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Riff x artist!reader

Notes: hey yo Friends, i m back. Took me Long enough. Here you have a ff that nobody asked for. Lol. This is just the First Part of a series. Hopefully i can finish it this time. Also pls don’t be angry Riff isnt really in this Part but he for sure will be in the second Part of this Story, so this is more like a prologue. Kinda. I take requests. And you cure my depression ( at least a tiny bit ) if you text me something nice. Hope you like it. Love, Mai 🍄

Warnings: none, capitalism?!, not perfect english

Summary: Reader likes to draw buildings and her ever changing neighbourhood. After she meets a certain Gang leader, she now really wants to draw the mysterious guy with the beautiful eyes.

The warm afternoon sun was shining on my skin as I walked through the streets of New York's West Side. A thick sheet of paper in one hand, my watercolor box in the other. I ran excitedly to the next street corner, trying to avoid the shadows of the buildings. It was the beginning of spring, so it was only really pleasant in the sun. In the shade, however, I felt like I was freezing to death in my thin dress. I had begged my overprotective brother not to have to wear the thick winter clothes. He had first been of the opinion that I would catch cold in this weather, but then had agreed after he saw the first rays of sunlight shining through the large window onto the fire escape. After that my face was radiateing like the sun, „it is almost a competition“he said, whereupon he could only say yes to me wearing my favorite dress.

It was Sunday and I had gotten up early to set up my drawing supplies in front of a nearby church in the neighborhood and then to be able to paint when everyone would go to mass. I had only started a few weeks ago with the painting of people. I had seen a young man in the subway. He had the most beautiful blue eyes. I had wished very much that I could have drawn him right at that moment. But as soon as he got off the train and jogged down the stairs of the station, I had forgotten his face.

With a building this would never have happened to me. Ever since I was little, I had memorized the windows, towers and facades of the buildings around me. They were burned into my brain. So it was easier for me to later bring the straight lines and dark colors perfectly on paper. Since I had seen the young man, there was a new need in me. I wanted to paint something that was not rigid and straight like the skyscrapers of the West side.

That's exactly why I had tried to draw the people going to church that morning. But somehow I didn't quite succeed. I was dissatisfied with my painting. Nothing looked the way I wanted it to. The happy faces of the young girls in their pretty Sunday dresses looked lifeless and gray. The old people leaning on each other to climb the stairs of the church together did not look lovingly and kind but rather as if they were arguing in front of the house of God.

My newest plan was to draw the small Irish pub on the next street corner. My brother went there often with his friends. He had told that even in the afternoon the small tables already were filled with empty beer bottles and some drunkard even spend sunday not leaving his seat.

I set my things down next to me while I studied the building opposite me carefully. I had no problem drawing the masonry in a few strokes. As I was about to start detailing the dark green front door with the blurry windows, I was disturbed by an unwelcome shouting. A group of young men had gotten into a fight with the owner of the pub. Something in me felt the need to draw the event in front of me. But before I could think about whether it would be morally compatible to draw a possibly escalating fight, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Y/N? What are you doing here. Come on, we shouldn't be around when the jets are doing something illegal," the voice said, matching the hand on my shoulder. It was Tommy, my brother John's best friend. If Tommy was here, my brother couldn't be far either. I didn't like it when the two of them came together. I always have the feeling that my brother wants to bring me and Tommy together. I'm surprised because John still doesn't accept that I've been a grown woman for a while now. He always sees me only as his little sister who definitely should not waste any thoughts on boys and relationships. But with Tommy he was different. Tommy was the only son of a rich merchant from Manhattan. He and John knew each other from college. John probably wanted me to marry him so that I would have a secure life. Definitely not the plan I had for myself. It's not that I didn't like Tommy, he was usually friendly and always had a compliment for me. But he was a coward. The only conversations I had with him were about the fear that someone might steal his expensive new watch or about how his favorite topic in the world was finance.

Not really what I was interested in. He probably thought he could impress me with his father's money. But what I would have been really happy about would have been a few words about my paintings or if he admired New York at sunrise as much as I did. But he had not answered either one and had returned his attention to the fortune on his wrist.

He also wore the watch today, it was cold on my shoulder. I was still thinking about what to answer when John also entered my field of vision.

"If it isn`t my baby sister. How many times have I told you not to go down this street. It's not for young ladies like you. And look at you. Your hands are full of charcoal and paint. What will people think? Come on, let's go, see you tomorrow Tommy" instantly he had pulled me up from my seat and ran with me in the opposite direction of the pub. I quickly grabbed my art supplies. "Walk faster Y/N , dad will be upset if he sees you like this so you better hurry so we get home on time.

I know my brother was only strict with me because he was afraid something could happen to me. Our father had taught him to be strict. After our mother passed away, there wasn't much warmth in our family. And John was always under observation. Father was almost never at home because of his job and sometimes I didn't see him for several days. John, on the other hand, was always there for me. When we were alone he was very caring and loving to me, but as soon as other people were around he showed his strength and severity. Too big was the fear that someone could confess to my father how soft and loving he had been.

When I arrived at our apartment, I immediately ran to the bathroom and began to wash the stains off my hands. The paint came off easily, but the charcoal stains on the back of my hands just wouldn't come off. Only now I noticed that there was also a small spot of blue paint on my light dress. I mentally cursed myself. Why hadn't I been more careful? For me, but also for John. I couldn't imagine what his punishment would be if father found out that I had been hanging around painting all day instead of sitting at the sewing machine or standing behind the stove. He had very old-fashioned views about the place of a woman. But still I could not be angry with him, he was my father after all and only thanks to him I could have the money to paint and the beautiful clothes I loved to wear.

But although me and John waited all evening long for our father to return, he did not come back to the apartment that night. And even though I had struggled all evening, I decided to paint again the next morning while lying between my silk sheets and slowly falling asleep.

Riff x artist!reader Chapter 2

Notes: hey Part twoooo is here! 🍄

Warnings: just bad writing, swearing

The morning sun was shining through my room as I packed my bag. John had told me in the evening to not draw again today. But he certainly couldn`t say anything against the fact that I wanted to go and buy things we needed. So I hid paintbrushes and pencils between the shopping list and money in my bag. My plan was to run as fast as possible to docs, then I had about ten minutes for a small sketch, After that I could do the errands and paint a little in the store while I talked to Valentina. After all, my brother could hardly object if I talked to another woman and was therefore a little late. Convinced of my plan, I ran to the apartment door and quickly said goodbye to my brother. I almost jumped down the stairs to the next floor. Hopefully the neighbor Mrs Murphy wouldn't stop me. She was always interested in the latest gossip from the block. Several times she had asked me if Tommy and I were going to get married soon. Why did everyone think I wanted to?

It wasn`t a long way to docs. I had been going there since I was a little girl, most times to look at the colorful candy. Once or twice valetina had given me a little chocolate. I had been overjoyed. Since her husband had died a while ago, I went at least once a week. Even if I had nothing to get from the shop. I just loved the little store and its cheerful owner. But my father had forbidden me to visit the store that often. "Too many bad young guys are going there " he had said. So i didnt visit Valentina regularly and if i was then only in the mornings. My father had said that it was the only time I should be out and about in the neighborhood, since the Jets were probably not up at that time of day yet.

I only had a few minutes to unpack my things. I sat down on a bench across from docs and started drawing. Quick strokes on the bright paper. It took only a few moments for the outline of the building. Then I got down to the details. The windows, the small display and the sign that hung above the door. The next time I looked up, I saw him. I thought I was dreaming, but in front of the store stood the young man from the subway train. He argued with Valentina.

"Hey, come on, just two minutes. I really need to talk to Tony.“

Could it really be him? And what was he doing here? Why was he arguing with Valentina?

Too many thoughts were in my head at once. I needed to draw. This time I was not interrupted. I couldn't help it and started sketching what was in front of me. More importantly I started to sketch him. His lean body, his paint-stained hands, his long fingers holding a cigarette. The brown tousled hair, the cheeky grin and those beautiful eyes. Everything was suddenly in front of me on the paper. Too big was the fear to forget him again.

"Fuck come on. I swear I won't steal anything."

"Well, maybe not this time. You've always stolen from me boy, don't think I'll let a criminal like you in my store again." Valentina's voice grew louder. It seemed to be very important to her, she was not someone who just raised her voice. But instead of worrying about Valentina, my thoughts were only filled with the man in front of me. She knew him, and that must mean she probably knew a name to that face. How much I would like to know his name. How much I would like to look at him from up close.

„Y/N "All at once I was torn from my thoughts. I had forgotten what my real goal was. I was running out of time.

"Y/N, sweetheart how nice to see you. Come on in. You don't have to be afraid of him anymore, I successfully chased him away. Come here and sit with me." she pointed at the chair by the window. "I haven't seen you for so long. How can I help you?

I gave her my list. She went right out and started looking on the shelves.

I chewed on my lower lip. Should I ask her? But she shouldn't think i was interested at all, otherwise it could lead to big problems. Besides, she had called him a criminal. That wasn't exactly a positive description.

"Who was that?"

"What do you mean, child?"

" the young gentleman you had a fight with? What did he want?"

Before she could answer, I heard footsteps and then the door to the basement open. Tony was standing there. I didn't really know him, we had only spoken once or twice. He worked and lived with Valentina. I think she saw him kinda as a son. He was tall and muscular. Most of the time he helped her with the heavy boxes from the warehouse or climbed up the ladders when something was needed from on top of the cupboards. Most of the time he looked a bit sad but still smiled friendly when he saw me in the store.

"Hey, what's this about? Who were you fighting with Valentina?" he looked worried at the woman in front of him, before giving her a kiss on the cheek to continue carrying boxes.

" your annoying friend was here again, asking for you"

"You mean Riff? I'm sorry he was here again. I told him you didn't want him here."

"If only he would listen. That boy is nothing but trouble."

Attentively I stood there and listened to the conversation. Riff? What kind of name was that? Somehow I had the feeling that I had heard this name before.

I looked at the clock above the door. It was already 10 minutes past the scheduled time. So I had only about 3 minutes to get back to the apartment in time. I had just spent too much time in front of the store. I paid and took the bag with my purchases from Valentina's hand. "Thank you very much. See you soon. I have to hurry or I'll be late. It gushed out of me before I heard the door close behind me. I ran to the next street corner and then started walking regularly. No one should notice that I had run all the way. That wouldn’t have been really ladylike. And Mrs Murphy would certainly ask me about it later or would gossip with the other neighbors. They definitely shouldn’t know I was that excited about a boy.

Fortunately John was in a good mood. He didn't say anything else about me being late, even though I got a slightly annoyed look when I stumbled through the door. But thanks to the good weather, he seemed to forgive me.

In my room I had the first chance to remember what I had experienced. And quickly I disappeared into a daydream about the mysterious man to whom I finally had a name. I thought about how it would be to run through his hair or touch his hand. He had had paint on his hand. Maybe he liked to paint too, I thought dreamily.

Wait. Paint. Painting…Painting ! "Crap" more swear words wanted to burst out of me but I thankfully remembered that my brother was sitting in the room next to me.

I couldn't see my drawing anywhere. I started to panic. Maybe I had lost it while running home. Or even worse, maybe I had left it with Valentina. I could not believe it. This could be horrible. If someone saw it… I wouldn’t know what to do.

I had to think of something as soon as possible, so that I could return to doc's store. And hopefully find my drawing before it might fall into someone’s hands.

Riff x artist!Reader Chapter 3

Notes: sorry guys.😭 I wasnt feeling that great in the last weeks, thats why it took me so long to write a new Chapter. I m trying my best, Friends.✨Hope you like it. Stay Hydrated, love Mai💗

Warnings: bad grammar

Desperate about what had happend to my painting, I sat on the fire escape and pondered. I had to find a plan as quickly as possible. Preferably one that could still work out today. It was already in the afternoon. The sun was shining between the skyscrapers of the city. I saw mrs Murphy lugging her groceries across the street, talking to the janitor of the building across the street. She was probably spreading the latest gossip she had heard at the market. I found myself thinking about Riff again. I had heard his name before - I was convinced of it by now. Maybe mrs Murphy had talked about him once. I thought about how she would spread gossip about me and Riff. I would much rather have that, than stories about me and Tommy of whether or not we were engaged.

Only now the stories about me and Riff were not even that unrealistic. I thought with horror that Mrs Murphy could have found my drawings. If that had happened, then I was as good as dead. My father would probably lock me up in our apartment for months and John would lock up my stuff, or worse, throw it away.

John couldn't stand it if I had feelings for a jet. Or any gang member. He's dreamed of seeing me and Tommy together for too long. Nothing could stop him. Sometimes I think about what I would do if women had the same rights as men. I wouldn't be here anymore. Maybe I would travel around the world, or wear pants. But these kind of thoughts were pointless.

I thought I had reached a new low point of the day, when suddenly I had an idea.

John really wanted me and Tommy to get together. That was for sure. So what if I just played along.

"Brother, I have a question. I know I've already been to docs once today. But is there any way I can go there again real quick? I'll be back in 15 minutes I promise."

" I don't think so. I don't like you spending so much time there. Those gang boys hang out there a lot. That's no place for a young lady like you."

" I know, I know John. But you know I've been thinking about it and...I'd like to ask Tommy out.“ i tried to sound as honest as possible. „ And he's coming to see you tonight. So I thought it would be nice if I got him his favorite chocolate from Valentina. He really likes it and I would love to have a present for him. He is always so generous to me. Please John."

"If that's the case, then thats fine with me. I'm glad you finally fancy him. I've always said you'd make a beautiful couple. But be back in time."

I really hoped he didnt notice my fake smile. The idea of me and Tommy as a couple was too horrible. Nevertheless, I could not help but rejoice. If I was lucky, the painting was still where I had lost it.

I walked through the noisy streets of new york. Past the paperboys on the street corner. A confident look on my face. A bag in one hand. The other one was nervously playing with the hem of my skirt. A habit since childhood. Father had always hated it. He said that my insecurity could be seen from miles away. Besides fidgeting was nothing what a young woman in my social rank did.

Fortunately for me, Valentina had not yet closed. Without thinking further, I went into the store. At first glance it was dark and no one was to be seen. But I heard voices coming from the basement. It had to be Tony and Valentina.

"They will be with me soon," I thought. I was overwhelmed that I was so lucky again. There was no one in the store, which meant I could search intensively for my picture. Without having to find a stupid excuse like "I dropped my pearl earrings" . This thought made me smile.

I went to the table where I had been sitting in the morning. This was the last time i Hand Seen my painting. But instead of my drawing, there was only a pack of cigarettes. The box was almost empty. Only one cigarette was still in it. Dark blue paint was stuck to the side of the box. I took it in my hand to have a better look. Even though my brother and father had the habit of smoking, I had never held such a pack in my hand before. My brother said it was not something suited for me. Just like alcohol.

I had always kept to the rules of the two men, but in this moment the feeling of curiosity overcame me for the first time. What would happen if I would not keep to these rules. But before I should continue to think about whether I should dare to smoke a cigarette or drink a sip from the gin bottle that stood on the top shelf of the kitchen, the door opened behind me. Without giving it much thought, I put the pack of cigarettes in my pocket.

Standing in front of me were Tony and...

Not Valentina. It was Tony and Riff. The two were still engaged in their conversation. Neither had noticed me.

"Come on Tony, it will be fun for you to dance again. And please let me know if you find out anything."

Nervously I started playing with the hem of my skirt again. I wanted to stare at the floor but instead I looked at him again. As if we were the only two people on this planet. He had a beautiful laugh. One of those laughs you always want to hear. His whole face was beaming.

He turned his head a little to the side. With his left hand, unnoticed by Tony, he reached into the bowl next to him.

"Would he look at me? Would he know it was me who had drawn him like a madwoman in front of the store. Maybe he'd say something to me..."

The thoughts just bubbled in my head. I had the feeling of completely losing my mind. I didn't even know this young man! What was i thinking?!

„Yeah, we'll see. And hey, Riff! Don't steal milkyways again." Tony tried to take the candy out of Riff's hand. But Riff was faster, he turned around and ran past me without giving me a glance. I didn't realize what had happened until the door had closed behind him and Tony had said my name out loud several times.

The rest of the day felt numb. I bought the chocolate for Tommy and asked Tony as uninterested and normal as I could about the drawing. But Tony just gave me a knowing look and told me to ask Valentina about the drawing. Tony definitely knew more than he wanted to say. He had probably found the drawing himself. Normally I would be freaking out now. Or start asking Tony about every detail he knew. But the disappointment that Riff hadn't even noticed me, had already triggered a different feeling.

Lost in my thoughts, I walked home. I hadn't been feeling this low in a long time. Now I had to go on this stupid date with Tommy. And my excuse was pointless. With my head down I walked along the street. Not knowing that on the other side, across from docs, an excited young man was walking up and down the road. In the small pocket of his ripped shirt, was a carefully folded sheet of paper.

Dancing in the Dark

Baby John x reader.

Content warning: blood

Word count: 1.5k

Summary: Valentina’s granddaughter and Baby John have been keeping a secret from the Jets and the Sharks: they’re dating.

Note: This is my first x reader ever, so if anyone has any constructive criticism I’d love to hear it.

Early in the evening you sit at your desk, scribbling in a notebook as your mind wanders to the dance later that night. You had picked out your dress days ago and then your grandma disapproved of it, so you picked another one along with a pair of small heels. You'd made a plan to rob your grandmother's jewelry box later to find accessories.

To be completely honest, your life wasn't very exciting. You work at Doc's DrugStore every weekend and after school to assist your grandma. You didn't get paid for it, but you are happy to help out. She had been taking care of you since you were little. Your father works two jobs to provide for you. Your mother passed away when you were 3 from pneumonia. Valentina raised you to be the person you are now.

A dance was something you thought would change everything. It was an escape from the bland routine you repeated every single day without end. It would be a night full of dancing and music to clear your mind. Even though you don't have an official date, it still excites you a lot.

Something hitting its head on the window and falling onto the floor snapped you out of your daydream. You turn around in your chair to see the boy better known as Baby John getting up with his hands stained orange and blood dripping from his ear. His disheveled appearance raised a number of questions you wouldn't even bother asking.

"What the hell happened to you?!" you question, standing up and walking over to him. You place your hand on his cheek and turn his head to the side to get a good look at the wound.

"It was a nail. It's not that bad." Baby John tries to assure you. He places his hand over yours and lowers it away from his face.

"Stay here." you tell him before walking to the bathroom. You run a clean towel under the tap and return to your room. You press the towel against his ear, attempting to clean the wound. Your grasp on the towel softens when most of the blood and dirt comes off. Your eyes trail from his ear to his eyes. Those beautiful brown eyes that you swore you could get lost in. Despite his affiliation with the Jets, they still held innocence, something you don't want him to lose.

You worry a lot for him. It had been a few weeks since you started seeing each other, but he had become one of the best things in your life. whenever he had to sneak through your window or you would meet in secret, you got a rush of adrenaline. If either the Jets or the Sharks would find out about you, you'd both be disemboweled, In a way, that made the moments you shared even more special.

You know Baby John isn't a bad person, just someone who found the wrong crowd. The jets had been coming into your grandparents store as long as you could remember. It was one of the few things left that wasn't being torn down. You grew up around them. You know all of them by name and which ones hang around the store more often than the others.

At some point, Baby John started coming in by himself to talk to you. One thing led to another and here you are.

You two sat down on your bed and you put a bandaid on his ear. "Are you excited for the dance tonight?" you ask him.

"Yeah," he nods. His hand reaches out to take yours, not really caring if he gets paint on you. "I just wish we could dance together."

"Me too." you sigh. "I picked out a really nice dress too."

"Can I see?" Baby John asks eagerly, the smile you love so much prominent on his face. How could you possibly resist?

You get up to open your closet. Your fingers glide over the delicate fabric of the dress, admiring the work Anita had done to shorten the dress a little so it was more comfortable. She is truly a witch with a sewing machine. It's perfect.

You look over your shoulder to see your boyfriend watching you full of suspension. "Turn around." you tell him.

"Right." he nods, turning to face your window and give you your privacy.

You pull your blouse over your head, step out of your skirt and put on the dress. With your back faced to your mirror, you zip up the dress. You turn back to face the mirror and fix your hair. Satisfied with your appearance, you turn around to face your boyfriend. Even when partially covered in paint and dirt, he still managed to look cute.

"You can turn around." you tell Baby John, your hands resting on the waistline of your dress to appear confident.

When his eyes meet yours they light up. His pupils dilate and his lips form into a smile full of admiration that makes your face turn bright red. His lips were slightly parted as if he was trying to find the right words, but remained speechless.

"It's not the entire thing yet. It really comes together with the heels and the jewelry." you promise, rolling the purple fabric of the dress between your thumb and index finger.

"It's perfect." Baby John finally manages to speak. "It's just, uh, you look like a princess."

You didn't think it was possible, but your smile grew even bigger. Baby John offers his hand, which you gladly take, and twirls you around, the skirt of your dress flaring out as you spin.

"It's gonna be hard to stay away from you tonight." Baby John admits.

"Well, you're gonna have to try your best then." you tease with a grin. You lean forward to place a kiss on his cheek. "Abuela wants to see me before the dance, I should get ready."

Baby John nods. "Guess I'll see you later then." he returned to your window, exiting the same way he came to avoid anyone seeing him leave your apartment.

You grab his hand just when he had both his legs out the window, stopping him for one last kiss goodbye. You place your other hand on his face, pulling him in until your lips finally meet. His hands trailed along your waist, being careful not to ruin or wrinkle your dress. He was always gentle with you, seemingly afraid to hurt you in any way. Heat was rising to your face at a rapid pace and you couldn't help but wonder if his heart was beating as fast as yours.

Your lips part, allowing both of you to get some air. You pull back slightly, your hand lingering on his cheek for just a second. "I'll see you later." you smile.

Baby John nods, fully removing himself from your window. "Not if I see you first." he teases, disappearing down the fire escape.

You close your window, allowing yourself to take a deep breath. The one thing you had feared about yourself was just confirmed, you are head over heels for a Jet boy.

──────── Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ────────

You push open the door to Doc's drug store to find it empty. All the lights are still on, but neither Tony or your grandmother were anywhere in sight. You take off your coat, hanging it over the back of a chair.

Ever since your grandma hired Tony they'd become thick as thieves. She always saw the good in people. So when Tony got out of prison, she insisted on giving him a second chance. Tony had quickly become a friend to both you and her. He's an entirely different person compared to who he used to be. You only hope the rest of the Jets somehow see the same light he did before they end up in prison.

You approach the basement, trying to spot someone. "Abuela, you down there?"

Valentina emerges from the shadows, placing a hand on her heart when she sees you. "Mija," she sighs, walking up the stairs to embrace her granddaughter. "You look just like your mami the first time she came over for dinner." she said lovingly, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"Please don't cry. You know if you start crying, then I'll start crying." you sniffle, wiping away the tears building up.

Valentina hands you a tissue. "I asked Bernardo and Anita to escort you to the dance."

You groaned. "I don't need protection." you protest, taking the tissue and drying your lower eyelids.

"Yes, you do." Your grandma insists. "It's dangerous at night."

You roll your eyes despite knowing she has a point. Police sirens could be heard all through the night. Your dad kept telling you to stay in after dark. Usually you listened, but tonight was the dance so you couldn't care less.

Before you get the chance to argue back, the door swings open. Bernardo stands in the doorpost, Maria, Anita and Chino just behind him. "Why so somber, who died?" he jokes

"My mother, vamos!" you cheer. No time to dwell on the past, it's time to dance.