well, half the time they don’t listen to me anyway,” he gave me his signature wink and smirk combo. “So are ya done grilling’ me? Do I get to know about you?”
My breathing hitched and my body stiffened. I usually try to avoid talking about myself with others but I guess I started this conversation, so it’s only fair.
“Well,” I muttered, “I’m from Santa Monica, California. Jo and I moved here about a month ago.” I looked up to see him waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath before continuing, “Our Mama was a dancer at a club that was really popular and I never met my dad. Jo has a different dad, who we don’t talk about.” I watched as Riff took in my words, clearly wanting me to elaborate. “He was like your dad. Not very nice.” I could feel my palms sweat slightly and my voice became shaky. “He used to get angry a lot and when he wasn’t angry he was drunk. Mama would always try to calm him but it never worked and it just got worse.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, “he would hurt me and mama anyway you could think of. He always had a soft spot for Jo though, until one day he didn’t.” I felt tears begin to fall as the memory flashed before my eyes.
I felt Riff grip on me tighten slightly as he leaned in to whisper, “I’m here now, nothing like that will ever happen.” All I could do was nod while I began to sob in his arms.
We stayed like that for a few minutes before I was able to regain composure. Our breathing was synced and our fingers were intertwined. His free hand was rubbing my back, tenderly, while he placed gentle kisses on the top of my head.
“He didn’t hurt her.” Riff’s movements stopped as I began to speak again, “I got home in time to stop him.” I sat up and looked at Riff, “well not stop him, but I grabbed Jo and took her out of there. She didn’t even know what was going on. The next day my mama tried to kick him out, even changed the locks on him but it only made him more angry.” I swallowed hard, “He killed her that night.” I could feel Riff tense up next to me. I took another deep breath, gripping his hand tighter. “I haven’t talked about that night in years. Not since police came with questions. He’s in jail now.” Riff nodded his head at my words. “Ever since then it’s been just the two of us.”
“I can see why you’re so protective,” he replied quietly. “But why don’t ya let me do the protectin’ from now on. I’ll keep ya both safe, I promise.”
I smiled up at him, wiping away the last of my tears. He leaned in slowly, looking deep into my eyes before letting them flutter close and connecting our lips. My hands found their way to his hair and his hands rested on my hips. Our kiss was long and passionate, full of all the emotions we just dug up and exposed to each other. It wasn’t long before he was on top of me on the couch.
“Wait,” I said, putting my hand on his chest. “I have a small request.”
“Alright,” he raised an eyebrow at me, “what can I do for ya girly?”
“If you’re going to be using your Jets to protect us then shouldn’t I know what’s going on with them?”
Riff let out a sigh, “you’re just goin’ to keep buggin’ me till I tell ya, aren’t ya?” I made a pouty face up at him and he rolled his eyes in response before smiling. “If it concerns ya in any way I’ll tell ya. But this doesn’t.”
I groaned, “you’ll just say nothing concerns me.”
“You’re right,” he smirked. I glared up at him, causing him to laugh again. “C’mon, don’t ya trust me?”
“How can I trust you if you won’t tell me what’s happening?”
“I know what I’m doing.” He let out a groan and ran a hand through his hair in frustration, “If you think I’m going to check in with you about the ins and outs of my gang,” he started to pull himself off of me and I reached up and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him back slightly.
“I just want to know you are safe,” I said quickly, cutting him off. His gaze softened again, I placed a gentle kiss on his lips, “I’m not going to tell you what to do, I know you can handle it. Just please tell me where you’re running off to before you go.”
We just stared at each other for a moment, his blue eyes were pouring into my green ones. He nodded slightly before connecting our lips again. It wasn’t like before, this kiss was slow and tender. I had never felt Riff touch me so delicately, as if I was glass. His fingers ghosted over my hips, trailing up and down my torso. My hands slipped around his neck and I pulled him in, deepening our kiss.
He pulled himself back, letting out a sigh, “It’s been awhile since I’ve had someone care about me like that.” He stared at the floor, eyebrows furrowed in thought.
“Well get used to it,” I said, sitting up to look at him. A small smile made its way to his lips as he turned towards me. “Riff,” I paused for a moment, looking deep into his eyes. I placed a hand on his cheek, “I don’t think I’ve ever felt as safe as I do when I’m with you.”
His smile grew, “Ever since I laid eyes on ya, that’s all I’ve wanted to do.”
“Oh really?” My eyebrows rose in question, my tone playful. “That’s all you want to do?”
His smirked returned, “Alright, that’s not all. Just my number one priority.” He leaned and whispered in my ear, “Making you feel good is just a perk of the job, sweetheart.” I felt Riff’s hand rest on my thigh, making my breathing hitch. He began to pepper my neck with kisses and I rolled my head back to give him more access. A moan left my mouth and he let out a light chuckle in response, “careful doll. You keep moaning like that and I may not be able to control myself.”
“You could never hurt me,” I placed my hand over his crotch and began to rub him gently through his jeans.
“You’re right but that don’t mean I won’t get carried away.”
I giggled at his words, “sounds like fun to me.”
We were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and I immediately pulled my hand back and pushed Riff off me. I looked over to see Jo, throwing her school bag down, not bothering to look over or not noticing us.
“Hey,” I said, doing my best to not draw suspicion to what we're just doing. She finally looked over to reveal red cheeks and puffy eyes, she’d been crying. I jumped up from the couch, “What happened?”
Jo came over quickly and engulfed me into a hug, beginning to cry quietly. I looked over my shoulder to see a confused look on Riff’s face, I gave him a shrug before turning my attention back to my sister. I squeezed her back and began to rub her back soothingly. She mumbled something out but between her sobs and tight embrace, I couldn’t make it out.
“Jo,” I pulled her off me to look at her, “What’s going on?”
“He dumped me.” I nodded at her words and pulled her back into a hug. “I don’t understand, he told me he liked me yesterday and then today he just dumped me.”
“Well what did he say?”
“He said I’m not right for him, he can’t be with someone like me.” My brows furrowed in confusion at her words. “His parents didn’t think I was worth his time.”
“He said what?!” I just about yelled. I could feel my face turning red with anger, which only made Jo cry harder. “Don’t cry over him, Jo,” I pulled her face up to look at me, “what does he know? He’s an idiot.”
“No he isn’t! He’s one of the smartest people in my class!”
“Doesn’t mean he’s not an idiot,” I rolled my eyes at her. “Books don’t make someone smart.” She nodded at my words slightly, using the back of her to wipe away her tears.
“Well,” Riff sighed, getting up from the couch, “if ya ask me, you could do a whole lot better anyway.” He awkwardly shoved his hands in his pockets, “and believe me, his parents aren’t the greatest people either.”
Jo nodded at his words slowly, “I just liked having someone who cared about me.”
“Aw Jo,” I sighed, pulling her back into a hug. “I care about you and Riff does too, right Riff?” I looked over at him.
“Ya, don’t worry kid.”
“Stop,” Jo pushed me away. “I’m not a kid,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “He was the only person at that school that would even acknowledge me and now I have no one.” Her eyes began to water again and she turned away from us.
“You’ll meet other people Jo,” I said but was quickly cut off by my sister storming off to her room, slamming the door behind her.
“Why are all girls so dramatic?” Riff asked. I grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him, “hey! What was that for?” He laughed out loud and I tried not to smile.
“It’s not funny, I’m worried about her.” I sighed sitting back down on the couch, “I didn’t know she didn’t have any friends.”
“I know people her age, I could introduce her if ya want,”
“Absolutely not!” Riff raised an eyebrow at me, so I continued, “I don’t want her around dangerous people.”
“It won’t be anyone dangerous,” he said, rolling his eyes again. “What about Baby John?”
“He’s in a gang!” My eyes were wide, I could hardly believe what he was saying. “You just told me you would protect us and now you’re saying she should be hanging out with some gang!”
“Ya, my gang.” I could tell he was getting irritated with me, but the thought of Jo hanging out with a gang member made me sick. “You saw him, he’s not even scary.” He did have a point, Baby John was hardly threatening.
“Riff, she’s my little sister,” I began to rub my temples in an attempt to ease my growing headache. “I can’t just let her hang out with whoever.”
“Maggie,” he breathed out, his tone calm but I could see rage building in his eyes. “I wouldn’t let her hang out with just anyone. He’s a good kid!” His voice began to rise slightly, in defence of Baby John. We stared at each other, both seething with anger.
“I don’t want her associating with criminals.”
“And what am I?” His words cut the air like a knife. He raised his eyebrows at me, expecting an answer.
“You’re different,” I said quietly, in almost a whisper.
“I’m more dangerous than any of The Jets.”
“But you wouldn’t hurt us.”
“They do what I say Margaret! They won’t do anything, she’s a kid!”
“I just don’t want her getting hurt,” I sighed, knowing he was right and flopped back on the couch. He looked at me and his gaze softened. Sitting down next to me, Riff pulled my hand into his and planted a small kiss on it.
“I know you want what’s best, and so do I. I’m not trying to set them up, I’m trying to get her friends. She doesn’t even have to know he’s a member!” I nodded at his words, reluctantly.
“Okay but I want to be there when they meet Riff,” I said sternly looking at him. “No other gang members, just us and them, okay?”
“Sure thing doll, I’ll set it up.” He pulled me in for a kiss before hopping up from the couch. “I’ll go find him now,” he said, making his way towards the door.
“You’ll come back right?” My voice was a little more panicked sounding than I had hoped.
Riff turned around on his heels, “how’s about I do ya one better? You and Jo meet us at Doc’s in 2 hours,” I nodded in agreement and he smiled back. “Great, then I’ll get to walk ya home after,” he smirked at me, “besides I couldn’t stay away from you even if I tried, girly girl.” With one last wink, he was gone out the door.
#riff west side story#mike faist#mike faist fanfiction#wss#wss jets#west side story#riff fanfic#wss 2021
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Panic
Part 9
So.. in this one made a little change in the story, for obvious reasons, basically Heather never hooked up with Ray, but with Tyler... since Ray is this series is interested in Y/n. It's a minor change, but just so you know🤷🏻♀️
As always let me know what you think and my requests are still open🤘
Chapter summary: I think you know what happens in this one😇 and also Carp's annual Derby.
Chapter warnings: smut, unprotected sex (use protection loves) Dodge.. just Dodge.
Tag list: @shenevertricks1831 @mixed-theater-faisty-tings @stuckinthesmalldoor @girlygirl-20 @jillo0315 @one-edgy-bitch
He arrives quickly than expected, so as soon as he knocks I let him in, offering something to drink.
"Water is fine" he offers me a kind smile.
"Water it is" I say going to the kitchen, him following me, I grab a glass and pour some water and some ice cubes too.
"Thanks" he says taking a sip.
"Is everything okay?" I ask.
"Actually no" he answers, catching me off guard "nothing is okay."
"What.. what's wrong?"
He doesn't answer right away, he simply stay there, jaw clenching and a serious expression on his face. Thinking.
"Dodge...?"
"I can't stop thinking about you. I really can't. I can't help but imagine how it would feel to have you in my arms, to kiss you...to taste you" with each word he gets closer and I back away, until I can't anymore because the kitchen counter stops me.
He puts the glass of water on the counter, resting his hand there towering over me now that he's right in front of me.
"I..." I look everywhere but him.
He put his other hand on the counter behind me, caging me there.
"I.." he sighs "it's driving me crazy."
He lets out a small chuckle.
"I.. Dodge, I don't.. I don't know what to say" I say.
"Tell me you don't want this and I promise you.. I promise I'll stop and everything will be back at normal." He almost beg.
I finally look at him, his eyes are fixed on me, filled with love and need.
"I.. do.. I want this" I finally say, admitting it to myself first of all.
He leans down, slowly, almost to test me and see if I'm sure.
Before his lips could touch mine, my phone rings, distracting us both.
"If you dare answer... I swear.." I almost growls.
I smile at that and lean towards him to finally kiss him.
As soon as our lips touch his hands are on me, one on my face and one on my neck to keep me there, the phone soon forgotten.
I put my hands on his chest grabbing his shirt, simply enjoying the feeling of him on me. His tongue exploring my mouth while one hand falls to my hip keeping me closer to him, almost grinding on me. This makes me let out a small moan in his mouth making him smile as we keep kissing.
He then pulls away, a sweet smirk on his face, resting his forehead on mine.
"Fucking finally" he says breathlessly.
"Indeed" I say laughing.
His hands on me keep caressing me, with sweetness and need.
"Where's your room?" He asks out of nowhere, an innocent expression on his face.
"Uh?"
In response he leans down to kiss my neck, biting and sucking on it and his hands grab my hips more firmly.
"Oh... oh! It's.. upstairs second door on..on the left" I tell him.
He looks at me and suddenly lift me up in his arms taking me upstairs, earning a loud gasp from me.
When we get to my room he, not very gently, closes the door and slams me against it.
"Tell me to stop and I will. Anytime" he promises.
I nod, out of breath.
"I need to hear you say it, princess" he says.
"Yes.. yes"
He wastes no time and attacks my neck again, hand roaming all over my body as if scared I would disappear.
When his hands are on my short he looks at me.
"Can I?" He asks with a teasing smile.
"Yes... fuck, stop teasing" I tell him.
"Oh... you wanna give me orders, princess? I've been waiting for so long I'm gonna enjoy each fucking second" he says while he pulls my shorts down kissing down my neck again.
"You're the worst" I tell him, my hands in his hair.
He just humms while his lips trails down to my chest, getting on his knees.
It's a sight that makes me wet, instantly.
He keeps kissing my body as he grab one leg to put it on his shoulder, kissing my inner thigh.
As he does that, he then looks up to me... shit.. the sight alone gets me soaking wet with arousal.
"Still sure?" He asks.
"Yes!" I say exasperated.
He moves my panties to the side with a small chuckle.
"Oh look at this.. is it for me?" He asks mockingly.
I sigh, a mix of embarrassment and need.
"Answer me, princess"
His tone makes me clench around nothing, he notices and a big grin appears on his face.
"You like it when I call you princess then, uh?"
"Shut up" I say embarrassed.
"As you wish"
His mouth in between my legs in no time, eating me like a starved man, making me moan loudly. My hands reach down to his hair gently grabbing it.
One of his hand is on the leg on his shoulder, squeezing it while the other in under my top grabbing one of my boob.
His tongue on my clit feels amazing, it makes me moan louder and louder, my hands in his hair grab it harder making him groan on me.
"Fuck... don't.. don't stop.. please"
He remove his hand from my chest so he can use his fingers too.
"Oh.. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon" he says as he put one finger inside of me, his mouth back on sucking on my clit, harder than before earning a small scream from me.
He then interts another finger.. then another.
He fucks me with his fingers as he licks my pussy, getting me closer and closer to my release.
"Shit! I'm so close.. Dodge.."
He doubles his efforts, fucking me harder with his finger.
"Fuck!" I say as I cum on his mouth, my legs shaking threatening to give up and make me fall but Dodge's hold on me keeps me up.
He doesn't stop licking me though, the feeling is overwhelming, as I'm still sensitive from my orgasm.
"Dodge... Dodge.. stop, too much" I say letting out breathless chuckles.
Instead of stopping he sucks and licks harder on my clit.
"Dodge... oh shit"
He keeps going, he doesn't stop until I cum again harder than before, this time falling in front of him.
My hands go to his chest, shaking slightly.
"Everything okay?" He asks, caressing my face.
I nod, smiling. He kisses me and I can taste myself on his tongue.
He pulls away helping me stand up and moving me to the bed.
I lay down and he climbs on top of me.
"You taste so.. so good, princess" he tells me, hand on my cheek.
"Don't call me 'princess' " I tell him, while I still try to catch my breath.
"Oh.. I thought you liked it. Your pussy sure did" he teases.
"I.."
He doesn't let me speak because his lips are on mine again.
I just tug at his shirt, silently asking him to take it off, and he soon complies. Soon taking off my shirt too.
As my shirt is out of the way his mouth is back on my chest licking my nipples and leaving marks on my chest.
My hands move to his hair again grabbing it hard.
"Mmh.. you're playing with fire, princess" he says, his hips grinding on me. I can feel his hard-on pretty clearly.
"You feel what you do to me, uh? It's all you" he tells me, grabbing one of my hand to move it to his pants to make me feel his cock.
"Should I do something about it?" I ask him.
"Oh.. you're already doing it" with that he take off his pants and underwear.
My eyes wide at the sight of him.
"Like it?" He asks with a teasing tone.
I reach down to touch him but he stops me.
"Uh uh"
He climbs down to lick my pussy again, and then quickly he climbs back up to kiss me.
I feel his cock teasing ym entrance, I try to move my hips closer.
"Someone's eager, uh?" He asks.
"C'mon, Dodge" I beg him.
"Ask nicely"
"Please.. please Dodge"
"You can do better than that, can't you?" He leans down to kiss my neck, finding my sweet spot and making me moan.
"Shit... Dodge please, please just fuck me, please"
Without saying a word he start to push his cock inside me, slowly so I can feel every inch of him and... he feels amazing.
When he's completely inside of me he lets out a loud moan.
"Oh shit.. you feel even better than I imagined" he says as he starts to move in and out, getting faster and faster with each thrust.
"Fuck.. Dodge"
"Keep saying my name, princess, please" he asks.
Each moan is his name. A silent beg for him to not stop.
"You feel so good Dodge... fuck"
"I want to feel you cumming on my cock, I want to feel you squeezing me, Y/n." He tells me.
He knows I'm getting closer again, he knows and he thrusts into me harder and harder.
"Shit!" I moan.
"Oh yes, yes cum for me." He basically growls into my ear.
"Fuck.. I'm.. I'm.."
He pulls away to look at me.
"Look at me as you cum, let me see you" he orders.
I look at him and cum on his cock.
"Shit.. just like that, Y/n" he keeps fucking me helping me down my orgasm.
I look into his eyes, seeing admiration, I gently grab his face pulling him closer to kiss him as he keeps fucking me reaching his own release.
"Mmh I'm close, princess.. can I cum on your stomach?"
"Oh you're asking now?" I mock him a little.
"Don't dare." He tells me, clearly holding back.
"Ask nicely" I smirk.
Dodge smirks too, a proud smirk on his face, giving me a quick kiss.
"Please, oh please princess, let me cum on you.. I'm so close.." he begs.
It makes me clench around him, he slows down a bit.
"Ooh you like hearing me beg uh?" He says, and he goes back at fucking me hard again.
"Shit.."
"Can I?" He asks again.
"Yes! Fuck yes"
With that he pulls his cock out lining it up on my stomach and finally cumming on me with a loud groan.
He stays like for a moment, looking at me, this makes me blush so he leans down to kiss both my cheeks.
"Beautiful" he says.
He quickly goes find some washcloth to clean us and then he falls beside me, sighing content.
He put his arm around me, blanket on us covering our naked bodies.
"Too much?" He asks.
"Not at all" I turn around to look him, him already looking at me with a sweet smile. That smile that makes my legs weak usually.
"Can I ask you something?" He asks.
I nod, his hand is on my cheek caressing it sweetly.
"Why did you kiss Ray the first occasion and I had to wait this long?" He asks.
"I... because I don't feel anything.. for him" I answer.
"But every time we got interrupted you seemed relieved. And also when we could've had the chance you changed subject" he wonders.
"Because I'm scared. Or.. I was. I have strong feelings for you, Dodge. I had for a while now. I was scared you only saw me as.. as a hook up for the summer.. and I didn't want you to break my heart, or lose you" I explain. Telling him this feels much more easier than I expected.
"I had the same fear" he admits "I thought you noticed my feelings and you were just being nice, so I kept teasing you and flirting with you to... I don't know.. made sure of it, but at Graybill's House... you getting all red and embarrassed after I told what I might feel for you... what I feel for you, made me think. Maybe she does feel the same, I thought. At the hospital, your look... was worried but not just a worried friend. It doesn't make sense, I know. The point is... I couldn't wait any longer.. I had to see if I was just imagining things or not." He tells me.
"Exactly what I thought" I tell him with a small chuckle.
"We're idiots"
"Diggins would agree, I'm sure" I tell him.
"That's why he was so pushy with the hot tub at the party" he realises.
"Yeah" I laugh, I get serious "I do like you, Dodge Mason"
"I do like you too, Y/n L/n"
He kisses me again, hand on my side caressing it..
Until...
"No!" I scream laughing. "Don't tickle me!"
"But you look so beautiful when I do"
We laugh as he keep tickling me and I keep moving away, or at least I try too.
I end up losing, even though I'm on top of him, but he has his arms around me caging my arms as well.
"I hate you" I tell him between laugher.
"Oh, you wish" he tells me giving my nose a little peck.
He simply watches me for a moment with a sweet content smile.
"Round two?" He asks.
I raise an eyebrow at him.
"If you can take it" I challenge him.
He raises both eyebrows in surprise and flip us over so he's on top of me.
"Let's see how cocky you'll be while begging for me to stop" he says that while climbing down, spreading my legs and positioning himself between my legs looking at my pussy.
"Or to keep going" he teases.
"Will I see you at the Derby tomorrow?" Dodge asks me as I walk him to the door, his hand holding mine.
"Of course" I nod.
"And... if I win?" He wonders.
"If you win.. what?" I ask innocently.
"Will I get a kiss?" He asks.
"Well... I think the announcer would gladly give you a kiss too" I tease.
"I'm sure he's an amazing kisser" he jokes with me.
"Oh sure. Plus his voice is... relaxing" I tell him laughing.
"Oh.. definitely" he chuckles.
Now on my doorstep he looks down at me, with a stupid smile and without saying anything.
"What?" I ask him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Do you still don't know? How many times do I have to tell you that I fucking like you to make you understand?" He says smiling.
"Maybe... some more? I have trouble understanding human language" I answer.
"Well then I won't use words anymore, how about this?" He leans down kissing me and I immediately kiss him back my hands on his neck and his on my waist.
He pulls away, looking me in the eyes.
"Was it more... easy to understand?" He asks.
"Mmh.. maybe some more and I'll start to get my head around it" I tell him with a smirk.
"I'd love your mouth around it, but I'll get what I can" he jokes.
I shove him away laughing. "You're the worst"
"Only with you" he winks and starts to walk backwards to his car. "I'll see you tomorrow, princess"
I roll my eyes.
"See you tomorrow, Mason" I wave at him smiling.
I wait for him to drive away before getting back inside.
Oh god... I literally can't stop smiling.
I can't believe it.. Did it actually happen?
My thoughts are interrupted by my phone ringing again, so I pick it up.
Diggins.. why?
"Hey there" I greet him.
"Well hello! You're alive then" he says.
"Yeah.. I was.. busy"
"Busy... as in?" He asks curiously.
"Ehm... well.. busy"
"I can hear you smile from here... what happened?" He asks again. Excited.
"Dodge came over"
"Oh!! You did it? C'mon tell you guys freaking admit your feelings!"
"Yeah.. yeah. And not only that" I tell him still smiling like an idiot.
"That's my girl!" He exclaims proudly. "Oh.. well not my girl" he adds teasingly.
"Oh shut up. Did you need anything?" I ask him.
"Well, I just wanted to ask you if you'll be at the Derby and the fair tomorrow"
"Sure"
"With your boyfriend"
I can feel his smirk from here..
"I swear Diggins" I warn him, but my chuckle don't sound so threatening.
"I'm so happy for you. I mean it. If you're looking for yout babies names.. Diggins is a great chioce, good lineage" he offers.
"Oh my god!"
"I told you he felt the same!"
"Yeah fine! You were right! Happy?"
"Oh very. I'll let you enjoy your happiness now, see you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow"
He hangs up and I put my phone away.
I think about today, sitting on the couch finally relaxing.
Hopefully Panic won't get in the way.
I look at my reflection in the mirror and I notice some marks.. some hickeys Dodge left yesterday.
Fucking Dodge, I think chuckling.
I can't wear a scarf, it's way too hot to. Oh well... let the questions begin I guess. I have nothing to hide.
I hear my phone ringing so I pick it up to answer Natalie.
"Hey, we're almost at your house. Are you ready?"
"Yep, only waiting for my carriage"
"The carriage is on its way" she laughs.
"See you soon"
I hang up and go downstairs to wait for them.
In the meantime I receive a text.
Dodge.
"See you later, princess"
"See you later, Mason"
"Hope I didn't leave you too many marks ;)"
"Oh no no don't worry. All these marks are just the results of a fight against the goblins in my garder"
"Damn them :)"
"I'll get my revenge. Don't worry ;)"
"As you should. Later, Y/n <3 "
I put my phone in my pocket just in time to hear Natalie's car in front of my house.
"Welcome, guys and gals, to Carp's annual Metal Stampede demolition Derby" the announcer voice fills the air along with the cheering, chatting and music.
I look for Dodge, but I can't see him yet so I just sit with Natalie and Heather on the benches, he's probably getting ready for the Derby.
"Are you gonna tell us about those or what?" Heather asks me, pointing at the hickeys on my neck.
"I don't know what you're talking about" I say taking a sip of my drink.
"She just doesn't kiss and tell.. or should I say, she doesn't ride and tell" Natalie teases, and I jokingly shove her.
"C'mon, you look happy, we want to know!" Heather insists, a genuine happy smile.
"Yesterday" I say, both girls watching me.
I take a fries from them and eat it.
"Don't you dare leave us hanging" Heather says.
"Fine, fine" I laugh. "Yesterday after I got home from Nat's house, I called him to ask him if he wanted to hang out, but he was already coming to my place. He arrived, we talked and.. yeah.. I think you can imagine what happened next. No riding though... yet"
"Told you... she thought about him that way" Natalie says to Heather, looking teasingly at me.
"Yes, fine, I'll say it. I like him, he's nice, smart and caring, funny too. I like him. Happy?"
"Finally!" Heather claps her hands.
The rally starts and the cheering gets louder along with cars roaming in front of us.
Dodge is car numer 12, I think, the yellow one.
"Where's your boyfriend?" Natalie asks.
"I think he's number 12" I tell her rolling my eyes.
"People say there's a challenge coming tonight" she tells us.
"It's like you said. The game always goes on" Heather answers.
"Well, the game feels different, though. Doesn't it? It's not just cops. It's.." Nat starts.
"It's like it's not a game" Heather finishes for her. I nod at that.
"We can still be teammates, though, right?" Heather asks Natalie.
"Partners. Win or lose, it's together"
Fuck... how can Natalie play like this..
"Do you remember the, uh, list that I found at Spurlock's?" Heather says.
"What list?" I ask, taking my eyes off of the cars crashing into each other.
"After I got stuck underground, basically, I followed this, uhm.. tunnel or something that lead to a room where I found a list of names. Our names." She explains.
"A list of the players? Why?" I'm confused.
"Yeah, that's the thing, I don't think it's a list of the players, I think it a lists of odds" she tells us.
"What do you mean?" Natalie asks.
"Odds? Like... is someone betting on panic?" I ask.
"That's exactly what I think. Someone is betting. Someone who was there with us that night."
Who would bet on Panic.. but most importantly.. why.
Our thoughts are interrupted by the cars crashing and the announcer's voice.
"First casualty!"
"Number 14 almost got 12 there"
"Is Ray aiming at Dodge?" Heather asks, chuckling.
"Would it surprise you?" I reply.
"C'mon... any prize if Dodge won?" Natalie teases.
"Oh my god" I laugh "I told him he could ask the announcer for a kiss too"
"You're too cruel with the guy" Natalie tells me.
"Oh well... he likes it. His problem" I say smirking.
"Ooh you heard her?" Heather laughs.
We keep watching the race until Heather speaks up again.
"Hey, Bishop's here" she nod towards the right where Bishop is sitting with Diggins, Troy and Drew.
"Can you just go tell him how you fell, please?" Natalie asks exasperated and Heather scoffs. "Your sexual frustration have the world's worst taste"
"I thought we agreed that the Tyler thing never happened" Heather replies.
"Believe me, I wish I could forget"
"Wait.. what?" I asks shocked.
"Oh.. you didn't know? She hooked up with Tyler at Graybill's" Natalie explains while Heather rolls her eyes.
"Oh... tell me you didn't" I ask, trying to hold back my laughter.
"Yeah yeah"
"Oh my god" I say.
"There's only four cars left!" The announcer says.
I see Dodge's still in the game... and so is Ray.
Only two cars left now, Ray's and Dodge's.
This is gonna be interesting.
"Oh shit" I whisper. "Looks like Dodge is stuck"
"Yap" Natalie nods.
Ray's car simply reverses and crashes into Dodge's.
"Boom! Ray Halm just destroyed him" the announcer exclaims.
"Oh c'mon" Natalie exclaims too.
"Yep.. another burst to his ego" I comment dryly as Ray jumps on top of Dodge's car celebrating.
He comes to the edge of the court and incite the crowd, who was already screaming his name.
Once he spots me he simply sends me a kiss to which I rispond with my middle finger and a roll of my eyes.
I look around to see where Dodge might be and when I find him I'm surprised to see him talking to Luke.
What the hell are they talking about?
#mike faist#mike faist x reader#riff fanfic#riff x reader#west side story#riff imagine#wss riff#riff west side story#west side story imagine#panic prime#dodge#dodge mason imagine#dodge mason x reader#dodge mason#dodge mason smut
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Masterlist
notes: I’ve mainly been working on my other blog because of my ongoing story but I’ll try to write some fun one shots here and there. There isn’t much right now but this is still in progress
Riff Lorton-
Breakfast
Klaus Mikaelson-
Say the word (smut)
NSFW Alphabet (smut)
#masterlist#riff fanfic#riff imagine#riff lorton#riff x oc#riff x reader#west side story#wss riff#klaus mikaelson smut#klaus mikaelson#klaus mikealson x reader
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late night thoughts but if anyone has any specific stand-alone oneshot requests or prompts/scenarios they’d like to see for Riff (west side story), maybe send them my way?
it would be totally outside of Loving Cup. i was thinking maybe a different relationship, e.g, Riff and Tony’s sister? i don’t know for sure when I’d get around to it but it might be nice to try something new!!!
also I recently finished watching Panic which was…definitely a TV show…. but if you have any prompts/scenarios/requests for dodge mason, the same still stands!
#riff#riff west side story#west side story#mike faist#riff x reader#riff fanfic#requests#panic#dodge mason#dodge mason x reader#dodge mason fanfic
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Morals: Chapter 1
Riff Lorton
Notes: As you can tell I’m in my Riff phase so expect more chapters lollll. I hope you guys enjoy and stay tuned for updates!
Warnings: swearing
Word count: 1.6k
Masterlist
———
”¡Hola tía!” I exclaim walking into Doc’s. Valentina flashes me a sweet smile as she balances herself on her ladder.
“I can do that if you want tía, don’t worry about it.” I offer but she shakes her head. “Ay no no, mi amor. I gotta do things while I still can. It’s the beauty of life.” She smiles. I admire that about Valentina. I haven’t been working here for very long, but it was the first thing I noticed about her. She lives in the moment and enjoys everything, even when it seems like there isn’t much glory to bask in.
A thud came from downstairs, emitting an unsolicited gasp from my throat. Valentina and I lock eyes. She tries to mask the worried look on her face but I can still see right through her.
“Is he okay?” I ask. Tony and I have actually gotten pretty close within the couple of months that we’ve known each other. Valentina hired us on the same day, and we’d been inseparable ever since. I could count on him for anything.
She opens her mouth to answer but the sound of yelling catches both of our attentions.
“I can’t go to the dance, Riff! My parole officer said no going out.”
A tall, lean boy comes through the door. I’ve seen him around town but never up close. So this was who had Tony so grumpy.
About a dance? What dance?
Tony came up the stairs, crate in hand. An annoyed expression was plastered on his face.
Nobody told me about a dance.
“Womb to tomb… wasn’t never a joke for me.” The boy said, pressing his shoulder to the door.
Tony threw his arms up in the air in exasperation. “Don’t be like that, just cuz I can't go to a dance?”
“Tony,” I called, drawing the attention of Valentina, Tony and the other boy. “What dance?”
Tony narrows his eyes at me. “It’s not the kinda thing you would wanna go to.” He says. I roll my eyes. “How do you know that? I can think for myself.”
Tony’s friend walks toward me, a sly smirk stretched across his face. “Yeah, Tony, let the lady speak for herself. What’s your name, pretty thing?” “Lilianna .”
“Stay away from her, Riff. She’s not allowed to associate with criminals.” Valentina speaks up from behind. “Look, don’t fall off that latter. At your age… brittle bones! That’s all I’m saying.” The boy, Riff, snarkily replies before turning his attention back to me. “So you going tonight?”
“No.” Tony says sternly, answering for me. “Nobody is g-“ “Yes.” I said with a rush of confidence surging through my veins.
Tony and Valentina stare at me with wide eyes, but Riff smiles contently.
“Lily, este chico es peligroso!” (Lily, this boy is dangerous!) Valentina exclaimed, stepping down from her ladder. “Yo se, Yo se. Será cuidadoso.” (I know, I know. I will be careful.)
“Lily are you insane?” Tony asks, you could tell he was angry. “Why is it insane if I want to go to a dance, Tony? I’m a 17 year old girl who’s never been to a dance. Excuse me if I want to enjoy at least some part of my goddamn life.” I turn to my right and go up the stairs, entering my own room. Of course the space was shared with the boxes among boxes of appliances, but it was still home. After my parents had died, there wasn’t really any other place for me to go. The whole thing is all just a big sob story. Tía Valentina was like a mom to my mother. She was with me the night of the car accident. Without her, I would be sleeping on the streets. I owe her my life.
A knock on the door breaks me out of my thoughts. “Come in!” I shout.
Tony enters the small room with a meek smile playing on his lips. “I’m sorry. I understand if you want to go. I shouldn’t be the one to stop you from having fun.” He apologizes. “How about I go too? I’ll keep you company.”
“What about your parole?” I look up at him. “We’ll keep each other out of trouble, right?” He asks and we both chuckle, wholeheartedly. “Of course.”
———
“You look beautiful, mi amor!” Valentina exclaimed as we both looked in the mirror. My reflection stared back at me like a stranger. “I told you this dress would fit like a glove!”
My hands smoothed out the wrinkles on the dark blue dress as I turned around to face her. “This blue really brings out the green in your eyes. I told you this eyeshadow would brighten those gorgeous eyes.” She said, tapping me on the nose.
Val and I make our way down the stairs to where Tony is waiting. His eyes widen as I make my way down the stairs. “Wow…” he said breathlessly. I giggle and spin around. “What? A girl can’t get dressed up every now and then?”
“Well in that case, I’d say we’re already fashionably late.” Tony says with a chuckle. He holds his arm out for me to take and I accept.
We make our way to the dance, but not before saying goodbye to Valentina.
Arm in arm, Tony and I arrive at the dance. My eyes scan the gym in awe as I take in the sight of my first ever dance.
“Hey guys!” Tony and I whip around. Anybodys, one of my first friends in this town, beamed at us. “Anybodys! Hey!” I exclaim.
“Tony! I knew you’d come, buddy boy!” A familiar voice calls. Riff shoves Anybodys out of the way and embraces Tony. I roll my eyes and turn towards Anybodys. “I haven’t seen you in forever.” I say, giving them a warm smile. Their eyes light up. “I know! I feel-“ the sentence was interrupted by the sound of unwanted whistling by, of course, the annoying Jet beside us. “God damn, girly girl. I didn’t even recognize ya at first!” Riff rambled. Annoyance crept up on me as Riff rudely interrupted our conversation.
“Do you mind?” I ask, sharply to which he responds in a sly smirk. “Whewwww, I sure don’t!” He exclaims. “Come dance.” He says to me and Tony. For once, I don’t actually think that’s a bad idea.
———
I giggle as Tony spins me around. He’d been teaching me how to dance most of the night. I couldn’t help but feel bad for accidentally squishing his feet the majority of the time.
Spinning around wasn’t something I was used to. Everyone could tell because soon, I could feel the color draining from my face as I came to a quick halt. Concern filled Tony’s sharp features as his hazel eyes scanned my face. “Yo, are you good?” He asks. I nod my head, desperately trying to conceal my nausea. “I’m fine.. just excuse me for 1 moment.” I say, ripping myself from his grasp and scurrying away.
I finally find the exit and crisp air of the night fills my lungs as I gasp for air, desperate to keep the nausea at a low. The feeling stung at my eyes and caused a single teardrop to fall down the side of my face. I dust the concrete stairs off with my palm and take a seat. The cold material seeps through my dress but I don’t care. The feeling of being overwhelmed is something I’ve always had to battle. I just freak out in the little instances. I should’ve just listened to Tony. It’s something I’ve never experienced and it really affected me in a way I didn’t expect it to.
My thoughts are interrupted by the door swinging open. “I found her!”
I internally groan as my peace is ONCE AGAIN interrupted by Riff.
I look up at him. “What do you want, Riff?” Annoyance was laced in my voice, but he either didn’t care or didn’t notice.
“Tony’s lookin’ for ya.”
“Alright well can you tell him I’ll be inside soon? I’m just taking a little time for myself.”
Ignoring my request, he takes a seat, paying no mind to my sigh of annoyance. “What now?” I ask harshly.
He puts his hands up in defense. “I noticed a tear.”
My hands flew to my face, wiping the wet accusation away. “I’m not crying or anything I just felt nauseous and my eyes started watering…. You know, a natural response.” I rambled. His eyes scanned my face, almost like he was wondering something. “What?” I ask, feeling my cheeks heat up at the thought of someone examining and possibly judging my features. He shook his head. “I can't figure it out.”
“Figure what out?”
“When I first saw ya, I thought ya were Puerto Rican. Then ya started talking and there was no accent. So I thought maybe I was wrong, but then ya started speaking spanish. I thought I had it down that ya were really just Puerto Rican and realllyyyy good at english. But now I’m lost because you have the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
My eyelids fluttered at him in disbelief. “You do realize we can have colored eyes?” I howled with laughter, making Riffs cheeks turn a bright shade of red. “But yes, my father was white, my mother was Puerto Rican.” I explained. The beet red blush that flared on his face seemed to calm down.
The door slammed open and Riff and I both snapped around. “What the hell man! Why didn’t ya tell me ya found her?” Tony exclaimed, eyeing us both suspiciously.
Riff threw his arms up in frustration. “I did! Ya were busy checking behind god's back.”
My eyes stayed glued to the floor as they bickered. Truth be told, I didn’t really think Riff would give me a second thought after seeing me earlier at Docs in my stained work clothes. He was wondering about me?
Tony’s blurred voice brought me out of my thoughts. “Earth to Lily! Ya good?”
My eyes wandered straight up. Straight into Riff’s ocean blue ones.
Next chapter
#wss riff#riff fanfic#riff x oc#riff imagine#mike faist riff#riff lorton#riff wss#riff west side story#west side story#tony wss#tony wyzek#anybodys wss#valentina west side story#riff raff
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After All (Part 19/?)
Pairing: Riff X OC Jet Girl
Warnings: Explicit Language, References to Violence, Non-Explicit Sexual References, Racism
Summary: She should’ve felt content in his arms. After all, for weeks- no, months- she never would have dreamed such a thing would ever be possible again. Despite that, she couldn’t rest.
Word Count: 15,500 ish.
DISCLAIMER
Please note that this is a reimagining of the film West Side Story (2021) and as a result is slightly AU.
Masterlist /// Part 1 /// Part 18 /// Part 19 /// Part 20
A/N: I had a different GIF planned for this part, but after remembering this scene, I couldn’t help but use this one instead. The context of this chapter made me laugh too much for me not to.😂
Thank you all for being so patient with me while I worked on this chapter. As a thank you, this chapter is a long one. I really hope the wait was worth it, and that you all enjoy it. I was in a bit of a funk before writing this, but by the time I finished it, I think I got back into the groove.
And again, thank you guys for your support. I’ll plan on posting the next part two weeks from today (unless I get a random bout of inspiration and can get it prepared sooner), BUT, in the meantime, I’ll plan on posting another oneshot either this weekend, or around this time next week. Please feel free to keep submitting any requests you may have! I’ve got a few left still, but with this new writing schedule I’m trying out, I’ll be able to write more oneshot requests than I thought I would be able to while the story is still ongoing. And even if you don’t have a request, please feel free to reach out with any thoughts or comments you may have. As always, I love hearing from y’all.😊
Enough babbling from me. I hope you guys enjoy, and I hope you have a great rest of the week.💙
Part 19: Keeping Secrets
Riff’s mouth felt suddenly dry in the wake of Tony’s question, despite the fact that his old pal had posed it plainly enough. “... What was that?”
“When were ya gonna mention you’d been seein’ Grazi?” Tony repeated.
It was a fair question, and it was something Riff had been meaning to talk to Tony about for quite some time. Though the decision to get involved with Grazi at all was questionable at best, at the very least, Riff could argue that nothing had ever transpired between them while Tony and Grazi had still been involved.
Still, Riff found himself at a loss for words.
In the silence of the room, Riff had the sudden realization that it was quiet downstairs in the shop- too quiet. If the guys downstairs were trying to overhear whatever conversation he and Tony were about to have, they just might’ve been able to get a few snippets if the two stayed where they were.
Riff headed to his bedroom, waving at Tony over his shoulder as a gesture for him to follow.
Thankfully, Tony did not protest the idea, and a moment later Riff heard his footsteps following closely behind him. Riff held the door open for Tony, and once they were both inside, he shut the door behind them.
When Riff felt confident that the guys downstairs would have to severely strain themselves to overhear their conversation, he turned to Tony apprehensively.
Tony had on a poker face, as he had since the very moment he’d stepped into the apartment with Riff. That didn’t do much for Riff’s nerves at that moment.
It was quiet for several more moments as the pair stared one another down. The sound of traffic outside leaked into the room through a crack in the window.
Riff was at a point where he was about to blurt something- anything- just to break the tension when Tony smiled.
“I’m just pullin’ your leg, pal.”
It took Riff several long seconds to process Tony’s words. “What?”
“I’m just messin’ with ya.”
“...You’re not mad?”
“Actually, no,” Tony said with a short laugh.
Once Tony’s words processed in Riff’s mind, he let down his guard a bit, and a few nervous laughs slipped from his chest.
“Valentina mentioned she suspected somethin’ when I first moved in... said she overheard some of the girls in Doc’s while I was away. Didn’t take much for her to put two and two together.”
That figured. Riff should’ve suspected that the old witch would’ve said something to him. How could she have resisted another chance to paint him in a less than stellar light?
“Also, there’s the fact that Grazi swung by Doc’s today and told me ‘bout it herself.”
Oh.
…
Oh no.
Riff felt his eyes widen as an involuntary frantic reaction to Tony’s words.
“Yeah,” Tony continued, evidently not noticing Riff’s slip in composure. “There was somethin’ ‘bout the way she said it, though. She sounded like she was worried it was gonna start somethin’ between us- like she was surprised ya hadn’t told me.”
Though Tony said he wasn’t mad, he did sound a little bit sad during his recollection of what happened, and as a result, Riff’s guilt skyrocketed.
“I meant to tell ya, I really did,” Riff swore sincerely. “But I’ve only seen ya a handful of times since ya got cut loose! … There was never a good moment.”
Tony nodded understandingly. “And just ‘bout each time we’ve seen each other, it’s ended the same… With a whole lotta yellin’.”
Riff couldn’t help but snicker at the thought of their previous meetings. At the shop, right after Tony was released. In Doc’s, when Riff needed Tony’s help to find Roxie. In Doc’s again, to thank him for finding Roxie and to arrange a meeting in the park. In the park, when they both took in the damage that had been done to the wall…
… Four times?
Had Riff really only seen Tony four times since he’d been released? Tony had been out for the better part of a couple of months now… And each time they had met, it had always ended in an argument, or the conversation had one specific purpose.
Tony was supposed to be like family to Riff. Hell, he still was, even in light of his new peacekeeping and “changed ways” crap he’d been trying to sell him.
“I’m tired of arguin’ with ya,” Tony admitted solemnly.
“Me too, pal,” Riff agreed, tiredly but full-heartedly.
“Look, you're not gonna change your mind about me comin’ back to the Jets, and I know I’m not gonna change mine ‘bout stayin’ away,” Tony said. “So, why don’t we just take a break from tryin’ to convince each other? Let’s just… be.”
Riff knew that if things with the Sharks continued down the path that they were, he would need Tony beside him. He also believed with every small inkling of hope left in him that if that were the case, Tony would be able to see that, and he would come back to the Jets the second Riff asked.
But, in an admittedly rare occurrence, Riff was willing to set all that aside for a bit in light of the eye-opening revelations he’d had after the run in with Mr. Barone. Riff had only seen Tony four times since he’d been released, and the unfortunate run-in Riff had had with Mr. Barone just the previous week made it so much more apparent to him that it was not nearly enough. Riff could’ve died, and he never would’ve set things straight with Tony.
Riff missed Tony, plain and simple as that. If getting off the soap box about trying to convince Tony to become a full-fledged Jet again was what it would take for them to begin to get back to how they used to be, Riff would do it in a heartbeat.
“I’d like that a lot.”
“You’re like a brother to me, Riff.”
Though Riff had thought as much about Tony to himself a million times and agreed completely, in that moment, Riff found himself unable to reciprocate the words back to him. Instead, Riff opted to lighten up the conversation. “But brothers fight, don’t they?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tony chuckled with a small smile. “That they do.”
A comfortable silence followed.
Tony took the moment to begin walking around the bedroom, politely glossing over the very limited personal belongings Riff owned that resided within it.
Riff watched him curiously before he realized it would’ve been the first time Tony had seen the room in its current state. Riff couldn’t even remember the last time Tony would’ve been in the apartment since his uncle had all but kicked him out.
Tony’s eyes fell onto the desk, and the pile of papers and accounts that littered the surface of it. “This what Roxie’s been helpin’ ya with?”
Riff nodded.
Tony took a second to look over the documents, though Riff wasn’t sure how much sense he would’ve been able to make of them. Riff knew he hadn’t for the longest time, not until Roxie had shown him how. But maybe the “warden” over at Doc’s had taught him a thing or two about keeping up with the books of a business.
“Wow,” Tony noted suddenly, breaking Riff from his thoughts.
“What?”
“Didn’t know the shop was doin’ this good,” Tony elaborated, holding up a piece of paper for Riff to see.
It was the notice from the bank, stating that the late payment that Roxie had contributed to had been accepted. In all the excitement that had followed Riff’s confrontation, when he had presented the letter to Roxie, he’d forgotten to put the paper away and out of sight. Even though Riff, and now Roxie, were the only ones to frequent his bedroom, putting away the document when he had had the chance would have prevented Tony from seeing it at that particular moment.
“Well, it ain’t. Not really,” Riff replied vaguely.
“Where’d ya even get this kinda money?” Tony wondered incredulously. He placed the notice back down on the table as the gears in his mind began to turn. Suddenly, he stood up straight. “... I can’t believe it.”
“Believe what?” Riff asked, feeling the abrupt shift in energy in the room.
“Ya did it again, didn’t you?” Tony accused, narrowing his eyes.
“Did what?”
Tony scoffed, mistaking Riff’s confusion for feigning innocence. “Ya went to the gamblin’ houses, didn’t you?”
Riff flinched at Tony’s raised voice. Once he recovered, he shushed him harshly. “Will ya keep your voice down?!” Riff snapped back. “Not everyone downstairs knows ‘bout that!”
“Why not? Are ya embarrassed by it?” Tony challenged. “Well, ya should be! You’re better off embarrassed for doin’ somethin’ so stupid than gettin’ away with it now and windin’ up dead later.”
If only you knew.
Riff took a second to compose himself. “Listen, Tony, I know how this looks, but Roxie and I haven’t been to no gamblin’ house since we got the money we needed to pay off Asim. I swear to ya, on my ma’s grave.”
Tony’s facial expression softened considerably as he processed Riff’s words and the seriousness of them. “Fine, fine… I believe ya. But where’d the money come from, then?”
There was an opening. A chance for Riff to come clean to Tony about Mr. Barone, the truth of the night Riff and Roxie got picked up by the cops two winters back, and everything related that had happened since. Riff could tell Tony about all of it, and it would only further put his friendship with Tony back on the mend. Riff could’ve done it at that very moment, but something stopped him.
Riff had already told Roxie that everything that had happened with Mr. Barone had to stay between them.
Riff meant it when he’d told Roxie that’s just how it had to be, and he had made some valid points at the time. If any word got out about anything that had happened, and god forbid Mr. Barone found out about the spilled beans, the information would’ve had to come from him, Roxie, or Tony. And since Riff and Roxie would be the ones to pay for it directly, by mortal means, it wouldn’t likely be leaked by either of them.
But at that moment, it was just Riff and Tony. Roxie wasn’t there, And though it was inarguably wiser in the long run to take the loss and risk pissing Tony off further by not telling him the truth, Riff couldn’t pass up the opportunity to further brush things over with Tony. Plus, Riff couldn’t deny how good it would feel to get everything that had happened off his chest and tell someone.
He could only hope keeping the secret from Roxie would be worth it with Tony in the long run.
Tony can be trusted to keep a secret… Right?
Tony had been waiting patiently for several long, quiet moments as Riff sorted through his thoughts. As Riff snapped back to reality, he saw that Tony looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to explain himself.
“If I tell ya the truth about where I got that money, ya swear you’ll never say nothin’, to no one?”
Tony’s expression faltered at Riff’s sudden seriousness. “You’re startin’ to scare me, Riff.”
Riff opted to ignore his joke. “If I tell ya, you can’t tell Roxie ya know,” Riff informed him bluntly. “I already told her we shouldn’t tell ya. Honestly, you’re probably better off if ya don’t even know ‘bout it at all, but since ya already know most of it-”
“-What’re ya goin’ on about?” Tony interjected.
“If ya wanna know where I got the money,” Riff redirected himself, “and where Roxie got her cut-”
“-Roxie has money like this too?!”
“Not anymore. If ya wanna know where we got the money, we gotta go back.”
Tony’s brows furrowed. “... Back a few months ago?”
“What do you remember about that night me and Roxie got picked up?”
Tony’s face went blank. “What night?”
Riff looked at him pointedly.
“That night?”
“One in the same. If ya wanna know the truth about where this money came from, we gotta start there. But ya gotta promise me that what I tell ya stays between us. If it don’t, you’re puttin’ a target on not just me, but on Roxie too.”
Judging by the look on his face, Tony was finally starting to realize the gravity of the conversation Riff was trying to have with him. “Sure pal, I swear.”
“You’ll take the secret with ya to the grave?” Riff questioned, needing to be absolutely certain in his decision.
As much as coming fully clean to Tony would be easier on him, keeping it a secret from Roxie would be just as hard, especially after everything they’d been through. But Riff wasn’t sure how many more opportunities, if any, he’d have to set things right with Tony.
“Womb to tomb,” Tony vowed.
Riff smiled. “Sperm to worm.”
————————————————————————————
Roxie’s mind was still reeling from the blunt and awkward conversation she’d had with Grazi and Velma when she made it back to the auto shop later that afternoon.
“Uncomfortable” would’ve been an understatement if describing what had transpired. But, Grazi had asked for the details, and Roxie provided them.
Still, the only thing Roxie had on her mind as she entered through the open garage door was to find Riff and forget about the whole thing. And if the opportunity to vent about it came along, she just might have considered taking it.
Upon entering the shop, Roxie immediately noticed the decently sized gathering of Jets. Despite their large number and the small sea of faces that turned to look at her, she quickly realized that Riff was not among them.
As if reading her mind, Diesel said to her, “He’s upstairs.”
Roxie gave him a grateful smile.
As she walked across the shop and headed up the stairs, she couldn’t help but feel the eyes of the Jets watching her curiously. Though she’d heard their teasing about her relationship with Riff countless times throughout the years, she didn’t know why her going upstairs to the apartment to speak with him would pique their interest in such a manner.
Eventually, Roxie forced herself to accept that she was imagining them watching her. Surely she was just still feeling a bit pent up about what had gone down at Velma’s, and was feeling self conscious.
Despite assuring herself that the Jets hadn’t been watching her head up to the apartment with intrigued looks on their faces, Roxie was glad to be out of their sight completely, just in case. She opened the apartment door quickly, slid inside, and promptly shut it behind her.
The living area was empty.
“Riff?” she called out into the room, confused. “Diesel said you were up here…”
“In here!” came Riff’s muffled voice from his bedroom.
Roxie smiled to herself in relief and headed over towards the closed door. She closed her eyes tiredly as she wrapped her hand around the doorknob, turned it, and began to open the door. “You will not believe the conversation I just had with-”
“Hi, Roxie.”
Roxie’s eyes shot open. What she saw made her realize that the Jets had been watching her downstairs- they must’ve known the scene she was walking into.
There was Tony, standing by the desk. Riff was a few feet away, giving her a small smile.
“Tony!” she acknowledged in mild surprise. Her eyes went to Tony, to Riff, and back to Tony again. “What are you doing here?”
From what Riff and Tony had told her, Roxie knew the pair had not been on speaking terms since Tony got released from prison. They each had their reasons, and they were each as equally as stubborn. Those reasons made the fact that the two were in the same room, enjoying a somewhat simple, peaceful moment together all the more shocking.
“He just came by to talk some stuff out,” Riff answered for him, eyeing Tony briefly out of the corner of his eye.
Roxie caught the odd gesture, but didn’t pay it much mind in the grand scheme of the bigger spectacle before her.
Tony and Riff were in the same room- and they weren’t even arguing! They didn’t even look mad. Hell, Tony looked so far from mad, Roxie would’ve laughed at his expression if she hadn’t been so shocked.
“And… did you talk things out?” Roxie prompted.
Tony glanced at Riff, and then looked back at her. “We’re still workin’ on it, but yeah. We did.”
The look Tony was giving Roxie was an odd one. His eyes looked borderline emotional, like he knew something that she did not. It was almost as if he was viewing her in a whole other light.
Whatever Tony was thinking, his staring certainly did nothing to ease Roxie’s self consciousness.
Roxie glanced at Riff, whose expression was even harder to read.
Roxie couldn’t help but wonder what they’d been discussing before she’d entered the apartment. She would’ve paid a pretty penny to have been privy to their conversation. Still, if Riff and Tony had talked some things out, whatever that may have entailed, and if they were on the way to fixing their friendship because of it, Roxie would count her blessings.
“Well… I’m glad the two of you are working on fixing things,” she told them both.
Roxie meant it, too. Though Riff’s expression was decently guarded in that particular moment, he glanced at Tony every now and then, and Roxie could tell by his eyes that he was content with the situation. If she dared, she may have even deemed that he looked happy.
When was the last time the three of them had been in a room together at the same time?
It was with mild sadness that Roxie realized it had to have been almost a couple of years prior. It would’ve been before Tony got sent upstate, before the rumble with the Egyptian Kings, and before Riff had been sentenced to serve a month in the county jail.
Once upon a time, the trio had been nearly inseparable… but that was before fate had played out like it did. Thinking about who they’d each been then in comparison to the people standing in the room now made Roxie feel somewhat nostalgic.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. Roxie and Riff were supposed to spend the evening together, but given the current predicament, and the verbal promise she’d recently made to Tony to catch up with him soon…
“Since we’re all here,” Roxie said, “Why don’t we go grab a bite to eat?”
Roxie looked at Riff, wordlessly asking if he’d mind the third wheel tag along to their evening. She found no indication of protest from him. In fact, he seemed very receptive to the idea.
Riff looked at Tony curiously. “What do ya say, pal?”
Tony looked at them both for a moment, before slowly shaking his head with a sheepish smile. “Nah, I can’t tonight. I’d love to, but I’m expectin’ a visit from my parole officer any day now.”
Roxie couldn’t help but feel disappointed by Tony’s response, even though she understood his excuse.
Tony noticed her disappointment immediately. “I’ll tell ya what- I’ll reach out to the two of you right after his next visit, and we can plan somethin’ then. There’s no way the guy will visit twice in a week.”
“You promise?” Roxie teased.
‘Yeah, yeah,” Tony said dismissively, though his smile never left his face. “Welp, I’ll let you twos get on with your evenin’.”
“See ya, Tony,” Riff bid him.
Tony walked towards the bedroom door, and gave Roxie one last odd look as he passed her. “See ya, Roxie.”
“Bye, Tony.”
Roxie looked at Riff once Tony left the bedroom and waited until the front door to the apartment closed shut behind him. Riff’s somewhat guarded expression softened a bit as he took her in.
“What was that about?” Roxie wondered, referring to the strange way in which Tony had been looking at her.
Riff merely shrugged. “It’s a long story, Doll.”
It really wasn’t an acceptable answer for her, and Roxie would’ve encouraged Riff to elaborate upon it, if he hadn’t continued on.
“What were ya sayin’ on the way in?”
Right, Velma… and Grazi. Roxie involuntarily sighed as the thoughts of the conversation she’d had earlier that afternoon came racing back to the forefront of her mind.
Riff gave her a sympathetic look, noting her sombering expression. ���Rough day?”
“You don’t know half of it.”
“Talk to me ‘bout it, then.”
Riff opened his arms towards her, and Roxie crossed the room in a few short steps. Once she reached him, she threw her arms around him tightly, and pressed the side of her face against his chest. Her pent-up feelings must’ve still been affecting her, and she unwittingly held on to Riff much tighter than she had intended to.
Riff looked down at her curiously, though he remained firm where he stood. “Woah, there. Everythin’ alright?”
Feeling even more self-conscious, Roxie’s grip on Riff loosened considerably. Much to her relief, Riff wrapped his arms around her instead, keeping her close to him.
“You’ll never believe who I spoke with today,” Roxie said quietly, her face still pressed up against his chest. She was thankful for the excuse not to meet his eyes as the stress she’d experienced earlier in the day clouded over her mind once again.
“Let me guess… Starts with a ‘G’, and ends in ‘razi’?”
Roxie turned and lifted up her head to look at him. “How did you know?”
“Tony mentioned somethin’ ‘bout her swingin’ by Doc’s,” Riff answered simply.
Grazi hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort earlier in the day, but it didn’t sound like something she wouldn’t do. Had Grazi even known Tony got released before? … It hadn’t exactly been on Roxie’s priority list to see to it that she’d known, but Roxie would’ve guessed that someone would’ve broken the news to her by now.
On the other hand, maybe one of the other Jets girls would have told her about Tony, if Grazi hadn’t been avoiding their calls lately.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around all of it,” Roxie said, not caring to specify any further.
Sensing her mild distress, Riff pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. The gesture was small, but it did wonders to soothe her worries and ease her self-consciousness. “Why don’t we go grab a bite to eat?” he proposed. “We can talk ‘bout it then.”
The idea of spending some quality one on one time with Riff sounded extremely appealing after the day Roxie had had.“Sounds perfect.”
“I was hopin’ so,” Riff said casually. “Especially since we didn’t exactly make it out of the apartment last night…”
Roxie slapped his chest half-heartedly, and she felt a small blush creep onto her cheeks. “That’s rich, coming from someone who was just as guilty for that.”
“I’m not complainin’,” Riff assured her, pecking her nose. “Just sayin’.”
Roxie rolled her eyes playfully, before moving on with the topic at hand before either of them got too distracted. “Now, dinner- where did you have in mind?”
Riff gave her a knowing look.
“You can’t be serious,” Roxie moaned, burying her face in Riff’s chest once again at the thought of his wordless suggestion.
“I mean, really, what’s the harm?” Riff asked her. “Are we just gonna stay away from the diner forever, all ‘cause of what happened? It’s our place, Roxie. What do we have to lose?”
Besides each other?
Maybe it was the stress of the day, or the shock from seeing Tony and Riff speaking civilly to each other, or maybe even the fact that Riff had her wrapped around his finger, whether he knew that or not, but Roxie couldn’t find the motivation to protest the absolutely ridiculous idea in her current state.
“Fine. But you’re letting me pay for half of it.”
“Fine.”
“... You know, sometimes I think you’re a bad influence on me,” Roxie commented, only half-seriously.
She felt the rumbling in Riff’s chest against the side of her face as he let out a sudden, sharp laugh in response to her statement and wrapped his arms tighter around her.
————————————————————————————
After a surprisingly unceremonious meal at their diner, much to Riff and Roxie’s relief, Riff felt much better when Roxie finally seemed to be cheering up a bit.
Despite everything that Riff had been through that day, and what Roxie had been through, per her account of the story to him, it seemed that all the lingering negative feelings had been left behind in the presence of each other.
There was an air between them that was happy, content… and as ironic as it sounded, peaceful. Riff didn’t want to risk anything disrupting the good mood they found themselves in, so when he suggested taking a longer way back to the shop, he was relieved when Roxie readily agreed.
It was dark out, but not late enough that there would be any additional cause for concern that they might run into someone with ill intent. In fact, it was even earlier than it would have been if Riff had been walking Roxie home from the factory.
When two of them came across the site of the future Lincoln Center, Roxie paused.
“Everythin’ okay?” Riff asked, unable to stop a bit of worry from rising within him when she had suddenly dropped his hand and turned to face the fence.
Roxie looked at the large sign depicting an image of the planned building and campus for only a moment, before taking a step closer to the fence. She stood up on her toes, as if that would make a notable difference for how much of the construction site she could see. But even though it was dark, and the construction site, which had been abandoned for the day, had no lights shining within it, Riff had a feeling that Roxie would be able to see enough of it in the glow of the streetlights. Her fingers wrapped around some openings in the chain link fence to give her some balance and ground her.
Riff took a step towards the fence as well, and came to mimic her stance. However, he didn’t have to stand on his toes.
“This is the first time I’ve seen it,” Roxie admitted, her voice so quiet Riff almost didn’t hear her.
Riff looked down at Roxie, trying to read what she was thinking. However, Roxie’s eyes were still focused in front of her, across the construction site. The soft howling of wind filled the air as Riff patiently waited for her to say something.
“It looks like it’s several blocks,” Roxie realized out loud.
“Yeah… it is.”
Riff looked back up and over towards the construction site as well, knowing that Roxie was seeing the same exact thing he had seen just a few months beforehand when the demolition had initially started.
A few blocks of the neighborhood had been purchased by the New York Committee for Slum Clearance. One day, the chain link fence they stood before now had suddenly appeared around the several blocks, containing structures that still resembled the houses and businesses that had blended in amongst the rest of the neighborhood.
At first, Riff’s initial thought was that if the Slum Clearance Committee had the resources to buy up blocks of the neighborhood, what business would they have going after Riff’s uncle’s little auto shop? Unfortunately, the seriousness of the situation had sunk in soon after.
Demolition started about a week after the fence had gone up. What resulted was something that had the appearance of a graveyard, but with remnants of buildings in lieu of actual graves. Not all the buildings had been cleared out before the demolition began, and the more furniture that was exposed, the eerier of a place it became. The remaining structure of one building had a small pile of bathtubs that the construction workers had placed there in order for them to be out of the way. On one of the higher levels of another hollowed out structure that remained, some curtains were still attached to the window in what looked like what had once been a bedroom. The tattered fabric would sway on particularly windy days.
Riff was no construction expert by any means, but the technique behind the demolition process seemed questionable. The workers started to demolish many of the buildings right through the middle, leaving the outer walls and rooms of those buildings exposed for any passerby to see.
It was almost as if they wanted the rest of the neighborhood to see. Riff dared to wonder if the Slum Clearance Committee reveled in their cruel display that so clearly depicted their intentions with the neighborhood. Would any of them be safe?
“It’s not going to be for us anymore, is it?”
Roxie’s oddly phrased question pulled Riff away from his somber memories. He turned his head to look down towards her once more.
As if Roxie felt his eyes on her, she tore her focus away from the construction site and looked back up at him. “The neighborhood, I mean,” she clarified. “People like you and me… we won’t belong here anymore. Not when they’re done with it.”
Roxie sounded so resolute. Perhaps it was the first time such a thought had actually dawned on her enough that she considered it a real possibility.
Riff wasn’t sure what exactly to say in response. As much as he hated the very thought of it himself, he didn’t want to lie to her. “If the Slum Clearance Committee gets their way? … Yeah.”
“What if there is no other place for us?”
That was a big question, and Riff knew the deeper meaning behind Roxie’s words without her having to explain herself.
In a year, or even just months down the road, the worst case scenario could very well happen, and they’d all be forced to leave the neighborhood. Even if they could even find some other burrough that they could actually afford to live in, it’d probably be a bit away from the West Side. They’d have to find other ways to make a living. And they were likely to be neighborhoods away from their closest friends…
Roxie had once told him that if she left the neighborhood, she wouldn’t be leaving alone. Riff hoped with all his heart that she meant it. He hoped he and Roxie would still be together if that happened, and he was willing to do whatever it would take to see to it that they were. That way, if they were forced to leave, them being together would at least be some consolation. They’d at least have each other.
But Roxie had a point. What if they couldn’t find somewhere else they could afford to live? What if they couldn’t find other ways to make money? The West Side was all either of them ever known, and it had once had everything they thought they’d ever need. The place wasn’t glamorous, but it was home. And their home was in jeopardy of disappearing forever and becoming something new.
“Then we’ll stay here,” Riff proposed, smiling conspiratorially. “Make ‘em regret they ever tried to get rid of people like us.”
Maybe that would be the only option. If dealing with some pesky Sharks and pulling up the bootstraps to make the New York Committee for Slum Clearance regret their attempt to take the auto shop meant that Riff, Roxie, and all of the rest of the Jets could stay in the West Side, it would all be more than worth it.
“It would be a little bit funny,” Roxie acknowledged his hypothetical plan with a small smile.
A mental image of him, Roxie, and the rest of the Jets sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the new neighborhood and its fancy new residents was pretty humorous, and it brought a small smirk to Riff’s face. He liked the idea of sticking it to the people who were trying to run them out. He liked that Roxie wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea even more.
Riff slowly moved one of his hands to rest over her hand that was closest to him, where it was still wrapped around the chain link fence. Roxie leaned over, and rested her head on his arm.
“What do you think it’ll be like?” Roxie asked then, tilting her chin ever so slightly towards the construction site.
From what Riff had seen on the image fixed to the fence right beside them, only a single word came to mind. “Big.”
Roxie let out a laugh, effectively relieving some of the tension. Riff smirked and shook his head as he tried to contain his own laughter that threatened to break out.
“All those fancy shows… And almost everyone in them and everyone else seeing them won’t even know or remember what used to be here before it.”
Riff pressed a light kiss to the top of Roxie’s head. “But we will.”
Roxie nodded against his arm, before leaning further into his side.
“Ya know what?” Riff asked suddenly, struck with an idea. “I’ll make ya a deal.”
“What’s that?”
“In a few years, when all this buildin’ is said and done, and we’re still here, I’ll take ya to a show.”
Roxie scoffed, finding the idea amusing. “Riff, with all due respect, that doesn’t seem like your ‘scene’.”
It definitely wouldn’t be, but Riff was more than willing to get over any uncomfortableness he may feel if it meant Roxie would have a good time. “Would ya wanna go, or not?”
“... I mean, I guess, but-”
“Nope,” Riff replied, popping the ending of the word. “No buts, it’s a done deal.”
Roxie laughed once and turned to lean into his side further. Her free hand, the one not covered by Riff’s, came across and rested on his arm.
“You may have to remind me though,” Riff added, smiling fondly as he watched Roxie shuffle closer to him. “Ya know I can barely keep things straight from one week to the next, never mind a few years.”
“No kidding,” Roxie teased. “I’d like to forget the past few years myself.”
Riff could tell she meant it as a joke, but something still bothered him in the wake of her words. “... You’d wanna forget all of it?”
Roxie sighed gently. “No, not all of it, I guess… Just the time I could’ve been spending with you.”
Guilt washed over Riff immediately. It was similar to the guilt he had felt walking away from her well over a year and a half ago, but this time, it was much stronger. Every time Roxie mentioned anything after him walking away, and she referred to herself as being anything less than happy, how could Riff not feel awful about it? Riff knew now that perhaps it was wrong of him to make the decision he did at the time… but hearing Roxie confirm such things aloud was something else altogether.
Riff chuckled bitterly. “I really thought I knew it all back then, huh?”
“Maybe… I thought I did too. But I shouldn’t have let you take the fall in the first place, and I know that now. I don’t have any priors- Schrank never would’ve been able to get away with putting those charges on me like he did on you.”
Riff wasn’t expecting the conversation to take such a trip down memory lane, especially when considering the conversation he had with Tony just a few hours before. There was no way Roxie could have known that Tony was now well aware of the night she was referring to, as well as everything that had happened with them involving Mr. Barone. It was almost like fate was tempting him to come clean to her. But doing that would only throw a wrench in things, and Riff was not interested in doing anything that would potentially ruin the good evening that they’d been having so far.
Riff didn’t want to keep talking about the subject; the more he talked, the more he felt like he was tempting fate and he would accidentally let the conversation he had with Tony slip.
However, there was one thing he needed to make clear about that night. Again.
“There’s absolutely nothin’ that would’ve talked me out of takin’ the fall, Roxie.”
Her grip on his arm tightened. “And you’re certain about that?
“Yeah, I am. I don’t regret it, either.”
“… Really?”
Riff nodded, even though she wasn’t looking at him. “I regret what I did after it… but not that. Not then, not now, not ever.”
Roxie dropped her hand from the chain link fence and Riff’s fell along with it. Before Riff could ask her what was wrong, she fully turned to face him, and lifted her hands to lightly rest on the sides of his face, so that his focus could only be on her. Not that he would’ve wanted it anywhere else at the moment.
“I love you.”
Riff swore he would never, ever get tired of hearing Roxie say that. He smiled brightly before leaning down and closing the distance between their lips.
It may have been a peculiar scene, should anyone happen to come across them sharing an intimate moment in the foreground of an unnervingly massive construction site. But neither of them cared.
————————————————————————————
A few hours later, Diesel was hanging out on the shop floor and nursing a bottle of whiskey. He’d actually purchased said alcohol legitimately, which was admittingly, a bit of a rare occurrence. But as much fun as running around and stirring up trouble was, there was something about relaxing after a hard day’s work and enjoying a drink… It was a good feeling. It was a good feeling that Diesel could get used too.
Hypothetically speaking, of course.
As he drank, his mind wandered to earlier that afternoon, to the near circus-like events that had occurred.
The very moment Riff and Roxie headed out for the evening, the theories about what Tony, Riff, and then Roxie had been talking about began to fly around.
Anybodys had suggested that maybe Tony had a change of heart, and that he was finally coming back around to the Jets. Things with the Sharks were steadily becoming worse and worse, and now would be a better time than ever for Tony to come back into the ranks. They all knew it.
But then Tiger pointed out that if that had been true, why hadn’t Tony stuck around after to hang out with them for a bit? He’d left before Riff and Roxie had, with little more than a “See ya ‘round, fellas.” Snowboy agreed- there was still the problem of Tony’s parole officer to contend with, even if Tony was ready to come back around.
Eventually, Diesel told them all to shove it and suggested they mind their business.
After that, most of the rest of the gang that had gathered headed over to the park for some basketball, just as Big Deal had proposed earlier in the day. But as they exited the shop, the theorizing continued, and it was clear that the topic of what had happened earlier in the day was still fresh in all of their minds.
Just like it was still on Diesel’s.
Eventually, the only Jets that remained in the shop were the ones that crashed there.
Diesel was fine having a relaxing night in. He loved Velma, but he’d been on one too many group dates lately for his liking. Plus, she mentioned having some plans with some of the other girls. Velma had felt guilty about it, but Diesel assured her that he’d be fine for an evening without her company.
Snowboy was out with Gussie again. Diesel didn’t expect him back anytime soon.
Gee-Tar was out doing… whatever it was that Gee-Tar got up to in his free time away from the rest of the guys. If Diesel was a betting man, he’d say Gee-Tar was out seeing that mystery lady of his again.
But the thought of that bothered Diesel a bit. Gee-Tar could see whoever he liked, Diesel could give a rat’s ass about that. But from what he had told them earlier that day, Gee-Tar was likely to be cruising for a bruising from some Sharks if he kept seeing the girl. The Jets would rally to the cause if that happened, but Diesel couldn’t help but wonder why Gee-Tar, who’d always been notorious for being risk avoidant in general, would even bother taking the chance for some girl. There were plenty of girls in the city… and the majority of them didn’t live in the same building as a good chunk of the Sharks and their girls.
Riff and Roxie had gotten back about an hour past. They’d greeted Diesel, who was cleaning up around the shop, before promptly heading upstairs.
It’s not like they explicitly told him what they’d be doing up there… But Diesel wasn’t dumb. He’d caught them both decently red handed in the apartment that morning, with Riff half-dressed in the kitchen and Roxie leaving the bathroom carrying Riff’s missing shirt. Diesel could put two and two together. It was abundantly clear that, at the very least, Roxie had spent the night.
They were adults, they could do whatever they damned pleased. Diesel certainly did. But just because Riff and Roxie could do as they wished, that didn’t mean Diesel needed to know their business. And if that meant relaxing downstairs for a while to give them a little privacy after coming back from their date, Diesel would do so happily.
After sitting downstairs for about an hour or so, just relaxing and drinking, Diesel was starting to feel pretty swell.
When he actually started to feel a bit warm from the alcohol, Diesel decided he’d had enough. He tugged at the collar of his shirt a bit in a vain attempt to cool down. When he realized the effort was futile, he rose from his makeshift seat he’d made out of a closed toolbox and headed to the back corner of the shop.
A couple of old tires and various car parts he and some of the other guys had scrounged up from the junkyard over the past few months had their home in the said back corner. It was out of the way, and unless one of them had a need for something particular back there, no one ever messed with the pile of stuff.
It was the perfect hiding spot for Diesel to store his whiskey.
Now, Diesel would share his alcohol with any of the guys who asked, but he didn’t necessarily trust all of them to actually ask him. Some of them had more of a reputation for sticky fingers than others, and for good reason. Sure, every man deserved to be able to indulge in alcohol, if only a little bit… Diesel especially. Because he was the one actually buying.
Once Diesel was satisfied with his effort to camouflage the bottle in between some old torn up tires, he stood up straight, dusted his hands off, and smiled down at his handy work.
The sound of shuffling feet on the concrete floor made Diesel turn towards the open garage door abruptly. He’d left it open earlier so that he could get some fresh air, but business hours were well past.
Diesel walked back towards the center of the shop and smiled in relief as Gee-Tar, who was lingering near the garage door, came into view.
“Where ya been, buddy?” Diesel asked him curiously. “Another hot date with your lady friend?”
Gee-Tar glared at him, which Diesel should have expected given his teasing, but it was still a bit out of character for him.
“I’m goin’ to bed,” Gee-Tar grumbled.
“Sure, pal,” Diesel said easily, reading the room immediately, and not wanting to make Gee-Tar’s sour mood any more bitter.
Gee-Tar said nothing as he walked past Diesel and headed over towards the stairs.
Diesel couldn’t help but notice how oddly Gee-star walked as he trudged along. Besides the fact that he was moving pretty slowly in general, his feet dragged along the concrete.
Diesel was still watching him curiously when Gee-Tar finally reached the staircase. Gee-Tar visibly took a deep breath before slowly lifting up a foot towards the first stair.
Nothing had ever sobered up Diesel quicker than watching Gee-Tar flinch and fall down, landing roughly on the stairs.
Gee-Tar hissed and grabbed at his right side as Diesel ran over to him.
“What the hell happened?” Diesel demanded, panicked on behalf of his friend. He reached out a hand to Gee-Tar’s closest arm in order to help him up, but Gee-Tar leaned away and out of his reach.
“Nothin’, nothin’,” Gee-Tar said firmly, though his words came out through gritted teeth. He swatted Diesel’s hand away lightly.
Diesel was no doctor, and by that time, he had had more than a few gulps of whiskey, but even he knew that something was seriously wrong with Gee-Tar, despite his friend’s efforts to convince him otherwise. “Is it your side that’s botherin’ ya?”
“I’m fine!”
Diesel stood up straight, temporarily giving up on assisting Gee-Tar, who was still laying across the bottom few stairs. Diesel took a few steps up the staircase before Gee-Tar managed to turn and give him a baffled look.
“Where are ya goin’?!” he demanded.
“I’m goin’ to get Riff,” Diesel replied plainly.
“What?” Gee-Tar gawked. “No!”
“Listen, I can’t deal with this by myself right now,” Diesel admitted tiredly. He had yet to cool down from the alcohol, and with Gee-Tar’s latest predicament, he was quickly growing more and more fatigued. As a result, his words came out rushed. “And since you’re obviously not gonna tell me what’s really goin’ on, I’m goin’ to get Riff.”
All previous thoughts of whether Riff was preoccupied in that moment had flown out the window, and Diesel took another step past Gee-Tar up the stairs.
“Come on, Deez,” Gee-Tar pleaded, grabbing Diesel’s ankle and stopping him. “Ain't anyone else here? What ‘bout Roxie?”
Roxie might’ve been preoccupied in the moment too, but Diesel spared explaining that to Gee-Tar as he thought over the other Jet’s suggestion. It was common knowledge among the guys who’d been around the longest that Roxie had been known to fix up a Jet or two when the occasion called for it.
“… If I go and get Roxie, you’ll let her take a look at ya?”
Gee-Tar eyed him for a moment before eventually relenting and giving him a quick nod.
Diesel proceeded up the stairs.
“Don’t worry, I won’t go anywhere,” Gee-Tar joked, though his attempt at humor came across quite feebly when one realized that he was still laying on the bottom stairs, presumably in too much pain to stand up.
Despite the situation, Diesel rolled his eyes at Gee-Tar’s poor excuse for a joke as he opened the door and entered the apartment.
————————————————————————————
A loud ruckus had woken Roxie up.
She heard something, something loud that jarred her from sleep, and it sounded like it had come from downstairs in the shop.
Diesel had been the only one down there when she and Riff had gotten in an hour or so before, which made her suspect one of two things: either Diesel had knocked something over and possibly gotten himself hurt, or someone else had joined him and made some trouble for him.
If Diesel had company, it could’ve been the cops, it could’ve been some Sharks… it even could’ve been Roff and Roxie’s good old friend, Mr. Barone. However, none of those options were ideal, and each one scared her for a different reason.
Roxie got up and out of bed carefully before quickly getting dressed.
She left Riff laying in bed; he was still fast asleep. As concerned as she was, she figured she could wake him up later, if there was even a reason too. Since Roxie wasn’t certain what she had heard, or what was going on, she decided to leave Riff be for the time being. He looked so calm too… she honestly didn’t have the heart to wake him.
Thankfully, after a few visits to the shop, Roxie discovered that Riff’s bat, which she knew he’d taken to the previous rumbles, never moved from its spot of leaning against the wall behind his bedroom door. Roxie hoped Riff had placed the bat in that exact spot for moments like the one she found herself in, in the case of a potential breaking and entering… and that the bat hadn’t been used for anything else recently.
Roxie grabbed the bat in both hands, only taking a hand off for a moment in order to carefully open the bedroom door.
As she slipped out into the living room, both hands gripped the bat tightly once again. She began to slowly lift the bat higher with each step she took, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
When the front door opened from across the room, Roxie lifted the bat behind her, and mentally prepared herself to take a swing.
The door opened, revealing Diesel.
As soon as he saw her, he did a double take, and quickly lifted his arms to defend himself. “Jesus!” he exclaimed. “What’re ya doin?!”
“Diesel! You scared the hell out of me!” Roxie hissed, lowering the bat. Despite that she was very angry, the fact that Riff was still fast asleep in the other room did not slip from her mind. “I heard a noise. Is something going on?”
Diesel finally dropped his hands and while composure visibly softened a little, he still looked on edge. “It’s Gee-Tar.”
“What’s wrong? Is he hurt?”
“I don’t know- he fell, and now he’s lyin’ on the stairs as we speak. Will ya come take a look at him?”
Roxie nodded, and the frustration she felt quickly dissipated and was replaced with concern. “Of course. Let me go get Riff-“
“No!” Diesel insisted, holding a hand out in her direction as if to stop her from taking a single step. “Gee-Tar’s actin’ weird ‘bout it.”
It wasn’t much of an explanation, but Gee-Tar behaving in a peculiar manner wasn’t that far out of the realm of possibility, nor something that was unexpected, so Roxie took Diesel’s word for it. “Give me a minute,” she told him quickly.
After returning the bat to Riff’s bedroom, checking to make sure that he was still fast asleep, putting on her shoes, and shutting the bedroom door and then the front door behind her, Roxie hastily followed Diesel down the stairs, where she immediately spotted Gee-Tar’s large figure sprawled across the bottom.
“What happened?” Roxie demanded as she finished descending the stairs.
Gee-Tar propped himself up, but still managed to grasp at his right side. Even though Gee-Tar looked at Roxie like he was grateful to see her, he said nothing.
“He was headin’ upstairs, and he just fell,” Diesel supplied, coming to a stop right beside Roxie at the bottom of the stairs, where they both looked down at Gee-Tar with a mix of confusion and concern.
“What happened?” Roxie asked Gee-star directly, bending down to get closer to him.
Gee-Tar looked at her apprehensively, and then his eyes flashed over to Diesel. “… I got jumped.”
“You what?“ Roxie gasped, unable to fully process his words.
Diesel fumed beside her. “It was the Sharks, wasn’t it?”
“No!” Gee-Tar insisted, speaking so quickly he nearly cut off Diesel’s words.
Roxie couldn’t help but frown at the idea of the violence between the Sharks and the Jets escalating to the point where lone members would be targeted late at night.
“Buddy, you promised Riff you would tell him if the Sharks gave ya trouble again,” Diesel reminded Gee-Tar patiently.
What?
“Did something happen with the Sharks?” Roxie interjected worriedly.
Gee-Tar purposefully ignored her question. “It wasn’t the Sharks,” he reiterated. “... I think it was just some locals. They wanted money or somethin’... Shame I didn’t have any to give ‘em, they may have taken it easier on me.”
“What did they do to you?” Roxie asked calmly, trying to disregard the idea of muggers being anywhere near the shop at that particular moment.
“Jumped me from behind, and then kicked me when I was down… literally. I guess I didn’t realize how good they actually got me ‘til I tried to climb the stairs…”
“If you were in so much pain that you couldn’t take a step up without falling down, I’d say there is something seriously wrong,” Roxie informed him matter-of-factly, warily eyeing where Gee-Tar’s hand was still holding on to his side. It didn’t matter that she had limited medical training- anyone in their right mind would have been to deduce what she had, and all three of them knew it. “Let me see.”
Either Gee-star didn’t feel like fighting Roxie’s demand, or he was simply too tired not to obey the request. He leaned onto his propped up elbow and slowly lifted his shirt with his free hand.
As the fabric lifted, welts that would soon prove themselves to be bruises were revealed. The spots that covered Gee-Tar’s side were along, between, and around the thin, long lines of scars that already ran up and down his side. The scars had been from the night of the rumble with the Emeralds. Gee-Tar had made it out of the rumble itself mostly unscathed, but as the guys were leaving the beach, he’d tripped and cut himself pretty decently on some metal scraps.
The bruises weren’t going to permanently maim Gee-Tar’s skin, but Roxie was concerned whether the damage inflicted upon him ran deeper than the surface.
As unfortunate and upsetting as that thought was, what could be done? None of them had the funds to pay for an actual visit to the doctor, let alone a trip to the emergency department at a nearby hospital.
“I guess all we can do is ice it,” Roxie stated, though even as she said the words, she felt remorse. “They didn’t hit or kick you anywhere else?”
Gee-Tar shook his head.
“Where are we gonna get ice at this hour?” Diesel wondered out loud.
Roxie’s brows furrowed. “You don’t have any frozen vegetables, or anything else like that upstairs?”
The look Roxie immediately received from both Gee-Tar and Diesel answered her redundant question.
“Ya kiddin’ me? We barely keep a loaf of bread around!” Diesel replied, smiling despite the situation.
“That’s going to change, as long as I have something to say about it,” Roxie informed them. Then, she looked at Diesel specifically. “Can you run upstairs and get a washcloth- or even just a towel- and run in under the coldest water you can? It’ll be better than nothing, at least until I can run out to the grocers in the morning.”
Diesel nodded dutifully, and immediately turned to head up the stairs.
“If he’s up there, don’t say nothin’ to Riff!” Gee-Tar called after him, confusing Roxie even more.
————————————————————————————
Diesel took two steps at a time up the stairs. When he reached the top, he took a moment to calm himself before entering the apartment.
Thankfully, the living area was empty.
Diesel turned and walked across the room towards the bathroom. Once he entered the small room, he immediately set about searching for a washcloth or some other sort of towel that could fulfill Roxie’s request.
Unfortunately, with a group of four guys living in the apartment who barely kept basic food staples in the kitchen, it was hardly surprising for one to learn that the bathroom was also poorly stocked in terms of typical wares. Excluding the one bath towel for each of the guys, the only other thing Diesel could find was the hand towel for the sink… and it probably could’ve stood to be cleaned.
No dice.
Although it was a small setback, Diesel was not ready to give up just yet. It was already bad enough that they had no ice, frozen vegetables, or literally anything else that they could have used on Gee-Tar at that moment. Having a no-can-do attitude on top of that wouldn’t be helpful in the slightest.
The situation was almost funny in an ironic way. Here they were, the Jets in the midst of a months-long feud with the Sharks, and with extremely limited means with which to treat some measly bruises. What would happen if one of them got seriously injured and needed some immediate medical attention?
Diesel pushed the decently alarming thought out of his mind as he meandered back out into the kitchen area. He perused through all the cabinets first, not finding anything that could be of use. He turned to the various drawers next.
Luckily, in the far back corner of an otherwise empty drawer, was an old dishrag. It was a little bit dusty, but at the very least, it looked clean.
… That’ll work.
Diesel closed the drawer and turned on the nearby faucet. As the water began to run, Diesel let it be for a few moments. Once it was nice and cool, he held the towel he found under the water for a beat, before wringing it out.
Despite his effort, it was almost pathetic- the fabric wasn’t very cold at all, and would probably only help alleviate any pain Gee-Tar felt for a few minutes at best. But Diesel supposed Roxie was right. It had to be better than nothing, at least until the morning.
As he was in the process of wringing the water from the fabric, the sound of a door opening cutting through the air of an otherwise silent room made Diesel freeze in place.
“Diesel?”
Diesel turned around slowly, and gave a slightly strained smile upon seeing Riff.
Riff was standing in the doorway of his bedroom. He was wearing some jeans, and his hair was disheveled, pieces of it sticking were this way and that. “What’s goin’ on?” Riff asked him, his voice still thick with sleep.
Diesel hesitated. Gee-Tar had been acting very strangely, and he seemed pretty keen on Riff not finding out what had happened to him… but Diesel wasn’t even sure what had happened to Gee-Tar. He said it hadn’t been the Sharks, and that it was just a random mugging. But to Diesel’s knowledge, no one else had had any serious problems with any of the other locals besides the Sharks lately. Most of the locals knew that when they saw the Jets coming down the street, they ought to step out of the way. Diesel couldn’t imagine any of them trying their luck with one of the Jets… but who knew? Between the previous night and the evening the current one was shaping up to be, maybe Gee-Tar was in a true bout of rotten luck.
Either way, until Diesel had more information so that he could safely assume the truth of what had happened to Gee-Tar in the moments before he returned to the shop, there was no need to bother Riff with that information yet. Besides, Riff still looked half-asleep.
Diesel would keep Gee-Tar’s wishes… for now.
“Have ya seen Roxie?” Riff asked him with a small frown, his eyes scanning the room. “Did she leave?”
“No… she’s downstairs.”
“Why? Everythin’ alright?”
“Yeah, Boss. Everythin’s fine…”
“What’re ya doin’, then?”
Diesel glanced down at the damp dish cloth in his hands before giving Riff a sheepish smile. “Ah, ya know… we’re just helpin’ out Gee-Tar.”
Riff visibly came a bit more to life at the mere mention of the other Jet’s name. It seemed that what had happened to Gee-Tar the previous evening was still fresh on his mind too. “What happened?”
“Oh, you know Gee-Tar,” Diesel began, determined not to give Riff any indication that he was currently debating the validity of Gee-Tar’s story. “He tripped over somethin’ on the street on his way back tonight. I think he landed on his side wrong though, so I asked Roxie to look him over and make sure he’s okay.”
Thankfully, Riff didn’t seem to doubt Diesel’s explanation. It seemed Gee-Tar being clumsy- an unfortunate characteristic he’d come to be known for over the years- was believable.
“And… he’s good?” Riff questioned.
“Yeah… yeah, he’ll be fine,” Diesel assured him hastily.
“Good,” Riff affirmed with a stiff nod. “Do me a favor? Tell Roxie to come back up when she’s done, yeah?”
“Sure thing, boss,” Diesel said readily, incredibly thankful that Riff seemed to suspect nothing was amiss.
As soon as Riff had shut the bedroom door once again, Diesel turned back to the faucet to run some more cold water onto the dish towel.
————————————————————————————
When Diesel entered the apartment, Roxie looked down at Gee-Tar suspiciously.
After a second, Gee-Tar finally noticed her staring. “What?” he asked, audibly defensive.
“Something about your story isn’t adding up,” Roxie asserted calmly.
Gee-Tar scoffed and rolled his eyes.
Roxie had always known Gee-Tar to be reserved and not easily bothered, so his offended reaction to her statement only furthered her suspicions that there was something about what had happened that he was not telling her. And if she was going to help him… and possibly even keep what had happened to him a secret from Riff, she wanted to know the truth.
Gee-Tar’s story didn’t make much sense to her at all. His height and sheer size didn’t exactly make him a prime target for mugging. If that was really what had happened, Roxie had a hard time believing that the perpetrators couldn’t have found someone who was more of an easy target. And besides, even if Gee-Tar had been attacked by a handful of guys- could he not have outrun them, or fight them off for a bit until he could make an escape? .. Unless he hadn’t wanted to, for some bewildering reason.
“What did Diesel mean when he mentioned the Sharks bothering you?” Roxie asked him then.
Buddy, you promised Riff you’d tell him if the Sharks gave ya trouble again… That’s what Diesel had said, not more than just a few minutes back.
Roxie wasn’t sure what Diesel had meant. Riff hadn’t mentioned anything about it, which made her think that maybe it wasn’t anything too serious… but on the other hand, if it was something to be concerned about, Roxie wasn’t entirely certain Riff would have told her.
“It’s nothin’,” Gee-Tar attempted to dismiss the subject.
Roxie frowned at him.
“Fine!” Gee-Tar relented, realizing that he was literally not able to make a quick get away from the conversation. “... I’ve been seein’ this girl. I walked her home last night, and turns out she lives in the same buildin’ as a handful of Sharks and some of their girls. Let’s just say that some of the Shark’s didn’t like seein’ me ‘round there, even just for a moment.”
Roxie didn’t bother with asking for any more specifics. “And you’re sure what happened tonight has nothing to do with the Sharks?”
“It doesn’t,” Gee-Tar said simply.”
“But how do you know?” Roxie challenged him. “You said yourself- you were attacked from behind. Did you see their faces?”
Gee-Tar shook his head vehemently. “The Sharks wouldn’t jump me, not just ‘cause I was hangin’ ‘round their building for all of a minute last night.”
Roxie’s next question came to her mind quickly, and as much as she hated the thought of it and feared Gee-Tar’s answer, she knew it was a fair question. “And… you’re sure that’s all you’ve done?”
“Yes!��� Gee-Tar exclaimed, understandably taking offense to her suggestion. “Who do ya think I am?!”
“I’m sorry! … It just doesn’t make sense,” Roxie explained. “Those Sharks shouldn’t have a reason to chase you off just cause the girl you’re seeing lives in the same building. Not unless they thought you were asking for some other kind of trouble by doing so.”
Gee-Tar’s eyes fell down to his hand that was holding his injured side. “I don’t have to go askin’ for trouble… it always finds me.”
The conversation took a sharp turn as Gee-Tar’s tone shifted from one of anger to one of sadness. He sounded so solemn, nearly grave. He sounded defeated. For how defensive he had sounded just moments before, Roxie was taken aback by the sudden change.
“Gee-Tar,” Roxie said gently, mindful of his new tone, “If the Sharks had something to do with what happened to you tonight-”
“I already told ya, I don’t know for a fact that they did.”
“... But you have a pretty good idea, don’t you?”
Roxie’s shot in the dark proved to be a hit when Gee-Tar visibly froze. After a moment, he looked at her once more. His eyes were wide, and his lips were shut tightly; he was conflicted.
“If you want me to help you, and you don’t want me or Diesel to tell Riff what happened, you at least owe us the truth about what’s going on,” Roxie declared.
Gee-Tar stared at her determinedly for a few moments, before he closed his eyes briefly and gave her a small nod. “I guess ya got a point…”
Roxie patiently waited for Gee-Tar to find the words to come clean, hopeful that his explanation would enlighten her as to why he was in his current predicament.
“It’s about the girl I’m seein’.”
That wasn’t what Roxie had been expecting, but she went along with it. “Alright… What is it about her?”
“I’m guessin’ the Sharks don’t like that I’m seein’ her,” Gee-Tar confessed, speaking so quietly Roxie had to strain a bit to hear him, despite him being less than a few feet away.
“Why would they care?” Roxie wondered out loud.
Gee-Tar sighed. “... She’s-”
The front door to the apartment opened above them, and both Gee-Tar and Roxie’s heads shot up and watched as Diesel reappeared on the landing and shut the door behind him. As he began to descend the stairs and make his way towards them, Roxie spotted a worn-looking towel in his hand.
“Here,” Diesel said once he reached them, before handing the towel to Roxie.
Roxie then handed the damp towel to Gee-Tar wordlessly. As the fabric passed between their hands, their eyes met, and Roxie could tell from the look in his eyes that the moment for Gee-Tar’s confession had passed. He pressed the rag to his exposed side and flinched briefly before relaxing.
It was quiet for a few moments until Diesel broke the silence.
“I saw Riff upstairs.”
“Did ya tell him?” Gee-Tar asked.
“I didn’t tell him the truth, if that’s what you’re gettin’ at.”
“Then what did ya tell him?”
“Ya know, a believable story,” Diesel explained. “I told him ya tripped on your way back here.”
“I don’t trip over things that often.“
Roxie and Diesel immediately gave Gee-Tar pointed looks that conveyed just how much they disagreed with his statement.
“You should tell Riff what really happened at some point, though,” Diesel added.
“Come on, Deez,” Gee-Tar implored. “Let’s not make somethin’ outta this.”
“You were jumped!” Diesel exclaimed in disbelief. “That feels like somethin’ he oughta know!”
“And what would Riff do if I told him?” Gee-Tar challenged. “He ain’t the cops. The cops wouldn’t be able to catch the guys who did this, anyways. I didn’t see their faces, and I sure as hell couldn’t pick ‘em out of a lineup.”
Though Roxie was still highly suspicious as to the nature of Gee-Tar’s attack, and although she believed it was best for Riff to know about what had happened just in case, if what had happened had been a true mugging, Gee-Tar made some pretty valid points.
Roxie glanced over at Diesel, anticipating that he would accept Gee-Tar’s explanation relatively easily. However, she noticed that he seemed to sense something was off about Gee-Tar’s story as well. He was giving her an uncertain look in return.
“Please,” Gee-Tar all but begged them. “I promise I won’t go walkin’ ‘round alone so late anymore.”
“Why were ya out so late again?” Diesel countered.
Gee-Tar glanced at Roxie so quickly, she doubted Diesel would have caught it. “I was seein’ that girl of mine again.”
“This girl sounds like nothin’ but trouble,” Diesel said decisively. “If seein’ her is givin’ ya this much grief-”
“She’s fine,” Gee-Tar interrupted.
“Riff should still know,” Roxie insisted.
“He can’t,” Gee-Tar disagreed. “Ya both know how he’s been lately. If he finds out, it won’t matter what I say- he’s gonna assume this had somethin’ to do with the Sharks anyways. And if that happens, things are only gonna get worse ‘round here. Please… I can’t not see this girl again. Ya can’t tell him.”
Roxie and Diesel exchanged a look. Though she could tell Diesel wasn’t entirely convinced, he had to have been in the same boat that she was. With no other evidence other than Gee-Tar’s story, they had nothing else to prove that he wasn’t telling the truth… or at least the truth as he knew it.
Still, Roxie really hated the idea of keeping what had happened a secret from Riff, especially given everything that they had been through… But maybe Gee-Tar was right? He didn’t have any proof that the Sharks did or did not have something to do with the attack… And if Riff found out about it, Roxie was inclined to agree with Gee-Tar that he would jump to his own conclusions. Giving Riff more ammunition to fuel hostilities with the Sharks was the very last thing she wanted to do.
“Fine,” Roxie relented with a sigh, and Diesel nodded in silent agreement.
Gee-Tar gave them both a small relieved smile. “Thank you, both of yous.”
“Ya need to start keepin’ your word, and ya need to go a night without gettin’ yourself in trouble,” Diesel told him firmly. “We’ve already got our hands full with the Sharks. Don’t need ya gettin’ yourself hurt by some other local tough guys before the real fight begins.”
“... Right,” Gee-Tar recalled distractedly. “The Sharks.”
As an awkward silence fell over the group, Roxie couldn’t help but worry at the thought of “the real fight” Diesel had mentioned.
Eventually, Gee-Tar finally made it up the stairs that night with Diesel’s assistance and Roxie’s supervision. Once the two were settled in their own cots, Roxie returned to Riff’s bedroom, though she honestly wasn’t expecting to be able to get any more sleep.
Nothing about that night sat well with Roxie. Not the fact that Gee-Tar had gotten hurt, and definitely not his story and explanation of the events that had led up to it.
Even as she entered Riff’s bedroom, quietly tiptoed across the floor, and gently snuck back underneath the sheets, something was still bothering her.
Once he realized her presence, Riff wrapped his arms around immediately, and pulled her closer to him. He mumbled something incoherent, before pressing a kiss to her head.
She should’ve felt content in his arms. After all, for weeks- no, months- she never would have dreamed such a thing would ever be possible again. Despite that, she couldn’t rest.
What had Gee-Tar been about to say about the girl he’d been seeing before Diesel had interrupted?
————————————————————————————
The following Sunday, the Jets met up for their usual Sunday morning rounds of basketball.
The “A-Team”- Big Deal, Action, Little Molly, and Snowboy- were acting as pretentious as ever, though A-Rab was the most insufferable of them all by far. Their luck from the previous few weekends had seemed to turn around, and they were currently on a winning streak. Each game won only made them act bolder.
Aside from Riff teaching Baby John a few tricks earlier in the summer, he hadn’t even picked up a basketball for a few weeks. But with every victorious shout that left the mouths of A-Rab and his team, Riff grew closer and closer to taking to the court himself.
As the morning went on, Riff quickly realized that Gee-Tar must not have been feeling well. His team, which also consisted of Baby John, Tiger, Balkan, and Mouthpiece, had once posed a threat to the “A-Team.” But that morning, the team seemed to be falling apart, and it was largely due to Gee-Tar. He was moving painstakingly slow, leaving him vulnerable to having the ball swiped from him and rendering him incapable of making any decent passes to his teammates.
Riff leaned up against the wall and smoked a cigarette. Ice was beside him, as he usually was, and was having a smoke as well. Though it was the same wall that they had once considered their own, primarily due to their artwork and various paintings that used to litter it, the wall had since been tainted with the Puerto Rican mural.
Since the wall had been painted, a lot of the guys had had plenty of things to say about it whenever they walked by the park or stopped to play a few games of basketball. And if he was being honest, seeing their wall in such a state bothered Riff too.
But even though it had been weeks since the mural had been painted, Riff had the feeling that if anything happened to the damn mural, the Jets would automatically be the ones to blame, whether they actually had a hand in it or not. Though it was debatable whether the cops would care enough to actually try and hold them accountable for any damage done, he knew the Sharks would try and have their heads either way.
But not even the grievances with the Sharks, nor the slaughtering that Gee-Tar and his team were being dealt on behalf of A-Rab’s team, were enough to distract Riff from his other thoughts. As he leaned up against the backdrop of the red, white, and blue paint, his mind kept frequently wandering elsewhere.
Specifically, it was wandering across the park to the other side of the street, to Roxie’s apartment building.
Riff hadn’t seen Roxie since the evening before, and even though it was a short time to go without seeing her, he couldn’t deny that he’d missed her. It was the first night since earlier that week that they hadn’t spent together. There was something about waking up beside her that Riff didn’t want to soon forget. Even just waking up alone that morning had dampened his mood.
But, just like him, Roxie had personal things to take care of. She was still itching to try and get a word with her landlord. Riff hoped she was successful in catching him that morning. Even more so, he hoped the landlord would have a lead on a new roommate for her.
Though Riff had full heartedly meant his offer for her to move into the shop’s apartment with him, if that wasn’t what Roxie wanted at that moment, he wasn’t going to hold it against her.
She’d already said she couldn’t afford to live in her apartment alone, and Riff didn’t want to see her any more strapped for cash than she was. Roxie was still supposed to go to school that spring, and she’d told Roff already that any spare money she could manage would go towards that tuition.
Besides that, Riff would never forget that Roxie used a good chunk of her own money to save his neck and keep the shop afloat, if only for a little bit longer. It didn’t matter how she had obtained that money- it’d been hers, fair and square. If Roxie was unable to find a new roommate, and if she had to spend even more money on her own living arrangements than what she already was, it would only deepen Riff’s guilt.
And he already felt plenty of guilt when he considered the fact that Tony was now knowledgeable about the entire situation with Mr. Barone, and Roxie still had no idea. While Riff hated keeping the secret from her, he had yet to have any regret about telling Tony.
Naturally, Tony had been shocked to learn all of the gory details, but Riff knew the moment he was done telling him the entire tale that Tony had developed some new sort of respect for both him and Roxie. Tony promised that he’d keep true to his word and that he wouldn’t ever tell a soul about what he had learned. Riff believed him, but he also remembered all too well how his oaf of a friend had almost tipped Roxie off by acting so oddly towards her right after Riff had told him.
“What’s the matter with you, pal?” Balkan questioned Gee-Tar when he failed to put up any sort of struggle when Action swiped the ball from him. Action passed the ball across the court to Big Deal, who promptly scored a basket.
The game was over.
Gee-star shook his head. “I’m out,” he told his team regretfully. He walked away and joined Diesel, Skink, and Number’s conversation just off the court.
Before Tiger, Balkan, Mouthpiece, and Baby John could say a thing in response, a proud shout erupted from A-Rab’s mouth.
“Victory is ours, boys!”
His team whooped and hollered in agreement.
Baby John shook his head and turned to what remained of their team to try and regroup.
“Ain’t no one takin’ us down!” A-Rab continued.
Unfortunately, the scene had already pulled Riff from his thoughts. Now that he was free from his distracting thoughts about Roxie and what she was up to, there was nothing holding him back.
“Anyone wanna hop in?” Tiger asked hopefully, looking at the rest of the Jets who weren’t already on the court.
Riff flicked his cigarette onto the ground and stepped on the butt.
Ice smirked at him, immediately catching on to what he was about to do. “Go get ‘em, Krazy Kat.”
Riff clapped an appreciative hand onto Ice’s shoulder before jogging over to the court. “Count me in, fellas!”
Baby John and the rest of the team smiled at the sight of Riff taking to the court. Riff wasn’t considered the best player among them, but his track record against A-Rab was pretty admirable, and everyone knew it.
Especially A-Rab.
“Nah, you don’t need to bother yourself with a little game, Riff,” A-Rab tried to discourage him.
“It’s no problem at all,” Riff dismissed with a cool smile. Tiger passed him the ball, and he caught it with a practiced ease, barely sparing the ball a glance as he did so. “Ya fellas ready to get goin’ again?”
Riff’s team members smirked knowingly while A-Rab and his teammates became visibly unsettled.
————————————————————————————
Though the guilt of keeping Gee-Tar’s secret from Riff still lingered over her, as well as her curiosity about the remainder of Gee-Tar’s interrupted confession about the girl he had been seeing, Roxie found something else to focus on over the next few days: hunting down her landlord.
Roxie even spent the night in her own apartment, determined to wake up as early as needed in order to try and catch the man as he left his apartment unit for the day. She had to admit, she missed sleeping beside Riff the previous night, especially after having done so for several nights in a row before it, but she knew that she had to do what she had to do. Her landlord had already been proven to be a tricky guy to track down, and Roxie stood no more chance of actually finding him if she was hardly ever present in her apartment building.
Betty was supposed to be moving out in the next week or two, and she couldn’t afford- literally- to not have another roommate to help her pay the rent. She supposed she could’ve asked Helen, the young woman she had met in the laundry room of their building a few weeks prior, to move in, but after the one interaction Roxie had had with the girl, she had a gut feeling that if they’d lived together, they’d butt heads more often than not. And what was the point of even having her own space to escape to if it wouldn’t even be relaxing?
That morning, Roxie slept in later than she had meant to, and she couldn’t help but internally curse at herself as she scrambled to get dressed and ready for the day. Once she was presentable, Roxie slipped on a pair of flats, grabbed her keys, and quickly exited the apartment to head down the stairs to the first floor.
Initially, Roxie knocked on her landlord’s door several times to no avail. Just as she was about to give up on finding him- again- someone entered through the main door in the lobby and headed down the hallway her way.
It was her landlord.
He was dressed pretty nicely, and if Roxie had to guess, he had just come from church. Of course- how could she not have considered that before? If she had, she probably would’ve been successful in cornering him at least a week ago.
“Roxie?”
Roxie gave him a small smile and stepped aside as the man went to unlock his front door.
“I’m sorry to catch you at a bad time,” Roxie began, “but I really need to talk to you about something. Do you have a few minutes?”
His eyes shifted back and forth. “Uh, now’s not really the best time-“
“Please,” Roxie interrupted, as politely as she could manage. “I’m sure she’s told you- but Betty’s moving out, and soon. I was hoping you knew someone else who was in need of a place to stay?”
Her landlord rested his hand on the doorknob of his front door, and it was clear that he was wanting to head on inside. Normally, Roxie would’ve taken the que and excused herself, but she’d spent too long trying to track him down, and she was quickly running out of time to find a solution to her problem.
“You won’t have to worry about that,” he told her quietly.
Roxie was taken aback. “Wait- really? You already have someone in mind?”
Her landlord glanced down the hallway of the lobby, looking around to see if they were still alone. “No.”
“... You don’t? What do you mean?”
“Come on, Roxie,” he pleaded tiredly. “Don’t make me say it.”
“Say what?”
Her landlord took one last glance down the hallway. “I was going to make the announcement this week, but since you’ve quite literally got me forced here, I’ll tell you now: I’m selling the building.”
…
What?!
“What?!”
Her landlord shushed her. “Pipe down, will you? I just said I haven’t made the announcement yet, remember?”
Roxie lowered her voice, though her words were no less frantic. “What’s going to happen?”
“You’ll have two weeks to find someplace else to live.”
“Two weeks?!” Roxie gasped. “What am I supposed to do if I can’t find somewhere else to go? What are any of us supposed to do?”
Her landlord said nothing.
“What about your other building- the one where my aunt rented that unit from you?”
“I’m selling that one too, I’m afraid.”
Her landlord was being flippant, and once Roxie realized that, her shock quickly shifted to something else- anger. “Why?” she demanded. “Why are you selling when you know doing so is putting dozens of people out on the streets?
Surprisingly, her landlord looked somewhat sympathetic. “Come on, Roxie. Don’t give me a sob story. Ya know how it is right now- times are tough, and they’re tough for everybody, not just tenants like you. I got some offers, and they were just too good to pass up.”
In retrospect, Roxie couldn’t blame him, at least not in principle. But at that moment, her shock and anger won out over her logic, and she couldn’t help but scowl at him.
“I’m sorry, kid.”
————————————————————————————
Riff was feeling just about on top of the world as his team proceeded to put A-Rab’s team to shame.
Baby John swerved past Little Molly and Riff couldn’t help but smile as his protege made a shot that sent the basketball flying through the air before falling through the hoop with a satisfying swoosh.
Another 4 points, and Riff’s team would win.
A-Rab took the ball and proceeded to set up the next play at the top of the court. As he prepared himself to guard Big Deal, Riff saw something that caught his interest out of the corner of his eye.
It was Roxie.
She crossed the street from her apartment building, entered the park, and was walking directly towards him.
Even from a distance, Riff could tell she was upset. His immediate concern for her outweighed his desire to put A-Rab in his place, and he promptly walked off the court mid play without another thought.
“What gives?” Mouthpiece called after him confusedly.
Riff spared a glance back at his team, before looking over at the guys hanging around off the court. “Deez, you mind coverin’ for me for a minute?”
Diesel had spotted Roxie as well. He looked at Riff, nodded, and quickly stepped onto the court to assume Riff’s place.
“What? No way!“ A-Rab declared as he glared at Diesel. “No subs mid game!“
“A-Rab, chill,” Ice ordered. “It’s just a game, pal.”
A small heated discussion broke out in the background, but Riff continued to walk towards Roxie. When he was just a few yards away from her, he called to her, “What’s wrong?”
Roxie shrugged as she came to a stop before him. She placed a head on her forehead and shook her head. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t want to pull you away like this, I just didn’t know what else to do and-“
“It’s fine,” Riff assured her calmly, cutting off her worried rambling when he placed his hands lightly on her upper arms. “Trust me.”
Roxie looked behind him and towards the Jets. Riff followed her line of sight, and quickly discovered that A-Rab’s arguing had ceased. Instead, the guys on the court who had noticed Roxie’s presence were watching them both with intrigued looks. Some were even sending mocking kissing faces their way.
In response, Riff flipped the bird over his shoulder before turning his full attention back to Roxie. “What’s goin’ on?”
“It’s my apartment… my landlord is selling the building.”
“He’s what?” Riff asked, the news shocking him nearly as much as it appeared to have shaken up Roxie.
“We’re all going to get evicted,” Roxie continued, still visibly and audibly upset. “I only have two weeks to find someplace new to live.”
Riff fell silent as he processed everything Roxie was saying.
“I can’t afford to live anywhere else,” she said. “And even if I could, who's to say that whatever building I end up in won’t just get sold and torn down too?”
Riff wished more than anything to be able to say something that would alleviate her worries. She had some valid concerns, though. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out,” he found himself saying instead.
“Like what?”
“Well, I’m sure as hell not gonna let you be out on the streets, that’s for sure,” Riff swore.
Roxie nodded in understanding. She looked behind him for a moment, most likely looking at the Jets again. Riff didn’t look back this time though. He hoped they’d returned to their basketball game by then.
“I don’t know what to do,” Roxie confessed meekly, looking back at him.
As Riff racked his brain for a magic solution to her problem, it took him all but a second to realize that he already had one.
“Move in with me.”
Roxie did a double take. Before she could protest the idea, Riff continued, feeling the overwhelming need to present his entire case before she passed any sort of judgment on his proposal. He took her hands in his lightly, but the gesture drew her focus solely on him.
“I know ya said you wanted your independence, but you can have that. You can come and go as ya please, and ya won’t hear a peep from me. Hell, you can even take my room, and I’ll sleep out in the living room with the rest of the guys. Livin’ with them probably ain’t ideal, but they’ll be respectful of ya, I promise. And if they ain’t, I’ll set ‘em straight. A few days ago, you mentioned the bathroom… I know it's a bit of a mess right now, but I’ll scrub every surface clean myself if I have to. Roxie, I’ll do whatever else ya want if it means I can sleep better at night knowin’ ya got a safe place to stay... please.”
Roxie’s face as he gave her his full fledged reasoning behind his suggestion was oddly neutral, and when he was finished speaking, Riff didn’t have an inkling of an idea of what she was thinking.
Naturally, his initial reaction was panic. …Should’ve kept my damn mouth shut.
“… I have a condition.”
Her quiet words surprised Riff. “Yeah?”
“I’m not taking your bedroom from you.”
Riff subconsciously smiled and his grip on her hands tightened as he read between the lines of her simple words. ”So, does that mean you’ll move in?”
“You have to promise me that you’ll tell me if it’s not working for you,” Roxie warned him, calmly though seriously. But even as she spoke, Riff could tell she was fighting off a smile of her own.
Riff doubted he’d ever do that, even if she did somehow find a way to get on his nerves. But he knew that was not what Roxie wanted to hear, so he chose to go along with it in order to not ruin the moment. “I promise.”
“Then… yes. I’ll move in with you.”
Riff beamed down at her, and for a moment, he was stunned and unsure what to do with the sudden wave of happiness and relief that washed over him. A second later, something in his mind clicked, and he quickly leaned in to kiss her.
He could faintly hear the teasing kissing noises behind them from the Jets increasing in volume, but Riff refused to pay them mind. In that moment, all that mattered was them.
Roxie was going to be moving in.
————————————————————————————
“Dios mío,” the young woman said under her breath.
Her companion turned her head towards her as they walked down the sidewalk just outside of the park.
“There is the reason we do not walk back from church this way,” the young woman continued, eyeing the group of boys on the basketball court inside the park warily.
Her companion looked at the group curiously, but was mindful enough to keep up the same walking pace as her friend as she took a gander. “Is that them?”
“Sí,” her friend answered. “The Jets. Aspirantes a gánsteres.”
The other young woman continued to look over towards the group she had heard so much about. The majority of them were playing a game of basketball, but a few lingered around the perimeter.
Though a bit away from the basketball court, one of them stood out. He was tall and slim, and was with a girl. If the kiss they exchanged wasn’t enough of an indicator, it was clear by their physical closeness, intertwined hands, and the way they smiled at each other that they were together.
“Ahi esta,” her friend continued, noticing the object of staring. “The leader. Riff.”
“Riff?” the young woman repeated, the sound oddly foreign to her tongue. It was a strange name, even for an Americano.
For all the awful stories she’d heard from her friends and the friends of her brother, as well as warnings directly from him, the infamous Jets looked to just be a group of boys. It was hard to imagine them being any sort of credible threat, let alone doing even half of the things she was told they had done.
But appearances could be deceiving.
“Sí.”
“Ese chica?” she asked then, turning her attention to the girl next. Whoever she was, the girl seemed absolutely smitten with the leader of the Jets.
“No sé,” her friend replied. “He was with a chica rubia at the last dance…”
The young woman nodded, accepting her friend’s partial answer without further comment. She asked no more questions of her friend, choosing to focus on keeping a brisk pace instead. Her brother’s girlfriend would start to worry if she wasn’t back soon, and as it was, she was already likely to inquire as to where she had gone after mass.
When the park was well behind them, the young woman spared one more thought to what she had seen.
Despite the affectionate display they had had in the park, the young woman couldn’t help but wonder what type of girl would want to be with a boy like the one her brother had described the leader of the Jets to be.
A/N: Thank you for reading!😊 Any and all feedback is welcome and appreciated. If you would like to be added to the taglist, please feel free to let me know as well.😊
Taglist: @whisperofsong @disguisedbassethound @lingerasthesmokeoncedid @westsidelegendary @sallymakesstuff @youngteenagehearts @wombtotombx @loverisi @wnygirl2012 @b-bella9 @princessmiaelicia @childesbbyy @amberash05 @robin-jackkelly @eatslothsat @mikefaistgf @acciosiriusblack @jaemsslut4 @makaelahdelvalle @mixed-theater-faisty-tings @girlygirl-20 @that1fanficwriter
Part 20
Masterlist
#west side story#west side story 2021#wss#wss 2021#west side story fanfiction#west side story fanfic#west side story riff#riff west side story#wss riff#riff fanfiction#riff fanfic#riff imagine#slowburn#slow burn#angst#oc jet#west side story riff x oc#mike faist
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