#mouthpiece x velma

[riffheartsgraziella]

I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings 💍💕

#mouthpiece x velma #mouthpiece west side story #velma west side story #west side story #west side story 2021 #ben cook #maddie ziegler

[thelanguishing]

you’re it for me (mouthpiece x velma)

a/n: hello everyone! (or anyone, really! i don’t actually know if anyone reads my stuff) i got accepted into the university of sydney, australia for psych and i’m incredibly, incredibly psyched about that (hehehe pun intended). this week has been a lot more eventful so i didn’t get a lot of time to think much about my stories. honestly i kind of hate this ending but there are snippets of this oneshot that i felt happy enough with to post the entire thing. i hope you like it! 

word count: 1602

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Velma wrung her hands for the umpteenth time since kissing her boyfriend goodbye. Glancing at the clock yet again, she couldn’t help but wish she’d just banned him from leaving her room at all. He wouldn’t have listened. Realistically, they would probably have gotten into a fight. But anything, anything had to be better than this. This waiting and worrying and wondering for him to return from his first rumble alongside the Jets. 

She just knew it. Mouthpiece was going to run his mouth again, and get one of those Egyptian Kings so riled up that he’d wind up on the receiving end of a bunch of extra hits. Probably with one of those sharp chains she’d caught a glimpse of in their armoury too, if he wasn’t careful. She forced herself to take in slow, deep breaths, thinking instead of the strength of the Jets. Mouthpiece might have been new at this whole rumble thing, but many of the Jets weren’t. Riff and Tony certainly weren’t, in particular. They’d already rumbled twice, and both times they’d come out on top. They’d take care of Mouthpiece. And though he was considerably smaller, he was wiry too. She knew he’d be able to dodge a lot of blows if he kept his wits about him. Much as she hated to think about it, his father certainly helped hone Mouthpiece’s skill in dodging and ducking violent punches. Focusing on only the facts, Velma found herself reverting back to a calmer state of mind. Well, as calm as she could possibly be while her stupid boyfriend was getting him violently beaten up somewhere.

Twelve forty-five. How long was this goddamn rumble going to last? No one in their right mind would be willing to go at it for longer than necessary. Had the Egyptian Kings just been incredibly obstinate, and refused to surrender till their last man was lying in a pool of their own blood? At a loss for what to do next, Velma found herself reaching for comfort from someone she usually never bothered herself with. 

God, please, I know I ain’t a saint, but please let Mouthpiece come back safe. I’lls do whatever you want. 

As if the man upstairs really heard her fervent prayer, the raps on her window a mere minute later finally put her racing thoughts to rest. Hurriedly pulling up the glass, she quickly let Mouthpiece in, firmly shutting the window behind him. 

The sight before her eyes felt like a blow to her gut. Sure, Mouthpiece had gotten jumped a couple times, but she’d never seen him so injured in her life. Blood was dripping from his shoulder, there was a gash on his jawline, and she could see blues and purples already blooming all over his fists. 

‘Oh my God, baby, oh my God, what did they do to ya? Oh my God, there’s blood everywhere…’ Even when Mouthpiece was injured, Velma rarely made a big deal about it, not wanting him to feel worse about worrying her. But she just couldn’t help the fear and anxiety laced in her words this time. She’d been smart enough to prepare a few first aid supplies in anticipation for his return, but her one washcloth and tub of warm water was likely to have the usefulness of a band-aid in this situation. Turning to grab frozen peas from her refrigerator and as much antiseptic as she could find, Mouthpiece reached out and grabbed her hand. 

‘We won, baby. Those Kings ain’t gonna bother us anymore! I busted one of them up real good, way worse than he did me.’ Mouthpiece grinned proudly, looking at his girlfriend with relief and pride in his eyes. 

She knew how important the Jets were to him, even if the territory never was. Seeing the protective streak in him surface whenever the Jets were mentioned always warmed her heart. Despite having grown up in a badly broken family, there was still so much love Mouthpiece had for the people he cared about. She knew that was why he partook in the rumble – to stand with his brothers. Knowing that about him reassured her, though him coming back bloodied and bruised never did. 

She clasped his hand back, patting it gently. 

‘I’m proud of ya too, honey. Not for doing something this stupid, but because ya came back home safe. I’m gonna get you some stuff to help with the blood. I’ll be back in just a sec.’ As much as she wanted to hold him close and kiss him repeatedly to confirm his presence, his injuries were too pressing to ignore. She sped out of the room and left Mouthpiece on the ottoman, wincing in pain as the adrenaline from the rumble gradually wore off. 

When she returned, Mouthpiece immediately pulled her to him, stationing her in between his legs as she quietly dabbed and cleaned the grime and blood from his face. For the life of Velma, she couldn’t imagine how he managed to maintain that goofy grin on his face while she basically doused his face in antiseptic to prevent an infection. 

‘Love, doesn’t the antiseptic hurt?’ She couldn’t help but question as she moved on to the largest gash on his jawline. 

‘Like a bitch. But my favorite girl’s patching me up, ain’t she? I’m just smilin’ ‘cause I know I’m real lucky that she’s my nurse.’ Mouthpiece admitted cheekily while Velma’s cheeks turned a deep hue of red. Even while he was in pain, he effortlessly managed to make butterflies flutter in her stomach. But the stinging sensation overwhelmed him, and though he would rather die than admit it, Velma swore he tightened his grip on her waist as she dabbed at the wound gently. 

As she patched up his fists and neck, her eyes drifted to his abdomen. It was likely to be littered with bruises too, or worse. 

‘Take ya shirt off, hon,’ Velma instructed. 

‘Damn, Vel, didn’t know we were getting into it so quickly,’ Mouthpiece joked shamelessly. He knew she was just trying to check for more injuries, but he could never turn up the opportunity to tease Velma a bit. Despite being collected most of the time, he knew how much of a weakness he was to her. Little teasing remarks made exclusively by him would fluster her like nothing else could. 

‘Not like that, you fool! I gotta see if yous got yourself beaten up even more.’ 

Right, guess she wasn’t taking the bait for that one. 

Trying his best to hide the grimace in his expression, Mouthpiece removed his shirt and drew up his undershirt to reveal the extent of the damage. Most people might have missed his wince as she poked and prodded his ribs gently, but Velma was too observant for that. Probably a broken rib or something. 

At least there were no huge gashes or cuts. Most of it was just bruises. And that broken rib, of course. 

As her finger danced across his chest and abdomen, Mouthpiece could feel his breath catching. He knew she wasn’t doing it for that reason tonight, but it was so easy to get caught up in his girl’s little ministrations. She was truly the most beautiful girl he’d ever known, and every time she gave him such unconditional love and care, it became harder and harder to hide his growing feelings each day. They’d only been seeing each other for about two months, and Mouthpiece had barely turned fifteen. All the same, he was pretty sure this was what love felt like. Velma evoked a special kind of protectiveness and warmth he didn’t know he had. Every time he looked at her, it felt like the man upstairs had finally given him a bit of a break from his hellish world. Like she was the reason to believe in life again. 

‘Vel?’ Mouthpiece gently whispered. 

‘Hm?’ Still preoccupied with her boyfriend’s injuries, Velma continued inspecting his bruises, pressing frozen peas to his abdomen and wiping away the sweat and blood from the smaller cuts. She didn’t even look up. 

‘I love ya.’ He confessed in a voice so soft he thought she might have missed it. Her hands freezing were the only indication that she’d heard his declaration. 

‘And yous don’t gotta say it back, Vel. I know we’ve only been seeing each other for a few months. It’s early days yet, dontcha think? But I know it. I’m sure. I love ya, I really do. But seriously, don’t worry about it if ya ain’t sure. Ya can just pretend like I didn’t say nothing, if ya want. Ya know-’ Suddenly panicking, he started running his mouth again. Caught between the fear of scaring her off and the conviction of his own feelings, it felt like he was speaking in circles. 

Impulsively, Velma had interrupted his slightly frenzied monologue by pulling him close and planting her lips on his, the only things separating them being Velma’s thin nightdress and the frozen peas. Quickly relinquishing control, she parted her lips slightly as Mouthpiece deepened the kiss, the both of them swept up in the highs post-rumble and the intensity of their feelings. 

Yes, they were both young. But that intense, overwhelming feeling of security and passion bundled into one was real. Whatever they felt then and there was real. 

As they both came back up for air, Velma shyly smiled and returned the declaration. 

‘I love you too, baby. Always. You’re it for me,’ she promised fervently. 

It was then that Mouthpiece knew for certain he would never love another girl for the rest of his life. 

#west side story 2021 #west side story fanfic #mouthpiece x velma #mouthpiece #velma #ben tyler cook #maddie ziegler #writings #rambling #my stories #west side story

[elysiandances]

𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒛𝒛 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒐 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 . . .

a mouthpiece x velma short written by @elysiandances

character count: 7.5k (1.4k words)

summary: mouthpiece has had a long day and is questioning if he deserves the beautiful girl he calls his girlfriend.

cw: doubting a partners love, crying, slight breakdown, fighting

prompt created by @dumplingsjinson

it was a normal night at velma’s, the brunette had gotten off work at the diner and had headed home eagerly, knowing her blond boyfriend would be waiting either on her fire escape, or already in her room. when she’d opened the door, her suspicions were correct, he was sitting on her soft duvet near the pillows, in his hands held his cap, a blue one, one he didn’t wear as often, only when requested by velma..

when he heard the door click open, his eyes snapped up from the hat, seeing her, and offering a smile, but it wasn’t his usual happy one, no, it was worried.. almost saddened? velma picked up on this immediately and set down her bag on her dresser, brows knitting together in concern.. “honey,,? are you alright?” she asked softly, watching as mouthpiece rose to his feet, setting his cap down on the bed and walking over, grabbing at her hands.. “mouth?” she whispered once they were face to face, looking slightly up at him..

it didn’t take a long time to decipher the look in his eyes, something had happened that day, but wether or not he’d tell what had gone on was a different story entirely.. “sweetheart, you’re scaring me,” she said quietly, wiggling her hand away from his and caressing his cheek, leaning forward to kiss his nose bridge.. “you’re okay, it’s all okay.. you wanna sit and tell me what happened..? i think that might do you some good..” she whispered, getting a nod in response as she immediately began dragging him back to his place on the bed, sitting him down and sitting down right beside him, one of their hands still locked and sitting on top of her thigh.. “take your time.. tell me what happened,”

a little shake of his head seemed to free mouthpiece of the dazed state he’d been in since before she entered the door, swallowing hard and looking down to his lap, which only spiked more concern in the girl sitting next to him.. “it ain’t nothin’ big, vel—“ he began, but stopped as he felt a squeeze to his hand, smiling a little.. “okay, okay, fine, jeez,” he teased, sending her a playful glare and giggling softly. the little moment caused some of her concern to melt away, falling into giggles with him and kissing his cheek.. “today was just a hard day, that’s all. me ‘n a couple of tha boys got in a tussle, all said some real mean things, but— guess some of them stuck to me more than they should’ve,” he explained, eyes focused on his leg as it bounced anxiously..

“oh.. oh i’m sorry.. are you alright? what did they say to you, sweetheart?” she asked, noticing the shaking of his leg and setting her hand on his knee. it stopped his shaking, his eyes going to her hand, then lifting to look over at her..

“i don’t wanna talk about it, the things were so stupid, really. there’s not a reason to be so upset, but i am,” mouthpiece said with a sigh, feeling another squeeze to his hand and bringing velma’s hand to his lips, kissing across her knuckles.. “some lame stuff ‘bout each other.. it was just mean, that’s really all. i don’t think any of us meant it, but we wanted to hurt each other’s feelin’s, so maybe we did, i dunno,” mouthpiece finally finished his explanation, shoulders sinking.

“that couldn’t have been an easy situation for you.. can i do anything to help? i’m sure whatever they said wasn’t meant to hurt you, and i know you know that too deep down..” velma soothed, moving her leg to press against his, which he welcomed.. “wanna get some food,,? take a bath? i could wash your hair?” she offered, giving him the most tender look the brunette could muster.. she was met with silence.. silence that lingered far too long to be normal, especially for the energetic and usually hyper teen beside her.. “mou-“ she stopped, behind cut off by a little sniffle.. immediately, the panic rose in her body and she quickly retracted her hands from his body, eyes wide with worry, “hey— hey,, oh my god, why are you crying? are you okay? did i— did i do something wrong, sweetheart? what’s going on, baby, talk to me,”

slowly, mouthpiece’s head turned towards her, tears falling down his freckled cheeks as he smiled towards her, just a bit.. “no, it's just— you're always so gentle ‘n carin’ with me and it makes me— god, it makes me feel like i don't deserve you, velma.. no one's ever treated me like you have—“ he whispered out, voice breaking a few times throughout the explanation, finishing what he was saying and hiding his face in his hands.. he was comforted by feeling her hands on his forearms, tugging his arms away from his eyes..

“oh, come here, sweetheart,” velma said quickly, pulling him into her body.. mouthpiece immediately curled over into his lover, face hiding into her shoulder and stifling his cries as his hands grasped desperately at her uniform, frame trembling under her finger tips.. “it’s okay.. shhh.. you’re okay.. you’re okay, baby.. god, you deserve everything, y’know that? you deserve the world,” she muttered, kissing his temple and holding him tightly..

“i’m sorry vee- i—“ he was cut off as she shushed him, hand moving to the back of his head and burying into the blond curls against his neck, tugging him in closer..

they stayed like that for a while, mouthpiece breaking inside of velma’s arms, but eventually, their little words died down, as did his cries.. mouthpiece’s breath began to even out again and he raised his head up, looking down at her with red and puffy eyes.. “i love you vel, thank you— for everythin’ you do for me. you make me so happy,,” he muttered, leaning to push their lips together in a kiss, one that was almost like an unsaid promise.. one that told mouthpiece that she’d always be there for him.. one to show that he wasn’t alone, and that through everything, velma was there, and she wasn’t going to leave..

“i love you too, sweetheart,” she said as they parted, kissing the corners of his lips and his chin a few times, then trailing the little chaste pecks along his jawline as she shifted back, beckoning him to follow with her kisses.. “let’s lay down, yeah? you need to rest for a little, then we can give you a bath..” velma whispered, leaning back against her headboard as she pulled her lips from his skin, planting a final one on his lips before she encouraged his head to her lap.. mouthpiece didn’t fight it, falling into her lap and kissing her knee before settling, curling up into himself and sighing quietly..

velma’s hand went to his hair, burying in blond curls as she gently massaged his scalp, nails dragging to aid in comfort.. “that’s it, mouth, it’s okay,” she muttered, looking down at him.. “it’s okay.. it’s all okay.. you are doing so good, i’m so proud of you.. you’re doing everything just right..” velmas voice fell to a whisper, the only sound being the low buzz of the radio down the hall.. “breathe, okay? that’s it,” velma quietly reassured, making sure he was comfortable and loved..

that night, velma ran him a bath, a warm one with her expensive new soaps and fluffy new bath towels and candles, things to make him feel spoiled and appreciated. she let him braid her hair and they told silly little stories to pass the time.. when they got all settled into bed, velma curled up on his chest and he read her a few chapters of a book she’d been putting off reading.. eventually, they both fell asleep. he knew he was loved that night, and thought he still may not think he deserves her, velma sure does, and she’d try and prove it for the rest of her life.

#mouthpiece x velma #ben cook #maddie ziegler #mouthpiece #west side story 2021 #wss #mouthpiece wss #wss 2021 #love #soft #fluff #teenagers in love #angst

[scottyzoomz]

WEST SIDE STORY ROLEPLAY SIGN UPS

So, my friends has a blog called @ask-tony-wyzek and @ask-riff-lorton. Those are the only west side story character blogs (from what i have seen), and yknow, it's getting kind of boring.. so if you wanna be a west story character this is your chance !! This is just for being fun and being silly, the rumble hasnt happened yet and it's just an au where the Jets and the Sharks are just still arguing on whose turf it is. No killing has happened, Tony, Riff and Bernardo is still alive, . And OC's ARE ALLOWED !!! Fanon ships are allowed, Oc x character is allowed too !! just PLEASE dont make it weird/illegal. be logical, a 1-2 year age gap is fine but dont make it illegal. so far we have RiffxTony (im sorry for those who i have offended do not harass me just for a silly fanon ship if you don't like it, kindly scroll this doesnt hurt anybody.) AND THOSE WHO KNOWS ANY ACCOUNTS LIKE THIS OF THE WEST SIDE STORY CHARACTERS PLEASE TELL ME I WOULD LOVE TO INTERACT WITH THEM !!! Jets ( those who are taken have a blog ) Riff - @ask-riff-lorton Tony - @ask-tony-wyzek Ice - Snowboy - Baby John - @ask-baby-john Action - A-rab - Tiger - Joyboy - Big Deal - Mouthpiece - @ask-mouth-piece Gee-Tar - Anybodys - Diesel - @ask-deisel Numbers - Balkan - @ask-balkan Little Molly - ----------- The Girls in the Jets Graziella - @ask-graziella Velma - @ask-velma Clarice - Minnie - Debby - Hotsie - Pauline - Luna - ====================== ( these are all that i found on the Sharks wiki so these not might be accurate, feel free to put your headcanons on these characters ) Sharks (note: who nicknames their friend anxious what???) Bernardo - @ask-bernardo Chino - Pepe - Indio - Luis - Anxious - Nibbles - Juano - Toro - Moose - Quique - Chago - Braulio - Pipo - Julito - -------------- The girls in the Sharks Maria - Anita - @ask--anita Rosalita - Consuelo - Teresita - Francisca - Estella - Marguerita - AGAIN. THIS IS FOR FUN!!! YOU CAN JOIN AS AN OC !! If you have more questions please feel free to go to my ' Ask Me Anything ' or in my dms. !!! Feel free to reblog:)

#west side story #roleplay sign ups #west side story 2021 #ROLEPLAY !!!! #wss #wss:roleplay

[sl-newsie]

Cool Your Jets- Ch. 3: Let’s Dance (Riff x newcomer)

I finish cleaning up my sad attempts to make dinner and then go to freshen up when I hear a knock on the door.

“Riff, if that’s you I’m gonna rip your arms off-!” I hiss as I yank the door open, only to find a dark blue swing dress with a note attached to it.

Marilyn,

Anita made this for you! She wants you to show those Jets who’s boss! See you at the dance!

Maria :)

A smile grows on my face as I take the gorgeous blue dress inside. There’s a dotted pattern on the skirt and low-cut bodice, and like my other new dress it’s very flowy. I don’t know how I’m gonna be able to repay Anita for this! I slip it on with a tulle petticoat and twirl in front-a the tiny bathroom mirror. After some makeup and a halfway-decent hairstyling I think I’m ready, and I almost feel too dressed up. Back in the country, simply wear’n a dress with no mud spots on it was fancy enough, but I know city folks got higher standards.

As I head out I remember that I’ve got no clue where this place is, so I decide to go with my intuition and follow a group-a dressed up Puerto Ricans to a school. I wish I could go to school, but since I gotta pay rent there’s no use try’n to squeeze in time.

Inside I can already hear blare’n swing music and the sound-a lots-a people talk’n and laugh’n. I stick to the wall and scope the gym out, noticing that the Sharks and Jets have divided the room.

“Marilyn!”Maria rushes up, dressed in white, and engulfs me in a hug. “You came! And you look wonderful!”

“Of course she does!” Anita walks up, she herself wear’n a black and red dress.

“I must admit, amor- this it definitely the best dress you’ve made.” Bernardo smirks. “Sorry about earlier, chica. I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

I wave it off. “Nah, it’s fine. I’m new here same as you, more water under the bridge. I haven’t been to a dance in months, so let’s dance!”

We group together and walk onto the dance floor, and I notice that Anita and Bernardo take no regard for the line separating the Sharks and Jets. I feel awkward just stand’n here by myself, so I just stay off to the side.

“Hey! Ya made it!”

Mouthpiece runs up with a big smile on his face. “How’re ya supposed to dance when you’re tucked away in the corner? Come dance!” He takes my hand and starts lead’n me to the center-a the room.

“Uh I donno, Mouthpiece. Everybody here’s dancing so intense, and back home we’ve never had social events like this-”

“Just relax! Have fun!” Mouthpiece jerks my arm and sends me falling towards the floor, only to scoop me back up and twirl me around.

“Aw- oh- Oh my God!” I cry as he lifts me up. “What are you doing?!”

“I’m dancing with a pretty goil!” He grins as he twirls me again.

I chuckle sarcastically. “You’re too kind, Mouth!”

“That your new nickname for me?”

“No, it’s just that you can sometimes have a big mouth.”

“Aw!” He dramatically clutches his chest. “I’m scarred beyond repair!”

“Get over it!” I playfully push him and he takes me in for anodda dip.

“I’ll take over from here.”

We both turn and see Riff standing next to us with an amused smirk on his face.

“Jeez, boss. We just got started,” Mouthpiece whines.

“I’m sure Velma wants a fella to dance with,” Riff waves him off. Mouthpiece leaves after giving me a quick look of apology. Now Riff turns to me and offers a hand.

I put my hands on my hips. “Why on Earth would I dance with you after that? Mouthpiece invited me to a nice dance, and now you come here all high-and-mighty try’n to cut in!”

“I just wanna get to know the new goil in town. C’mon, ya won’t regret it!” He winks.

Cautiously, I look around and spot Grazi with anodda Jet.

“Won’t your goil get jealous?”

Riff follows my gaze. “Grazi? Nah, Diesel’s keep’n her company. Right now I’m all yours.”

I give him one more skeptical look, then roll my eyes in defeat. “Fine.”

He takes my waist, a lot more snug than Mouthpiece I might add, and starts waltz’n us all over the room.

“Took a while to find ya! You been look’n for me?”

“When I came I expected to find the leader of a stubborn gang.” I shrug.

He laughs. “Oh really?”

I give a devious smirk. “I’ve been trying to find him, but all I can see is a cleaned-up Jet boy.”

“Ey! Get away from her!” Bernardo comes up and shoves Riff away from me.

“You got a problem, amigo?” The Jets leader pushes Bernardo and they both start circle’n each odda.

“Guys, just stop it!” I try to break them up but it’s no use.

“She’s with us, punk!”

“That’s funny ‘cause last I checked she was meet’n with us!”

“Guys!!” I get in-between them and they seem to remember I’m still there. “I’m here for everyone! Can you guys just go ten minutes without fighting?”

“Hey, hey, hey! Everybody please calm down!” A chaperone comes up to stand in the middle of the Jets and Sharks mob. “There are beautiful goils here that wanna dance, can’t we all just get along?” He goes to talk more about social rules, but then-

“There you are!” Anita comes over and yanks me over towards Maria on the sidelines. “What are you doing? I suggest you stay with Maria and Chino until this mess gets settled.”

Maria huffs. “Anita! We want to dance!”

Anita shakes her head as she heads back to dance with Bernardo. “You can, away from the Jets!”

I sulk in the corner as a massive dance-fight takes place: Sharks vs Jets.

“¡Oye, Javi! Ponle fuego, ¡vamos!” Anita shouts.

Maria and Chino eventually join in, but me being alone leaves me awkwardly pacing back and forth.

“Mambo!”

“Mambo!”

“Go!”

As I watch the dance break out, I can’t help but be a little bit jealous of Riff ‘nd Grazi. She looks like she’s having so much fun, but Riff seems… distracted. He keeps look’n at Bernardo, and Bernardo keeps look’n at Riff. I gotta say- he ain’t a sight for sore eyes. I can understand why Grazi keeps him so close, and can’t help but feel sad that I don’t got no fella to call my own.

I make my way to the back, but then Riff seems to recognize someone next to me. He leads Grazi over, leaving me to stiffly loiter around and stare at the ground.

“Tony! Ya made it! I knew you’d come!” Riff beams with joy. He pulls me forward and gestures to a tall, dark, and handsome guy. “Marilyn, this here’s Tony. One-a the Jets’ founding members and my best friend! Tony-” He gestures to me. “This is Marilyn Jackson. Just moved here from upstate, so we’s make’n her feel welcome.”

Tony shakes my hand. “Pleasure to meet ya! I’d ask ya to dance but I promised my parole offer I wouldn’t get too involved with social events. I only came ‘cause Riff said I would-”

“And ya still came!” Riff smiles.

Tony gives him a glare. “Only for half an hour. I’s here for you, not to cause a rumble!”

Riff shrugs. “Ya can’t back outta this, buddy boy. Soon as the coast is clear we’s meet’n the Sharks to set it up.”

My face twists to a confused expression. “What’s a rumble-?”

“C’mon Riff, let’s dance!” Grazi grasps Riff’s wrist and pulls him back to the crowd, leaving me with Tony.

“Is he always this reckless?’ I ask.

He sighs. “Ever since we was kids. I was the one to hold him back, but since I’s been gone I fear that Riff’s been get’n outta hand.” He looks around the gym, then says: “I think I’m just gonna drift around ‘nd make sure the Jets play fair, if ya get my drift? You go on ahead- enjoy yourself!”

I go back to watching everyone jive and dance, and wondering what other odd characters I’m gonna meet in this city. I’m already caught between 2 gangs- what else is in store for Miss Jackson?

“You wanna dance, buddy boy?” I hear Riff jab- most likely at Bernardo.

Uh-oh.

I try to get closer to the clump-a angry dancers, but the chaperones and policemen are block’n my path. Once I do make it through, an argument’s already panning out.

“But I wanna dance! Riff, you said we could dance!” Grazi wines.

“I know, I know doll. Lemme just-”

“No! I’m sick-a this!” She shoves him and storms past, but then turns back. “We’re through!” She glares at me. “He’s your problem now!”

I just stare wide-eyed as people around me begin to argue, until Anita comes over and guides me into the hallway.

“Come, chica. This is no place for a young lady.”

I shake my head. “Is it always like this? Stupid gangs ruining social events?”

Anita nods. “I’m afraid so. All we can do is try to calm them down when it’s over.”

She goes off to the bathroom to fix her makeup, while I go sit next to Maria in the hallway. But she seems… distant.

“Maria? Are you ok?”

She nods, but then seems to rethink and shakes her head.

“Maria, what’s wrong?”

“I- I danced with a Jet boy,” she whispers. “And… I think I like him.”

I frown. “Who?”

“I think his name is Tony?”

“Oh, Riff’s friend! I kinda know him, he seems nice. What’s wrong with that?”

“Because Bernardo hates him! He hates all the Jets.”

I notice Tony walk up with Riff and the odda Jets as they go off with the Sharks.

Anita huffs. “Come, Maria. We’ve had enough drama for one night, so let’s head home. You coming, Marilyn?”

I look back and forth between the Jets that are still present and Anita. “Sorry Anita, but I’m gonna stay a bit longer and keep the guys in-check. You go on and get home safely.”

She nods and starts guiding Maria away, leaving me standing next to Tony.

“Buenas noches, Marilyn!”

“G’night, Maria!” I call back.

“Maria? Maria…” I see Tony get a dazed look in his eyes.

I wave a hand in front of him. “Uh, Tony? Earth-to-Tony? Ya with us?”

He blinks. “Marilyn? Have you ever heard-a luv at foist sight?”

“Uhh,” My eyes widen and my jaw drops. “Kinda?”

Tony gives a dopey smile. “Then I think I’m in luv! Marilyn, I just kissed the most beautiful goil I’ve ever met, and her name’s Maria!”

I gasp. “Maria? You mean my neighbor, Maria?”

“She’s your neighbor? Wow, you’re lucky!”

“She was just talk’n ‘bout you!” I hiss, look’n around to make sure nobody’s listen’n.

Tony gawks at me. “She was? What’d she say?!”

“I ain’t gonna be spill’n gossip- it’s just plain evil!” I cross my arms.

“Aw, c’mon Marilyn! Please! Does she luv me back? Did she like dance’n with me?” His smile fades. “Or- or does she hate me, and never wanna see me again…?”

I hold my hand up to steady the poor guy. “Alright, alright, fine! She luvs ya! Just don’t go have’n a meltdown on me! I got enough emotional baggage as it is!”

Tony’s face looks as if he’s been born again. “In that case, I’m gonna go find her!”

He starts off towards the exit, leaving me nearly speechless.

“Tony- Tony! Ya can’t just track her down! That’s creepy-!”

But it’s too late. Tony’s already head-over-heels and is out the door.

“Marilyn!”

Riff, now look’n more smug than ever, strides up. “Where’s Tony? He's gonna miss the meeting.”

I point to the door. “Just missed ‘im.”

Riff shrugs. “Guess I’ll have to fill him in later. Right now I gotta go meet with Bernardo.”

“Ay ay! Leave her alone!” Anita comes up and waves him off. She leads me away, but not before I look back one more time and see Riff air-kiss me goodbye.

As he turns to leave, Anita scrunches her face. “I suggest you stay away from that Jet boy- Riff. He’s no good for you. I’m going to tell Maria the same thing about her Jet boy- they’re all the same.”

“Tony’s not. He’s not like them, and he wants noth’n to do with the Jets. He’s only here because he’s their friend.”

“Once a Jet, always a Jet,” Antia argues as Bernardo strolls up to us. “Hola, mi amor! I left Maria with Chino.” She points at me. “And came back for you because Bernardo said he just scheduled a rumble for tomorrow night, and I do not want you around those Jets!” She walks off again, and that word keeps ringing in my head.

“A- A what?” I frown. “I’ve heard that word before… Riff mentioned it…”

Bernardo nods. “It’s a rumble, señorita. An all-out fight between gangs when only one comes out on top. We just planned out with the Jets for tomorrow night, so I suggest you stay in unless you want trouble.”

Bernardo storms outta the room with Anita, leaving me alone to think over this idea until Mouthpiece finds me again.

“Hey! I lost ya! Where’ve ya been?”

“Do you know about the rumble?” I ask darkly.

Mouthpiece opens his mouth, then shuts it again. “Who told you?”

“Bernardo.”

He scoffs. “Figures some PR would tell ya.”

“Is it really that bad?” My voice is uneven.

He avoids my gaze and nods. “Yeah, it can get pretty bad. That’s the reason Tony got locked up ‘cause he nearly beat a kid to death last year.”

My hand flies to my mouth. “Death? Mouthpiece… I don’t want anyone to die, is there any way to settle this without fighting?”

He smiles a little. “Ya worried ‘bout me, doll?”

“I’m serious! None-a you deserve to die! I could talk to Bernardo, he might call it off…”

“Fat chance.”

I roll my eyes. “What ‘bout Riff? If I could talk to him-”

“Ask and ye shall receive.” Riff strolls in, leans against the wall, and motions for Mouthpiece to leave. “Ya look’n for me, beautiful?”

I storm up to him and poke a finger at his chest.

“So. Tonight was all a ruse to plan a fight. And all for what? Territory? Because Tony danced with Maria?”

“That’s the broad’s name?” Riff asks with a scrunched face.

I smack him and start to breathe heavily.

“I was right. The rough gang leader was here tonight- a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You should be ashamed of yourself. They have every right to be here, same as you!”

Fed up with this, I storm off outta the gym and into an alley, all the while ignoring the faint calls from the aggravating Jet leader.

#riff west side story #west side story imagine #west side story x reader #riff lorton #riff west side story x reader #riff x reader #tony west side story #maria west side story #mouthpiece west side story #anita west side story #bernardo west side story #west side story baby john

[riffaist]

innocent — riff x reader

warnings: childhood friends to lovers! taylor swift inspired imagine! riff being... riff ig. sex talk. some SLIGHT dirty talk but not much. anita's tauting scene. tried to make this a really angsty one.

i guess you really did it this time

left yourself in your war path

lost your balance on a tightrope

lost your mind trying to get it back

"riff, i don't -" y/n mumbled, feeling her body shrunken, her hands clapped together. "i don't think that's gonna be a good thing."

"well, sweetheart." the overly sweet voice made her sick to her stomach. the stern tone. seeing riff displeased was a pretty unusual thing. "we don't have that many options."

"you do have more options.." calling the rumble off was on top of her list. "but a gun? you know that tony's not gonna agree with it, and besides-"

"if tony would stop being a wuss, and came to the fucking thing," he cut her sentence in the middle. "then we wouldn't need the gun."

"you don't mean that."

"oh, i don't now?" he scoffed, slowing down once he saw they're both getting close to the location. "these sharks are sneaky as hell, y/n, and i don't want any of my boys-"

"hey! look what the cat dragged in." mouthpiece announced once the couple came infront of the bar they were supposed to get the gun from.

"the chicks should cut out, right, riff?" action confirmed, glancing sideways to velma, grazi and y/n.

"we might" the taller blonde said, crossing her arms. grazi wasn't going anywhere. "but then again we might not."

"the cops are already after us." ice took the floor. "i'm sure you don't want to be in the middle of it. it's dangerous stuff, you know?"

"we can deal with it," she replied. " 'cause we ain't stupid, and won't take shit from anyone."

some slight buzz started, between the blonde and some of the boys. y/n kept quiet, only turning her face to the side, feeling a familiar touch in one of her wrists.

"just promise me you'll go." riff said, quietly, once he pushed the girl aside, holding y/n's hands, with a serious look on his face.

"if you promise me to get the gun and go as well." she replied. holding her breath. "no funny business in the middle."

"promise." he touched his own forehead with hers. his voice merely a whisper. y/n could feel her boyfriend's shoulders tensing up. but she didn't even brought the fact up. not in a time like that.

"please, be safe." was her final whisper. interlocking arms with velma, seeing grazi storming off, hoping that the end of the day wouldn't take so bad of a turn.

wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?

always a bigger bed to crawl into

wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything

and everybody believed in you?

way before things started going downhill. y/n and riff had their own little story.

the little boy, who had just turned 10, lost a hide and seek game to tony, and found himself sitting at one the old school's outdoors benches. one knee completely scrapped, and the hope no one would find him there and take him away. no one, besides her.

the small girl, always dressed in lilac or blue, wearing tiny dirty sneakers with a big smile on her face, and way too big of a heart, who always gave him something for her lunchbox.

he wasn't used to the pain. not yet. but letting his tiny group of friends - the future jet boys - see him cry over some blood, was definitely not in riff's plans.

"i hope it helps" she said once the bandaid was carefully place on the wound. "i can draw a star on it if you want."

the dark haired boy kept quiet, shaking his head, making y/n nod, sitting right next to him.

"you know.. when people do good things for you, you should thank them?" she muttered, not offended by the silent, already opening up the pink lunchbox, taking half of her sandwich from there, giving it to him.

"shouldn't you be with you other girl friends?" the boy replied quietly, accepting the food, taking a big bite of it. he was starving.

"you're my friend, riff." y/n smiled, choosing to take a bite from her apple. "my favorite friend, even. i wished you were at school with me every day..."

wasn't it easier in your firefly-catching days?

when everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you?

wasn't it beautiful, runnin' wild till you fell asleep

before the monsters caught up to you?

"sure, y/n! good choice, huh?" the woman in the clear drunken state said a bit to loud.

"mom, please.." y/n wished she wasn't causing such a scene. being the center of attention was never her thing. "not here.."

"it's alright, darling. go hang out with riff-raff out there why don't you?"

"goodbye, mom.." y/n closed the door, and took a deep breath.

the fifteen year old girl turned around with an embarrassed smile on her face, shrugged, walking in the direction on the jet boy.

"afternoon, princess." riff said with a smirk, already grabbing one of her hands. "did mommy want to lock you up in the tower?"

"something like that, yeah.." he passed his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek. "so, where are we going today?"

"well.." he spun her around, smiling once he heard the girl's laugh, starting to walk through the moving streets. "someone told me that watching the stars was super romantic.."

"oh, shut up, riff.." y/n covered her own face with one of her hands, shaking her head. "i can't believe you remeber that.."

a flushed y/n and a smirky riff kept the calm and soft conversation while walking to the secret place the boy insisted he had prepared for them.

once the sun was completely set, both of them laying down at the hill, holding hands. the moonlight shining on the girl's face made riff shiver, and the silence was comfortable. it always was for them.

"so, tell me." he finally said, looking at her, trying to not sound so worried. he couldn't deny the fear on his tone, but tried anyway. "what is it that's been bothering you?"

the jet girl took a deep breath. eyes still focusing on the night sky ahead of both. the stars always caught her attention, and that day wasn't different.

"my mom doesn't think you're a good influence.." y/n replied, taking some seconds to continue. "it's annoying 'cause it's not like she can say something about being a good influence, you know?"

"adults are complicated as hell, princess," the boy stood up by his elbow, turning to the side. "come here."

she quietly came closer to him, letting him hug her to the side. both of her arms wrapped around her waist, carresing the place softly, until the girl fell fast asleep.

it's alright, just wait and see

your string of lights are still bright to me

oh, who you are is not what you've been

you're still an innocent

y/n's head was peacefully resting against riff's bare chest. both of their body's almost completely covered by the sheets.

her fingers interlaced with his, and the warm bodies were comfortably glued together.

"thank you for waiting for me..."

she knew seventeen year old boys had needs. she had some of her own as well. ignoring the fact all of her girl friends had already done it. y/n wanted to wait. not for the right person - she had found her right person years ago - but until she was totally ready for it.

"don't even thank me, girly girl." a kiss was left on the top of her head. "i would wait the fucking eternity for you if i had to."

"eternity huh?"

"to see you like that again?" the teasing tone came to riff's lips way to quickly, causing the girl to roll her eyes. "to have a chance to listen to that little sounds you made? i-"

"please, my love," she cut him off, laughing quietly "don't even think about ruining this for me."

"you ready for a second round now or..?" the jet boy asked with a smirk on his face, eyes focusing on every bit of her face and bare shoulders. they couldn't stop at the sight of her perfectly translucent breasts covered by the sheets.

"god, riff, shut up."

did some things you can't speak of

but at night, you live it all again

you wouldn't be shattered on the floor now

if only you had seen what you know now then.

"he was left laying there." y/n said quietly. her boy. her riff.

he died. in a way no one thought he would.

the jet girl wasn't there. not to hug him. to see him for the last time. to stare at the dark brown eyes for ten more seconds. they took him away from here without a previous warning.

she was wearing riff's blue shirt, her hands couldn't stop shaking while she held velma's ones. the tears stains on her cheeks kept getting covered by new ones.

"that's bothering me too." ice muttered.

"they didn't let you see him at the hospital, y/n/n?" balkman this time. she could swear she never saw the whole gang in such a low energy.

"no, uh-" she shook her head. "i wasn't legally his family or, anything.." the last part made her swallow a sob.

the silence wasn't comfortable this time. it was almost sick and saddening. all heads turned to the door once bernardo's girlfriend appeared. she looked as miserable as the rest of every teenager in the room.

"i have a message for your friend.. tony?" she waited. waited like her life depended on it. but all of the jets stayed quiet. "where's valentina?"

the second the sneaky comments started to appear. y/n stood up, in a failed attempt to control her breath.

"valentina! és anita!" the woman started to walk into the store, making y/n feel her heart right on her throat. "puedes subir? que tengo que.."

"spanish?" grazi stood up this time, the raspy crying voice taking the floor. "you come here speaking spanish?"

"grazi, please.."

the boys continued to talk, but the girl could swear she wasn't assimilating anything. her head was aching, and her knees were shaking. anita tried to go, but some of them got right in front of the door.

"let her pass." graziella tried one more time. "no one wants you here."

"you hear that boys?" ice said. y/n was starting to feel like throwing up. "she wants to pass."

"numbers, stop it." y/n tried to get him away from the woman, feeling herself being held up, throwing out of the pharmacy.

the next second was a blur. a fucked up blur. the girls found themselves outside doc's, in a desperate notion, hitting the door in front of them. in a miserable attempt to stop the scene of happening.

"i'm so sorry." y/n sobbed. still trying to hit the glass door. she started to realize what was going on right beside her eyes. she lost balance. it was the rumble, the fights, the deaths.

things were failing apart. little by little.

riff wasn't there. to be the one to stop it, to control it, to be their leader. she didn't have him by her side now.

her best friend, her boy.

lost your balance on a tightrope, oh

it's never too late to get it back

#riff x jet!reader #riff x reader #riff wss #west side story #gab writes #mike faist #mike faist x reader #riff

[theforgottenmcrmy]

After All (Part 5/?)

Pairing: Riff x OC Jet Girl

Warnings: Explicit Language, Racism, Suggestions of Violence

Summary: He’d been attached to her once, and here she was, still proving to be a thorn in his side even after all this time.

Word Count: 7300 ish.

DISCLAIMER (Please read before proceeding if you haven’t already done so.)

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 4 /// Part 5 /// Part 6

A/N: I know the GIF isn’t Riff, please don’t come for me. Thank you all again for the likes, comments, and support. I’m sorry about the length and the amount of dialogue in this one, but I hope the next part makes up for it. I’m so excited to get working on it. If you feel so inclined, please feel free to like if you enjoyed. :) You can find part 4 here.

Part 5: A Sign of Good Faith

The walk back to the shop was an unusually quiet one. Fortunately, they didn’t cross any Sharks. Who knows what might’ve happened if they had.

When they finally made it back to the shop, Riff muttered something about wanting to work on the shop’s books for a bit. He promptly headed upstairs to the apartment, and shut the door behind him firmly. The thud of it echoed throughout the otherwise quiet garage.

Action, Mouthpiece, A-Rab, Snowboy, and Diesel, and Gee-Tar, who had followed Riff back to the shop, stared up at the landing in silence.

“So, uh… what’s the protocol for this?” Mouthpiece asked no one in particular.

“What do you mean?” Action asked him. “Riff gave us an order. Roxie is no longer associated with us.”

“Right,” Snowboy acknowledged carefully. “But that was before-”

“Before what?” Action demanded, his voice raising. “Before she left to go to some fancy schmancy university and tried to forget where she came from? Some good that did her. She was gone for what, a year?”

A-Rab held up a finger hesitantly. “I don’t think-”

“She’s gone for a bit, and suddenly all’s forgiven? We’re just supposed to forget about what happened to Riff?” Action demanded hotly, looking at all of the guys expectantly. When none of them immediately agreed with him, he grew visibly angrier.

“Cool it,” Diesel quipped. “Riff’s told us a thousand times what happened. Don’t make somethin’ out of nothin’.”

“Takin’ her side, huh?” Action challenged, stepping up to Diesel, and wasting no time in getting in his face.

Action had the tendency to act first and think later; hence the nickname. When he thought he was right about something, he was quite likely to die on that metaphorical (or not) hill before he was able to even think about listening to reason. It was helpful in a fight, sure, but during down time, it left some of the guys walking on eggshells around him. Fortunately for Diesel, he wasn’t one of them.

“No,” Diesel denied firmly. He locked eyes with Action, and refused to stand down. Action made no move to stand down, either. “Look, all I’m sayin’ is Velma told me she saw in the paper that her aunt died a few weeks ago… she’s probably just here wrappin’ up her affairs.”

Another silence fell over the group.

Diesel put a hand on Action’s shoulder lightly, trying to diffuse the tension. “You really wanna start somethin’ with her now?” he asked him calmly. “I’m sure she’ll be movin’ on again soon.”

Action shrugged his hand off harshly, and straightened his jacket. “Ya know what? I’m gonna call it a night,” he told the guys then. “Ya want to play nice with the rat? Fine. Don’t come cryin’ to me when Riff gets pissed at ya for it. I’ll see ya boys around.” With that, he stormed off towards the side door of the garage.

“Come on, Action, don’t be like that!” A-Rab called after him, but it was too late. The door slammed shut.

Once Action was gone, Diesel spoke up first. “Listen, screw what Action says,” he proposed to the guys who remained. “It was Riff’s order, and it was from a long time ago. We don’t know what he’s thinkin’ now. We’ll follow Riff’s lead on this, however he wants to deal with it.”

Everyone nodded in mutual agreement to one another.

Mouthpiece and A-Rab headed out shortly after. Diesel, Snowboy, and Gee-Tar, who was a relatively recent tenant in the apartment upstairs, were all too awake to crash just yet. They mutually decided to clean up the shop a bit, hoping that Riff would be in a better mood in the morning if he noticed their efforts.

——————————————————————————

Riff sat hunched over with his elbows on the desk as his eyes rapidly scanned over the shop’s books. It was almost ironic that whenever he actually wanted to focus on the damn things, his mind wouldn’t let him.

Deep down, Riff knew he should probably just leave Roxie alone. Regardless of how long she was back for, he should just let her be. He was still more than willing to bet that she didn’t want to see him, even if it had been well over a year. The decision to break things off back then, and subsequently have the Jets cut her out, was for her. That hadn’t changed, at least not for him.

If they had stayed together, Riff was almost certain that she would have never gone to that university at all.

Roxie had left, and when she did, Riff felt better about his decision. He didn’t see her anymore, so that helped. Without seeing her, it was much easier for him to imagine the brand new life she was having without him. The thought of a happier life for her won over the guilt he felt on the occasional nights he found himself questioning what he’d done.

But now that she had come back, all of the guilt and doubt he’d pushed away were quickly creeping back. To put it bluntly, he didn’t care for it all.

How long was Roxie back for, anyways? It couldn’t be for long. Just long enough to settle whatever affairs the witch of her aunt had. Surely she had some fancy apartment to stay in over by the university, right? Although, she was heading into that apartment complex… if she was staying there, that didn’t seem to be just a temporary living place. What was wrong with her aunt’s apartment?

Something else was bothering him too. Roxie had lost her aunt, the last living relative she had. Riff could easily imagine how she felt, and could commiserate from his own experiences. When he thought back on it, he had always had Tony to fall back on… and her, of course. Did she have anyone to talk to about it all?

There were too many unanswered questions, and he needed answers. Riff doubted his ability to focus on the situation with the shop, not to mention the Sharks, if he didn’t get them. Damn her.

There’d been a reason Riff was hesitant to form attachments to people all his life. Naturally, he was attached to his ma, but she was long gone now. He was attached to Tony, and now he was upstate, far removed from the situation for at least the near future. Then there was Roxie. He’d been attached to her once, and here she was, still proving to be a thorn in his side even after all this time.

For god’s sake, the only attachments that hadn’t come back to bite him in the ass yet were to the Jets.

Speaking of the guys, what would he tell them? They’d probably start asking questions. They’d already caught his stunned reaction in the park earlier. Hell, they may even be discussing it amongst themselves right now.

Riff closed the shop’s books quickly and rose from his chair. As he walked over to the window, he watched the smoke from the factories rising in the distance.

He needed answers. The sooner he got them, the sooner he could clear his head and focus on the more pressing issues at hand.

Riff knew he couldn’t just approach Roxie outright the next time he spotted her on the street. He’d probably give her a fright, and when she recovered from it, she’d probably go right for his neck.

He could have someone hang out by the apartment complex to watch and see if she tended to leave at certain times of the day. Though, the thought of that made him a bit uncomfortable, and god forbid Roxie’s wrath if she found out about it. The poor Jet assigned to that duty could almost guarantee himself a night in the local precinct holding cell.

No, no… he needed an “in”. Someone who she could talk to about everything, first and foremost, of course. But, if that person was willing to give him the inside scoop on Roxie, all the parties would benefit from the arrangement, wouldn’t they?

It couldn’t be him, and it definitely couldn’t be any of the guys. His next thought was naturally Tony, but that wasn’t possible. There was also the fact that Tony wouldn’t have been likely to do it if Riff asked him to, anyways. Tony and Roxie had been close. He and Riff were closer, but Riff didn’t like his odds of keeping it that way if he unnecessarily forced Tony to pick a side on this.

Suddenly, the apartment front door opened, signaling that Snowboy, Gee-Tar, and Diesel had come up for the night.

Then it struck him, the person who’d be the perfect candidate for the job.

——————————————————————————

Nearly a week had passed since Roxie had come back to the West Side.

Her old boss at the factory had given her a job on the evening shift. As a result, she had hours of time to kill during the day before she even had to think about getting ready for work. Now, if only she had somewhere to go during that time… or people to see.

She was in her bedroom reading a book when there was a knock to the front door. Betty was getting ready for work, and hadn’t mentioned that she was expecting anyone. Roxie closed the book, left the bedroom, and walked over to the front door curiously.

Roxie opened the door a crack, and cautiously peered out.

It was Velma.

Roxie was stunned for just a moment before she regained her senses. She shook her head, and began to shut the door.

“Roxie, wait!” Velma pleaded, placing a hand on the door in an effort to keep it open.

Despite her best judgment, and the fact that she knew she could force the door shut if she wanted to, Roxie froze. “Is this some kind of shake-down?” she demanded quietly, mindful of the fact that Betty was still in the apartment.

“No,” Velma assured her, also lowering her voice.

“Some kind of trick, then?” Roxie hissed. “You just wanna get one last laugh at my expense?”

“No, it’s not like that,” Velma insisted fervently. “I just want to talk.”

“Roxie, who is it?” Betty called from behind the closed door of her bedroom.

Roxie glanced over her shoulder nervously. “Just a phonebook salesman!” she called, before looking back at Velma. “Listen, I can’t get into this right now.”

“Fine,” Velma relented, finally dropping her hand from the door. “There’s a new diner two blocks down from Doc’s. Meet me there tomorrow morning at 9 o’clock.” Before Roxie could protest, Velma turned on her heels, and headed down the hallway.

Roxie sighed in frustration and shut the door.

——————————————————————————

Roxie tried not to think about the encounter with Velma throughout the remainder of the day, but failed. She had thought about it throughout her shift. The work tended to be repetitive, and naturally her mind wandered. Even as she was walking home that evening, she still found herself thinking about it. What could Velma possibly want, anyways?

Once Roxie realized just how foolish it was to be distracted so late at night while walking home alone, she quickly came to attention. Her mind still raced, but now it was with every sound her ears picked up.

“Focus, focus, focus,” she repeated the mantra. She took a deep breath, and tried to relax. Just a few more blocks, and 10 minutes at most, she’d be at the apartment, safe and sound.

Then she heard it- the undeniable echoes of footsteps.

She paused, listening carefully, and refused to turn around and look behind her. The footsteps continued for a moment, before stopping.

Roxie let out a shaky sigh as she went through all the possibilities in her mind.

It could be a patrol officer. However, she wasn’t sure why they’d be on foot unless some incident was going on in the area, and she hadn’t seen any flashing lights nearby.

It could be someone else, just walking home from work as well. But, most of the factories in the neighborhood were on one street, and since it was factory work, the shifts almost always ran at the same time. She’d already walked home several nights from work, and no one else on the same shift as her had taken this same way back to their own home.

Roxie didn’t want to dwell too long on what the final, and most probable possibility was. Instead, she picked up her speed, walking in long strides with the utmost haste, and mentally prepared herself to begin running at any given moment.

In the back of her mind, she desperately hoped it was Tony. But that was impossible.

Wait.

She froze, and once again, the steps continued for a moment, before stopping. She waited for several moments in fear, waiting to see if the steps would pick up again and if the person would approach her. It was silent.

Roxie cursed under her breath. Those damn hooligans. Maybe the spontaneous visit from Velma was more than just that. Riff must’ve asked one of the Jets to follow her home.

As Roxie began walking once again, she determined more than ever to simply make it home without having a heart attack from fright, and she contemplated just how she’d express her anger about it to Velma in the morning.

——————————————————————————

The diner was new, like Velma had said. It was very nice- but it didn’t suit the neighborhood. The shiny metal framing on the exterior made the building look like it was from another planet when it was smack dab in the middle of the worn down stone and brick buildings covered in decades-old smoke stains.

When Roxie entered the diner, she saw that Velma had already grabbed a booth. She made her way over to the table and sat down, muttering a “good morning” under her breath. She was still angry about the experience she had the night before, and had barely gotten any sleep because of it.

Roxie didn’t have long to wonder whether Velma would be the first to speak. A waitress came up to their table a second later.

“What can I get ya?” the woman asked, withdrawing a pen and pad of paper from her apron.

“I’ll just have water,” Roxie answered neutrally.

Velma gave her an odd look, but didn’t say anything. She asked the waitress for a coffee, and the woman left.

“Are you going to eat?”

Roxie shrugged. “I don’t exactly have a lot of extra cash right now,” she admitted. Velma didn’t really need to know about her money problems, but if she at least mentioned it, maybe Velma would take the hint and drop it.

“Breakfast is on me, then.”

Roxie shook her head. “Look, I’m not sure what you’re hoping to accomplish with having me meet you here, but you’re not gonna do me any favors by pitying me,” she informed her irritably. She felt her stomach growl, but refused to acknowledge it.

“It’s not pity,” Velma rebutted.  “It’s called making amends.”

Roxie wasn’t quite sure how to respond to this. She sounded sincere, but Roxie still had reservations. “If you’re sure…” she responded carefully, giving Velma the opportunity to change her mind.

“Yes, yes,” Velma confirmed.  She picked up her menu, and analyzed it thoughtfully. “I don’t know about you, but I am absolutely starving,” she commented, and her eyes scanned over the breakfast options quickly.

The waitress dropped off their drinks, and took their food orders. When the woman left again, a silence fell over the pair. Roxie looked at Velma, waiting for her to make the first move. As far as she was concerned, Velma had called this meeting, so she could make the first move.

“I’m sorry for just dropping by your apartment like that,” Velma apologized.

That was a bit unexpected. “How’d you even find out where I live, anyways?” Roxie demanded.

Velma took a sip of her coffee. “Small neighborhood… there are eyes everywhere, you know.”

So, someone had seen her, even before the previous night. With her luck, it was probably the whole gang, and now they all knew where she was staying. Wonderful. Roxie ran a hand over her face tiredly. “And you just… knew which unit I live in?”

Velma shook her head. “No, I ran into your landlord in the lobby. He recognized me, you know. It didn’t take much persuasion to get it out of him.”

Oaf, Roxie thought bitterly to herself. “Alright, well, now you know where I live. That doesn’t explain why you felt the need to stop by, or why you wanted to meet with me here.”

The other woman looked at her for a few moments, and her gaze made Roxie feel a bit uneasy. Eventually, Velma sighed. “Look, Roxie… I read about your aunt in the paper a few weeks ago. I wanted to check on you, and to see how you were doing.”

“What does it matter to you?”

“Because you’re my friend. I worry about you.”

“Friend?” Roxie scoffed in disbelief. “Is that what you’ve been to me?” she asked her rhetorically. “Tell me, Velma, what kind of friend completely abandons the other just because some guy tells her to?” Roxie wasn’t sure if she was referring to Riff or Diesel, but at that point, she didn’t really care

Velma pursed her lips apprehensively. “I deserve that,” she admitted quietly after a moment, before looking down at the table. She wrung her hands nervously, playing with the bracelet on her wrist, and fidgeting with a ring Roxie recalled used to be her mother’s. Eventually, Velma sighed, placed her hands palms down on the table, and forced herself to meet Roxie’s angry stare once again.

“You know, I feel awful about what I did,” Velma confessed. “I let Diesel talk me into it. To tell you the truth, I could tell it didn’t sit right with him at the time, but you know how Diesel is… he’d do anything for Riff. When Riff gave the word, Diesel followed the order.”

Roxie remained silent, though she felt the anger that had to have been showing on her face slowly begin to fade.

“When school got out, and I didn’t even see you in passing anymore, I realized how stupid it all was,” Velma continued. “I tried to fix it, but when you never returned my calls, I knew it was too late.”

Roxie did a double take, not sure she had heard her correctly. “What?”

Velma shrugged. “You know, when I tried to call you last summer?” she prompted. “I tried to get a new number I could reach you at from your aunt, but she wouldn’t give it up. I told her to let you know I had called for you. God, I must’ve left ten messages with that woman, if not more.”

It didn’t take Roxie long to piece together what must have happened. She shook her head, and smiled to herself in disbelief. If her aunt wasn’t above keeping messages from her, what else had she done that Roxie had yet to discover?

While Roxie was lost in her own thoughts, Velma realized on her own what must have happened based on her reaction. “Well…  now I feel a little bit better about why you never returned my calls,” Velma stated sheepishly. She hesitated, as if contemplating what she was about to say next. “Roxie, would it have made a difference though, if you had known that I had at least tried to call you?” she asked meekly, her voice watery.

Roxie sighed, feeling genuinely conflicted. “I… I don’t know,” she replied honestly, watching as Velma wiped away a single tear that had fallen with the back of her hand. After a moment of silence, Roxie added, “But, maybe.”

“I am so sorry, Roxie,” Velma apologized vehemently. “What happened to you was rotten, and I’ll always regret the part I played in it. I know that things can never go back to the way they used to be,” she acknowledged. “But, if you’re willing to give me a chance to prove to you that I can be your friend again… I swear, I’ll take out a loan from the bank just to be able to buy you breakfast every day for the next year.”

Roxie stared at Velma for a few moments, weighing her options. Was she still angry with Velma? Part of her was. Velma had chosen her relationship with Diesel and to save face with Riff at Roxie’s expense, after all. Her apology didn’t make her automatically forgiven, but it was still a nice gesture, and one that she had offered to Roxie of her own accord. She had sought her out just for this purpose. Roxie knew Velma could be spinning a tale about how she had tried to reach out to her, as the story was very convenient, and there wasn’t anyone able to vouch for it besides her. But, Roxie also knew that her aunt keeping messages from her intentionally was not out of the realm of possibility.

Plus, she would be kidding herself if she denied that she’d been lonely.

Roxie sighed heavily, and nodded slowly. “I’m not going to forgive what you did, Velma, and I know I won’t forget it,” she told her seriously. Velma nodded understandingly. “But, I’m willing to give you one more chance to be a friend.”

“You won’t regret it,” Velma assured her, giving her a relieved smile.

“Let’s hope I don’t,” Roxie replied airily. For both our sakes.

“I’ve missed you. Don’t get me wrong, the other girls are great, and we get along fine and everything. But you and me- you were my friend, even without the boys.”

Back in the day, Roxie had also gotten along great with the other girls- Graziella, Gussie, Natalie, and whoever else one of the guys would bring around the rest of the gang. Almost all of them came from other parts of town. For one reason or another, they were on the West Side one day when they ran into their respective Jet. The rest was history. Velma wasn’t like them though. Velma had grown up in the West Side, just like Roxie had. She knew what it took to hack it in the neighborhood. They had a mutual understanding that they would never have with any of the other girls- regardless of the Jets.

“I know what you mean,” Roxie agreed.

Their waitress dropped off their food. Roxie dug in immediately, her hunger quickly becoming more apparent as she started to feel considerably better about her decision.

Velma dug at her food with her fork for a few moments, but did not take a bite. It didn’t go unnoticed by Roxie.

“Was there something else?” she pried.

Velma's smile faltered a bit. “As a sign of good faith,” she began, resting her fork on her plate, “and to prove that I am making our friendship a priority, I do want to be honest with you about the full reason I asked you to meet me.”

Roxie placed her fork down as well, looking at the other woman evenly. “Alright.”

“I was asked to check in on you, and see how you were doing.”

Of course she had been. Roxie laughed once humorlessly, unsure of what to say. She couldn’t believe it- but then again, she could. Riff had an uncanny way of playing these little mind games with her, whether or not he knew what he was doing. Before they got together, they were almost enticing. When they finally got together, they caused arguments on the occasion. Now that they were relatively strangers, Roxie wished he would cut the crap and just bug off. He had made the decision to be done with her. Was he unable to stick to his own guns now for some reason?

“I was already wanting to meet with you, of course,” Velma promised. “But then Riff asked me too as well. I’ll tell him whatever you want me to- even if that is nothing at all.”

“I’m surprised, I would’ve thought he would’ve forgotten who I was a long time ago,” Roxie commented sarcastically.

Velma rolled her eyes disapprovingly. “Come on, Roxie,” she encouraged. “You know he cared about you.”

“Really?” Roxie gasped in mock disbelief. “Well, he had a funny way of showing it.”

“Well, you know guys are... especially our guys. They’re terrible at communicating their feelings. Diesel is god awful at it. I just had to learn what he actually means when he says something else.”

“Riff’s not ‘my guy’ anymore,” Roxie corrected, the words coming out a bit more harshly than she had intended, “ and I’m sure as hell not his girl. He made that very clear.”

“Do you want me to be honest with you?” Velma questioned. Judging by her tone, she was going to offer Roxie her opinion, anyways.

“Sure,” Roxie deadpanned.

“Can you honestly say that you would have even considered going to that university if you had stayed with Riff?” Velma asked.

There it was. The thought had crossed Roxie’s mind a time or two before, but it wasn’t something she enjoyed thinking about at all. “I don’t know,” she responded quietly, looking down at her plate of food.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I don’t think you would have gone,” Velma declared decisively. Roxie shot her a hurt look, and she quickly held her hands up in defense. “You were so loyal to Riff, Roxie,” Velma elaborated. “He wanted you to go and get out of here. I’m sure he thought you wouldn’t have done so unless he forced your hand.”

Roxie hated how much sense Velma was making. She wasn’t entirely sold on the idea- not unless she were to hear it from the horse’s mouth- but, it did make some sense. Or, at least it made more sense than any other reason she’d been able to conjure up over the past year.

“Even if what you said is true, he had no right to make that decision for me,” Roxie asserted, looking up at Velma once again. Whatever Riff’s reasoning had been, her opinion on that would never change.

“Oh, no, I completely agree,” Velma admonished. “But, that’s just my guess about why he did it. I ain’t a shrink.”

Velma finished off her cup of coffee, and politely waved at the waitress for a refill. “So, are you just back for the summer?” she asked then.

The question made Roxie hesitate. “Friends, right?” she asked deliberately.

Velma made a gesture somewhere along the lines of  “cross my heart and hope to die.” “Whatever you say stays between us.”

Roxie couldn’t help it. The isolation she’d been feeling the past few weeks was too much. Roxie told Velma about her aunt first. Then, the conversation naturally turned into one about how her classes went- and how her university scholarship had been revoked.

Velma shook her head disapprovingly. “How are people like us ever supposed to get out of this neighborhood?” she questioned. “As soon as we get a chance, someone throws a wrench in it and we get shipped back like it’s nothing.”

Despite that it was regarding her own situation, Roxie couldn’t help but chuckle at Velma’s description. “I’ve done the math,” Roxie added, “and even now that I’m working my shifts at the factory again, I still won’t have enough saved to pay for tuition in a few months, let alone the few months back rent my aunt owed the landlord.”

Velma gave her a reassuring look. “Well, there’s always the spring semester, right?”

If I’ve still got a place to live by then. Roxie shrugged. Everyone in the neighborhood had money problems; she knew it was redundant to keep complaining about it. “Enough about me,” Roxie insisted. “What have I missed?”

Velma hesitated, but the look in her eye suggested to Roxie that she’d be more than willing to share. “Where do I begin?” she asked herself.

Roxie glanced around, noting that the customers that had been in the booths on either side of theirs were now gone, and their dishes from the meals were piled neatly on the tables. Roxie leaned forward a bit, taking care to speak quietly. “Tell me about the rumble.”

Velma also glanced around, also confirming that they were out of anyone else’s earshot. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, the Egyptian Kings are gone now, right?” Roxie hadn’t seen any of them around.

Velma shrugged. “They’re done causing trouble, if that’s what you mean,” she answered. “I think some of them still live around here… but they haven’t been a problem since the rumble. Tony saw to that.”

“My aunt told me what happened. How’d Grazi take it?” Roxie asked. She remembered how she felt when Riff got locked up for a month. She couldn’t imagine if it had been for a whole year. Poor Grazi. While Roxie had been closest to Velma, she had grown close to Grazi as well. How could she not? Roxie had been with Riff, and Grazi was with Tony.

“Well, she was torn up about it, of course,” Velma answered vaguely. Velma looked as if she wanted to say more, but she suddenly found her cup of coffee very interesting.

“What is it?” Roxie prompted.

“Her and Tony called it off a few days before the rumble.”

“You’re kidding,” Roxie gasped. It was surprising; if the two had ever had problems, at least more than just the occasional couple bickering, they hadn’t let on at all.

Velma still looked like she wanted to say something else.

“Come on, Velma,” Roxie coaxed. “You can tell me. What else is there?”

Velma finally looked up from her cup of coffee. “You should know that Riff and Grazi are…”

“Are… what?”

“They’re sorta seeing each other,” Velma blurted, looking at Roxie apprehensively.

Oh. Roxie took a sip of her water slowly, feeling Velma’s eyes on her. She sat the glass back down calmly.

“Grazi says they’re casual?” Velma offered, clearly hoping that that fact would lessen the blow.

It was surprising. Honestly, it was a bit more surprising to Roxie than the fact that Grazi and Tony had broken up. Riff and Tony were brothers. Now, Grazi was apparently Tony’s ex. Did Tony know about Riff and Grazi? Hopefully he did. Riff would’ve told him, right?

Roxie knew she shouldn’t care about what Riff was doing these days, or who he was seeing, but she couldn’t deny that the thought of it bothered her, even just a little bit.

“I see your mind running a million miles an hour,” Velma observed.

Roxie rolled her eyes to diffuse the tension. “Listen, it’s none of my business.”

“But-”

“I’m fine, Velma,” Roxie assured her, though she couldn’t quite meet the other woman’s eyes. “Riff broke it off with me, remember?” Before Velma could respond, Roxie added, “When’s Tony getting out?”

Thankfully, Velma didn’t push the issue. “Diesel said Riff mentioned something about a few more weeks,” she answered. “It can’t happen soon enough, with how things with the Sharks are escalating.”

Roxie raised an eyebrow at her. “The Sharks?” she repeated a bit louder than she should have.

Velma shushed her immediately, and scanned the area once again, just to make sure no one was too close. Their waitress was across the restaurant, having a chat with the cook in the back through the order window.

“Yes, the Sharks,” Velma confirmed, looking back at her. “The Puerto Ricans.”

“I thought I saw some new faces around the neighborhood.”

“God knows who actually started it, but it's been going on for at least a few weeks now,” Velma sighed tiredly. She looked out the window beside the booth thoughtfully. “You may find this hard to believe, Roxie, but it was actually quiet for a few months there, right after the rumble with Egyptian Kings.”

Velma was right; it was hard to believe. When had things ever been quiet for the Jets? There had almost always been a rival gang to compete with. It was the Bishops first. Hell, the Jets had formed almost purely out of need after that gang first hit the West Side. After the Bishops, it was the Emeralds. Then, it was the Egyptian Kings. Now, apparently it was the Sharks.

“I used to walk home by myself, and I didn’t have to fret over Diesel getting a new injury every week,” Velma continued, looking out the window in almost a dream-like trance. “I remember thinking, and truly starting to believe, that there wouldn’t be any more trouble.”

Velma looked away from the window and back to Roxie. “Then the Puerto Ricans started to move in. Next thing I know, Diesel is warning me about a new gang called the Sharks and telling me that I can’t walk home by myself anymore.”

“Is there going to be another rumble?” Roxie asked, genuinely curious, and admittingly a bit worried.

Velma shrugged. “I hope not, but it feels like I’m watching the same movie, again and again. I’ve seen it several times, and I know how it always ends.”

Roxie knew how it would end, too.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put a damper on things,” Velma said apologetically. “I hope you’re in the mood for an interesting summer.”

“Oh, I’m sure it will be,” Roxie agreed with a tired but knowing smile. “So, how are you and Diesel?”

Roxie’s belief that the question would cheer Velma up was quickly confirmed. Velma smiled into her cup of coffee as she took another sip. As she sat down the cup on the table, she answered, “Oh, you know…”

“No, I don’t,” Roxie replied with a laugh. “I’ve been gone, remember?”

“Right, right. Well, we’re still together. Though, it was a bit touch and go for a while after his ma kicked him out,” Velma recalled. “But, everything’s fine now. He’s crashing with Riff, and he’s trying to earn some extra cash by helping him out with the shop.”

“The shop?” Roxie asked. “Riff’s uncle’s auto shop?”

“The same. Riff’s uncle moved up north. It’s still in his name, but Riff runs it now and lives in the apartment.”

Roxie remembered when Riff used to work for his uncle at the auto shop a few years ago. She also remembered the awful falling out the two of them had. As a result of the fight, Riff had been kicked out on the streets. Thank god for Tony’s folks, who had let Riff stay with them after that. Roxie tried not to dwell on it too much over the years though, because when she had, she’d been so tempted to storm over to that auto shop and deck the bastard in the face.

It was hard to imagine the old man leaving Riff the shop to run in his stead, but maybe the guy had turned over a new leaf.

“I’m actually supposed to meet Diesel soon,” Velma announced suddenly, breaking Roxie’s train of thoughts. “But I really am glad you took a chance on me, Roxie. I promise I won’t let you down this time.”

“I’m glad I did too,” Roxie admitted.

“If Riff asks, what do you want me to tell him?”

The question threw Roxie off; she’d almost forgotten about that. After taking a moment to recall the scare she’d experienced the previous night, more than a few choice words for him came to mind.

——————————————————————————

It was a relatively calm day in the shop. Since business had been slow, it wasn’t very unusual. It was a bit odd that none of the other Jets had been by, and that there had been no issues with the Sharks, at least no issues that Riff was aware of. Regardless, he’d take the peace and quiet- even if it was just for a day.

Riff, Diesel, Snowboy, and Gee-Tar were giving a group effort to try and solve the transmission problems on a Chevrolet that had been brought in. Snowboy cursed as their third attempt was proven unsuccessful.

“Maybe we should just walk away?” Gee-Tar suggested to the group. “Let’s look at it with fresh eyes later. I could go for an ice cold Coke right about now.”

“I like the way you think,” Snowboy replied with a smile. “Let’s go to Doc’s.” He looked at Riff and Diesel, who were both wiping oil off their hands with spare rags. “You two in?”

Diesel shook his head. “Nah,” he declined, “Velma’s supposed to be meetin’ me here any minute.”

“Ah, buddy boy’s got a date, huh?” Gee-Tar teased with a snicker.

The cold look Diesel shot at Gee-Tar silenced him immediately.

Snowboy cleared his throat, and turned to Riff. “Want anything?”

Riff shook his head. “I’m gonna stick ‘round here. You two go ahead.”

As the two of them watched Gee-Tar and Snowboy head out, Diesel turned to Riff. “Do you mind keeping Velma busy for a few minutes when she gets here?” he asked him. “I’m gonna run upstairs and try to clean up a bit.”

Riff smirked. “Go,” he insisted, gesturing to the loft upstairs.

Diesel quickly bounded up the stairs, and Riff found himself smiling in amusement.

Riff remembered those days, though they seemed so long ago. He remembered how he used to fidget over his appearance in the mirror before a date, and how nervous he felt that he was overlooking some obvious flaw. He knows now that the effort was silly. Roxie had seen him through cuts, bruises, sprains, and the odd fracture or two. She’d never say a word if he had a small hair out of place.

He and Grazi, given their arrangement, had never really gone out on any dates and such… but maybe that would change.

Riff grabbed the pack of cigarettes he left on the workbench, and took one out. He felt around his pockets, trying to recall which one he left his lighter in. He smiled to himself when he finally found it, and lit the cigarette.

“He lost track of time, didn’t he?”

Riff looked towards the open garage door, and spotted Velma standing in the doorway.

“It was a joint effort,” Riff replied honestly, glancing at the Chevrolet. He took a drag of the cigarette as he crossed the shop, coming to a stop a few feet away from her.

Velma nodded understandingly. “I met with Roxie earlier.”.

Riff exhaled the smoke in a rough huff. That was quick. He hoped whoever was above that Velma hadn’t noticed the slip in his cool demeanor. “Oh, yeah?” he asked her then, trying to downplay his enthusiasm. As leaned against the doorway, he added, “What’d she say?”

Velma looked at him with a serious look. “I can’t tell you everything, because I swore to her I wouldn’t,” she informed him matter of factly. “She’s giving me another chance to be her friend again. How would it look if I stabbed her in the back the first chance I got?”

Riff frowned, but he had figured this would probably be Roxie’s reaction. He had taken a chance when he asked Velma to speak with her, and when he did, he knew it was a possibility that Velma would side with her. If he thought about it, he knew he wouldn’t be able to blame either of them. “Alright, what can ya tell me, then?”

“She said that if- and she stressed ‘if’- she decides she wants to see you, she will come to you.”

Riff nodded to himself, and took another drag of his cigarette. That sounded about right; that sounded like Roxie. It still didn’t answer any of his questions, though. “How long is she back for?” he asked then.

The apartment door opening and closing drew the pair’s attention to the landing, where Diesel, now dressed in street wear and looking significantly less greasy, was beginning his descent down the staircase.

“For at least the summer,” Velma answered vaguely as she flashed Diesel a smile. She turned back to Riff, and added, “Look, I really don’t know how much else I should say right now.”

“No, it’s okay, really,” Riff replied. He knew if he pushed the issue, Velma wouldn’t tell him anything else. “I appreciate ya talking to her, I really do,” he told her truthfully. “And… I’m glad she has someone to talk to now, ya know?”

“Just give her some time, boss,” Diesel suggested as he approached. He slung an arm around Velma’s shoulders with ease, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek in response.

“Yeah, yeah.” Riff rolled his eyes in mock disgust at the two. “This stays between us three, right?” he questioned, eyeing the both of them firmly.

“Swear on my Pop’s grave,” Diesel confirmed, elaborating his point with a very dramatic boy scout salute. When Diesel’s hand almost knocked Riff upside the head in his enthusiasm, Riff almost dropped the cigarette.

Riff smacked Diesel’s hand away from his face with his free hand, but he wasn’t too rough. “Get going, you two,” he urged, though he had a smile on his face as he took another drag of his cigarette.

As Diesel started to guide Velma out the garage, she suddenly stopped. “Oh, Riff! I forgot one more thing.”

“Yeah?” Riff asked as he exhaled the smoke.

“She asked you not to have anyone tail her anymore,” Velma told him. “She mentioned she heard someone the other night while she was walking home from work at the factory. If you know what’s best for you, I’d call it off,” she urged. “She was very upset.”

This caught him by surprise. “Right…”

With that, Velma allowed Diesel to lead her away.

Riff remained leaning against the doorframe and smoked the rest of his cigarette in silence. When he was finished, he tapped out the butt, and flicked it away.

As Riff headed back into the shop, the more his head began to turn as he thought about the last thing Velma had said. Something about it didn’t sit right with him at all.

He hadn’t followed Roxie home- hell, he hadn’t even known she worked at the factory again. Anybodys may have acted on their own accord, but he hadn’t asked anyone else to follow her home, either.

Who the hell was following her? 

——————————————————————————

When Roxie finally made it home from work that evening, she felt tired, but otherwise very satisfied. She almost felt happy, but perhaps it was too soon to know for sure. Either way, she wasn’t feeling lucky enough to risk jinxing it.

Her friendship with Velma was on the mend. If Velma kept her word, and if Riff listened to her, she didn’t have to worry about an awkward run-in with him. Most of the Jets wouldn’t make a move without Riff’s word, so they’d probably leave her alone, too.

So what if she was stuck in the West Side for now? That didn’t have to mean she would be inherently miserable, and maybe she could find a way to be able to make the best out of it.

As Roxie moved around her bedroom while getting ready for bed, she realized how warm the room was. If she was lucky, there could be a cool night breeze, despite the heat of the day. She’d gotten lucky with that same idea for a few nights so far. Plus, the unit was on the sixth floor. If anyone noticed the open window and tried to climb the fire escape, she’d hear them immediately, and have plenty of time to shut and lock the window.

Roxie walked over to the window and drew the curtains open.

She involuntarily flinched backwards as her eyes were met with something white. Roxie looked away quickly, trying to will herself to calm down. It’s probably just trash that blew up from the street, she told herself.

Once her heart rate slowed a bit, she looked back up at the window.

It wasn’t trash.

It was a piece of paper, and it was taped to the outside of the window. There was something on it too, written in bright red ink. Roxie forced her feet forward, though she trembled with every step. Hesitantly, she leaned in closer to the window to get a better look at it.

It was a pyramid. “Midnight Tomorrow” was scrawled underneath it.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Hope y’all like the cliffhanger. I’m planning to get the next part out on Sunday. If you enjoyed it, please feel free leave a like. :)

Part 6

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 #riff x oc #imagine #fanfic #fanfiction #slow burn #slowburn #angst #oc jet #west side story riff x oc #mike faist

[riffheartsgraziella]

wait, if ice and velma were together then, why is it her and mouthpiece now?

I believe the reason they paired Velma with Mouthpiece instead of Ice in the 2021 film is because Maddie Ziegler was a minor when they filmed the movie and Kyle Coffman is almost twice her age. Ben Cook is younger, so it must have made more sense to pair them up.

To this day, I still giggle because I had a headcanon for the 1961 film that Mouthpiece was secretly in love with Velma, so I guess it worked out for him eventually 🤣

#maddie ziegler #kyle coffman #ben cook #ice x velma #mouthpiece x velma #west side story #west side story 2021 #wss ask

[thelanguishing]

pride versus love (mouthpiece x velma)

a/n: one of mouthpiece’s and velma’s fights as a couple! i had minor writer’s block this week, which delayed the completion of this piece. it was very refreshing to revisit the rough patches between one of my fav couples of wss (it’s definitely the angst lover in me). i wanted to keep the conflict resolution somewhat badly addressed on their part, as i believe most 15 year olds fighting in their first serious relationship definitely wouldn’t know how to handle the open communication. to anyone who ends up reading this, i hope you like it! xx

word count: 1747 

He couldn’t help the frown that graced his face. Velma had been acting weird all day, and even though he’d already asked, she refused to get into it, only making his scowl deepen.

He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from audibly groaning. Why did girls always say things were alright when they so clearly weren’t? It was stupid, how they expected their boyfriends to read their minds.

‘Chicks are so hard to understand,’ he impatiently muttered, unaware that Velma’s sharp ears had caught every word.

‘Fine. Ya really wanna know? Rhonda laughed at me the other day for not knowing how to jump the turnstile on the subway. And Mamie told me sometimes the girls hide things from me when they think I won’t get it. Because they say I’m too soft to hang out with them. There, I said it. Ya happy?’ She icily divulged.

Despite appearing so cool and confident on the surface, her feelings for Mouthpiece overwhelmed Velma greatly. She wanted nothing more than to fit into his world, and that obviously included the Jets and their girlfriends. How would it look if Mouthpiece was the only one with a prissy rich girlfriend who didn’t have an inkling of how their world really worked?

Mouthpiece couldn’t help the scoff that left his lips. She’d been upset all day, no, all week, because of this? Feeling too rich, having too many things, being too privileged? What had the world come to – where the bourgeoisie actually wanted to be poorer to fit in? Indignation overwhelmed him. He would have done anything to have what she had; was she really here, complaining about it to him, someone who could barely afford to eat two meals a day?

‘Oh, so ya think that ya life is bad? Ya know how many o’ us would have killed ta have ya rich girl problems?’

His jealousy bubbled over as she lashed out at her. If he weren’t so consumed by his irrationality at that moment, he would have seen the flash of hurt across Velma’s normally soft face. The hurt vanished just as quickly as it surfaced, though, as Velma instantly recollected herself to deliver her boyfriend a death glare.

‘If that’s how ya feel about me, then I’ll just go and date some rich kid instead. Ya’d like that, wouldn’t you, Mouthpiece?’

She struggled to keep to her normally collected demeanor, just barely managing it, hissing at him before stalking off in a fit.

Velma’s word choice had felt like a vicious slap to the face, but he chose instead to fixate on his explosive anger. He needed to punch someone, or destroy something to make his hurt go away. Eyes narrowing on the lone Egyptian King across the street, his hands balled into fists, nearly breaking into an impatient run as he itched to direct his brokenness elsewhere.

As he stumbled into Doc’s with bloodied and bruised fists, he spotted Riff toying with one of the Milky Way bars, casually ignoring the pointed stare from Valentina. Upon noticing Mouthpiece’s sweaty figure accompanied with the animalistic glint in his eyes, Riff quickly joined the dots.

‘Damn, buddy boy, ya jumped onea them Kings? Why didn’t ya call me?’ Riff joked, leaning over to playfully punch Mouthpiece on the arm. Unlike most days, a downcast gloom shrouded the younger’s face, and the concerned leader immediately sat them both down, demanding details. Fortunately, Mouthpiece’s impulsiveness fueled the torrent that escaped, recounting the earlier events of the day.

Naturally, he had expected Riff to back him up. Riff was always supportive of his members, being especially protective of the younger ones, namely Mouthpiece, Tiger, and their newest member, Little Moly. What greeted him, however, was an unmistakable frown on the elder’s face. Riff hadn’t originally wanted to be so harsh with the boys he called brothers, but the idiocy of Mouthpiece’s story was too obvious to ignore.

‘Ya dumb or what?’

Eyes wide open, Mouthpiece failed to formulate a decent response. He’d nearly tilted forward to ask Riff to repeat himself, but stopped himself just in time.

Interpreting his silence as confusion, Riff sighed before further elaborating, ‘Ya dumb battery. Yer Velma girl was feelin’ sore about not being able to fit in with the rest of our girls. She probably thought ya’d like her less if she didn’t fit in with the rest of us. Then ya make her feel worse for bein’ rich? Honestly, I ain’t like that she’s rich either. Makes me kinda want to punch her old man. But that ain’t her fault, ain’t it?’

Mouthpiece could feel his mouth form an ‘o’ in realization. If even Riff, the least sensitive and most prideful person he knew, had recognised how stupid he had been, then chances were that he had really fucked things up. Instinctively, he wanted to run to her house that very minute to fix things with her, but his pride was in the way. He was, after all, still a fifteen year old, whose dignity had taken a hit with Velma’s departing threat.

She can date whoever she wants, see if I care.

For the next few hours, a very disgruntled and wounded Mouthpiece skulked the streets of the neighborhood, eyes devoid of their usual glint of mischief. Yet even in his most upset state of mind, a force in him pulled him back to the park, even as he pursed his lips knowing where he was headed.

Kicking a pebble aimlessly, something in the distance caught his eye – a young couple. The girl had eyes that were blue like Velma’s, even if Velma’s were definitely brighter and more beautiful. The girl was clearly in a mood, and the boy knelt down in front of her, trying his level best to get her attention.

At first, Mouthpiece snorted, disgusted by the idea of a grown man throwing away his pride just to win the affections of a girl. But as he watched them a little longer, he saw the priceless smile that crept up the girl’s face as she couldn’t stay mad at her boyfriend. She gradually pulled him up to sit beside her, her head resting on his shoulder. The boy held his girl tightly, as if afraid to let her go. Mouthpiece could help but notice the blissful, radiant glow she had that Velma had around him too.

Suddenly, he didn’t care so much about his pride anymore. What did pride matter, if it was at the expense of his girl and her happiness? He’d just about do anything to regain a crumb of her favor, if she could look even half as happy as the girl before his eyes presently.

Running to her apartment building, he deftly made his way up to Velma’s room without stopping so much as to catch a breath. He noticed the smudged mascara on her cheeks as she sat at her desk, writing something with a frustrated frown plastered on her face. The pen scratched across the paper so hard he thought it might tear, and as he watched, he silently reminded himself never to do something so stupid as to incur Velma’s wrath again. Thank God it was dark out already, so Velma wouldn’t see the new injuries he sported, or she’d get even more upset.

He knocked at the glass gingerly, mustering his best puppy-dog eyed expression to at least earn an audience with her. To her credit, she stalked over and pushed up the window, but refused to let him take another step closer. Instead, she clambered out of her room to join him on the fire escape, a blank expression resting on her face.

‘What do ya want from me now?’

Despite her somewhat disheveled appearance, she still managed to keep her voice detached and even. She even raised one eyebrow in his direction, as if challenging him to say something stupid again.

‘I shouldn’t have said that to ya just now. I’m sorry, Vel. Please don’t be mad at me, ya know I didn’t mean any of it,’ he nearly tripped over his words in his eagerness to get the apology out.

‘But you did. If ya didn’t mean it, ya wouldn’t say it.’ Masking the extent of her hurt underneath the daring reply, Velma held her breath as she anticipated his reply.

He sighed before plopping down on the metal grails. ‘Nah, I was just angry that ya got a better lot in life than me. And maybe kinda scared that ya’d realize ya could be doing so much better than someone like me. It’s like I’m being unfair to ya, by making ya be with me.’

He stared down into his palms as he confessed this, almost regretting letting Velma know how insecure he really was. The onslaught of silence only served to intensify his discomfort, and it took everything out of him not to bolt down the building and run as far away as his legs would take him.

Velma tucked her skirt around her knees and flopped down ungracefully, knocking her shoulder against his gently.

‘Ya didn’t make me be with you. I chose ya. And I’m sorry too, that I made you feel bad about what I said.’

Mouthpiece couldn’t help the bittersweet smile that graced his young face. His heart inwardly sang, reassured by the verbal confirmation from his wonderful girl. But try as he might, he didn’t truly believe her. She made it so easy for him, but he wouldn’t. She deserved one of the rich, smart guys her parents always wanted to set her up with, not the ‘feckless friggin disappointment’ he was, as a social worker so aptly pointed out to him the previous week.

Nevertheless, he bit his lip and lay down to rest his head on her lap, with Velma running her hands through his hair. They’d just made up – he’d do everything to keep their relationship that way. So like a coward, he avoided the issue plaguing his mind, choosing to remain silent instead. He noticed she leaned back on the metal staircase as her breathing became even, her fingers eventually stilling.

Mouthpiece held his breath as he sat up, silently slipping in and out of her room to grab a warm blanket. As he draped it over her sleeping figure, his head couldn’t quieten the way it normally did when he looked at her.

I wonder when she’ll realize I ain’t good enough.

#west side story fanfic #west side story 2021 #west side story #west side story 2021 fanfic #mouthpiece #mouthpiece x velma #velma #ben tyler cook #maddie ziegler #my writings

[thelanguishing]

found family (mouthpiece x velma)

a/n: more mouthpiece content! velma makes her appearance in the second half. when i first started writing this i didn’t really know where i was going to go with it. as more of it flowed though, i realised that i was addressing the history behind mouthpiece’s street name, which i thought it was a rather interesting thing to cover. the past few days have been pretty productive but also kind of depressing, so its not really been too great. kinda want to take a break from going out with people and working but im also not really working that hard so i dont know what im taking a break from. anyway, im sorry about the digression. i hope you enjoy this! 

word count: 2896 (longest one to date! was supposed to be two parts but i thought combining it would flow better) 

-------------------

Thomas Miller often wished he came from a better family. The kind of family that went to the movies with popcorn and watched a stupid musical. One with a smiling mother and gentle father and lots of siblings. You know, a normal family. 

Instead, what he got was an alcoholic tyrant of a father and a tearful mess of a mother. 

For so long, Thomas could only helplessly run away from the horrific blows every time it occurred. He'd leave the house under his father’s threats, escape to the roof of their dilapidated apartment building, and silently shed a few tears there. His ma would often be bedridden for the next few days or so, crying in her sleep. That tyrant of a father would then return to his seat at the local Irish pub, clutching his bottle of whiskey, inebriated as usual. Within a day or so he’d come back, pretending like nothing had happened, and Thomas and his ma would have to skate on thin ice to delay his next outburst as much as possible. 

On unlucky days, he wound up being his father’s personal punching bag. It was always over the stupidest reasons too — slamming the plate on the table too loudly, mouthing off, looking too resentful. Those dreadful nights were the worst, when he went to bed with belt lashes on his arms and slap marks so hard they turned an angry red the next day. He cried those nights too, hateful of his father for hurting him, resentful of his mother for not defending him, and worst of all, disgusted with himself for not fighting back. It didn't help when he had to fish around for believable excuses when his teachers asked him about the recent wounds he sported. 

I walked into a pole.

I fell into a drain.

I hit my shoulder on the fence. 

As with everything, experience and time gave his lies their essential touch of credibility. The questions eventually stopped.

As far as Thomas could remember, everything that encompassed the word ‘family’ felt wrong. If family meant fighting and hitting and screaming and crying all the time, he didn’t want anything to do with it. But that didn’t stop the jealousy he felt when his classmates’ mothers scraped together everything they had just to buy their sons a new pencil for the upcoming semester. It didn’t help to quell the bitterness blooming in his chest when he saw fathers lift their daughters up into the air, spinning them round and round before holding them close again. And it most definitely didn’t ease the emotional torment of getting kicked and slapped by the person who was supposed to love you most in the entire world. 

By the time Thomas turned fourteen, he’d mastered the art of apathy. It was easier, he decided, to just care about nothing. His schoolwork had already been abysmal at best, and with his less than stellar attitude, his grades slipped ever further. In his opinion, the adults in his life ranged from ‘useless’ to ‘downright liability’. He was destined to a life of being looked down upon by the rich folk on the Upper East Side, and pitied and gossiped about by the loving families on the West Side. No matter where he found himself, it always seemed to be at the bottom of the barrel. 

It wasn’t his fault he was born into such a shitty family. Why did other kids in his grade get loving mothers who bought them Batman comics every week, whereas he had to steal them regularly from Doc’s to get the newest issue? Why did he have to talk to counselors who pretended to care and social workers who didn’t understand a thing about his life? Hell, they wouldn’t survive a day in his shoes. But there they were, on their high horses, trying to offer some shoddy, one-off attempt at ‘emotional support’. 

The last counselor had been particularly ridiculous. She was a young lady, with a naivety and hopefulness only a sheltered girl fresh out of college could have. Within the two seconds they’d been acquainted, Thomas already envisioned the trajectory of the rest of their session. He could basically read her sad, predictable mind.

‘Could you tell me what’s bothering you?’ Yeah, right, like he was gonna be recounting fourteen years worth of childhood trauma to a total stranger within the hour. 

‘So, Thomas, have you tried deep breathing to calm yourself down?’ Sure, because deep breathing could magically heal his bruised rib cage and twisted arm.

‘It’s such a shame what you’ve been through.’ The last thing he wanted was patronizing pity from some privileged trust fund chick. 

As he answered her questions monosyllabically, he could see her lips purse over his uncooperative nature.

And now she probably thinks it’s a result of my ‘juvenile delinquency’, Thomas bitterly mused. 

At the end of the day, these people were all the same. They believed that people like him weren’t destined for anything other than failure. So what was the point in trying to change their minds? 

Fuck that. Fuck the counsellor, thinking she could go round changing the world with this broken system. To get to go to college, her family probably had more money than Thomas could ever dream to have in his next three lifetimes. They were from completely different worlds. She wouldn’t understand a goddamn thing. 

Apathy turned into anger pretty quickly. The defiant streak in him grew each day, resentful at the world for dealing him such a bad hand. When a boy from the grade above Thomas witnessed him pummel another kid to the ground for ‘looking at him the wrong way’, a deal was extended. 

‘Join the Jets,’ the older boy offered.

‘We’ll take carea ya. If ya get jumped we’ll watch out for ya. And we’ll get yous booze and cigarettes and whateva ya want, too. The Jets are brothers, and we’s look out for each other because no one else will.’ The older boy seemed to relish in his monologue, clearly proud of the gang he called family. 

Thomas wasn’t naive. He’d grown up on the Upper West Side, for goodness sake. He’d seen his fair share of rival gangs stake their claim on territory and beat each other up for a couple of blocks of residential housing. The Jets, in particular, had made quite a name for themselves, wreaking havoc in an already chaotic neighborhood. The idea of fighting for something as trivial as territory was all a bit stupid to him. But what did he have to lose, really? The older boy said something about brotherhood. Wasn’t that kind of like a family, but a good one? No one was superior to the other. They were all equal, and brothers at that. They’d band together in times of need instead of turning on each other. He nodded and extended his hand. 

‘I’m Thomas.’ He declared. 

‘Thomas ain’t no name for a gang member. What’re you good at, other than throwing a punch?’ 

‘I… I don’t know. I guess I can make people laugh.’ Thomas admitted, albeit slightly abashed. 

‘How about… Mouthpiece? Yous be our messenger too. We need one of those since the Jets ain’t getting any smaller.’ The older boy mulled over Thomas’s response before offering his suggestion. 

‘Yea, that’s alright.’ 

‘Well then, welcome ta the Jets, buddy boy. Yous one of us now. I’m Action.’ The older boy finally disclosed his name. 

For the first time in fourteen years, Thomas finally felt like he belonged.

--------- 

Several weeks after the recruitment of Mouthpiece, his lone figure roamed the streets in the dead of night. It was basically witching hour, yet he didn’t have the slightest intention of returning home. 

Then again, he didn’t really think that place counted as much of a home. If he were to be completely honest, whatever pathetic home life he had depressed him. But as he so acutely realized, being sad and hopeless offered no protection against the cruel realities of the world. On the contrary, if he was angry, people would fear him. They would know he wasn’t someone who was easily bullied. And having gone through life being thrown around like a punching bag, intimidating others gave him a sickening sense of relief. 

As Mouthpiece let himself aimlessly wander around, he found himself skirting further and further away from familiar Jet territory, until he finally stopped at a fancy apartment building. The freshly painted brick red exterior and polished windows greeted him, a stark reminder of the life he could never even dream of experiencing. 

He hadn’t really wanted to come to see Velma when he was in such a sour mood. But it had been three whole days since he last caught sight of her, what with having to nurse his injuries inflicted by his pa and then having to take care of his depressed ma at home. Pangs of longing would shoot through his gut at random times of the day, and his thoughts would drift to her lilting voice, or her excited laughter. Big Deal had already teased him about it the other day, calling him a lovesick idiot. On any other occasion, Mouthpiece would probably have at least gotten in a light punch as revenge. But Mouthpiece could hardly rebuke Big Deal’s remarks. They were true, after all. And the worst, or best, part was that he found he didn’t really mind. Not if it was for Velma. His Vel. 

His feet glued to the ground, he could already feel a tiny grin creeping up his face as he thought about his girl. When the world around him felt like it was crumbling before his very eyes, she was the only person who could make him feel like none of that mattered. Gazing at that perfect girl distinctly reminded him that she was his world. 

As his mood slightly lifted, he began scaling the fire escapes of her apartment building. It was his first time scaling Velma’s apartment building, but he was a pretty good climber. Careful not to make any loud noises, he quickly found himself standing right outside her window, gently rapping on the glass. 

Pulling up the window to let her boyfriend in, Velma sat back down on her bed, rubbing her eyes as she struggled to stifle a yawn. It was remarkable, really, how she basically had a surprise visit sprung on her at two in the morning, yet she remained unruffled as ever. 

Mouthpiece found a seat on her ottoman, half expecting her to at least question the reason behind his sudden appearance, but what only greeted him was tactful silence. 

That was one of Mouthpiece’s favorite things about Velma. She never really pried for information about anything, offering only silent support. She knew he’d tell her things only when he felt ready, and there would be no pushing on her end. Her gentle, quiet presence gave him time and space to collect his racing thoughts and rambling words, grounded in a security he’d never felt elsewhere. 

They sat like that for several minutes, Velma’s consciousness gradually returning as she patiently waited. She could hear his slightly out-of-breath panting, and the blossoming bruises on his arms under the moonlight. His fists were clean though. 

Okay, so it wasn’t a fight.

Despite not having lived the same broken West Side slum life that her boyfriend and his friends had, she could put two-and-two together quickly enough. Even in that silence, she knew. She always did. 

Finally, Mouthpiece opened his mouth to speak. 

‘Sorry I knocked so late, Vel. I guess I just missed ya.’ He sheepishly confessed, shrugging in a feeble attempt to maintain a facade of nonchalance. 

It took everything out of Velma not to hide her smile. Even though Mouthpiece had always been the more talkative one of the two, he rarely said anything very vulnerable, fearing that his weakness could easily be used against him. It softened Velma considerably, seeing that her boyfriend of only a few weeks already felt comfortable enough to be this honest with her. 

‘I missed ya too. I tried going to Doc’s to look for ya, but I couldn’t find ya around these couplea days.’ 

Ever the perceptive one, Velma realized very early on in their relationship that the only way to keep her boyfriend feeling relaxed in his vulnerability was to be equally upfront on her part. Sharing this seemingly insignificant thing would help, she was sure of it. 

As if by magic, a small smile graced his slightly swollen face. 

‘Ya did?’ 

‘Of course I did, hon. Three days is a long time to go without ya.’ 

As she returned his tentative grin, she situated herself beside him, legs close enough to touch. Her arms circled Mouthpiece and she rested her chin gently on his shoulder. Instinctively, he embraced her back, involuntarily relaxing in her comforting presence.

Only she could make me feel this way, Mouthpiece mused. 

As if she had read his mind, she whispered, ‘Ya know, love, Velma literally means ‘valiant protector’. So even though ya protect me mosta the time, I just wanted ya ta know youse always safe with me too.’ 

Every time Mouthpiece thought Velma couldn’t get any more perfect than she was, he was proven wrong. This beautiful, understanding, compassionate, patient person that was the only safe space for him to run to. 

It turns out that love is a bit of a drug. Life without it is bearable, because you don’t really know what it’s like to live any other way. But drugs are addictive. You can’t really turn back when you’re hooked. And once you’ve had a taste of sweet euphoria, what once was bland now becomes bitter. 

So Mouthpiece really didn’t want to, no, he couldn’t, imagine a life without Velma. 

Humming contentedly, they carefully lay down in bed together, still firmly entwined in each other’s embrace. Careful not to rest too heavily on the new red and purple patches on Mouthpiece’s arms, Velma felt her eyelids grow heavy. It was late, after all, and she had been asleep before those raps on her window. 

‘I just realized I don’t know your name, babe.’ Velma cracked an eye open, watching as that familiar troubled look clouded her boyfriend’s eyes yet again. 

‘I don’t like it much,’ Mouthpiece confessed. Had it been anyone else who asked for his birth name, he would have just feigned ignorance and cracked a joke to throw them off the scent. But this was Velma, and he didn’t feel the need to skirt personal topics around her. 

‘Well, will ya at least tell me what it means?’ 

Admittedly, she was curious about his birth name. They’d been going out for a few weeks now, and she’d never picked up as much as a hint of this. But she’d also vaguely guessed that it was a sore spot for him, and as always, he’d tell her when he was ready. 

‘Actually I don’t know what it really means, but I don’t like the reason it’s my name. It’s my old man’s.’ She could feel him stiffening, clearly trying to tamp down his discomfort in order to answer her questions. It alarmed her. The last thing she wanted to do was to make his clearly horrible day even worse. 

Before she could steer the conversation away from said topic, though, he quelled her doubts. 

‘It’s Thomas. But I hate it.’ 

The venom that filled his voice as he spat that word out conveyed everything Velma needed to know. Despite sharing the same name, he didn’t want to be anything like his father, belittling and uncontrolled, unable to summon a kind word to even those closest to him.

Though it was never directed at her, Velma would have to be blind not to notice the familiar expressions of hatred clouding her boyfriend’s face at almost everyone around him. His family, the social workers, even the people in the neighborhood who had loving families. It was a face contorted by jealousy and bitterness and dejection. And it often was at its angriest whenever the topic of family was broached, just like now. 

‘Yer nothing like your old man, babe. I promise. I know you.’ 

She soothingly rubbed circles with her thumb on his back, wishing for him to one day see himself the way she did. Witty, loyal and with a huge capacity for love. She didn’t know what else she could do, other than offer him her shoulder and give him the solace that he so desperately needed. It hurt her too, just imagining the amount of physical abuse he had gone through all his life, not to mention the broken system he had been thrust into since childhood. 

Life was just unfair sometimes. 

As the mental exhaustion finally began to catch up with Mouthpiece, he found himself slipping into a deep sleep. But in his semi-conscious state, he could hear Velma mutter to no one in particular. 

‘You’ll always be Mouthpiece to me.’ 

It seemed like such a flippant name, one carelessly given to him from one broken boy to another. But to Thomas, Mouthpiece represented everything he could ever want in life. Unwavering brothers, undying love, and an undeniable fresh start. And if this was what family was like, maybe it wasn’t as terrible as it originally seemed.

#west side story fanfic #west side story #west side story 2021 #west side story 2021 fanfic #mouthpiece x velma #mouthpiece #velma #mouthpiece west side story #ben tyler cook #maddie ziegler #my stories #my writing

[thelanguishing]

the first promise he ever made (mouthpiece x velma)

a/n: i definitely need to dive into other couples but velma has always been such an attractive character to me that i love thinking about her and how she would act in all sorts of situations. as requested by @findaway-anastasia, this is how i thought mouthpiece and velma’s first date would go! it’s so funny that when i posted my first ever piece of writing, i thought i would just post that and be done with it, but once you start writing, the ideas keep coming and it feels like you can’t stop. the best part about writing about the same people in one timeline is that there are little details of mouthpiece and velma’s relationship that i like to link together between each of my stories. i wonder if anyone who has read more than one of my stories spots them too? anyway, apologies for the ramble, i hope this piece brightens your day a little! 

word count: 2286 

-----------------

‘Oh, c’mon Vel, it’s been so long since you went on a date. Please, just this once! I promise ya, if ya don’t like him, ya ain’t ever gotta see him afta tonight. Hand to heart.’ Mamie pleaded with her best friend.

‘Ugh, fine, but Mamie! Ya better be right that he’s funny. The last date I went on I nearly cried because of how borin’ that guy was. I ain’t ever sitting through somethin’ like that again.’ Velma threatened jokingly, with just an edge of sharpness to show that she wasn’t really kidding. It was so frustrating to waste a perfectly good night on some guy that wanted nothing more than to get into her pants. But ever since Mamie started dating Diesel, a long-standing Jet member, she’d been wheedling a yes out of Velma to get her to go on a date with one of the single Jets. Velma could only reject her best friend’s pleas for so long, especially after this new boy called Mouthpiece came into the scene. Mamie seemed to have gotten it into her head that he would be perfect for her.

As Mamie fussed with Velma’s hair in preparation for her date, they finally settled on wavy tresses with delicately done braids on both sides of her head. The way Mamie spoke about Mouthpiece had Velma’s curiosity piqued. Thanks to Mamie’s incredible detective skills, she’d fed Velma with an arsenal of background information about the boy, especially in relation to the other Jets. According to Mamie, Mouthpiece was the same age as Velma, and went to the school in the poorest part of the West Side. He was their designated messenger, though he was shaping up to be a pretty poor one.

‘Diesel’s always complainin’ that Mouthpiece ain’t ever shut his mouth and then all the important information gets lost with his blabbering.’ Mamie giggled as she gently ran her fingers through Velma’s hair.

Velma only smiled thoughtfully in response. Huh, a talkative gang member. That was pretty rare. Most of the gang members she knew were the strong, silent type. She knew Ice and Diesel certainly were.

The sound of the doorbell interrupted their gossip session. Velma smoothed her dress and proceeded to the door, opening it to reveal a waiting Diesel and Mouthpiece.

‘Have fun, you two!’ Mamie cheerily exclaimed as she linked her arm through her boyfriend’s, while Diesel happily pecked her cheek. As the two lovebirds left, Velma turned to notice Mouthpiece staring at her with a slightly dazed expression.

‘Mouthpiece? You’re staring.’

Immediately, Mouthpiece regained his senses, a slight tint of pink dusting his cheeks.

‘Oh.’ He quickly replied, too afraid to say anything else that would betray his embarrassment.

Most girls probably would have been visibly confused by his strange behavior, or at least thrown him a teasing remark. What astonished him was that Velma had simply shrugged it off and given him a small smile, leading him out of her apartment building.

As he walked beside her, he couldn’t help but sneak a couple glances at her out of the corner of his eye. He was sure he’d never seen someone so beautiful in all his life. Her brown hair framed her symmetrical face perfectly, and those blue eyes of hers. They looked so gentle yet piercing. It almost felt like he was looking at a doll.

‘So, Mouthpiece, where’re we going?’ Velma finally asked, turning to give him her full attention.

The second those blue eyes came into full view, Mouthpiece felt like his breath had escaped him all over again. It took all his strength to muster his wits enough to formulate a reply.

‘I thought we could go to this diner. It ain’t fancy, but the food’s really good.’ Mouthpiece suggested tentatively, hoping she would like his idea. He’d known the chef for quite a while now, and could get the cheapest prices for the largest portions. Frankly speaking, he didn’t know if he could afford much more than that. It had seemed like a solid idea when he first ran it through with Tiger, but looking at this high-class girl who lived in her fancy apartment building, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

A wave of relief washed over him as she offered him another small smile, nodding her head.

‘That sounds lovely. Lead the way.’

As they made their way to the diner, Mouthpiece did what he did best in uncomfortable situations — talk. But what would be the best thing to say to this wonderful specimen of a girl walking beside him? He wanted to say something clever, something insightful. Something to make her think that he was more than just a street rat.

Instead, what came out was, ‘Ya think we ever see the same bird twice?’

Velma couldn’t help the uproarious laughter that burst out. She couldn’t believe her ears, but in the best way possible. No one had ever asked her such a genuine and arbitrary question before. Instinctively, she let her stiff back loosen and her shoulders slacken. This was going to be a fun night.

If he had thought her smile was gorgeous, her laugh had to be ten times prettier. No, a hundred times more. Her smile was pretty, without a doubt. But it was guarded; it felt like a part of her porcelain personality. That laugh, however, was unbridled and liberated. He felt how sincere that chuckle was, how amused she truly had been. That melodious sound was music to his ears, and what amazed him more was that she was laughing at something he said. He had made her laugh! Even though his plan to be learned had backfired massively. It astounded him — his ridiculous self had actually started to win her over.

Nevertheless, encouraged by her delighted reaction, they struck up an easy conversation, the two of them bonding over the simplest of things like a shared love for dances, and the way the pigeons in the West Side creeped them out. With every passing minute, Mouthpiece could feel himself falling for her more and more. It was in the way she paid complete attention to all of his replies, in the way her eyes lit up as they discussed dancing, in the way that cool and composed doll-like demeanor seemed to melt away around him.

Finally, as they reached the diner, they settled in and began ordering. A first-timer, Velma instinctively reached for the menu, but Mouthpiece immediately stopped her.

‘There’s a secret menu around here. That book doesn’t have anya the good stuff ya oughta be tryin’.’ Mouthpiece whispered conspiratually.

Velma couldn’t help but grin at the excited, adorable figure before her. Conversation flowed so naturally between the two of them, and every moment with him was interesting and unexpected. Damn Mamie. She really nailed this one.

‘Ya order then. I trust you,’ Velma replied casually, smiling brightly at him.

Butterflied erupted in his stomach the second he heard that. It was ridiculous, really, the hold she already had on him on their first meeting. But when she just said those three words in that offhand way of hers, it almost felt like a promise. Like he didn’t ever want to break that trust.

All his life, Mouthpiece never understood the point of promises. Promises meant expectations, and expectations meant disappointment. No one in his life had ever exceeded his expectations. The Jets were the best thing he had ever had, and even they didn’t count. They were brothers, sure, but they were also mirrors of their broken families and traumatic pasts. All of them reminded Mouthpiece of himself, and God knows he was a disappointment too.

But this girl. She seemed untainted by the troubles of their neighborhood, of the world, really. So far she’d done nothing but pleasantly surprise him. So for the first time ever, Mouthpiece made himself a promise.

I won’t ever break this girl’s trust.

As the two of them quickly demolished their specials, Velma found herself observing the boy opposite her. If she was being honest with herself, prior to leaving the house, she had been fully resigned to sitting through a bland conversation that she would have had to carry. However, Mouthpiece had been anything but. He was witty and hilarious, and the fierce loyalty he displayed to the Jets was touching to see. Not to mention he’s easy on the eyes too, she privately thought before fighting the creeping blush on her cheeks.

‘Shall we go? I have one more place I wanna bring ya to.’ Mouthpiece asked as he extended his hand to her, their food now finished.

If Velma was surprised by his advances, she didn’t show it. Smiling at him, she easily slipped her hand in his as they headed off, lightheaded in each other’s presence.

If their conversation had been easy, the comfortable silence they had between them was even easier. Mouthpiece never felt at ease with silence; it was the perfect breeding ground for his thoughts to run wild in the quiet. It caused him to recall the depressed silence from his ma after she got a beating from his pa. It made him remember the times he had to stifle his own noisy tears on the roof in case anyone heard. But with Velma, his thoughts were miraculously grounded. She effortlessly occupied all of his headspace with her laugh and her smile and her words. It was only with her that he felt even vaguely relaxed in the silence.

Turning the corner, Mouthpiece gestured to their destination. Beautiful bouquets adorned the stall, with a couple of baskets of flowers at the foot. An assortment of roses, tulips and lavender were displayed in that little flower stand. Looking at Velma’s surprised but pleased expression, an inexplicable sense of pride filled his chest.

‘I know yous girls love flowers, so I thought you’d like this place,’ Mouthpiece admitted. Truthfully, he hadn’t planned on doing this prior to their meeting. But he’d liked Velma so much that he knew he wanted to see her again, and this ingenious little ploy of his was to suss out her favorite flower so he could bring it for her in future.

That is, if she wanted to see him again.

‘Oh, Mouthpiece, this is so sweet of you. Thank you, I love this stand!’ Velma exclaimed in a most uncharacteristic squeal, before throwing her arms around him in an excited hug. She’d been so delighted all night, and this wonderful surprise sent her over the moon. For all that Velma’s family seemed so well-to-do, she really was a simple girl, easily satisfied by the smallest gestures.

Taken aback by her forwardness, Mouthpiece momentarily froze, before quickly regaining his senses to hug her back. She was so warm, sunshine personified. He never wanted to let go.

If there was any doubt that she’d want to see him again, it was all but gone now.

Settling on a small bouquet of red roses, Velma blissfully linked her arms in his, sniffing the flowers as they strolled back to her apartment. No boy had ever been this thoughtful to her on a date, and Velma relished in this careful attention. It wasn’t practiced or rehearsed; she could feel that he was genuinely trying to do all the right things with her, and that attempt alone meant more to her than anything else.

Night had fallen, and though Velma wasn’t truly cold, she delighted in the excuse to lean on Mouthpiece’s shoulder just a little more, to hold his arm just a little tighter, and to walk just a little slower.

Mouthpiece, on the other hand, struggled between getting his brain not to short-circuit and actually enjoying the date. She was perfect, so perfect, that the broken part in him couldn’t see how she could ever enjoy his company, never mind like him. But there she was, her head gently resting on his shoulder as they took a detour back to her apartment, and he had to pinch himself to remind him that it was all real.

Inevitably, as they finally got back to her home, she slowly turned to him and looked at him longingly.

‘I had a great time tonight, Mouthpiece. Thank you for taking me, and for the flowers.’

‘No, yea, sure. I had a great time too,’ he stammered. His palms started to become clammy, as his mind ran a mile a minute in anticipation for what he wanted to do.

Kiss her now. Hurry up.

But he stood there frozen, paralysed by apprehension and hesitation. Would this scare her away? Would she slap him for moving things too fast? What if her parents opened the door and saw their daughter standing there with a juvenile delinquent?

For a few seconds, Velma kept her gaze on him. But seeing his outwardly blank stare, she tried her best to mask her crestfallen expression, and turned away to head into her apartment.

As if broken in his trance by her turning away, he hurriedly grasped her wrist. This was now or never.

Do it, you idiot.

Before he could overthink any more, Mouthpiece pressed his lips to hers, his emotions of the night all poured out in that one action. Excitement, comfort, gratitude, infatuation, and the beginning of an overwhelming feeling he couldn’t quite identify yet.

He felt her kiss him back gently, relief coursing through his veins as he confirmed her feelings.

And she’s a good kisser too. How perfect can one girl be?

Finally pulling away, she shyly asked, ‘Does that mean I’ll see you again?’

Her irresistible expression compelled Mouthpiece to pull her into a warm hug. God, she was just perfect.

‘You can count on it, sweetheart.’

#west side story #west side story 2021 #west side story fanfic #mouthpiece #mouthpiece x velma #velma #ben tyler cook #maddie ziegler #my stories #writings #rambling

[riffheartsgraziella]

have any of the jet boys ever forgotten THEIR OWN birthday 🤔

Okay, this is actually kind of sad, but Mouthpiece didn’t know for sure when his birthday was until he was ten years old. His mother ran off with a neighbor when was three, and his father was horrendously abusive, so he never celebrated Mouthpiece’s birthday or even told him when it was.

It was only when Mouthpiece was ten and happened to be rummaging through some of his mother’s old things that he just so happened to stumble across his birth certificate and learn when his birthday was.

Velma always makes a big deal for Mouthpiece’s birthday to make up for all the years he missed out on.

#mouthpiece west side story #mouthpiece x velma #wss headcanons #west side story #west side story 2021 #wss ask

[riffheartsgraziella]

Who wanted/would want kids first with Mouthpiece and Velma I couldn't send one yesterday 🙃

Velma always wanted to have children. Mouthpiece was much more hesitant, even after he and Velma got married, because of the abuse he suffered from his own parents, particularly his father, growing up. He didn’t think he’d make a very good father because he’d never had a good role model of what fatherhood looked like.

Whenever they would babysit Riff, Jr., especially when he was little, Velma was always very gentle and encouraging with Mouthpiece. And then when Diesel, Ice, Action, and Snowboy became fathers, Mouthpiece was able to see firsthand what positive fatherhood could look like.

Velma found out she was pregnant with their son, Matthew about a year after she and Mouthpiece had gotten married and Mouthpiece was nervous, but excited. He turned out to be a wonderful father.

#mouthpiece x velma #wss headcanons #west side story #west side story 2021 #otp questions

[riffheartsgraziella]

Velma and Mouthpiece: who made the first move?

Technically, Mouthpiece was the one who asked Velma out on their first date, but she’d been dropping lots of hints that she wanted him to 😂

#mouthpiece x velma #wss headcanons #west side story #west side story 2021 #otp questions

[sl-newsie]

Distant: Mouthpiece x OC *Halloween Special* 🎃

Summary: The Jets and Sharks throw a Halloween dance, which attracts the attention of a girl who’s had her eye on Mouthpiece for some time. (Also I did look it up, the fanbase officially named Mouthpiece as Harvey Gonzales! I had no idea!)

“Uh, Grazi? A little help- ah!” The ladder swerves again and I can feel myself falling-!

“Gotcha!”

Strong arms reach out and catch me just before my head hits the ground, and I already know it’s Mouthpiece from how hard he’s laughing.

“Wow, Diana! That’s quite a fall! What’d ya do to make the ladder so mad?” His warm touch makes me shiver and before I can get too flushed he stands me up. “There! Right as rain, yeah?”

I swallow my feelings and smile. “Yup, alright here! Say you wouldn’t by chance be going to the dance-?”

“Hey, Mouthpiece!” Action scoots over and drags him away to the group-a Jets for some stupid prank, leaving me high and dry with no date.

Every. Single. Time. Every time I try to ask him out, Mouthpiece is always preoccupied! You’d think that by all the hints I’ve given that he’d wise up, but sadly that’s not been the case.

Just then Grazi and Velma walk up. “Took a nasty fall, huh Diana?”

I scowl. “Sure, you turn up just as the Jets show up. Where were you when I was about to get a concussion?”

She shrugs and sucks on a lollipop. “It’s not my problem you’re a klutz. Now go finish hanging the pumpkins.”

Normally I’d refuse and fight back, but I don’t mind pitching in for the Halloween event. It’s one of my favorite holidays, and it’ll be so rewarding when I show up tonight in my costume. It’s a vampiress dress that I sewed it myself, and found the poifect wig last week. 

After retreating to the back-a the gym, I find the last of the plastic pumpkins and start placing them next to the concessions table. Seeing everyone chat and get excited for the dance makes me feel bittersweet. When it comes to friends I don’t involve myself with the drama of the West Side goils, and instead find friends in odda places. Mouthpiece, Baby John, Kid Blink and Skittery from ‘Hattan, and a few from Brooklyn. Call me a tomboy, but I just can never understand why goils is so interested in gossip. Their jibber-jabber is way more strange than the boys’ jibber-jabber. And tonight it’s sad to say that hardly any of my friends will be here- or at least the ones that will talk with me. Maybe I can hang with Baby John while Mouthpiece continues to ignore my proposals.

“Nearly finished?” The principal walks up behind me.

I nod. “Yes, sir. I’m very glad that the Jets have been behaving.”

“I agree, though this time of year always makes me antsy. They always seem to slip Halloween pranks under my nose and I can never find out how! Thanks again for helping out with the setup.”

As the principal walks away I hold back a chuckle. No doubt the Jets have partnered with the Sharks to do something even bigger this year. Last time they dumped a bucket of pumpkin guts all over the teachers. Lord knows what’ll happen tonight.

“Diana! Ready to go?” 

It’s Baby John, followed by his goil Jackie. Of course every decent guy I know already has a date, leaving me to be the lonely wallflower tonight.

I force a smile. “Sure am, Johnny. You and Jackie all set for the bash tonight?”

Jackie, Velma’s little sis, grins and nudges John’s shoulder. “You bet we are! We’re wearing matching costumes! What are you going as?”

“It’s a surprise,” I say simply, then add a smirk. “You’ll have to wait and see. Now let’s go!”

After I’ve walked home and set my heavy backpack down, my mother’s already buzzing up to me.

“Diana, dear! Did you ask him?”

I bite my lip and busy myself by washing my hands. “Yes.”

“And?” My mother waits on-edge.

This is what I get for being too open with my parents.

“He never said anything. I’m going alone.”

My mother sighs and pulls me in for a hug. “Dear, you shouldn’t be going alone to social gatherings. At your age you should be going on dates! Is there anyone else you’d like to ask?”

My anger starts boiling and I push away with the hint of a scowl on my face. “No, all the odda boys are already taken or too stupid! Now can we please talk about something odda than my depressing social life?”

Before she can respond I dash outta the kitchen and rush upstairs, shutting my bedroom door and collapsing in my desk chair. Just relax. Just because he doesn’t feel the same doesn’t mean your life is over. Time to get my costume on.

Once I’ve zipped up my sleek black dress and clipped on my crimson cape, I all but wrap my honey-colored hair up in tape in order to fit on the wig. Black heels complete the look, and after a touch of goth makeup I head downstairs where I find my father waiting.

“Oh no! A vampire! Don’t bite me!” he teases as I walk over to grab my coat. “Remember pumpkin, you don’t need to have a date to have a good time. The fun is all in how you chose to spend your time, so go have a happy Halloween!”

At least his pep talk is better than mother’s.

I allow a small smile and give him a hug goodbye. “Thanks, dad. I’ll see you later.”

As I walk back to the gym I see it’s gotten much darker, almost sunset. My costume seems to give me some much-needed confidence and it helps even more when the people I pass keep giving me odd looks. All the perks of being something scary. When I get to the gym it’s super crowded with various costumes, but hardly any of them are like mine. No one decided to be scary this year? Sad.

“Whoa! And who are you, good-look’n?” I hear Action ask behind me.

I turn and find he’s dressed as a pirate, and is also standing with Riff, Bernardo, and Mouthpiece, who recognizes me instantly. His eyes look as if they’re about to pop out.

“Diana? That’s you? Geez, that’s quite a getup!”

“Like it?” I ask, just a little bit shy. 

He nods repeatedly. “Yeah! You’s always so- so…”

“So goody-two-shoes?” Grazi walks up dressed as a flapper goil and smirks at my outfit. “Bit goth, don’t ya think? You going to a funeral?”

I let her snappy insults wash right over me and decide to walk away to the concession table where Tony and Maria are standing, both dressed in homemade candy corn costumes.

“Hola, Diana! Please join us!” Maria beckons me over. 

“Luv the costume!” Tony praises.

I smile and shrug. “Thanks, that means a lot. At least you guys think so. I just escaped the drama queen herself.”

Maria’s face scrunches up. “Oh, no. You can hide over here with us. Forget about Grazi.”

Tony nods. “Trust me, Diana. Nearly every guy here’s given you at least a second glaze since you came in.”

I bite my lip and look away. “I just wish Mouthpiece would notice. But all he ever does is act like I'm just any odda person, even though we’s been friends since kindergarten.”

Tony starts to say something, but then gets interrupted by Riff. He and Maria go off to join the odda Sharks and Jets, leaving me once again to be alone. 

I sigh and mudda to myself. “I wish Spot or Blink were here…”

“Well they might not be, but you get the next-best thing!” A voice says from behind.

My eyes light up and I turn around to be met in a big hug. “Racetrack Higgins, you son-of-a-gun! You crashed the party?”

“I couldn’t miss a chance to see my brodda now, could I? Besides, you guys have way more fun dances than we do!”

Seeing the Manhattan boy gives me new-found joy, but that still doesn’t hide my previous feelings.

“So what’s got ya down, Di? You’s all dolled up in this gorgeous outfit and you’s off in the corner look’n sadder than the dead.”

I huff and roll my eyes. “With how people are here I might as well be dead. All my friends got dates except me. That and your brodda’s been putting me on the back burner.”

Race gets a distant look in his eye, then smirks. “Well see, that’s the thing with us… When there’s one-”

“The odda ain’t far behind!” Mouthpiece sneaks up and tickles my sides.

“Wait- you- Mouthpiece stop it!” I cackle as I try to squirm away. “Did you know Race was coming?”

Mouthpiece playfully shoves his twin brodda and they both laugh. “Can’t split us up all the time, can they? I tried to find ya but you’s off hiding over here!”

Race sneaks me a strange look with a gleam in his eye. “I think I’ll meet up with you two later. Right now I’s gonna go scam some punch.”

He walks off, and almost instantly Mouthpiece’s body language changes to be more stiff. As if I’ve got a contagious disease. How did things change this much?

“So, um… I haven’t seen ya around much.” That’s because you haven’t noticed! “How’s it been?”

It’s been saddening to see my friend get distant from me.

“I’ve been… ok. I see you’ve become good chums with the Sharks.”

He laughs and looks over at where the odda boys are talking. “Yeah, we’ve got a great prank planned for tonight! Wait ‘till you see it!”

Normally I’d share his enthusiasm, but I still can’t understand how he thinks ignoring me and then chatting it up is all fine and dandy.

“Great. Gonna be a blast, I bet. Um, I gotta go. Have fun tonight, Harvey.”

His real name. Mouthpiece knows I never use his real name.

I turn and hurry away to lose him in the giant mob of students, all previous thoughts of excitement and Halloween all forgotten. Of all nights why did it have to be during my favorite holiday? Unfortunately my dark outfit stands out like a sore thumb and Mouthpiece spots me before I get to the back door.

“Diana, wait!” He scoots out right behind me. “You avoiding me?” He talks in a joking manner, as if it’s nothing.

How is this fair?! “But that’s- It’s not-! Ugh! I can’t believe you can’t- Never mind!” I keep walking away into the streets bustling with trick-or-treaters, but he still follows.

“Wait, what’s wrong? What can’t I understand-?”

I lose what’s left of my little self-control and shove him against a lamppost. “I’m in luv with you, you stupid Jet! I’ve tried and tried to show you but every time you act as if I’m just a friend and will always be just a friend!”

His face flashes 50 different expressions, ending with an open-mouth flabbergasted look. “But… you’s never said anything before.”

“Just because I’m quiet don’t mean I don’t have something to say. But how would you even know if I did say something? You’ve been more distant than I have! Now unless you’re gonna be my friend again then please leave! Maybe I can squeeze in some trick-or-treating to help save what’s left of tonight…”

Just then, strong hands grab my hips and I’m turned to face Mouthpiece’s bright blue eyes. 

“Say you won’t kill me-” My breath hitches as he leans in and presses a soft kiss on my cheek. “I never thought I was good enough… never wanted to put you in danger. But I never wanted to seem cold or distant to ya. I’m sorry, Di.”

I- I don’t know what to say, what to do- He’s felt this way the whole time? “H- How could you put me in danger?” I ask in a shaky voice.

“Because-a the Jets. After what happened with Tony and Maria I thought that I’d never find a goil who’d put up with me, what I get caught up in.”

I set a steady look and bring a hand up to his face. “I’m not afraid to get dangerous, Harvey. You know me better than to think I’d shy away from danger. And since you’s on good terms with the Sharks now there’s been no more rumbles! I’ll luv you no matter how crazy your life is. I just hope I’m enough to keep you happy.”

Mouthpiece hugs me closer and buries his face in my wig. “God, Diana. Is that even a question? I luv you so much it’s been so hard not to say anything. Will ya still take me?”

My fingers run through his blonde hair and take a deep breath. “You’re never too dangerous for me, Harvey Gonzales. I’m finally glad to know you luv me back! I’ve missed you.”

Mouthpiece leans away slightly and gently removes my wig. “I wanna see you, your own hair, your own face- the face of the goil I’s luved my whole life. And I wanna kiss you again.”

So he does. Deep and passionate, but nothing too fast so it’s not uncomfortable. It’s everything I’ve waited for!

“D- Don’t you have a prank to do?” I try to say in-between kisses.

He doesn’t miss a beat. “I’d rather stay here with you.”

When we break apart to breathe, in the dizzying bliss I put my head on his shoulder and nip at his neck. 

Mouthpiece chuckles. “Uh-oh, I got bit by a vampiress. The nicest, hottest vampiress I could ever deserve.”

I let his childish joke slide and hug him impossibly closer, letting out a happy sigh. “Good to have you back, Harvey.”

#west side story #west side story imagine #west side story 2021 #west side story mouthpiece #mouthpiece west side story #mouthpiece #riff west side story #bernardo west side story #maria west side story #tony west side story #anita west side story #west side story baby john #spot colon #kid blink #racetrack newsies #racetrack higgins #newsies #newsies 1992 #west side story x reader #halloween costumes #halloween #trick or treat #action west side story

[sl-newsie]

Give It A Chance (Baby John x Velma's Little Sister)

‘So basically Baby John still hasn’t got a date to the dance at the gym, so Mouthpiece has an idea to set them up, but the thing is she’s a tomboy and has never been to a dance she doesn’t want to go, but after much convincing she decides she can at least meet her blind date beforehand. Much to her surprise he’s got a nail in his ear. She offers to help, they bond and end up having a wonderful time at the dance together.’ Huzzah! Coming right up! 

Jacqueline’s POV

“Come on, Jackie! It’ll be fun!” My sister chats from the other room.

I roll my eyes. “No!”

“Social mixers aren’t life sentences, sis! Just give it a chance-”

“I am not going to a boring, meaningless dance where I will be forced to act nice to people I hate and just stand in the corner like a tossed-aside wallflower! Besides, I've already planned on fishing over in Brooklyn later. Spot’s gonna miss me!”

Fishing with Spot and the other Brooklynites sounds lots more fun than any dumb social event!

Velma storms into my bedroom and backs me against the wall. “Jacqueline Anderson, you will be going to this dance if it’s the last thing I do! You cannot just play around with boys and never go on a date!”

I gawk at her remark and sneer. “Why not? Is it hurting your image?”

“That makes you a tomboy, and I am not having any of that! It’s time for you to grow up and be a lady! What would mother say?”

“You tell me!” I fume. “You knew her better than me before she up and left us! While you’re off gallivanting with your drama queens, I’m actually trying to help dad out by doing odd and end jobs. You want me to be a lady? I’ll be my own ‘lady’ by learning how to support myself without suffering through pointless social dances!”

Velma’s reddening face shows I’m winning, but before she can yell at me again another voice rings out from the front door:

“Velma! Velma! Come quick!”

Graziella, Velma’s best friend, bursts in with a wild look on her face.

“What’s the news, Grazzi?” Velma asks.

“It’s Riff! He and the Jets were fighting the Sharks again! I hear they got roughed up pretty good! Baby John even got-!” She notices me and smirks at my confused frown. “Ooh, I forgot! You haven’t met them, have you? Don’t worry, you will at the dance tonight!”

I huff. “In case my sister hasn’t told you yet, I’m not going! So thanks, but no thanks.”

Mouthpiece’s POV

“Don’t sweat it, Johnny. It doesn’t look that bad…” I peer down at the bloody nail stabbed in the young Jet’s ear. It looks bad. 

Baby John groans. “Face it, I’m just the runt of the pack. You guys are better off without me tonight. Just leave, Mouthpiece- go get ready for the dance.”

“What ‘bout you?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, I ain’t go’n. Besides, I don't even got a date. I ain’t good with the goils like you all are.” He offers a weak smile. “My ma raised me too soft, I guess.”

“Hey, fellas!” Grazi jogs up and looks between me and Baby John. “Ready for tonight?”

“Apparently Baby John ain’t go’n,” I say matter-o-factly as the Jet in question walks away to go slump on a bench and stare at passing cars. 

“Huh. That’s 2 rejections I’ve heard today.”

“Who was the foist?”

“Velma’s sister.” Grazi chuckles. “She’s never gone to a dance and never wants to. She's more of the ‘tomboy’ type, if ya catch my drift.”

“Really…?” I put a hand to my chin and look over at where Baby John’s sitting with a smirk creeping onto my face. “That gives me a crazy idea that just might work…”

Jacqueline’s POV

Ah, dad’s workshop. The only place in this bizarre city I can be myself! I’m currently trying to get a chores list done of fixing a few household items before my fishing trip with Spot.

“Oh, Jackie!” Grazi calls in a singsong voice when she and Velma strut in. “I have returned with wonderful news! You’re still against the dance, right?”

“Still not going,” I say flatly, not even looking up from the clock I’m repairing.

“Oh really? What if I told you that I just set you up on a blind date with a Jet?”

I nearly drop the clock. “What? You’ve got to be kidding!”

Velma and Grazi giggle at my befuddled look.

“I kid you not! Mouthpiece and I worked it all out- you each need a date, so you go with each other. It’s perfect! You’ll love Baby John, he’s super cute.”

“Those Jets are nothing but trouble! Dad never wanted Velma to get involved with them, and here she is now caught up in all this gang violence. I ain’t getting sucked into that too!”

Velma ignores my repent and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Just give him a chance, please? He’s really nice, honest! Do it for mom?”

Really? She’s guilt-tripping me into this, going out with a random boy I’ve never met? But I still can’t ignore the stabbing remorse leaking out of my heart. Mom would have wanted me to at least try. And no one ever said I had to like it. I’ll just show up for 10 minutes and leave when no one notices.

I eventually let out a sigh in defeat. “If I do this, will you stop pestering me about going to social events?”

“If you do this, I’ll never make you go to another social event ever again.” Velma holds her hand up in a scout’s honor. 

I close my eyes and, before I can second-guess this once-in-a-lifetime offer, I give a stiff nod.

“Yay!” My sister does a victory dance and takes my hands to twirl me around the workshop. “Your foist dance! I’m so happy!”

I rip my hands away and kick a can across the room. Guess I’ll have to tell Spot I’m canceling. “Yeah yeah, whatever. So what do I do now?”

Grazi looks judgingly up and down at my rugged, stained overalls. “Foist off, you’re gonna need a dress.” 

Great. I’m going to love this.

In half an hour I feel like one-a those plastic mannequins in a fancy department store. When Grazi holds up a mirror I don’t exist. Instead, I see the face of a fragile goil with rosy cheeks, red lips, highlighted eyes, and brunette curls up in a too-perky ponytail. The dress Velma is lending me is a deep blue, despite my request to wear her blood-red one.

“It lets people know you’re with the Jets, Jackie. You don’t wanna be confused for a Shark goil.”

Why does that matter? But I don’t push it. Just dress up all goily-goily for one night and this’ll all be over.

“But why the shoes?” I groan when I try to stand on the painful heels.

“It helps with posture, so you don’t slouch,” Velma answers quickly before she starts yanking me out the door. “Now come on, we’ve gotta meet up with the boys! Grazi’s already headed off with Riff!”

Baby John’s POV

“Think fast, Johnny!” Mouthpiece calls.

I whip my head up just in time to catch a bottle, one that smells… funny.

“What’s this?”

“Cologne. You know, for your date.”

I almost drop the bottle when my brain processes his casual sentence.  “D- Date? Whaddya talk’n ‘bout? I told ya I don’t got a date.”

The blonde Jet smiles and puts an arm over my shoulder. “You do now, Johnny! Grazi and I set up a blind date for you and Velma’s little sis.”

Blood drains from my face and my throat suddenly feels dry as a desert. 

“Mouthpiece… I- Why would you do that?” I start panicking. “She probably expects some cool, suave guy that’ll make her swoon. I can’t even dance! I’m- I’m gonna die of embarrassment!”

The older Jet presses me against the wall and tries to calm me down. “She ain’t like that, Baby John. Trust me, you’ll like her. And if it’s any comfort she’s just as reluctant to go to the dance as you are.”

I nod and swallow. “W- What’s her name?”

“Jacqueline.”

“Jacqueline…” The name rolls off my tongue like a drink of fresh water. I haven’t even met her and I’m already anxious about this! “When do I meet her?”

“Oh, about-” 

“Mouthpiece! We’re here!” We hear Velma yell close by.

“Right now!” Mouthpiece steers me to the alley and pats my back. “Go get ‘em, tiger!”

“But my ear-!” But Mouthpiece disappears before I can get any help, leaving me to hastily cover my bleeding ear with my hand. Great, now I’ll drive her away with a bloody ear!

In all the rushed mix of confusion and fear, I swallow my nerves and turn to look and find-

Oh my God.

Jacqueline’s POV

“Do I really have to do this? I mean… he probably won’t even like me. Why torture us both?”

Velma waves it off as we make our way to the Jet junkyard. “Oh, please. He’s gonna love you, sis.” We get to a dark alley and she yells: “Mouthpiece! We’re here!”

Guess there’s no going back now.

I take a deep, shaky breath and lift my head up just in time to see- Oh my God.

The most adorable face I’ve ever seen step into the alley. Wait- can goils use that term? But he is! And when this mystery boy walks up closer with an awestruck look on his face I’m proven even further. Brown eyes, cute nose, dark hair, and a tan skin that makes me suspect Italian heritage. He don’t say anything, just keeps staring at me. Did I do something wrong?

I try to break the ice and wave. “Hey, handsome.”

The boy does a double-take to see if he heard me, then looks behind him at the empty alley and points to himself.

“Me?” He squeaks.

I roll my eyes. “No, the wall. Yes you, stupid!”

“Jackie, play nice,” Velma warns. “I’ll leave you kids to get acquainted. Meet you later at the dance!”

And just like that I’m left to fend for myself. But I gotta say, this guy seems a lot less egotistical than I pictured the average Jet. Only known him for 2 minutes and he’s never smirked at me once! But why does he keep rubbing his ear?

Not wanting to make things even more awkward, I step forward and extend a hand. “Jacqueline Anderson. Call me Jackie. You?”

The boy seems taken back by my casual way of speech and shakes my hand. “Baby John.”

“Neat gang name. What’s the real one?” I ask bluntly.

His eyes widen. “Oh, um- just Johnathon. So… you’ve never been to a dance either?”

“Nope. I’s always too busy helping my dad in the shop. I’m doing this to get Velma off my back, that way I can do what I actually like doing.”

“Which is?”

I bite my lip and cross my arms. “You’d probably think it’s stupid. I say let’s just get this dance over with, so let’s go.” Before Baby John can ask further I grab his hand and start drag him towards the street leading to the school gym, but then I notice his hand is covered with- blood?!

“Dear Lord, what did you do to your hand?”

Baby John gets a look on his face and hastily rubs his bloody hand on his shirt. “Oh, sorry. I forgot, um… I got a nail in my ear.”

“What?!” I quickly grab johnny’s shoit and bring him closer get a look at his ear. Sure enough, there’s a rusty nail lodged in his earlobe. “Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.”

He sighs. “I know, it’s gross. I- I understand if you wanna go without me.”

Is he serious?

“No way! I’m not too keen on this dance, but I ain’t just gonna leave you here with your ear look’n like that! Now sit down and shut up.” I search through my purse and pull out a handkerchief. “Here. Once I pull it out hold this on your ear and put pressure on it.” He takes it, then gets wide eyes when I pull out a small bottle of rubbing alcohol.

“What the…? Do you got a tiny murder kit in your purse or someth’n?”

“Haha. No, my dad just taught me to always be prepared. Velma carries lipstick, I carry bandages. Ready?”

Baby John takes a deep breath and holds up the handkerchief. “Ready.”

With steady hands I carefully inch the nail out, and I must say I’m impressed by Baby John’s pain tolerance. He tenses up and squirms a little, and I start to feel bad when he lets a discomfort groan slip out.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Just a bit longer- there!” I quickly remove the nail and hold John’s hand against it. “Pressure!” Now I take out anodda handkerchief and soak it in alcohol. “This is gonna sting like Hell.”

I press it to his ear and John immediately cries out. “Dammit!”

“I told you! Now just a sec-” I cup Baby John’s face with one hand and wrap up his ear with the other. “There. It’ll hurt for a while, but at least it’s disinfected. Sorry, I know it’s really humiliating for a boy to get treated by a goil in public.”

But on the contrary, Johnny actually looks grateful.

“Thanks, Jackie! It feels much better. So… you still wanna go to the dance?”

I shrug. “Yeah, why not? Mine as well since I’s already gussied up in this stupid dress anyway. Unless you’d rather back out now?”

Baby John immediately shakes his head and seems a bit geeked. “No, no! I’m- I’m actually excited. I’s never been to a dance before, so forgive me for be’n a bit of a softie.”

I chuckle at his innocence and give him a playful nudge. “Yeah, but you’re a cute softie.  C’mon!” I grab his hand and we start walking to the gym.

Baby John’s POV

Oh my God. Oh. My. God! I think I’m on a blind date with an angel! And she’s holding my hand!

Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jacqueline… Jackie. She’s beautiful, but not in a traditional way… It’s hard to explain, but I feel as if I don’t have to worry about offending her or pretend to be cool. And she didn’t freak out about my ear!

When we get to the gym it’s super noisy and we have to squeeze through the hallway, making me press against her back and my pulse double.

“Sorry.”

She gives me a funny look. “For what?”

“Bumping up against you?”

She huffs. “Johnny, that ain’t something to be worried about with me. I’ll sooner arm wrestle someone rather than make a hissy fit about getting my toes stepped on. Just relax, ok?”

Is this goil even real?

I expect to be hard-a hearing in the gym, but Jackie’s voice doesn't keep up with the light, feminine tone.

“HEY! JOHNNY! LET’S GO OVER HERE!”

We find a space in the back corner and just stand back to watch the others dancing in the center. Riff and Grazi are having a dance-off with Anita and Bernardo with many onlookers. After a while I feel Jackie nudge my shoulder.

“Wanna dance? Or are you just here to show up too?”

In my head I can’t help but be disappointed that Jackie’s only here because she’s being forced to, not because she wants to dance with me. But I don’t wanna make her do something she don’t like- ‘it’s the gentleman thing to do,’ as ma would say.

“You don’t have to dance with me. I understand, you just wanna get this outta the way.”

Jacqueline’s POV

I notice Johnny’s spirits fall, and at foist I’m not sure why. But then I see him look’n at the odda guys dancing with goils and it clicks. He really wanted to dance with me. This isn’t just a meaningless one time thing to him.

“Say, Johnny… Do you know how to dance?” I ask noivously.

He lifts his head up with new-found enthusiasm and shuffles his feet. “Uh, no. But I’m willing to learn!”

I smile and take his hand. “Then we’ll both learn, ‘cause I don’t either!”

And so it goes, starting with a simple jig and Baby John lifting me up in the air. We do some jazz squares, in-and-out hops, and some charlestons. He’s really good! But my nerves pick up again when the music tone changes to a more slow, romantic song and couples start slow-dancing. Baby John seems to get anxious too, but we both struggle through and start swaying while trying not to fall over.

“I apologize in advance if I step on your feet,” I kid at him.

“Hey! I’m supposed to say that to you,” he points back with a smile.

“Yeah, well… These heels can stab right through your feet. Seriously, they should be classified as murder weapons!”

“I’m assuming you’s never worn heels before?”

I look down. “That obvious, huh?”

“Don’t get me wrong, you pull them off well.”

“Just one more thing I’ve failed at in my big sister’s life of being a goil etiquette.” I roll my eyes.

Baby John frowns. “You don’t act like a goil.”

Hm. I was afraid of this. Sooner or later Baby John was gonna see just how much of a tomboy I really am and then probably leave me for some other more feminine goil.

“Would you want me to?” I ask uneasily.

It doesn’t take long, just a short moment for Baby John to look straight at me with his big, brown eyes, then he shakes his head. “No. I like you, like this I mean. You’re not flirty or over dramatic, you’re just like… just like talking to a guy. B- But not in a weird way!” He quickly recovers and runs a hand through his hair. “Gee, I’m sorry Jackie. ‘S just I ain’t too good talk’n to goils, but you… you’re different.”

“Like… a tomboy, right?”

“Exactly!”

I nod and look away. “Yeah. Someone who never wanted to go on dates ‘cause all guys want is a dainty goil who giggles when she laughs, like a lifesize Barbie doll.”

“I don’t see you that way. You don’t let anyone control you, aren’t afraid to get messy. If that ain’t respectable, I donno what is. But, um, if you’s will’n to maybe give a guy a chance…” He clears his throat and looks at me with noivous eyes. “Would you wanna maybe go on an actual date? It don’t gotta be like this, maybe something outdoors?”

Baby John doesn’t care I’m a tomboy? And call me crazy, but a real date with John actually sounds exciting! Maybe dance wasn’t so terrible after all…

I can tell Baby John’s noivous, but I try to ease him up by taking his hand and using my other hand to cup his face. “Jonathon, I’d luv to!”

His face lights up brighter than the sun and suddenly I’m be’n twirled through the air.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Baby John cheers. When he sets me down he looks at me with a serious face. “I swear, Jacquline, I’ll be good to you. I ain’t like the odda Jets, I’m an honest man I swear.”

My heart melts and I take the courage to lean up and place a soft kiss on Jonathon’s cheek. “I know, Jonathan. I just… know. And I just wanna say thank you for ever want’n to date a weirdo tomboy.”

A deep red flushes over his cheeks and John gives a shy chuckle. “Thanks for give’n a skinny nobody a chance. Um… one last dance?”

“It’d be a shame to waste the golden opportunity,” I smirk.

He grins. “Let’s go!”

We walk hand-in-hand back into the dancing chaos, then begin twirling away again. Tension is still thick between the Sharks and Jets, but we don’t care. All I can think about is Baby John’s soft hands and luv’n eyes. All my life I’ve never thought any guy would take an interest, but now I think things are taking a change for the better!

“Hey, Jackie! You’re finally enjoying yourself!” My sister shouts when she and Action dance over to us.

“Zip it, Velma!” But deep inside, I’ve never been happier! We keep dancing until the Jets and Sharks start to get into a heated argument, then take the time to slip outside.

Baby John gives me a sheepish look. “Things are start’n to get heated up. Sorry ‘bout that.”

I wave it off. “It ain’t your fault. Velma talks ‘bout this kinda thing all the time.”

“You wanna get outta here?”

I shake my head. “You have no idea! Have ya ever gone fishing before? I know the best place in Brooklyn.”

“That sounds poifect, Jackie.” Baby John smiles warmly and takes my hand, leading me outta the crowded gym and out into the cool night.

“Just wait ‘til you see the harbor-! Ugh. These shoes are killing my feet!” I take a moment to lean against a crate while John seems to get an idea.

“Allow me, miss.” He kneels down and starts unstrapping my painful heels. When he’s finished with the foist shoe I stumble a bit, but John lets me lean on him to regain my balance. After I can walk normal again, Baby John stands up and plants a quick kiss on my forehead.

“Race you there?”

I give him a wicked grin. “You’re on!”

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