A/N: the first part of this is kinda a recall to Cordelia's situation so that's why it's in italics, okay enjoy, tysm for all the support :) <3
OMFG THIS TOOK SO LONG TO MAKE ENJOY!!!!!!
Cordelia held her breath as she entered the door and plopped onto her mum's sofa. Again she found herself fixating on her heels, she'd already declared this as some sort of coping mechanism but chose to ignore it. The urgent news Helen was desperate to share was quickly spewed out.
Cordelia unwillingly opened her mouth, embraced in a painful shock, the feeling of a knife being plunged into her and constantly ripped out.
Helen quickly noted Cordelia's reaction and bunched her face up, scowling at her 'wicked' daughter.
"This is good for him! You're being selfish, this is a good idea." She followed, acknowledging the disapproving look stained on her face.
"Don't try assign me a piece of your fucked up mind and beliefs when you've already fucking screwed everyone over!"
Cordelia slowed her speech, attempting to gulp back the bitterness and croak in her voice . She just couldn't process speech, her entire mind had gone blank on plausible words and her emotion overflowed.
Her eyes welled up but she refused to allow a tear to fall in the presence of Helen. In the presence of her 'mum', she couldn't be seen in a state of weakness, it'd trouble her more than it was worth.
"You wanna send Johnny to an orphanage?" Cordelia bawled, attempting to see if her mind had illustrated this entire situation.
"Because, because he's a jet?"
Helen met Cordelia's gaze with confusion and yet again scrunched her face up in seeming disbelief.
"My boy's a jet?" She muttered to nobody in particular, staring blankly at Cordelia's face.
Her eyes looked dull and strained with fatigue as they bored into Cordelia, questioning whether it was all bullshit or Johnny was actually involved in a gang.
Cordelia stumbled over her words while trying to build a sentence but they kept getting dusted away, her mind remaining absent.
"Wa-Wait, you didn't know?" Florence stammered, Cordelia jumping at the croak of her voice, surprised she forgot Florence's presence.
"Then, then why were you going to send him to an orphanage?" Florence had already reached out her hand and placed it on top of Cordelia's reassuringly.
"Because there was a nail in his ear, thought my son was being a pussy!" Helen retorted, holding her nose high with disgust as she reimagined the bandage wrapped around his ear and her ripping it off, exposing the wounded flesh with blood trickling down onto the wiry black carpet.
Cordelia's eyes were submerged in a state of rage, pure red fury coursed through her veins as she bolted up and headed for the door, opening and slamming it shut with all her energy.
Threading through the streets, in an anxiety, disorientated manner, she allowed her own mind to autopilot the journey, tears finally free, streaking down her face.
She gulped to try drown out the escaping sobs and wiped her blurry eyes, acknowledging a sign and breathing in to calm herself.
Her mouth involuntary tugged at the sides as she took in the figure. He looked blushed with embarrassment, his eyes slowly scavenging the street, dismissing his thoughts attempting to encourage him that she was going to show.
He stood up, dusting himself off, awkwardly beginning to stumble away in the opposite direction. This action instantly snapped Cordelia back into reality as she rushed forward, slowing as she began to approach his back, his body not moving as he realised the advancing clicks of heels.
Cordelia raised her arm, only pausing as she constructed a sentence, and followed through by softly tapping his shoulder, her face impulsively planting a small smile as he span around to face her.
"Didn't leave you hanging too long, did I?"
"Long enough for me to tell ya, the zoo is no fun sober." Riff chuckled, casually composing himself as he acknowledged Cordelia's appearance, the tear-stained face yet attempting to be reassuring smile.
He simultaneously acknowledged the longing on her face to forget whatever troubles and simply have some fun, and fun, he could do.
"Change in scenery for our date?" Cordelia looked up at him with wide, smiling eyes as they both began to stroll out into the streets, interlinking arms, Riff leading a clearly meticulously planned route.
"Our date." He drawled, his smirk growing as he rethought the words.
Cordelia felt her face redden and turned her face away from view, dazing into the shop windows.
"Somethin' caught your eye?" Riff stated with a cocked eyebrow, glancing back at her and the streets, clearly searching for a specific spot.
"See I saw some leopard print heels and I think the animals are disappointed we didn't visit."
"Now I ain't no advisor on dating, but zoos aren't how I go, Clicky." He winked, gently tugging her arm into a remote alleyway behind a far too expensive italian restaurant recently imported on a rebuilt street.
The alleyway was dimly lit with only a slither of light escaping out an open, back window, highlighting the amused perplexity on Cordelia's face. It wasn't until she recognised a quiet, slow song melody begin to flood out the back window that a wide grin spread on her face, Cordelia carefully wrapping her arms around Riff .
The two began to dance, gently enveloped in a fantasy, one ridden of gang violence and social classes, simply full of infatuation and allure for one another. He tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled to himself, gently placing a kiss on the top of her head as Cordelia buried her head in his chest, submerged in euphoria.
As the song ended, Cordelia didn't untwine her hand from his, instead she held it tightly as the two aimlessly walked around the streets, expressing every thought to each other.
As Cordelia rested her head on his shoulder he allowed himself to open up about the rumbles and attachment to the jets, feeling an unknown sense to him, a sense of peace.
"Promise to tell me about these things, these rumbles, alright?"
"I'm a big boy, little lady." He teased, placing a kiss on her forehead, Cordelia comforted by their newfound closeness.
"I don't wanna see you coming back to me broken and bruised." She replied, tracing her finger down his knuckles.
But then the disruption of the night began as Cordelia recognised a deep, menacing chuckle ring through the dark, moon-lit streets.
Her eyes needed to reassure her mind, scanning the streets but she was left dumbfounded as she re-encountered him, she was concealed in a cool sweat and abruptly stopped, catching Riff's attention.
Her mind flashed to memories of the long, drawn-out whistle, the girl who was obnoxiously munching gum as she punched the man's face, the one who later beat on her. Cordelia's mind roaming to how she thought of Riff in that moment as she ran away, as she was immersed in anxiety and fear, she thought of him.
"What's happenin', Clicky?" Riff lightly tapped her shoulder, breaking her state of hysteria, following her eye-line to the men grouped on the other side of the pavement.
Cordelia wrapped her arms around him and convinced him to continue walking, closing her eyes and allowing Riff to recall her route home.
"I'm alright, you're here." She smiled to herself. He's here.
*
Riff arrived at the building, slowly edging closer inside, raising his eyebrow as Cordelia reached her apartment and presented him with an open door.
"The fire escape has a pretty good view." Cordelia grinned, dragging the word pretty.
Riff shrugged as he accepted the open door, allowing her to lead him towards her room and watching as she slipped open the window, Riff grabbing his jacket as they exited.
The black abyss of the night sky was sprinkled with gleaming stars, twinkling above them as they slumped their backs against the brick walls, Cordelia laying her head on his chest.
As the night ventured on and their mumbles to eachother got quieter, Cordelia fully shut her eyes, finally droning off with a firmly stained smile on her face.
Riff covered the pair with his re-picked up jacket and slung his arm around her, admiring Cordelia until he felt his eyes begin to feel heavy.
They were wrapped into eachother, softly sleeping as the sun began to rise.
A/N: y'all i can't believe this took me so long, pls tell me what you think and tysm for all the love <3