Author's note: I do not own West Side Story or any element of it.
Later that evening, Vivienne stood over her kitchen sink, watching the droplets of water trickle down into the drain.
Despite having got home after all, she couldn't keep her mind in her books. Instead, it constantly wondered back to the day's events. Her argument with Riff, his quick reaction to defend her, and Lieutenant Shrank's words of advice - or warning - as he tried to get her on his side. She knew as well as he did that she hadn't fooled anyone. They knew that she was involved with the Jets in some capacity. Now it was just a matter of how the rest of this game played out.
Her thoughts were only disrupted by the sound of a gentle knock on the other end of her door.
"Come in," she called.
When the door opened she turned around to see Riff entering the room and shutting it behind him, his face still bloodied from earlier.
"You wanna sit down?" she asked, gesturing to one of the chairs.
Riff looked thoughtful. "Hey, don't do me no favours, doc. I know you hate me."
"I don't hate you," she replied, sounding more sincere than she had intended.
"But you sure as hell don't like me."
"I guess not. But you said you didn't like me either. So I'm confused as to why you would bother to jump in today at the station and wail on that nobody."
"That's part of the deal, y'know," he replied with a shrug. "You help us out, we help you out."
When she had nothing to say to that, she gestured again to the chair. This time, he followed her lead and sat down by the table, and she could feel his eyes on him as she went to fetch a bowl of warm water and a clean rag to clean him up with.
She then stood beside him, and began to dab at his face.
"I know you were pissed today," he said as she tried to awkwardly reach over to part of his face. "About gettin' dragged to the station and all that."
"About as pissed as anybody would be."
He glanced at her, angling his face in such a way that made her task more difficult. She let out an exasperated sigh.
"But..." she began to admit. "You were right. I said what you told me to and they let me leave."
She chose not to include her conversation with Shrank. Even though she wasn't planning on taking up his offer, she didn't intend to give Riff any reason not to trust her.
"See," Riff replied, quirking his brow in a teasing way. "I told you I'd figure it out."
"Maybe you need to act less up your own ass."
"Maybe you need to trust me more."
When he continued to move his head around out of her reach, she grew annoyed. Deciding to take charge, she nudged his legs together with her knee and stepped over until she was over him now.
She found herself sitting on his lap, her legs either side pressed against his. She didn't miss the expression flicker quickly on his face from to something more bashful, before quickly reverting back to it's previous cool state. She noticed him swallow, perhaps out of some hidden nervousness.
Smirking to herself, she realised that perhaps this was the first time she'd really had the upper hand. Men were, after all, so easy to figure out in some ways. Leaning forward, she began to dab at his face.
"You seem a little on edge," she muttered, bringing her face down towards his. "Nervous?"
"No," he replied quickly. "You?"
"Why should I be?" she asked, wiping the blood from his brow. "I'm not the one with a beat up face."
"I don't get nervous." He reached up and placed his hands around her hips.
Something about his cocky grin made her want to push for more. Show him he wasn't the boss around here. She reached back and placed the cloth on the table beside the water, before turning back to him. She pushed herself forward and hung her arms around his neck. His unsettled expression returned with the new closeness, and she realised how much she liked whatever this side of herself was.
Whatever he was bringing out in her, it was something she could get used to. The part of her that made her feel in control and made guys like Riff pink in the cheeks.
She began to move her hips closer towards his lap, slowly beginning to rock forward and back. His hands on her began to tighten, but he didn't push her away.
"Are you sure?" she asked, leaning forward to talk into his ear.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his eyes close, falling away in the feeling of her on top of him. Underneath, she suddenly felt a hardness between his legs. It was only then that she realised this was as far as her plan had gone.
How far was she willing to go to make her point? More strangely, she found herself growing concerned with how much the feeling of him against her excited her. She suddenly wanted to be closer to him.
Riff, who somehow sensed her change in thought, opened his eyes and looked at her.
"How far are you gonna take this?" he asked quietly, calling her bluff. A smirk grew on his face. It was a game between the two of them now. "Until you realise I ain't gonna give you whatever it is you want and call it quits?"
Growing irritated at his confidence now, she sat up and grabbed at a handful of his hair, yanking it until he gritted his teeth in response.
"I don't quit," she replied, her voice cutting.
Riff stared up at her, his eyes flickering with a series of thoughts she couldn't work out. Suddenly, his arms engulfed her lower body and she felt herself being lifted into the air as he rose from the chair. In a quick yet smooth gesture, she now found herself being lowered onto the table, her back making contact with the wood with enough frantic force to knock the bowl of water onto the ground. It shattered into pieces, but neither of them cared to look. Riff was above her now, staring down into her eyes.
The smirks and wits were gone now. Now his lower body was between her legs, pressing them both together with only their clothes to keep them apart. One of his hands gripped at her thigh, the other under her waist, pulling her down towards him.
He hovered above her. She watched him, all thoughts leaving her mind. The only thing she could focus on now was the feeling of blood rushing to her cheeks and the feeling of want coming from inside the most personal part of her.
Suddenly, Riff lowered himself down and pressed his lips against hers. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could. They kissed frantically and tirelessly, Riff now writhing his lower body against hers in a way that made her moan into his lips.
She felt his hands move towards her stomach, where they tugged at her shirt and made their way underneath. He reached up and felt at her chest, pressing his lips against her neck as he did.
She reached down and lowered her hand between them, beginning to work at undoing his belt. All she wanted now was him with no thought to anything else. No thought of how he made her angry, the insults they threw at each other, or the possible consequences of this moment. Well, all but one consequence.
"Do you, um-" she started, only realising then how breathless she was. "Have a-"
Riff drew himself back to look at her, before giving himself a quick pat-down and check of the pockets with one hand - the other settling behind her neck. After realising he had nothing, his face fell in disappointment.
"Shit," he breathed. "I got nothin'."
Vivienne held back a huff of annoyance. Every second they weren't kissing or touching, she ached.
"Check the bathroom," she said. "There might be something in there."
Riff quirked a brow and smiled wryly. Pushing himself away, he kept his hand on her until he could no longer do so, and she watched as he disappeared into the bathroom. She sat on the table's edge, suddenly feeling incredibly self-aware. When he reappeared a few moments later, holding up their relief and shaking it in the air, she wrapped her legs around his waist once he arrived back to her.
He reached down and kissed her firmly. As soon as their lips met, it was as if he'd never left the moment. He lowered her back down again and she heard the buckling of his belt come loose and felt his hands reach up under her skirt and pull down her underwear until they were tossed to the ground.
Riff reached down and moved his hand between her legs, watching as she reacted to his touch. As he danced his fingers against her, he couldn't help but move down to kiss her again, feeling completely drawn to her in a way that was unfamiliar to him. Hearing her breaths and seeing her eyes fall closed in pleasure made his heart beat so fast he thought it might burst.
After a while their pace began to quicken once more, until their eyes caught each other and they couldn't wait any longer. Their faces pressed close to each other, they both waited a moment for Riff to ready himself before there was nothing else to stop them, and he pushed himself into her.
They moved together, kissing and panting and feeling the table shift underneath. Both grasped onto each other tightly, as if they might slip away. They continued, until all they could both think about was more, moving faster and more frantic until they couldn't tell what moan belonged to who and who's hands were on the other's body. When their bodies couldn't take it anymore, Vivienne cried out and felt Riff groan into her neck, shuddering on top of her.
They stayed that way for a moment, catching their breath. Eventually, Riff lifted his head and caught her eye. When he moved away wordlessly, Vivienne sat up and suddenly wondered if they had done something they shouldn't have done at all. That maybe this was now where the regret or awkwardness came into play. But Riff buckled his belt and turned around to face her, moving his hand around to the back of her neck and bringing her once more towards him where he could kiss her. When they parted, he gave her a grin.
"You're right. You don't quit," he said.
She realised then that it couldn't be awkward. Awkwardness didn't exist with Riff. So she realised then that she didn't have to worry about it. They probably shouldn't have done what they just did, but at least they could move on from it now somewhat smoothly.
She reached out and pressed her hand against his chest. "You should go. I have an early class tomorrow."
"You want help?" he asked, nodding towards the ground where the broken bowl sat.
"I'm good," she said, shaking her head.
"Okay. I'm gone."
Looking at her once more, he surprised himself when he stepped forward and kissed her again, taking her face between his hands. It was almost as if when he left, whatever daze he was in and whatever they were doing would come to an end.
She looked taken back when he pulled away, but offered him a smile. He left quickly then, before he did anything else out of character. He closed the door behind him, leaving Vivienne sat on the edge of her table feeling like the world around her had been shaken entirely.