Baby John X Reader - Tumblr Posts

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.

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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.