"YO!!! KELLS!!! Ashley yells from across the living room. "I forgot to tell you, I invited my girl Luna out with us tonight. She's a bad ass chick who's an artist too. She shoots the most intimate pictures. You'll love her mus... "
Colson is sitting at the dining room table rolling up joints for his birthday party tonight. He's listening but honestly he doesn't give a fuck who's gonna be there. His main objective is to get FUUUUCKED UP tonight. Last year before The Big One.
"You mean Luna Smith, THAT Brooklyn Bitch!?!" Pete interrupts Ashley excitedly. "I FUCKING LOVE HER!!! Dude, she's like one of my greatest friends of all time. We go back to before I was doing stand up. She's actually one of the first people to push and shoot me." He admits with pride.
"ME TOOOO!!!" Laughs Ashley. "I didn't know you knew her, that's crazy!"
"You ain't shit until you've been shot by a LunaTic!!" They shout in unison while laughing.
Colson fires up a joint as he vaguely listens to Pete and Ashley swap stories about this Luna chick. Running around Brooklyn, late night missions, this show here, that show there... all basic punk, Riot GRL shit... But wait...? Talking her way outta a B&E AND resisting arrest charges!? Colson's ears perk up. He's just about to join the conversation when he's distracted by Dom; Ashley's boyfriend, plunking down beside him.
"Happy Fooking Birthday, Mate!!" He says with a slap to the back as he begins to help out rolling and shots begin to flow.
Colson Baker's mind loses any thoughts of Luna Smith.
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An hour or so passes. The rest of The Band popping out of their rooms as a few close friends show up and mix within them. They're all over to PreGame before dinner and the killer house party planned for afterwards. Over the bump of the music Colson hears the door bell. Needing a break and wondering who the fuck is at his door, he heads towards it.
"I've got it." He yells out to everyone and no one.
Colson opens the door to find the back of a tiny body in a black leather jacket with long, golden blonde hair cascading down it. There's a short, flowing red dress under it. Booty popping out with tattooed legs and chunky heeled combat boots.
"My kinda style..." He thinks to himself, looking her up and down.
"HI!!!" The girl says as she turns around revealing bright, blue eyes; a wide smile spreads across her face making her eyes dance. "I'm Luna, Ashley's friend. You must be Colson." She continues, sticking her hand out to shake his.
"Uh, yeah..." He stumbles, running his hand through his blonde hair subconsciously after he shakes her hand. "C'mon on in...." He steps back to allow her inside.
"Fuck Dude. Where have I seen her before??? He wonders to himself. "GOD, I KNOW I FUCKING KNOW HER. FUCK, FUCK, FUUUCK. She's beautiful. I hope I wasn't an asshole. Fuck."
As Luna follows Colson inside, she gently grabs his wrist. "Ash told me it was your birthday. I hope you don't mind but I made you a gift." She says when he turns to her.
"Wow. Thank you." Colson replies, caught even more off guard.
"Wanna see it?" She asks with a twinkle in her eyes and small smile playing on her lips.
"FUCK YEAH!" He answers with a huge grin.
"Cool." She coos with a now mischievous smile. "I need a table."
"Oh, it's like that???" He asks with even more intrigue.
"It's like that." She shrugs nonchalantly.
Colson guides Luna to the dining room table which is littered with liquor bottles, cans of monster, rolling papers, joints and jars of bud. He clears off a space for the black leather portfolio case he just notices that she has been carrying.
"I hope you like it." She says, looking up into his sparkling blue eyes with another tiny, playful smile.
Luna unzips the leather case exposing a canvas with multiple copies of the logo from his Lace Up album painted as they speckle the background. In the middle is a black and white photo of a young Colson looking directly at the camera from SideStage. It's safety pinned on top of a piece of studded leather. Scattered through out the canvas are cut outs displaying little negatives. The top showcases his painted stage name MGK and under the picture is a ripped ticket stub. Luna steps aside, watching Colson's eyes light up in excitement and disbelief.
"HOLY. FUUCK." He breathes out, looking over at her. "This is fucking amazing. Thank you." He reaches to hug her but she ducks out of his grasp.
"Wait, wait, wait..." She coaxes, lifting the art piece out.
Luna touches the bottom of the canvas; making all the negatives light up bright to be clearly seen. They are of him performing during the same show.
"WHAT THE FUCK!!" Colson yells as he starts bouncing around the room, geeking out for a second. "THAT IS FUCKING BAD ASS!" He exclaims.
Without thinking Colson grabs Luna tightly around the waist, lifting her up and spinning her around. She laughs loudly, pleased with his happiness.
"Thank you." He softly says again, kissing her lightly on the forehead as he puts her down blushing.
Luna can't help but notice how delicious he smells with his long arm draped around her shoulder and his 6'4 body towering over her 5'2 frame. He engulfs her as he leans in to take a closer look. He recognizes that night immediately. Leaning back and staring so deeply into her eyes he can see the ring of yellow around her irises for the first time.
"Two things. Your eyes are fucking insane. And who took these?" He asks directly.
"Uhm... Thank you? And I did, at The Gramercy, I believe. It's on the stub on the bottom." She replies.
As Colson looks at the ticket stub his heart is racing. It confirms what he knows. "It's her. It's her. It's her." His mind keeps repeating. "Holy Fuck, she's The Girl in Cheetah Print Coat!!!" His brain can't help but scream. "Fuck it." He thinks. "Shoot your shot."
"You gotta boyfriend?" Colson asks Luna ducking down closer to her face; mustering all his bravery while his left arm is still around her.
"No." She answers quietly, lightly shaking her head with a look of intrigue; with that he cradles the side of her face with his whole right hand, kissing her deeply.
Luna's body had been warm since he first scooped her up but it immediately sets on fire the moment his mouth presses upon hers. She feels a wave wash over her, making her nipples hard and vagina plump. "WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?? I haven't since Just..." She thinks with a flash of pain in her heart before Colson and the electricity he sends pulsing through her body consumes her completely.
Luna kisses him back fully. Tongues dancing and exploring each other's warm mouths. Ending it with a long, intimate kiss on the lips, Colson stares at her deeply again.
"Be my birthday date?" He asks.
"Yes." She answers without hesitation.
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✴️From across the room Ashley and Pete stand side by side watching their friends interact. "Well, THAT was unexpected." Ashley says. "Yeah." Pete replies. He and Ashley know both Luna and Colson very well. As good friends do. "They're either gonna soar or crash and burn. Either way, it's gonna be one hell of a ride." Ashley goes on. Pete stands with his hands in his pockets. "Yep... And I blame it all on you." He jokes, lightly jabbing her in the ribs. She shoots him a bitch please look. "They've both been through a lot." Ashley says to Pete's sigh. "I know." He agrees as they make their way over to their newly acquainted friends.✴️
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"LOOOOOONS!!!!!!!!!" Pete and Ashley both scream.
"What she make you, Kells?" Ashley asks while grabbing a laughing Luna for a tight hug.
"Yeah, she makes the best presents..." Pete chimes in, waiting his turn to hug and greet his friend.
"DUDES. Check this shit out." Colson gushes, picking up the canvas and displaying it proudly in front of him.
"Damn, Loons!! You really out did yourself with this one!" Exclaims Ashley. "How'd you do the lights???"
"Thanks, Ash. I just cut the canvas and ran a little watch battery powered strand of lights around the inside of the frame to put behind the negatives. It really wasn't that hard." Luna beams.
"It's fucking bad ass art is what it is. Thank you again." Colson declares before leaning in to kiss her directly in front of their friends.
Luna blushes when she catches Ashley's eye afterwards. Ashley smiles back, happy for her friend.
"NOW WHO'S READY TO GET THIS FUCKING NIGHT STARTED!!!!" Colson yells as he carefully puts his gift back into its case. "Yo, Bro" he says turning to Pete. "You mind running this up to my room so it doesn't get fucked up? Thanks, Man." He finishes as Pete agrees and takes the case.
Colson turns to Luna. "You are something else, aren't you?" He half asks, half declares to her while holding her face with both of his huge hands; she smiles as he slides his warm tongue back into her willing mouth.
"I could kiss her all night." He thinks to himself before Pete's return interrupts them.
Colson kisses Luna hard before breaking away and declaring "AND WE OUT!!" As he grabs The Girl in the Cheetah Print Coat's hand tightly and leads her into the night.
-------------------------------------------------------
At TAO everyone is laughing, eating and drinking. Luna is set between Colson and Ashley. Across from Pete and Rook, whom she just met but immediately decides she likes when he brings his drumsticks to dinner.
"Why do they call you THAT Brooklyn Bitch?" Rook questions Luna.
Pete laughs at the question. "Because Loons over here is the ultimate underground scene queen. She knows you're hot before YOU know you're hot. Plus, her grandparents are Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. AND she'll fuck you up. No questions asked. You don't get anymore Brooklyn than that." Pete continues laughing.
Luna rolls her eyes at his answer. "Thanks, Bud. You describe me so well. Fuck that I'm an artist. I make people cooool" She responds as she smiles. Throwing Pete her LOVE finger; it's her middle finger tattooed with a black heart. Luna's own FUCK YOU with Love. "And of course you just gotta fit my lineage in there, hunh? Fucking Ass." She shoots back laughing and throwing a piece of bread at him. "No." She continues, still smiling, turning to look at Rook now. "I've had that nickname since I was a kid. It started because I was never afraid to throw down. No matter where you or I are; if you are my friend and there is a problem, you can count on that bitch from Brooklyn to be there."
"TRUTH!!" Shouts Ashley from next to her; The Girls laugh as she raises her glass to Luna's. Cheersing all the shit they have experienced together through out the years.
"Ultimately it morphed and took on a life of it's own. I eventually began using it as my pen name when I first started putting my work out because I wanted to succeed on my merit, not my name. None of my art... visual, audio, none of it, is signed with my real name. It's all THAT Brooklyn Bitch." Luna explains as she turns back to Rook.
"Scrapper trying to make it on her own name. I can dig it." Rook nods his head in acceptance.
"Hold up. You're Patti Smith's granddaughter. Like THE Patti Smith?" Colson chimes in; although his hand had been on her thigh, Luna didn't realize he was listening.
"Mhm." She hums.
"That's crazy. I'm reading Just Kids right now. I didn't know they had a kid. I thought he was gay????" Colson has a zillion questions.
Luna chuckles at his confusion; smiling, she answers. "Yes, yes he was gay. But yes, they did have a baby. My mom's not in the book upon my request. They had put her up for adoption and only reconnected when I was young, shortly before she died. That's how I ended up with my Mom-mom's last name. She adopted and raised me afterwards."
"Damn Babe, I'm sorry." Colson apologizes while putting his arm around her shoulder.
"No need, I'm okay... As long as you don't ever call me Babe again, you're much more creative than that." She says with a smirk, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.
"Word. We'll come up with something special." He says with a smile, kissing her on the lips. "You ready to party?" He asks as he stands up, lifting one of the dozens of shots of Patron that have magically appeared on the table. "To a great night. Great friend... And to an upcoming great year!! Let's get FUCKED up! The only thing I wanna remember from tonight..." He continues, looking down at Luna "is that tonight was the night I finally met Luna Smith, THAT Brooklyn Fucking Bitch!!!" Laughing and applauding, everyone shouts CHEERS and slams the celebratory shot.