His Neon Girl.

Summary: Eli 'Weevil' Nevarro left his fifth trip to juvenile detention expecting a quiet homecoming with a side of lonely darkness. He didn't expect Veronica Mars, a trigger happy guard dog or a morning wake-up call next to a dream girl. But then again, Veronica Mars always had been neon bright in everything she did.

Rating: M (language and sexual situations- nothing exceptionally graphic but not child suitable)

Pairing: Veronica and Eli. (I don't have a time frame for you, there aren't any huge spoilers if you haven't finish the series for whatever reason, so place this wherever you like)

Disclaimer: I own nothing and play only with borrowed toys. I make no profit but for my own smile.

I was listening to some music whilst penning this old idea of Veronica getting Weevil a guard dog, and a song described the love interest as neon bright, and I thought it fit so well to Veronica, especially around Weevil's darkness, as such, this was born.

Veronica Mars was neon.

When she wolf whistled across the courtyard leaning against her old Le Baron she looked bright yellow against the black despair he had felt.

"Hey convict!" she called, cocking her hip out and twirling her finger around her hair. "Miss me?"

He couldn't help but smile, drawn completely to her.

After a six months stretch in Juvie for assault, V was the only one who could shake it off of him instantly. She was the only one who visited regularly. Hell, she'd even chauffeured his Abuela up the first three months.

"What's up Mars? They stop accepting your love letters to the hardcore criminals?" he teased, easily falling back into their old routine. He still bore the black eye he'd earned in a fight defending her. Not that she knew all of the crude things his fellow detainees had suggested they'd do the next time V visited. Of course, V coming in those stupid denim mini-skirts didn't help the issue at all. As soon as his cellie found out, he'd changed his visitation day to the same as Weevils.

"Prison softened you? Last I heard Weevil was as hardcore as they got."

"And don't you forget it."

He didn't have much choice in the greeting, Mars snared her arms around him. Not that he complained, his hands embraced her like an anchor in the raging waves. She smelled liked sweetness and innocence though he knew she was far from it.

He'd been in Juvie before, but he'd had his boys with him, this time, he'd been all alone. Alone but for the thought of V's visits and her piercing eyes in his dreams at night.

"Got you something." V voiced, pulling out of his touch all too soon. "And boy, oh boy, are you gunna love me for it."

Eli ran his eyes up and down the girl as she turned and leaned in through the passenger window. Damn, the girl was fine. Thunder in a tight body. But her attitude and comfort with violence was too much to risk stepping up to the line. Not that Eli was scared.

Just cautioned about playing with Veronica's particular type of lightening. Not many survived it.

"Ta-da!" She turned around with his leather jacket in hand. The badly sewn rip in the right shoulder gave it identity instantly.

"Though this was lost in evidence." That's what the guards had told him several times over when it hadn't been passed back.

"One persons 'lost in evidence' is another person's 'stolen from lock-up'." She grinned, passing it over. It smelled of leather, gas and motor oil, just like he liked it. He shrugged it on, finding it bigger than he remembered; the sleepless nights and shitty food didn't exactly help a man with a big appetite and high metabolism.

His abuela would see to feed him up; it was what she lived for.

He smiled at the thought, breathing in the scent of the garage workshop again. Another scent came with it, the caramel bouquet twist he knew as Veronica Mars, probably from her car, but his hands shoved in his pockets came up with another theory as to how her smell layered over him.

"You been wearing my evidence, V?"

"Moi?" She put a hand to her chest in shocked innocence. "Although I do rock the leather jacket look, it's not quite my style."

"Uh-huh. Got another explanation for this then?" He pulled out the cherry-berry blast lipgloss from the pocket.

"Yeah, well… ummmm." V ran through a few thousand excuses before settling with reclaiming and distraction. She grabbed the lipgloss in a quick motion and walked around to the trunk, lifting it to block him from view. "There's something else as well that you'll need."

"Oh yeah, you got me some fancy pants '09er shoes too? Ones with the leather tassels and the three comfort insoles?" He followed her only to find her holding out his motorbike helmet. "That's great V, but I don't got much use fo-" he stopped short, hearing the familiar roar of a fleet of motors. He recognised the bikes before the riders came into sight.

A true homecoming.

"They expressed some concerns about coming by Juvie; I think your boy Felix is a little scared he might get accidentally arrested, but, I pulled out the big guns and convinced them to put on their big girl panties." V pushed the helmet into his hands and closed the trunk. "Play nice." She slapped him on the shoulder and gave him a shove to the gates, where Felix was stepping off his bike.

Meddlesome with balls of steel, but she still shone bright neon as she drove out of the courtyard, saluting the bikers in mock greeting.

"So, are all manly urges sated and ready to return back to civilization?" Veronica greeted him as he walked up the path to home.

"Sometimes, I wonder just what it's like to think like you, V." he grinned.

"Both intelligently and manipulatively?" she jested.

"It true?" he changed the subject again, a serious edge to his voice.

"That I'm the perfect package of brainy and beautiful, yeah." she joked, but she knew instantly that he wasn't in the mood for it. Veronica dropped her eyes from him, he could tell she was dreading him knowing. "Yeah to the other thing too." She ran her eyes over him, waiting to meet blood or broken bone. "Everyone still alive or are you saying goodbye again?" she asked him bitterly, ready to hear the worst.

"Felix said you took care of it."

"I did." she swore, ferocity in her tone.

"Yeah, well, I'm gunna need some reassurance." He heavily pushed past her and stormed into his house, no doubt wanting to chase down and question his abuela, after a long hug. Veronica paused for a guilty sigh. "Holy shit, what the hell?" Veronica turned slowly, knowing precisely what had happened by the barking and current snarling.

"Eli Nevarro, watch your language, it is not prison in this house." His grandmother's voice called from the kitchenette, coming closer.

Veronica just leaned on the doorframe, watching the Rottweiler drool on Weevil's face as it stood on his chest, teeth bared and snarling.

"Meet reassurance." Veronica narrated softly.

"Oh Killer, no, no, he's family. Es familia. Mi nieto." Eli's grandmother, Leticia, wiped her hands on her apron as she took the backing down dog off her grandson and pointed out to the yard. It obediently followed the finger, looking as harmless as a bunny rabbit. "Up you come." She extended out her hand and pulled Eli into a hug, her hands fluttering over him as if to check for the very same things Veronica had been looking for. "This is old, yes?" she asked, stroking her frail fingers over the edge of his black eye.

"Yeah." he muttered, but all his attention was on the arm wrapped in white and cradled in a sling.

"Oh, this thing?" His abuela busied herself with the dishtowel in her apron. "It's nothing Eli. Honestly. Veronica was just an angel, she sorted it all out, and she even helped me with the food shopping. She's been a godsend."

"That's me." Veronica chirped up.

"Now go get cleaned up. I'm almost done with the salads, then you can start that contraption in the lawn before the boys come over."

"I fixed the grill before I left." Eli stated, eyes out to the garden only to meet the Rottweiler sitting down and following him with his beady eyes, ears rotating to his voice.

"It hisses at me. I don't like using it." Leticia answered and turned herself back into the kitchen.

"Alright soldier, you have your orders; go enjoy your solo shower." She was ready to launch into taunt about prison showers, but on the off-hand it had happened to Eli, she kept her mouth shut.

"Where'd you think you're going?" Eli reached out for her wrist.

"In 20 minutes there's gunna be a horde of hungry bikers and neighbours all wanting some Weevil time: burgers don't make themselves. And, as much as you may have experienced different recently, showers are a solo thing." she repeated, unable to resist a little jab.

"Felix didn't mention a broken arm." Eli growled, which in turn, caused Killer to slouch in through the open door, pinning Eli where he stood with his narrow eyes, teeth bared.

"Chill Killer. Calme." V soothed and accepted her fate, leading Eli to his room and shutting the door before Weevil's temper flew out of hand and Killer took matters into his teeth.

"Look, it wasn't li-"

"Don't look me. You didn't find time in the six months I'd been in there to tell me she's walking around with a damn broken arm."

"And what would you have done?" V challenged, stepping up toe to toe with him. "Started another fight, got an extra few months added for another assault. Thrown out some death threats to justify them keeping you in there longer?!"

Eli heard his Abuela turn on the radio, just like his mother used to do when she was shouting at his lame excuse of a father. "I told you what you needed to know to get through."

"You told me just enough to keep me pacified, into letting me think everything was okay, when it was anything but."

"You see your Gran? She's not hiding away, she's not frightened of the world, and she's doing that because she's strong."

"Because you bought her some damn psycho dog."

"Because she needed it!" Veronica yelled.

Face to face, a hair apart, they realised the shouting match would only spiral on. Eli shoved himself into action, turning away from Veronica and grabbing the towel his abuela had left on the bed. "That's it?" Veronica asked, her neon-red angry but curious of the darkness of his mood.

"You gunna tell me the whole story or am I gunna have to wait until she feels brave enough to tell me."

Veronica softened, she didn't want his gran have to tell this story, she didn't want her reliving it. It had taken her weeks to come out of the house after it happened. She wasn't kidding when she said Veronica was a god send, she would have likely died without her.

"What did Felix tell you?"

"The 64's came trying to take over. They tried to rough up my abuela before the guys chased them off."

"Yeah, the 64's came." The rival motorcycle club didn't appreciate the PCH'ers success with the ladies, the land or the law. When they heard the leader of the PCH'ers was out of the picture, they tried to encroach, figuring without the captain, the followers would fall apart. They wanted to send a message to Eli; that they were the power in the area now. "They succeeded in roughing up your abuela. Broke her arm and fractured a few ribs." She could see the tic of anger flashing through his face. "I found her, took her to the hospital." Leticia had been adamant that she wouldn't go, she couldn't pay for the health care. Veronica had promised she'd sort it so she didn't have to pay a penny. At the time, she didn't know that would mean working with Felix and his biker buddies to blackmail the assholes that did this into forking over all the cash required. That was before he lost all function of his fingers in the PCH'ers personal brand of restorative justice. "I helped her settle back in. She seemed to feel better on the days when I brought Backup with me, so, she adopted Killer." Killer had been the loyal attack dog of a particular brand of criminal that felt justified in jumping town and leaving their dog to emaciate in the backyard tied to a fence. She'd found him chasing down the bail jumper with her dad. "Between Felix, the PCH'ers and my dad, the 64's have been disbanded and their crimes have been provided with great detail to their local boys in blue, who were just only too pleased to finally be able to build a case."

"So that's it?" Weevil asked. "That's the justice I get?"

"You can ask your buddy Felix about the specifics, but I get the notion they didn't walk away after the PCH'ers got their hands on them."

"I don't care what they did!" he snapped. "It's my abuela, the woman raised me, cared for me. And what am I doing when she's beaten? Sat on my damn ass, like some cabron."

"Eli." Veronica grabbed his hand. "You can't keep this over yourself. You couldn't have done anything."

"I just sat there."

"No, you didn't." she pulled on his hand and once more he was yanked into a tight hug. "Your boys took care of everything. They did it for you. They would do anything for you. You know that. And even if you weren't there; they were."

Eli felt the warmth of her touch, the soft embrace of her curves as she moulded herself to him. It may be for comfort and some pity, but she once again chased away the shadows in his mind. Not that he could ever forgive himself, but with Veronica in her neon orange light, he could accept it at least.

The music stopped in the kitchen and after a second or two, his grandmother's voice called out.

"Eli, I don't hear the shower running. You won't be eating if you can't even have the decency to wash the smell of that place from you."

"You've been told." Veronica muttered quietly, releasing her grip on him. "You better shower before she withholds the food." She stepped back. "You look like you need it." she commented slyly before darting out of the door.

"And then, I said; 'If you come back tomorrow, I'm going to start dreaming of a future, so unless you mean it; don't show up'." Eli chewed on a burger as his grandmother once again regaled the PCH'ers with the story of how she met his grandfather.

"Oh, you are such a badass Mrs N." Felix always dove too far into the story. "Oh, oh, get to the bit about the next morning."

Veronica's eyes were going left to right, from his abuela to Felix as between them, the story flowed, albeit brokenly.

"Yes. Well, I woke up the next morning and my father is shouting about phoning the police."

"'cos of Francis." Felix added, having heard the story time and time again.

"And my mother is telling me to stay in my room, and that there's this ruffian in the front yard."

"Ruffian." Felix mocked with a laugh.

"So you go outside?" Veronica asked, equally drawn in.

"Of course, I'm only young and I'm dying to see anything and everything outside of the school walls." Eli can feel the heat from Veronica as she sits thigh to thigh with him on the bench. "And Francis is out there sleeping on the grass."

"Badass had been out there all damn night." Felix eagerly narrated.

"My father had him arrested and as he's being walked off the property he's shouting that he'll come back every morning from then on for me."

"Badass." Felix once again added.

"My father was livid. The amount of times I was caught sneaking out of the back door by him, oh, it was a war. But without fail, Francis used to come and tap on my window after my father thought he'd chased him off the property, he'd steal just one more kiss." Leticia sighed. "I don't regret a moment."

"Such a stunter!" Felix voiced admirably.

"He was a character." Eli met his grandmothers eyes as she spoke. "Just like Eli."

"Yeah well." Eli grunted out, uncomfortable with the eyes all turning to him. "Don't you guys got homes to go to." He fired out at the gathering as it was winding down. Burgers had been demolished, drinks vanished and the warmth of the day retreated.

"Oh yeah, you want some alone time, yeah?" Felix elbowed Eli as he walked past, but the PCH'ers were walking out of the house ten minutes later.

"He seems better, more… equilibrado." Leticia spoke as she stood next to Veronica, both watching Eli talking to Felix about modifications to his bike. "More… more like himself than the last time he was in there."

"Guess you get used to it." Veronica commented.

"No. No, this time it's you."

"I didn't do anything." she denied.

"You," Leticia took Veronica's hands in hers, bringing them together in a symbol of prayer. "You have done so much, for me and for Eli. Estamos agradecidos." She kissed the enclosed hands. "We are so very thankful."

"It was nothing." But everything on Leticia's face said that she didn't believe that.

"Buenos noche Veronica." She pressed a kiss to Veronica's head and stepped back. "Vamanos Killer." The dog rose from its lazy slouch and followed behind Leticia as she retired to bed.

"She's right you know." Eli was making his way up the steps. "Myself especially."

"I was right; prison changed you into a big softie." she teased, uncomfortable with the praise.

"V. Not many people would do what you did for my abuela."

"I helped her adopt a dog. It's not like I broke into banks."

"We both know that's not all you did." He shot a smile at his foot before meeting her eyes again. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I owe you one V. Massively."

She pondered for a second before cocking her head at him.

"That all you wanna say?" she taunted. "Because I'm relatively sure the entire PCH'ers owe me, like, 30 by now. Especially under your leadership. I mean seriously Weevil, you've been slacking on the big bad authority presence recently."

"I'll get right on that." He grinned widely.

"If you don't, I get a feeling Felix will. Guy's got gusto." she teased.

"Thanks V." he pulled her into the same hug they'd shared outside Juvie. The kind of hug where she pulled him all together, fixed all of his doubts and bad memories and implanted herself in his thoughts.

Neon, fucking, yellow.

She streamed in through all the hate and haunting things he'd seen. She shattered all of the black boxes with her light and made him believe he could do anything. She chased away the demons in the back of his mind, she stroked warmth over all the aches and pains of his body.

She made him king again.

She leaned back and found herself locked in his eyes.

They looked cold and harsh, but something was breaking through.

"V." he whispered, his eyes on her lips. He wanted her to stop him, to reset the order they had. To ignore the signs they'd been dancing around. To enforce the friendship.

She wanted him to step back and not want this, it was something she could deal with a lot easier than the truth.

Perhaps they could go on and ignore the fact that Veronica had been his reason for behaving (as well as Eli could) in prison. Perhaps they could see past the fact that Veronica had been the one to visit more than his own guardian and friends combined.

Perhaps they could ignore all the little touches, the extra long hugs, the day dreams and secret heart rushes.

But they couldn't ignore the pull between them in that moment, the blinding want that drew them closer.

His lips were soft but firm as he pressed them to hers. Demanding, but gentle.

She sank into his hold, pressing her body against him. His hands held her strong, a caress from his hard touch. All of the repressed want and desire flared up inside her.

He wanted to drown in her warmth and light.

"V." he breathed hard over her lips before snatching them back, sucking her bottom lip between his. "Jesus V." he spoke her nickname like a prayer, his arms holding her tighter still, his tongue pressing the seam of her lips for entry.

He felt like he was drinking pure sunshine.

There were drugs galore in the prison system, but not one could compare to the feeling of Veronica Mars in his arms, kissing him back, curling her tongue with hers.

He wanted nothing more than to drive her to the wall, hike her legs around his waist and drive himself deep into her.

But maybe that was the 6 months alone with his hand talking. Maybe he could give her the soft and slow that he'd fantasise about her begging for while she'd sit next to him, perhaps whilst stalking some low life delinquent.

How he used to long to drag her over from her driver's seat and have her straddling him.

How he'd crave being able to hear her cry those little moans of delight she used to give those lollypops, but instead, for him. For his tongue, his fingers, his cock.

"V." he groaned, fingers tightening in her shirt.

He wanted her.

Badly.

And that's why he needed to take a step back.

She was invading his every thought, saturating his brain with her perfume. He couldn't think of anything but having her, right, now.

Veronica caught herself on the banister of the porch as Weevil cut himself off and out, feet shuffling back.

Her brain was spinning through a million scenarios and she needed to breathe.

"Hell of a thank you." she puffed out, turning to face the road as she caught her breath. Her chest was pounding, pushing her to throw herself into his arms.

"Yeah." She heard him reply. It sounded distant, distracted.

A beat of silence bled out into the air for a little too long to be comfortable.

"Suppose I should go home." She didn't know if she expected him to stop her, she didn't know what to say if he did. "… if you need anything else." she offered on a smile. "Well, if there's anything I can do." she amended.

"You've done enough V." he grinned, the cheeky, know-it-all smile returned in full force.

"And then some." She couldn't help but have caught her eye on the situation in his pants.

"Prison was lonely." he joked.

"And on that note." She threw a wave over her shoulder as she walked back to the Le Baron.

Eli had just said goodnight to his abuela, little brothers and sisters and finished locking up the house when he felt his mood drop.

It was the fifth time he'd come home from Juvie and each time he'd felt the same torment.

It made him test all of the locks. It made him triple check the windows in the kid's rooms and his gran's porch door.

It made him leave an object he could use for striking intruders in each room.

Prison wasn't a place to make friends.

And juvie wasn't a place where these non-friends did long time.

Eli especially didn't seek to make friends. Friends in prison didn't end well for anyone involved. He wasn't interested in becoming anyone's bitch.

That aggressive, stand-offish personality had led to more than a few fights, more than a few threats and the knowledge that a lot of those people he'd promised to utterly destroy were walking around out there.

He tucked the penknife in his pyjama pants.

As much as he would like to enjoy the idea of a peaceful sleep at night again, there was a certain risk with sleeping.

With Weevil back, would it bring the 64's again? Well, what was left of them.

Revenge was never finished. It always led to more violence.

Eli had his share of enemies, and this time, there would be no prison guards pushing in to separate them before too much blood was shed.

He sat on his bed and scrubbed a hand down his face. He was so tired.

He knew it was paranoia. He knew he would adjust again.

He had felt it the very same the last time he had been out.

He forced himself to relax, to lie back and close his eyes.

The darkness had a way of creeping in through the corners of his mind though.

His fingers clutched the penknife where it lay in his pocket.

Alone.

Again.

Tap tap.

Eli shot bolt upright, eyes scouting left and right at the feint tapping.

Tap tap.

Again. Where was it coming from?

Tap tap tap tap.

It was close.

Perhaps a tree branch. Perhaps that damn dog with a chew toy.

But perhaps not.

Eli turned to a scratching noise at his window. He withdrew the knife and poised himself by the curtains. The scratching continued.

On a mental countdown, he flung back the curtain and readied himself to unlock the window and chase down the intruder.

Instead he found the blonde hair of Veronica Mars attempting the jimmy the lock on his window.

"Jesus Christ V." he clutched his racing heart as she stood staring at him like a deer in the headlights. He unlatched the window and threw it open. "What the hell you doing?" he hissed quietly.

"I know this looks like some kind of larceny, but I have a totally legitimate explanation." she defended softly.

"Which is?"

"Well…" Eli could see the excuses run around her brain until she settled for a shrug. "Forgot my keys?" she tried with a smile. Like that, Eli's paranoia prison mind was gone, the warmth had entered his life again, her light had chased away his darkness. "I wasn't expecting to have to break into Fort Knox. Next time I'll bring my black ski mask."

"Jesus V. I thought someone was trying to break in."

"Well, technically, I mean, I was. But with a good reason, I wa-" The light next door flickered on. Probably to investigate the noise.

"Get in before the neighbours call the damn cops." he beckoned, offering an arm to her. She accepted, clasping the forearm and balancing a trainer on the wall to leverage herself into the very last bedroom she had ever expected herself sneaking into.

Ever the good guard dog, Killer's bark was heard, his paws scratching at the door.

"Fuck." Eli hissed under his breath.

"Just tell him to be quiet." Veronica advised, sliding her grip from him as she found her footing on the floor.

"Killer, quiet." Eli commanded quietly through the door.

"He responds better to Spanish." Veronica offered from his bed when the barking didn't cease, making herself comfortable on the messed up duvet cover.

"You are kidding me." Eli sighed. "Killer, silencio, ahora!" Eli called quietly, fully expecting the barking to continue, but the dog stopped. They heard the dog's nails click over the wooden floors as it no doubt returned to Leticia.

"I think it was a breeding thing. Perhaps he's of Spanish origin. You would not believe how much Spanish I have had to learn to talk to that dog." Veronica continued softly, feeling just a little more than awkward as Eli pinned her with his eyes.

"Then perhaps this will be best asked in Spanish, Qué deseas?" What did she want? Why was she here? What was she thinking at 2am that required her to break into his bedroom?

"I guess perhaps now wasn't the best time to drop by for a chat." she admitted shyly. He rose an eyebrow, as if to ask, 'so why did you?'. "I couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, well, if you want confession, go find a priest."

"What was that kiss?" she asked suddenly, Eli turned to face her, his head thrown to the left as he appeared to analyse her. The silence made her regret opening her mouth, perhaps she could erase the words. Perhaps he hadn't heard her. Perhaps she could talk herself out of the way his eyes roamed her like she was a puzzle in need of fixing. "Well, I mean, it was a kiss, I know that. And not like it was a bad kiss, because it wasn't; it was a good kiss. Not that you would kiss badly. Okay, this is going a different direction that I had mentally planned. Not that I had much planning other than to come and figure out what it was. Not that I really knew how to do that either. I guess…" she trailed off as he appeared humoured by her. "Guess I wasn't really thinking." she finished quietly. "So, I'm gunna go." She hiked a thumb in the direction of the window once more.

"That's why you came here?" Eli cut off her path with his body before the window.

"Bored. Figured you'd be awake." she lied and scouted his position to figure out the best way out. She'd never admit she came with the simple urge of one kiss more after her sleepy mind revolved around that stupid kiss on the porch and his grandmother's story about her bedroom window. She'd been inspired and lured by a single track mind. Simply put, she wanted more.

Like a junkie, she was willing to break into a house and steal for it.

"What are you doing V?" he asked, a dark glint in his eye like he'd finally found the missing piece she'd lost.

"Letting you get to sleep, so I'm gunna g-" but he invaded her personal space, stopping the repeated attempt at leaving.

"No." His eyes were searching hers as he spoke, staring down the height difference with an abstract version of pride fuelling him. "What are you doing?" he spoke calmly. "Stealing my jacket, dropping by on my abuela, doing her food shopping, visiting me every week, even meeting me outside the joint?"

"You didn't want me to?" she guessed wrongly, taking a step back that she told herself had nothing to do with fear and was everything about self-preservation.

"My girl would do that, if I had a girl." He crowded her against the wall. He tilted his head again, a finger soft to her chin as he drew her eyes back to his. "You my girl, V?"

He watched Veronica's pupils blow, watched her puff out a forced laugh as she turned her eyes away once more.

"Loaded question alert." she laughed. "You are obviously leaning into the delirious side of exhaustion. You should sle-"

"'Cos it sure sounds like that to everyone else. Sounds like it to me, sounds like it to all the upstanding gentleman in the clink who saw you, sounds like it to the PCH'ers who tell me you've even been sleeping here." His eyes cut to his bed for all of a second before they were back on her, undressing all of her lies and denials. "My abuela seems to think she's seeing things you aren't admitting too."

"There's… It's not…" she gave in quickly unable to find the words with his eyes crowding her.

"You my girl, V?" he asked again, a smile on his face saying he already had an answer. His hands settled on her hips as he thought she would dash again.

"Your girl, there's a lot of possessiveness in that pronoun." she jested, trying to ignore the way his hands began weaving her closer, sliding around her waist.

"Not hearing a no." but he could feel her relax into him, he could feel her fight with the way she wanted to hate his touch but only failed to.

"Geesh convict, what big ears you have." she mocked, anything to not admit everything to him; she wanted to keep her dignity, and falling at Weevil's feet wouldn't quite achieve that.

"See, I have this idea you've been my girl for a while now."

"Wow, and what big ego you have."

"Perhaps I've been a little blind to your 'affection' towards me. What with the trial and the police and the court sentencing."

"Affection." she repeated on a scoff.

"I'm thinking you came here tonight intending to give your man a proper welcome home from the cell block." He held his lips a brush from hers, withholding what he could tell she wanted.

"Circumstantial. No hard evidence." Veronica whispered.

"I got some hard evidence for you." he spoke slyly, innuendo all over his tone and pressed his lips down on hers.

She responded like she'd been starved, her hands clutching to him. Her tongue seeking entry the next second. She opened instantly, allowing the dirty mimicked motions of sex Eli provided, drawing the whimper from her desperate want and soaking her panties.

For all her protests and avoidance; it was clear Veronica had no real objection to the idea.

Eli had a thousand and one things he wanted to do with the neon light in his arms, a thousand and one fantasies that had kept him entertained were all fighting to play out.

Veronica decided for him, jumping up and wrapping her legs around him as she felt the wall at her back.

He groaned against her lips, pressing her to the solid structure.

She whispered back atop a pleasured gasp.

"Bed."

"That all it takes, V?" he asked, his lips chasing the line of her neck as she ground desperately on him.

"Bed, or wall. I'm just thinking of your skinny legs." she teased, her nails scratching against his bare back as he sealed his lips around her ear lobe and sucked.

"You my girl, then?"

"Prison was lonely, yeah?" Veronica taunted once more, he could feel her fingernails toying with him, finding the raised skin of the latest work he'd gotten done, re-inking faded work in prison. "Six months all alone." she purred in his ear. "You seriously telling me you don't want me?" she could feel his pulse pounding as she returned her lips back to his. There was a persistent pressure between her legs that was definitely not his mobile phone, she rubbed herself against it, earning another moan against her lips.

"That all I am to ya V?" Eli snapped his head back, suddenly sounding serious. She opened her eyes to find stone-cold darkness in his. "Horny ex-con in need of a fuck?" He put some distance between them, as much as arms reach could make as he held her. "And you're just willing to provide."

He felt her legs lose their lock and took a stride to the bed before pushing her back and onto it and taking a step or two away.

"Seriously?" she huffed.

"Go home and sleep."

"You don't want me?" hot and heavy was quickly turning to cold and distant.

"Of course I fucking want you, V. You don't know how hard it is to not have you right now. God, the amount of times I'd dreamed you'd come in through my window and even just blow me, but not if you're just gunna fuck off and go back to hating me the next day. And definitely not if you're gunna keep coming around for my damn grandmother."

Met with silence, Eli turned around half expecting V to be climbing out of his window. He didn't expect to see her barely containing her frustration, standing in the middle of his room, staring daggers at his feet.

"You think I had it easy?" she started, unable to meet his eyes as she spoke. There was a vulnerability Eli had never heard underneath the raging hostility of her words. Her neon brightness had flared a scorching red then died to embers. "I used to see you every day."

She found the fight inside of her to lift her eyes. They didn't appear as hard as her posture, but Veronica's eyes were the giveaway to her soul, perhaps underneath the anger, that damage touched onto hurt too. "Every day." she repeated to make her point, challenging him to cross her. "You were always there for me, when I needed back up." Even through anger and hurt, she was mindful of the volume of her voice. "Through Duncan, Logan… the bus." She ran her fingers through her short cut blonde hair. The way he longed to. "Through everything, I had you. Even if I didn't know it, or want it." The corner of her lip curled in a joke to herself before she straightened it back out. How long had she cursed Eli's name before she'd realised how much she needed him. "You understood." she concluded. Her features softened.

Eli found himself searching for errant tears, but even rejected and torn, Veronica was stronger than that. Her insecurities were now woven tightly with aggression, not sadness. "And then you were gone." Eli felt the words hit him hard. "And I not only lost all that support, I lost my best friend." Eli saw the way her fists pulsed at her sides. . "And it seemed like only your abuela and the PCH'ers knew how that felt." With a breath, she shook off what was left of latent rage. "I won't apologise for being around all the time, for supporting your abuela but… I won't risk losing my best friend. Not again." She didn't come straight out and say it, perhaps she wouldn't let herself but Eli could read Veronica-language well after years of practice. "Not when it could be avoided."

She wanted one night, because one night wouldn't change them. One night was a fail safe for their friendship to last. Trying for anything more was likely to leave them with a rip down the middle. At least, that's what she read from her previous experience.

Veronica wanted to play it safe.

But Eli had bathed in her taste now. The temptation to relive that moment would forever be too hard to fight. He was a strong man by all account, but not even he could face Veronica, knowing what she tasted like, knowing how she kissed, knowing the pure passion he had held in his arms. Eli would cave every time.

Eli held out his hand to her.

Veronica Mars, was, for possibly the first time in her life, scared of him. Of what he could do to her. Of what she could lose. Veronica Mars was showing what lay beneath that strong armour to him.

"I swear." he promised, two dark words that were ready to bind his fate eagerly.

"What?" Veronica shook off all the remaining anger in one moment of surprise.

"I swear V." His face was set with hard lines, a seriousness that hid his eagerness for another taste of her neon liquid. "Hell or high water, short of you driving a knife in my chest, I won't let your friendship go."

He watched the words register in her mind.

He silently saw the sentences start on her lips before she ditched them.

He noted the deep breaths she took as the pieces of her armour built back up once again, she returned to her usual self with all shields engaged.

"Can I sway you on the knife issue?" she asked, the tease layering the tone, her smile back, glowing with a rainbow of brightness.

"Hard limit V." he grinned.

"If I avoid the heart?" she continued, but stepped forward, closer to the hand that remained extended.

"Got a promise to my kidneys that I'd only abuse them to sell for motorbike parts."

"Well yeah, that makes sense." She rolled her eyes, but slowly, with great concentration, she laid her hand in his. "You good for you word, Eli?"

"Have I ever not been?" he pulled her the short distance, caging their joined hand between their bodies. He could feel her heart beating against his hand. His free fingers did as they longed to, pushing back the hair from her face, running through the tresses and down the slim figure until it tugged the small of her back even closer. "You could just say you're scared, V."

"Scared?" she repeated of a huff. "Not familiar with the word." she continued, tilting her head as if in deep thought, her free hand on the band on his pants and giving a teasing tug.

"Yeah, so, you're not scared of what could happen between us?" his hand trailed warmth up her back as it slipped under her top.

"Like the big bad convict is gunna scare me?" But as she spoke, she had felt the oddly too-hard object in his pyjama pants against her hip. Interested, she dove her hand in his pocket, withdrawing the penknife and holding it between them questioningly. "Although, I'm making a point of echoing I'm not game for a stabbing." she joked, but threw the penknife to his side-table where it landed with a clatter.

"So you'll give us a shot?" he asked, merely to clarify.

"Oh, so now we're bringing shooting into this?" she joked, swinging out from him and breaking their entwined hands. She sat on the bed, leaning back on her hands, perhaps not realising how it pushed her breasts out, making Eli fist his hands, desperate to have them on her.

But he needed something more from her, he could not go from sucking on her nipples to staring at them through her shirt again.

Once would not be enough.

Not for the neon variety of Veronica Mars.

They'd been locked in foreplay for years.

This was the breaker for the deadlock.

"V?" he needed her agreement.

"So," she tugged the sleeves of her hoodie down, slipping it off her left arm and shrugging it from her right, letting it drop to the floor filled with suggestion.

Eli was already tampering down his mind's eye that was fantasizing about dragging her jeans down her legs and sinking his fingers into her core, panties nudged aside. "Say we do this." she began, but her hands went to the hem of her vest top. "And for some reason, I end up ziptying you into a black garbage bag and kicking you out of the Le'Baron on the i85 at 3am to die…" she smiled at the face he pulled at the detail. "And you somehow lived… you'd still answer if I called for a chat?"

"One" he began on a breath. "That's a scarily descriptive hypothetical plan you got there. And t-" he stopped short, Veronica had pulled her vest top off completely, letting it sit on the bed beside her, her smile taunting.

"Two?" she prompted as innocently as a half-naked female could.

"Two, I think I'd deserve a few days to get over the crazy, but… yeah. I'd answer."

"And… if, say, I borrow your motorbike," The idea of V on his bike was a sex fantasy in a category of its own, but when she stood as she spoke, her fingers popping the button on her jeans; there was no hope of Eli controlling the hard-on in his pyjama pants. "and completely trash it," the zipper rolled down in the silence, showing the flash of the mis-match underwear. Eli was barely listening. "And set it on fire." She kept full eye contact as she bent, sliding the jeans over her perfectly curved asscheeks and slowly down her legs to pool around her ankles. "Would you still come and be my back-up against evil mobsters?" she toed off her ballerina shoes and sat back on the bed, leaning back once more, the wine red bra and black panties luring him in further.

"A, you're not riding the bike without me." His eyes dragged over her body, head to chipped nail polish on her toes. "B, mobsters?" he chuckled, kicking her jeans and shoes out of his path as he advanced slowly. "C, hell yeah I'd save you. You'd have to pay be back with time in the garage as I rebuild my baby from scratch." He grinned.

He held himself back by some supreme restraint he didn't know he had. "No more games, V. We have a deal?"

"I'm thinking." She put a finger to her lips, only drawing up more fantasies of where he would like her lips.

"About?"

"Whether you'd say no to your girl when she tells you to lose the pants and get in bed."

"My girl?" he beamed, his smile almost breaking his cheeks. She'd never seen Eli smile so wide. Perhaps she wouldn't again; it wasn't often he had his way so fully.

"Lose the pants and get in bed." she demanded.

"Can't manage a 'please'?" he couldn't resist the taunt in his post-victory elation.

"How about a 'fuck me now'?" she darted a hand out, snagging the elastic of his pants and yanking him forward and into the cradle of her legs.

"We need to work on your dirty talk." he continued, but his lips were quick to pepper her collarbone with kisses.

Her hands were over his bare back, burning him with lust at every touch. They slid once again into the material he wore, pushing them over and down, her feet kicking them off the bed at the end of his ankle, completely baring him. She was only too eager to slide herself into the most taunting position, her panties the only thing stopping him from sliding straight into her. "You and me, V?" he purred against her neck.

"You and me." she breathed out, her legs locking over his bare ass, lifting her core to grind against his erection. He groaned and decided it was time to even the playing field, she had been burning through his veins since she lounged back on his bed with her bedroom eyes. He slid a palm to grasp her thigh, easily rolling them over and having her straddle his hips, all too quickly resettling and grinding down on his hardness.

"V." he groaned, sitting up, binding his arms around her, hands knocking the bra straps off her shoulders, his kisses following as he snapped the clasp and threw the offending article from the bed.

"I reserve the right to rescind the title though." she breathed hard over him as he sealed his lips around her peaked nipple. "Like," she moaned, nails scraping over her scalp as she held him there. "Oh, like, oh, if… you get arrested… again." she spoke between hard breaths.

"Hmmm." he responded, swapping to her other breast, his fingers spayed across the distance of her back, keeping her arched into his mouth, the sweet bud loving the attention of his tongue.

"Oh god…" she moaned, muffling her joy into his shoulder. "Like, umm, oh god, if you go juvie. Again." she groaned against him.

"Hn." He broke contact, both hands on her waist and lifting and turning her to lie on the bed. He dragged her panties down her slim legs in one swoop, letting them fall wherever they want as long as he could get the access he wanted.

"If you come off your bike." she continued, helping him in kicking off her last remaining underwear. "And ruin your pretty face." His pretty face chucked her a grin before gifting her with one hell of a fiery kiss. His lips trailed the length of her neck, then chest, once again finding a needy nipple arching into his mouth. He gave what she needed, sucking the nub into his mouth, teeth playing with the bud.

One hand supporting him, the other was free to travel between her open legs, riding up the smooth skin of her thigh and darting into the curls between her legs. She was soaked, ready for him to slip a finger into her heat. She sealed her lips around his supporting wrist, her moan smothered by his flesh.

"Any other conditions?" he asked teasingly, the glimmer of his saliva on her rose-shaded nipple catching his eye.

"Yeah." she spoke on the tail end of a moan as he added a second finger to the pumping action between her legs.

"Yeah?"

"If you don't f-" he curled his fingers inside her, hitting a pleasure spot that had her stop short to catch her breath.

"If I don't what?" he taunted, driving his fingers faster, stretching her for him. His breath fanned across her shoulder and she blasted her eyes open, one hand shooting down to grab his wrist and still him. He let her catch her breath.

"I hate you."

"Don't quite buy that V."

A black glitter stormed across her eyes and she pushed him over, straddling him once more and pinning his arms to the bed beside his head.

He fucking loved the view. Veronica getting her power kicks, her breasts above him like two godly articles made only for him. Her juices on his fingers and allowing her to slide as she ground against his cock. This was the stuff Eli's dreams were made of.

"One last condition." she spoke, laying out over him to reach an arm to the bedside dresser, blindly knowing when her fingers grabbed a condom. She returned to him to see the light in his eyes she'd only ever seen for fleeting seconds. It was all for her. "And this one is really, really important."

"I'm listening V." he was also rocking his hips against her, rocking up into the condom as she sheathed him and re-aligned him between her legs.

"If you don't fuck me." She held his eyes. Slipping the very tip of him into her heat. "Right." She sunk down a centimetre, watching with pure ecstasy as his face showed the pleasure. "Now." She bit her lip as she buried him inside her, her eyes squeezed tight with the high.

His fingers gripped tight on her hips, urging her into a fast paced rhythm.

"Fuck V." he groaned.

Her breasts bounced with the pace, a pleasure overload for his fantasy riddled imagination that was finally tasting reality.

He'd sat in his cell at night, hand wrapped around his length and thought of Veronica with her smart mouth riding him.

He'd spend countless nights in this bed he was currently in, blowing a load over daydreams of pinning Veronica in her car, drilling into her until she screamed his name.

He'd construct imaginative ways of the way she'd walk into his maths class and bend over his desk, begging him to take her then and there.

But reality was a pure 10.

If he died then, balls deep in Veronica Mars as she danced her hips over his cock, he'd have no regrets.

"Oh god." she moaned, leaning back under his hands, allowing him to hit her sweet spot, his fingers thrumming on her clit. "Fuck Eli." Her breaths were ragged gasps.

He'd imagined Veronica Mars creaming over his cock various times, but nothing had readied him for the way she squealed, her thighs quivering as her inner muscles dragged him into his own orgasm with her. He grunted out his pleasure, all too aware of being in his family home.

It didn't stop the alert to the canine that made a growl outside their door though.

Eli barked out a quiet order in Spanish as Veronica crashed against his chest, her hands smoothing over his skin as if to re-affirm she still existed. Her breath crashed against his chest in quick succession.

"I'll deny it if you repeat this." she began, manoeuvring her hips to slide off and curl up next to him. "But I fucking love it when you speak Spanish." Her eyes were closed as she admitted a long hidden truth, settling her head on his chest and resigning herself to just a few minutes before she'd get dressed.

Eli banked the knowledge, fully ready to abuse the insider information. Perhaps round two, with Spanish audio description.

He felt Veronica sigh on his chest, a happy sound that he hadn't expected.

Veronica always looked so hardcore and ready for hell, but as he looked down at her button nose and the bow of her lips, she looked so utterly relaxed. He'd misuse his Spanish tomorrow. He closed his eyes, bathing in the bliss. Acutely aware that the prison paranoia was once again banished by her neon presence.

It was only the morning wake-up call that stirred them both.

"Eli, you want pancakes nieto?"

Eli scrubbed a hand over his face, the sunlight urging his brain into waking, only to find Veronica's naked body half pinning him.

"Si, en poco tiempo." He watched as veronica stirred slowly, adjusting to the warmth next to her, curling closer.

"Veronica cariño, pancakes?"

"Si, por favor." Veronica replied sleepily across his chest, stretching out like a cat before bolting upright, a deep red blush on her cheeks.

Eli could imagine he looked much the same. "Your grandmother knows I'm here?"

"You weren't exactly quiet, V." Eli chuckled, calming her with a reassuring arm around her shoulder.

"Says you." she scoffed and pried off his arm to stand.

"Where you going?"

"Like I'm gunna eat cold pancakes." She wiggled her eyebrows and yanked on the jeans from the floor.

"Hey," Eli summoned her eyes as she buttoned her jeans. "Save me some, novia." He grinned, pinning the moment her weakness for his Spanish struck. She shot him a purposefully mean frown before scooping and straightening out the tank top then darting out. She completely missed the bright neon yellow smile he shot the door as she slammed it shut.

Hope you enjoyed this. If so, I'd love a review.