#this is so fps hogging though

[ratmakesgames]

some shadow improvements: static shadows now apply to grass as well!!

[trashlie]

ILY FP 258

I can't believe we're actually passed episode 250 lmao I Love Yoo is truly the never ending story (affectionate). I appreciate how much of the story we really get to dig into at this pace and while I know a lot of people have long-since dropped it, I imagine the rest of us (those reading this post because why else are you here?) also appreciate it. And that's what is even more refreshing about this episode - if refreshing is even a word we can use to describe it. Getting the extra scenes from other characters, a look at their lives and from these glimpses, what we can glean in the unsaid between the lines.

Can you believe I used to prey on Kousuke's downfall? There's so many posts of me talking about him from a different view, believing that the only way he could grow and develop and make the changes necessary to make him a better person was for him to crash and burn, to fail so significantly that he would be forced to pen his eyes to reality. But here we are, me, fervently swaddling him up like a baby and shoving him into my pocket because GOD he needs to be protected.

I don't even remember when it was, that my view on him began to shift, when I went from "he's interesting but awful" to "GOD THIS IS MY SON AND I WILL FIGHT EVERYONE YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME" but.... lol there's no going back!

That's enough rambling, let's jump in.

There is something so painfully devastating about every time ILY confirms to us something we have long-since known or suspected through nuance, foreshadowing, reading between the lines, etc: That Kousuke isn't Rand's biological son, that Shinae was at the formal for Gun Kim, that Kousuke has been manipulated his whole life. Nothing in this episode regarding Kousuke is actually new to us. We have known, and talked about, for months and months long before the confirmation reveal that Yui drugs Kousuke - that he has been manipulated by her his entire life, that she orchestrated his life to manipulate him into situations she could take advantage of. It's the way she spoke about Rand's affair around Kousuke, the way she commodified Rand's love so Kousuke became convinced he'd never earned his father's love, the way she spoke of their family vs others and convinced him from such a young age that everyone was out to get them, to destroy them, and that he couldn't let them get close, couldn't let them near - and how Nol was very much a target planted in his mind.

But it's the fact that he is speaking of this and acknowledging it! Until now, Kousuke has heavily lived in denial. Again, we know this. We talk a lot about the chasm between reality and the reality he believes in. We talk a lot about how Kousuke couldn't face reality, even though on some level he knew everything he believed and was told was not quite true not quite real, but that he was so afraid of the truth, he couldn't do it. Kousuke admitting that he's been driven by fear and envy explains everything about him, and why he could not accept the only unwavering unconditional love he was offered.

A few weeks ago I saw a video on instagram of this father talking about a conversation he had with his daughter, who was feeling a little uncomfortable with her friend group. A new girl started to play with her and her best friend and she said she wasn't exactly jealous, but that maybe it was that she was afraid that there wasn't enough love to go around. Her dad had to explain to her that love is not like a pizza - it's not finite, a limited amount that could be taken and hogged by someone else. But Kousuke never learned this. His father's love was commodified and he was made to fear this other kid who he mistakenly believed knew a version of his father he'd never been privy to. He never learned that love is finite, that Rand could have enough love for the both of them, and feared that Nol would hog it all - that he WAS hogging it all because whether or not it was good or bad, Nol received more attention that Kousuke did. And that speaks VOLUMES about how Kousuke sees Rand, what he thinks of their relationship. In his mind, he is still unworthy, that he's not noteworthy enough.

This part gets to me so badly. We, as omniscient readers, know that Rand has tried his best, but that Yui runs a spectacular interference with which he can't compete, largely because of the roles their family have placed them in - Rand the busy businessman, Yui the mommy homemaker. But no matter how hard he tries, it isn't good enough. Rand tries to reach Kousuke, but the manipulation and paranoia are so far gone that the times Rand does have the chance to convey his feelings, Kousuke can't even believe it, because he thinks he's not good enough to deserve that love, that he hasn't fully qualified for it yet. And despite that, Nol, who Kousuke feels hasn't done half of what he has to deserve Rand's love, gets the attention. It doesn't matter that it's negative attention, that Rand barks at Nol, that Nol feels Rand hates and regrets him, because ultimately, it's still more than Kousuke receives. And worse, to him, every time Rand is busy reprimanding Nol, he turns away from Kousuke to do it.

I want to make it clear that this is a deep trauma point of Kousuke's. He's never learned healthy love and the only person who gave him healthy love was someone he was set to fear and fight. Something I think about a lot is the flashback to Kousuke, in the bushes, watching Nessa and Nol's display of warm affection, before Yui appears literally looming before him. In that moment, he witnesses something he's been deprived of. "We're not like other families"'. He's told from a young age he shouldn't compare himself to those healthy families, to warm and affectionate relationships that he will not cultivate in this household. From such a young age it is normalized, that they aren't like others, that they are cold and distant. From a young age, he's made to stuff down his feelings, his tender wants and desires, in order to earn them. To be a good little boy who makes his parents proud. To make his father look his way.

There's also something about the way he says "I've been a good boy" that echoes Shinae learning she's been manipulated by Yui, devastated and angry and yelling about how she's been a good girl so why do these things keep happening to her, all she wanted to do was help her dad. Two people who, from a young age, felt they had to be so obedient, so good, to not be a burden, and despite following the rules, despite doing as they were told, despite trying to be whatever version of "good" they believed in, the world still beat them up and mistreated them. The world still punished them.

As Rin in our discord server pointed out, though, to some degree, Kousuke is very much a person who can - and does - act out, when he's emotionally high-strung. He's a volatile man, and it's largely to do with the fact that he's been drugged to placate him for so long. He never learned emotional regulation, he never learned how to deal with high-stress situations or to face conflict or to own up to things. This is something that some readers who hate Kousuke and expect him to act a certain way because of his age are missing. You don't just learn these things with age. You learn them with experience and Kousuke was deprived of the opportunity TO have those experiences. He never had to learn these behaviors, and now as an adult he cannot function when overwhelmed.

Idk this whole episode is just heartbreaking. It's devastating. I remember when I was someone praying on Kousuke's downfall and now I want to take it all back ;___; I always believed he had to crash and burn to be able to see the world for what it really was and to face his fears, but this is somehow so much worse.

And even though he's drunk, I don't think he's going to forget all of this in the morning. Rather, I think what he's voicing are things that have been plaguing him since waking up in the hospital. From that moment, we saw him wary and distrustful of his mother, we saw his concern for Nol rising above everything else, but grappling with the understanding that he doesn't deserve to stand in front of Nol anymore. These aren't epiphanies coming to him just because he's drunk; it's more like he's only voicing them because he's drunk. But even when he sobers up, he will probably still be haunted by these fears, these agonies, these truths, this understanding.

How does he face his mother after this? How does he face anyone? He may not even feel like he can trust Jayce - who while very kind to him, is still employed by his family. He may not even feel like he can trust Hansuke (though I really hope that's not the case).

He's so miserable and it genuinely hurts to have him lay it all out for us - everything we've known and suspected, like how it was so painfully clear he WANTED Nol's friendship, their brotherhood, but feared it, didn't believe that there was enough love to go around, that there could only be one of them and that even if it was for good or bad reasons, Nol cast him in the shadow. And all these years, watching as Nol, as Yeonggi, grew into this person who sounded so very much like this unknown version of their father, someone funny who makes others laugh, someone goofy, someone so boyish in the ways Kousuke was never allowed to be. Watching as he gathers friends, while Kousuke, so unlikeable, is wanted only for his money, for his status, for the clout.

He doesn't even know WHO HE IS! Questioning his own traits he's believed of himself, wondering if this is even him, if these parts of him are real or does he just act it, say it, pretend it, while trying to fulfill a role he was shoved into. That makes me feel SO deeply sad, because it's something I've been anticipating for so long: Kousuke wondering WHO he really is, how much of him is real and how much of it is the result of manipulation.

And that moment that he catches himself and says no no that's offensive and rude you can't be like that. ;AAA;

For him to admit how much he envies others, how much he craves the kind of connection others have, the kind of family others have, to feel that love and warmth that he's been deprived of, forced to endure this solitude because, as he believes, he didn't get the good parts of Rand. And what will happen when he learns that Rand isn't his father? That he never stood a chance to inherit any of those traits. Kousuke has operated on this belief that, if he tries hard enough, he can earn the things he craves, but I fear learning about his parenthood will make him think that no matter how hard he tried, he would never earn that, because none of it was ever him, could have gone to him.

I think this is where Shinae, in the future, will come in. I feel so very strongly that she will be someone who helps Kousuke to see that this isn't true, that these kinds of personality traits aren't something inherited, but rather something learned. For him to one day realize it's the paralyzing fear that holds him back, not his genetics. Of course, I acknowledge this will still take a lot of therapy but...

Something else very remarkable to me is the way Kousuke recognizes Shinae in Shinhye, because their eyes "feel the same" and he opens up to her - on some level, whether or not he is consciously aware of it, Kousuke knows, or maybe just wants to, that he can trust Shinae. That she is someone who is safe. He even knows how she feels about his mother. I don't think we'll see a lot of Kousuke and Shinae's friendship until we're passed our timeskips, but it makes me feel a little hopeful about it, that she'll be able to reach him, because she feels like someone who is safe. It's the way he sees Nol in her and wants to try to have that do over, a relationship with someone who  has unconditional love for him. It's the way he knows he mistreated Nol, that it was wrong, that he took it all out on this kid he was so afraid of because he had no other outlet, and he wants to do better but knows that there's nothing to salvage anymore.

But also, it just makes me hope more and more that in the future we WILL see a reconciliation between the brothers. As I say every time, it doesn't mean they have to become brothers or friends, but I just want them to see each other fully. Kousuke knows what he did to Nol. He doesn't deny it, even if he might not say it out loud unless he's drunk. But Nol is still so in the dark. Yujing is trying to tip him off and make him aware of it, but I hope one day when Nol realizes it, when he finds out that Kousuke, too, was Yui's victim, that he wasn't the only one, that Kousuke was made to fear Nol's love, he might.... understand. I'm saying understand here loosely because I don't want people to get the idea that I mean Nol will forgive him and Kousuke will be justified, but rather that Nol would be able to understand why Kousuke felt that way, and move on. But I can't help but hope that it will lead to an understanding, a reconciliation, where maybe they can try to be in each other's lives.

I think it's also interesting that Shinhye was somewhat honest, even if she wasn't very forthcoming, with Kousuke about her own family. It sounds like her mother has been gone for a long time, that she's been on her own the whole while, and I think it reinforces the idea that she believes both that Simhan is her father and that he rejected her, that he didn't want anything to do with her. It lines up, too, with how she feels that he wouldn't react well if he saw her (although I think she credited that to looking like their mother). In the same way that Shinae has felt abandoned and cast aside by their mother, Shinhye probably thinks their father never tried reach out, to find them, to maintain a relationship with her. Or perhaps it's that her mother fed her lies about him, made her believe him a different type of man, made her believe there would never be anything of their relationship to salvage. And given that she's the one who Kousuke opened to, it makes me think that there must be some kind of parallel there; the way she mentioned her own mother feels like maybe her mother, too, was a manipulative - or at the very least, dishonest - person.

I don't speculate a lot on Shinhye because frankly I don't think I know enough about her to really try to talk about her, but I do think that it's very likely there's some kind of connection between Shinhye and the Hirahras or Gun. To be clear, I don't believe she's working with Yui at all. I think it's more like... Alyssa isn't the only girl who has been trafficked by Gun. What's the likelihood that Shinae and Shinhye's mother was? Given her history, the gambling addiction that was so egregious her reputation haunted Shinae and chased her to a new neighborhood and school, was she seeking money somewhere else, somewhere more dangerous? Is that part of why they had to change their name? There's so many questions left about them, and I look forward to learning more about her, but, much like with Alyssa, I think it will take time and be dropped in little tidbits like this - things to read into and try to glean something from.

And maybe we'll see more of this duo in the future? It would feel a little weird to give them this one single run in, but I'm not entirely sure. Quimchee likes to keep us on our toes. After all, Minhyuk and Shinhye have also had only the one run in. Still, I think it would be interesting to watch, if Shinhye ever felt.... I want to say maybe compelled? to dig in more to Kousuke, ever feel a kind of kinship. I don't think she'll open up to him at all, but rather, maybe she'd keep going back because a. he's wealthy and there's more she can nick from him (assuming he doesn't realize she stole anything while in his apartment, if he even remembers any of this) and b. wanting to gather more intel.

Like I said though, she's hard to read so I don't want to cling too hard to any ideas and, instead, sit back and enjoy the show.

[mercyorangebeam]

its so weird that overwatch is an fps game because despite it very much being an fps game where aim and mechanics matter and map control etc etc are key elements to the gameplay when i play overwatch im not really proud of my aim. when i get popoff moments im not really thinking about how good my aim was because 1) im not really attracted to the aim intensive heroes to begin with 2) even when i am playing an aim intensive hero like sojourn im more interested in my positioning and movement anyway rather than my actual aiming mechanics. i like playing support or tank because i can feel proud about my decisionmaking more so than my mechanics and that kind of gameplay appeals to me more than dps. like in that moira potg its not like im ever like wow check out this sick shot i did, no, it was all 1) i need to ult because its last point -> orisa is ulting too lemme combo -> hog dead who can i switch to -> i see a critical health ally lemme get them most of the way full then swap to killing because i trust theyll stay alive now -> ult is over lets clean up fight -> noticing kiriko is trying to flank and get some surprise kills -> support our kiri in the 1v1 to make it a 2v1 -> heal kiri at first because shes critical -> ok shes not hitting her shots and i see enemykiri is low, lemme finish her off -> finish healing even though i want to push up w my orisa bc i dont have my mobility cd -> see me fade towards orisa as soon as my cd is up but oops too late she got pulsed

[first-impressions-gaming]

Shadow Warrior 3

Developed by Flying Wild Hog

Published by Devolver Digital

Release Date 2022

Tested on Xbox Series X

MSRP 39,99 USD

Does this sound familiar to you, “it is so BAD that it is bloody GOOD at some point”? This is my experience towards the narrative of Shadow Warrior 3 in my two-hour playtime summarized in a single sentence. It is also notable to note that I haven’t played the first two instalments of the franchise before this one therefore I am not able to compare the third one to first two or point out improvements or downgrades.

Even though I haven’t played the previous games, the opening sequence and cutscene are welcoming to the players (who haven’t experienced prior games like me) in laying the ground in terms of characters, humour of the game and a little bit of backstory. 

The protagonist, Lo Wang, has a bombastic and charming personality which breaks the fourth wall and who is well aware of his shortcomings and full of himself, he is mixing arrogance with self-criticism which works well for his own portrayal for himself, rendering him likeable to players. This can be observed and witnessed in the very opening scene: we step into a location, a place on a hill between mountains and every little object and item feel out of place and space, such as Lo Wang’s dirty underwear, a wrecked car, stereotypical-looking mythical objects, Lo Wang’s storytelling about recent events and him saying he wishes to open a comic book store if this saving the world mission doesn’t work out.

Early in the game, you have flashback moments such as this clip, the mountain explodes when Lo Wang is wall-running and falls to the ground, crying out loud “I was supposed to win!”:

Another great scene is where Lo Wang attempts to jump across the platform and holds onto a corpse, stupidly fun B-movie vibes are real with this cutscene:

At first I got the impression that the game wanted a shot at making a Doom-like game with fourth-wall-breaking jokes and more approachable less-serious personalities with Doom-ish level design and combat flow, but Shadow Warrior 3 aspires to go beyond that, combat action is more like Serious Sam-type, you go guns blazing instead of calculated or strategic approach.

Shadow Warrior 3 is like a B-movie with full consciousness, it knows it is a B-movie and it builds on it with quality cheesy writing. It is not like “Okay, our writing is not top-notch, it may be B-rated,” it is like “This writing is high-quality B-rated with every detail built around it”.

In every action movie or game, you are the protagonist who prevails despite all the challenges and setbacks, Lo Wang is just another guy who tries to survive in the given situation and circumstances, look at this scene, Lo Wang is trying to get out of the dam before it gets destroyed and as soon as he gets out he witnesses the dam imploding, with side character saying “too close, man”. This line and recognition within it are precious to me, you wouldn’t encounter this sort of line in a Tomb Raider game.

Each weapon and character skill has three upgrades and the order of upgrades are not up to you, the first upgrade for guns is increasing ammo capacity by 50%, you get the cool stuff only in second upgrades such as headshots trigger an explosion to nearby enemies (for the revolver gun), bullets electrocute enemies (submachine gun) etc. Character skills aren’t gamechangers unless you play the game in hardcore mode, what you gain from those skills aren’t that indispensable to overcome enemies.

For upgrades and menus:

Level design-wise, you mostly depend on wall-running, dodging and double-jumping when you travel, these are types of mechanics any FPS player is accustomed to, if you aren’t, it is no brainer because it’s extremely easy to learn. During fights, if you don’t use your environment for your advantage you will see your health diminish pretty fast, you got to dodge enemy attacks often and try to put a reasonable distance between you and and enemies, for example make use of rings that float and allow you to grapple and move across in a location, thanks to this, you can set the tone of the fight.

[xmoonlitxdreamx]

No worries, I like reading stuff like this and you've brought up a lot of interesting points! Hope you don't mind me bouncing off your thoughts a little as well! ^^

Sorry for the lack of coherent thoughts lmao I was originally going to try to reply to actual points you made but I ended up just rambling about random things;;

canon ships between heroes & integration between lore and in-game content: Even queer ships aside, if Blizzard decides to canonize any ships at all between heroes I'd be curious to see how they decide to handle it… like you're saying, I just don't think the FPS format really lends itself to exploring canon relationships between characters. I'm guessing it would be mostly reflected in comics/short stories/etc rather than anything in-game, but imo it'd be jarring to then not have any mention of canon ships between heroes happen in-game… idk the integration/interaction between lore content and in-game content has always been wacky to me lmao;; a story mode (pve?) would've probably helped to connect the game and the lore a bit better but well. alas for that lsdjfslfd It's a bit of a shame that any queer content that happens in non-game things like comics and short stories is taken as pandering (like you're saying with Soldier 76), but yeah it's really the fault of Blizzard for not having a better way of integrating their multimedia franchise.

Bap & Mauga: I'm not super knowledgable about Bap and Mauga's history, but I was actually thinking similarly about how they're an option for a complex mlm ship… like if Blizzard were to try to explore any nuanced queer relationships, I think it would probably be through Bap/Mauga first. Maybe they're like a safe (?) option for blizzard bc

1) they have an established connection in their lore and in-game interactions so they don't need to make any new lore with them meeting (compared to idk yeehan or other ships) 2) a lot of their canon relationship is open to being interpreted as romantic (I think?? again I'm not so familar with them) 3) Bap is canon bi 4) any hinting about their relationship has been more serious in tone (compared to roadrat which kinda has a history of being jokey and tongue-in-cheek).

imo they could canonize that their relationship happend at one point in history without much pushback from fans (except from homophobes but like that's unavoidable with any queer content in ovw), and that would open up the option for Blizzard to figure out how to explore other nuanced queer relationships. (like s76 or roadrat or whatever they want)

Roadrat meme hints: I totally agree with you about Roadrat being shroedinger's pairing LMAO… This is probably a much larger topic and I'm not sure what my opinions are on it. I think a consequence of Junkrat and Roadhog being comic relief characters is that no matter how much Blizzard suggests junk and hog being in a relationship, they can always just fall back on "it's just a joke" if they get too scared of homophobic pushback; and I feel like they often have fallen back on "it's just a joke." Honestly it's to Blizzard's benefit that they frame Junk & Hog's relationship like this because homophobic fans can be like "lol hilarious joke about men being in love which is stupid" and laugh at their "relationship"; ppl who aren't homophobic but don't care abt roadrat can just b like "haha those silly guys and their bromance"; and people who are invested in roadrat can also be like "yay roadrat content". (…i feel like i'm basically just describing queerbaiting LMAO but idk. what is and isn't percieved as queerbait is kind of malleable)

At this point I feel like they don't wanna canonize roadrat bc they like having these audiences simultaneously… but idk imo they need to make a decision at some point. and obviously the side i would like is if they took roadrat seriously lskdfjsldfj;; seems like they haven't decided yet with what they wanna do though, as you've pointed out w how haphazardly they're handling junk & hog's characterization in ow2 lskjsdfdk

Half-baked thoughts abt the prospect of canon roadrat? Idk maybe interesting to ppl. (thread from my priv)

This was mostly prompted by me seeing a lot of ppl pine for canon roadrat this pride when i keyword search roadrat on twitter. (Nothing new in game happened afaik)

[luccislegs]

Sora and Reader, who is a really good friend/sibling figure, start a gaming channel together. What types of games does Sora enjoy playing the most, both in terms of genre and gameplay? And, who of the Guardians are their most avid viewers, and which of them are the most likely to be guests on their show?

⇥ rules!

⇥  non-one piece requests open!

— — —

Sora is honestly kind of impatient, so he really likes to play games that have constant action with few lulls. FPS aren’t his top favorite, but he tends to play them because they draw in views and whenever there aren’t games that he really wants to play, they’re a good fall back. He really *likes* platformers and he plays them a lot, but his impatience comes through again when he can’t get a particularly hard puzzle or tricky jump. When he starts to get annoyed, he’ll pass the controller off to his partner until they either get it or he’s cooled off.

Also plays a lot of horror games just because he knows his viewers love his reactions. He isn’t a *total* baby, but he is very easily scared. It doesn’t help that his partner knows this and does things to mess with him. 

They totally have a whole stream dedicated to nothing but scary games on Halloween, complete with his partner jump scaring him irl and dragging their friends into the fun too. Sora is not amused.

HOGs aren’t *huge* in their repertoire but sometimes if they can’t decide on something to do, they’ll stream themselves playing one. They’re good, calm games that allow them to interact with chat more, which their fans really appreciate.

Ventus, Kairi, Namine, Lea, Xion, and Roxas are their most avid viewers. Everyone will watch their videos and streams, but they’re the ones that go and watch the VODs they missed and can name what was said in what video. 

Lea is actually their editor. He’s creative and does a really good job of making their videos fun. He had to beg them to let him edit their first video though, and Sora and his partner really thought that it was gonna be Lea being his typical trickster self. But then he showed it to them and loved it so much that *they* begged *him* to edit the rest.

Lea, Ventus, Xion, and Roxas are the most common guests for anything. All four of them are biggest into the battle royal games and tend to make up their teams. Periodically the others will show up. Riku guests mostly when they’re playing FPS or battle royal, Kairi and Namine when they’re doing multi-player platformers or just joke games, and sometimes if Sora or his partner can’t be there, they’ll fill in. 

There was one memorable time where they managed to talk Leon and Cloud into guesting and it...well, there’s a lot of “When are Leon and Cloud coming to play again?” in chat Never, is the answer usually given. Chat exploded and they had to put members only on. There were lots of bans to be had that day.

[imagine-riverdale]

Meant To Be-FP Jones Imagine

“All my life I was told ‘if you love something, set it free, if it comes back, it's meant to be.’. I was never one to believe in the crazy metaphors my family would spout out. But at some point, things become too much to handle and your mind just wants to run, now I know most will say to stick it through, but when you are so tired you start to think it’s best to run. So, I ran, I set my feelings first, and I let the man I love go. Yes, it hurt, still does. I figured if what my family said is true, we’ll find our way back to each other, eventually.” Eleanor Grimes stated sitting around in a circle at a local support group in the small town of Broken Bow, Nebraska. The support group for anyone who wished to come and speak about anything troubling them.

“Eleanor, you’ve been coming to us for a few weeks and you’ve never given us much information, can you elaborate more so we can help?” Edward, the support group organizer, asked. Eleanor sighed but nodded.

“Most of you have seen me around.” She glanced at the group. “I’ve been coming to this group since I was 23, so it’s been two years.” Eleanor stated. “I first came here after my boyfriend and I broke up. I met Forsythe when I was 20 when I began working as a bartender at the bar he worked out of. We had hit it off immediately. Forsythe is older than me, by a lot. Almost twice my age, but neither of us cared about that. We only cared about the fact that we loved each other, and for a time, that was enough.” Eleanor looked at the group, a frown on her face. “He was recently separated from his wife, and his children didn’t live with him, but that didn’t stop him from trying to be there for them. Forsythe did everything in his power to help his children, so much that he ended up in jail. When he got out, he vowed to stop drinking and change his line of work. Well that didn’t happen, he promised multiple times throughout the years that things would change, because he was going to end up dead if he continued life the way he was leading it. Sadly, Forsythe broke every promise he made, and I couldn’t stand by and watch him fall down the rabbit hole again, so I left, and I haven’t looked back.”

“It seems as if you did everything right Eleanor.” Edward stated. “Why is it you chose to move here?”

“My mother, she grew up here, so my Aunt still lives in town. At the time of my leaving, I didn’t know I had been pregnant, I only found out after, and by that point, I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t subject my child to a father who’s in a gang, who has a drinking problem. I couldn’t put a target on her back.” Eleanor stated. “Jenna is my pride and joy, and Forsythe has enough on his plate than having to take care of another baby.” Eleanor said softly whilst looking at her hands.

“But he has a right to know about his child.” A woman, Candace, stated.

“He does.” Eleanor nodded. “But at that point, I wasn’t ready for him to know about her, that’s why I’m here.” Eleanor sighed. “I’m heading back to Riverdale tomorrow. Forsythe’s son called, said they need me.” Eleanor finished her group meeting before heading back to her Aunt’s house where Jenna was playing.

 The next few days few by faster than Eleanor had wanted. The ride to Riverdale taking less time than she had hoped. Pulling into Sunnyside Trailer Park she noticed that FP’s bike wasn’t in front of his trailer, so Eleanor drove over to the Whyte Wyrm. Parking her car, she glanced at Jenna who was playing with her toys.

Entering the Whyte Wyrm after three years was a different experience than Eleanor thought. Pausing at the door everyone glanced at her and the toddler in her arms. The first person to speak being Hog eye.

“Well look what the snake dragged in.”

“Hey Hog.” Eleanor smiled slightly walking towards the bar. “FP around?” She glanced around noticing all the older Serpents whom knew her, were watching her with interest, some younger ones watching as well.

“Office.” Hog nodded towards the stairs leading upstairs. “He’s with Jeff though.” Eleanor shrugged heading towards the stairs whilst Jenna played with her hair.

“Then he’ll be out in a minute.” Eleanor shrugged heading up the stairs and knocking on FP’s office before stepping in.

“I’m in the middle,” Pausing FP looked up and noticed Eleanor standing there. “Jeff, go.” Jeff left the room quickly as FP stood up.

“Forsythe.” Eleanor greeted.

“Eleanor.” His eyes fell on the toddler in her arms, one that had his black hair. “What,”

“Forsythe, let me talk.” She said softly. “I’m going to start by apologizing, because I see the look in your eyes, and I know you’ve figured out why I’m here.” Glancing down at Jenna, Eleanor smiled. “Jenna is your daughter.” She stated. “I found out after I left, and my pride refused to let me come back, but I got a call, from Jughead, he said you’re spiraling.” She stated.

“She’s mine?” He asked moving towards Eleanor whom nodded.

“Jenna.” She softly spoke to the toddler. “This is your daddy.” Jenna looked from her mother to her father and smiled reaching for him, FP immediately taking the toddler who looked exactly like her mother except for the hair. “I am sorry FP, I didn’t want to get hurt again, so I didn’t want to come back, but I realized how much more I would be hurting you by not coming back and god.” Eleanor shook her head. “I couldn’t bare the thought any longer, especially after Jughead called, he sounded so worried. What happened?” Eleanor asked as she watched FP playing with Jenna.

“Gladys came back.” He mentioned. “Really fucked me up.” He said softly looking up from Jenna. “But I’ll be fine, got my two girls here now.” He stated. The two talked and FP played with Jenna for awhile before she fell asleep on the couch.

“So, you’re stepping away, letting Jughead take over?” Eleanor asked.

“That was the plan.” FP stated stroking Jenna’s hair as she slept on the couch. “He got himself involved with Peabody. I can’t leave now, I gotta get him out of this situation.” He stated causing Eleanor to nod.

“I’m sorry.” She stated softly. “For leaving, for keeping Jenna from you, I shouldn’t have,”

“You had every right to.” FP stopped Eleanor from talking. “Trust me, I get it, if I had the choice Jughead and Jellybean wouldn’t have been raised this way, but I didn’t have a choice.” Glancing down at Jenna, FP chuckled. “She isn’t going to have the same life that they did.” He stated standing from the couch and moving to where Eleanor was leaning against the desk. “I’m going to do better, for both of you.” He said caressing Eleanor’s cheek.

“No, do better for you Forsythe.” She said softly as she leaned up and pressed her lips against his before there was a knock at the door. “That’s for you.” She motioned as FP laughed.

“We’re not done here.” He stated turning and opening the door to Hog Eye. “What?”

“New recruit.” He stated which FP nodded at before turning back to Eleanor. “I gotta head down.”

“I’ll come with you, Jenna will be fine up here.” FP nodded and the two headed down into the bar together. Emma was greeted by everyone, them welcoming her back before she took a place at the bar.

“It weird being on that side?” Hog asked as Emma laughed and glanced at the girl beside him. “You remember Toni Topaz?”

“Yeah, you were younger when I left, how’d you end up working this shitty gig?” Eleanor teased glancing at Hog who laughed.

“Well I believe it was because you left.” Toni joked as Eleanor nodded.

“Well someone had to pick up the slack.” Hog said walking away. Eleanor turned and glanced around watching how everyone hung around FP.

“He’s been a mess since you left.” Eleanor heard the voice of Jughead to her right.

“I doubt that Jug.” Turning towards him she smiled. “But I appreciate you calling me back, though you forgot to mention that Peabody was in the picture.” She stated.

“And you forgot to mention that you had a kid.” Eleanor shook her head as Toni said a vodka lemonade in front of her.

“Well you don’t tell someone that they’re a brother over the phone.” She mentioned taking a sip of her drink as Jughead’s mouth fell open.

“What?”

“Jenna, she’s your sister.” Eleanor stated. “You don’t need me to go into detail, do you?” She asked smirking at the teenager.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” He turned towards the bar as FP made his way over.

“I think I broke Jughead.” Eleanor mentioned leaning against FP. “Told him about Jenna.”

“Jug?” FP called his son’s name.

“I’m good, just processing.” He stated as Eleanor shook her head before hearing a small voice.

“Momma!” Eleanor’s head turned towards the stairs where Jenna was standing at the top, her eyes wide. Eleanor set her drink and made her way up the stairs with everyone watching.

“Come on baby.” She picked the small girl up and headed back down the stairs.

“Daddy!” She grinned reaching for FP causing everyone in the bar to gasp as FP took the small girl.

“Oh, drop the looks, ya’ll knew the second I stepped into the bar with her.” Eleanor rolled her eyes. “I should take her home, well to the hotel.”

“Here.” FP handed Eleanor the keys to his trailer. “I’ll be there shortly.” Eleanor left the Wyrm and headed to FP’s trailer where she and Jenna fell asleep on FP’s bed.

Over the next few weeks everything went back to the way it was before Eleanor left, expect now they had Jenna. Penny was exiled from the Serpents and FP eventually left the Serpents and became the Sheriff, thus keeping his promise of providing Jenna a better life. Jughead learned to love his little sister and showed up almost every other day to see her. Eventually, Jellybean met Jenna and fell in love with her as well. Though they no longer were able to go to the place they had met, FP and Eleanor were happy, which was all Eleanor ever really wanted out of life.

As always thank you for reading my loves! I will be back with more soon!

REQUESTS ARE OPEN FOR ALL RIVERDALE CHARACTER

[riverdalepoet]

I’ve Got You  part 2

Word Count: 2236

Warnings: depictions of violence, abuse, and injuries.

Tag List: @romanticgumchewer   @serpentlullaby     @chipster-21  @lilhemmo

A/N:  @hugharekillianmelou was such a great help in making the edits of Callie’s brusies.  Lou truly is an editing genius.  In this chapter,  we find out a little about Sweet Pea and Calloway’s past.

 Leave your comments!!!! This story is on wattpad and Ao3.  Message me if you want to be added to the tag list. 

Chapter 1

_________________________________________________________

                 When Sweet Pea was through with them, Lonnie and Madden were tossed out back.  Hog Eye handed him a bar towel to wipe his bloody hands on. He had managed to take his shirt off in the heat of the fight. Sweets never enjoyed the constraints of any fabric against his straining muscles.  FP tossed it to him as he made his way over.  “Feel better?” he asked clapping a hand to his shoulder.

                 He shrugged nonchalantly, but his crooked grin gave him away making the former Serpent King laugh.  “Loads. They had it coming.”

                “Sweets!” Toni shouted from the top of the stairs.  He turned on the spot tensing instantly from the intensity in her voice.  “Get up here!”

                 FP motioned for him to go. He wrangled his shirt haphazardly over his head, taking the steps two at a time.  He heard the screams from the other side of the door along with the gentle shushing from Toni.  “PLEASE! Just let me go!”

                 He raced in, grabbing her thrashing arms and holding them firmly over her head.  “Callie, come on…” Toni was at a loss.  “Pea, she just woke up like this.  If she doesn’t calm down, she’ll pop those stitches.”

                Calloway fought against his hold desperately, eyes wild and nostrils flared. “Look at me, Callie,” he pleaded as Toni tried to still her legs kicking under him. He grunted with effort surprised at the fight left in her despite her injuries.

                 “No!” she cried out.  “I don’t want this.  I didn’t ask for this!”  Sweet Pea and Toni exchanged a grim look.  They recalled Dr. Ellis’ suspicions- terrified that he might have been right.  Sweet Pea knew that what Toni said was true.  If Callie didn’t snap out of this and quick, she’d be in worse shape than she started out in.

                “Calloway Camden, look at me right now!” he raised his voice using a little more force to restrain her arms. Slowly, she stopped her frantic movements.  Her eyes finally stilled on his face.  “Pea,” she choked out.  Sweet Pea released his grip on her arms, moving his palms to the bed on either side of her face.

                 “I’m right here.”  Nothing could have prepared him for the leap in his chest when her breaths started to hitch.  He scrambled to hold her, pulling her securely into his side and rubbing soothing circles on her arm.  Toni remained stock still at the foot of the bed, watching the scene with awe.  She couldn’t remember ever seeing Sweet Pea this compassionate.

                 “They hurt me, Sweet Pea.  They hurt me, and I thought they’d never stop,” she sobbed breaking his heart in the process.  He gently brushed his aching knuckles along the soft lines of her cheek.

                 “I know, angel.  I’m so sorry.  You’re safe now.  You’re here with me,” he murmured.  Her hands gripped his forearms as if at any moment he’d be gone again.  Callie flinched when Toni reached out a hand to pat her leg.  “Hey, it’s just Toni.  Do you trust me?” She nodded weakly.  “Good. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you again, Callie, I swear.”

                 Her gaze shifted to Toni and her eyes widened with embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“.

                 Toni held up her hand in reply and smiled. “Don’t sweat it.  I’m gonna go, though.  See you guys tomorrow.  Callie smiled at her and Sweet Pea followed suit.  The girl still wrapped in his arms was sinking deeper into the warmth of his chest.  He dragged his hands lazily up the length of her arm until she was almost out.  “I’ve missed you,” she mumbled falling back to sleep.

                 Sweet Pea smiled pressing his chin softly into her the crown of her head. “I’ve missed you too.”  The sweet smell of her shampoo took him back to the first time they met a little over ten years ago.

                Southside Elementary sucked. Sweet Pea hated the lunches, the library, and most importantly, the older boys that pushed him around at recess. His dad told him to suck it up and use his fists if he needed to but they never gave him a fighting chance. He learned that if he hid, they would find someone else to tease and he would be in the clear.

                 As soon as Mrs. Singer’s second-grade class made it outside, he made a dash for the safety of the blue slide.  He crouched down at the mouth of the slide and snuck further behind it walking backward until he bumped into something. “OW!” a small voice called out.

                 He whirled around ears burning bright red to see who had called out.  A tiny girl about his age with blonde hair and bright blue eyes stared back at him with a timid expression mirrored on her face.  “I- I’m sorry.  I was just-“

                “Hiding from the big kids, yeah, I know. You’re Sweet Pea, right?  I’m Calloway, but you can call me Callie.” she finished for him, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her dress.  Her arms reached to yank him against the curve as some other kids ran by.  He shuffled to her, clutching her arm in fear.

                 “Do they pick on you too?” he asked after the coast was clear.  After looking at her, he realized she was in his class.  She sat in the back and didn’t talk to anyone, but always doodled on her papers.

                 “No, but I saw them with you yesterday.  They shouldn’t be so mean.” The crinkle in her forehead made him giggle. It was the same look his mom made when she was mad.  Right as he opened his mouth to thank her, he saw the older boys approach them.

                 “Well if it isn’t Sweetie Pie…” they taunted. Sweet Pea cowered against the slide.

                 “His name is Sweet Pea,” Callie answered for him, rising to her feet.  Sweet Pea tried with all his might to keep her from going toe to toe with them. When he realized there was no stopping her, his hands gripped her shoulders, hiding behind her.

                 “Who asked you?  You letting little girls fight for you,” the oldest boy hissed out.

                 “I’m not all that littler than you.  My mommy told me if someone is being mean to stop them. His name is Sweet Pea and you need to leave him alone.”  Sweet Pea could not believe that she was standing up for him.

                 The group of boys tried to worm their way around her to get to Pea, but she wasn’t having any of it.  When one of them shoved her, she brought a sharp knee to his stomach sending him to the ground.  The others scampered off looking back at her with wide eyes.  Sweet Pea giggled at the sight of them running away looking as frightened as he did just yesterday.  There, with his face hidden safely in her hair, he knew that the quiet girl who went out of her comfort zone to defend him would be his best friend.

                 When she stirred slightly in her sleep, he adjusted his position to make himself comfortable. In that moment with the smell of strawberries soothing him the same way it did when he was seven, he followed her lead slipping right off to sleep.  

                 The morning came far too early for Callie. The sun streaming through the curtains woke her, and she moved to stretch like she always did before remembering what that would feel like to her battered body.  She felt fingers twirling the ends of her hair and jumped slightly. “Shhh, it’s just me,” Sweet Pea’s sleepy voice whispered in her ear.  She instantly relaxed back into the bed before turning to face him.

                 “You didn’t have to sleep on top of the covers, I’m sorry.” She lifted a fist to rub her eye, but Pea reached out to stop her before it connected with the bruises that painted her skin.  The light of day did nothing to fade the violent blues and reds that covered her and the very sight of them made Sweet Pea want to hit something again.

                 “Don’t be, you know I’m hot-natured. Hey princess, we gotta take you to Dr. Ellis today.  You up for it?” Her face scrunched up at him before she remembered her ankle.  The doctor had it bound up tightly to keep it in place, but the compression wasn’t doing much to lighten the throbbing.

                 “Yeah, can we get it over with?” He nodded, moving to get up from the bed. She rolled gently to her side finding the right way to stand without causing too much pain.

                 His hands helped her to her feet and she offered a simple smile in return.  “Whatever you want.  I’ve got your bag right here.  If you want to get ready in the bathroom, I can wait right here.  Just please yell if you need me.”  Callie thanked him shyly. As she limped her way to the bathroom, she could feel Sweet Pea’s worried eyes following her every move. From what she remembered of his protectiveness, he hadn't changed one bit.

                 After she was ready, Pea took his turn before he came out in his usual jeans and flannel.  He reached his hand out to lift her from where she sunk back into the bed. He went to lift her up in his arms and chuckled when she protested.  “Callie, how do you think I got you up here?  You really want to try going down the stairs on your own?”

                 Callie sighed giving into his hold on her and letting go of her argument.  “Okay, okay. Let’s just go.”  As they reached the bottom step, Callie looked at all the Serpents sleeping soundly on the cots cramped together.  She looked pointedly at Fangs and Toni, tears welling up in her eyes.  Sweet Pea followed her stare and squeezed her slightly.  “What are we gonna do, Pea?”

                 He turned heading for the door before answering her quietly, “We’re gonna make it work, Cal, we always do.”  When he didn’t turn for his bike, Callie questioned where they were going.  “Well FP just got back from seeing Jughead, so he offered us the truck while you were in the bathroom.”

                “Where’s Jughead?” Callie questioned as Sweets sat her on the bench seat.  “I thought he’d be here.”

                 “Penny Peabody and the Ghoulies left him for dead. He’s in bad shape.” Sweet Pea started the truck and merged onto Highway 14 towards uptown.  Callie looked out the window tracing the bruises on her arms. The Ghoulies hurt more than just her last night and that made her feel so much worse.

                 The drive to the clinic wasn’t long and soon she was being carried in the back door straight into an examination room.  Dr. Ellis prodded and poked until he was satisfied, ultimately deciding against surgery.  Once she was put into a stronger cast, the doctor started listing off instructions.  “Alrighty, Callie.  You’re gonna be on these crutches for the next six weeks and then we’ll see where that ankle is at, okay?”

                 She nodded noticing Sweet Pea typing notes quickly into his phone from the corner of her eye. “I’m gonna give you some meds for the pain, but make sure to eat something when you take them.  Otherwise, you’ll get sick.  Now those stitches and bruises… let’s see you back in a week. If you need me before then, Sweet Pea…”

                 Sweet Pea shoved his phone in his pocket and rose from the chair to shake the doctor’s hand.  “I’ve got your number.  Thank you, man, for everything.”  Once Dr. Ellis was out of the room, Sweet Pea slumped against Callie’s shoulder. “Thank God, I just knew he would want you to have surgery for that food,” he moaned.

                 She swung her legs against the table, examining the blue cast and testing her balance on the crutches that the nurse brought for her.  “Sweet Pea…”

                 His eyes snapped up immediately to her face and her bottom lip that was trapped between her teeth.  “What is it?”  Despite the years, he knew by her tone of voice that she was on the verge of tears.

                 “I’m clumsy enough on my own two feet.  How am I supposed to get around with these?” She pouted when he laughed at her question and indignant expression.  She felt helpless and as much as she was grateful for Sweet Pea, she hated having to depend on anyone.

 A warm hand landed on the small of her back as she hobbled towards the truck. Every few steps, she stumbled and Sweet Pea would reach to steady her every time. Looking at her in the direct sunlight made him feel horrible.  Her face, always so sweet and trusting, had one black eye, a bruised cheek from being slapped, and a pitifully split lip.  Her neck bore the proof of the rough way she was handled- choked and slung around.  Her arms had a jagged cut, no doubt from Malachi’s knife, and finger- shaped bruises at her elbows and forearms.  Her long legs- one in a cast and stitched up and the other with scrapes and burn marks- looked heartbreakingly frail.  As his eyes swept over every injury, he vowed to himself to get revenge on whoever put her through this and never allow it to happen again.   “I’ve got you, angel.  Don’t worry about that.”

[toksikk]

FP forgot that wasn't a common name so he didn't even bother to explain. "Well if you don't want to ask him, Sweet Pea or Hog Eye are around here somewhere." He replied. Though the question got his attention and he perked up. What was this kids name again? He couldn't remember but it wasn't important.

"I'm the Serpent king so yeah I'm the leader. Been running in this shit since I was a kid. You know much about snakes? We have one if you want to see it. In that cage over there where Hot Dog is laying." He nodded toward the dog on the floor by the serpent tank. He looked Dylan over and hummed to himself. "You know my kid? Jughead?"

Dylan nodded apprehensively as he informed him- saying the name of the place, and the… cult- community that was a part of it. Though, to be honest Dylan hadn’t had much of a family before- maybe this was normal. Did he just say he was pretty? Don’t get carried away, Dylan, that man would eat you alive. “Just exploring the area- I’m not from here.” He repeats, though he can tell the man is three sheets to Kentucky. 

Who the hell was Tall Boy? Someone named their kid after a mid-grade canned beer? “Wait, I’m sorry- Tall boy?” Dylan questioned- not because he wanted drugs. To be honest, he already felt like he was on something. “This place is kind of neat. Are you like, the leader?”

[kurokoros]

Focal Point | Part Four

Title: Focal Point

Rated: M (language, smut, references to past violence)

Words: 10.7K

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Jones!OC

Summary: Jubilee stares at him in disbelief, mouth opening and closing though no words come out. A dozen emotions flicker in her eyes as she takes in what he’s said, but they pass too quickly for him to register anything but her confusion. Eventually, she crosses her arms, leaning back in the booth, quirking a brow at him. “You want me to pose for you,” she repeats slowly, absolutely bewildered by the request. “Naked.”

Sweet Pea wets his lips, mirroring her pose, looking far too calm for the request that just came out of his mouth. His eyes meet hers, throat bobbing with a harsh swallow, and she’s relieved to see a flicker of nerves in his eyes. “Yeah.”

College!AU in which Art Major Sweet Pea needs a nude model for an assignment. He decides to ask his best friend.

Chapters: One | Two  | Three | Four | Epilogue

AN: This is going to be a three four part fic (now with a short epilogue!) that’s part of my extended College!Verse Like the Kids in Art School Said! It should be updated every Thursday until complete assuming nothing comes up in my personal life! Inspired by @sweetpeasbabydoll wanting an artist Sweet Pea au with him doing a nude portrait!

The first two hours go surprisingly well.

Sweet Pea isn’t entirely sure what he was expecting. Hormones. A raging hard-on. The two of them being too awkward for this to work at all and him being too distracted by her sudden nudity to do anything but stare. But it’s not nearly as awkward as it should be, and that might be the bigger problem.

At first, he tried to keep his eyes off her as much as possible once his brain caught up with the fact that Jubilee was naked and waiting for his instructions, a task made even more difficult thanks to his conversation with the guys earlier this morning. He’s long come to terms with his feelings, and their kiss last night is still fresh in his mind, but now isn’t the time to drag up buried feelings and drunken kisses.

He just hopes he can get through this without saying or doing anything stupid.

Working with Jubilee is easier than he thought it would be—easier than it should be. They’ve always been a good team, no matter what they were doing, and so far nude modeling is no exception to that. The first few minutes involved some awkward floundering as she moved into a position that worked for him but wouldn’t be too uncomfortable for her to hold for an hour or two, with Sweet Pea trying not to stare at her chest as she shifted around on the couch across from him.

If he didn’t know better, he would think she was doing it on purpose just to fuck with him.

His brain practically short-circuited when she asked how he wanted to do this—“Where do you want me, Sweets?”—and it’s a little embarrassing how long it took for him to respond. He’s just lucky he didn’t stutter when he told her to get on the couch. And he’s even luckier that he managed to swallow back a groan when she did exactly what he asked, her eyes never once leaving his.

Sweet Pea might be wrong about saying there was nothing sexy about figure drawing. There was definitely some subtle, uncomfortable shifting in those first few minutes from his end. It’s a miracle that Sweet Pea managed to keep his more inappropriate thoughts locked away as he started the sketch. It certainly wasn’t easy though. Between the way Jubilee kept looking at him and the utterly shameless way she stripped down for him, he’s lucky that uncomfortable shifting was the worst of it.

Though, that might say more about Jubilee than it does figure drawing.

They settled on a classic Titanic style pose. Simple and easy. Not original, but it meets the task at hand. Jubilee stretched across the couch with her left arm draped over her head on the armrest and her right hand nestled next to her cheek, her fingers curled slightly. Fangs will probably give him hell for it later when he inevitably finds out, but Sweet Pea couldn’t help but notice how much softer she looked like that.

Sweet Pea kept to his promise of not being a silent artist and the conversation has been steady since he started working. It’s always easy with Jubilee. Sometimes more than it should be. After a while, they both settled into their spots and he was sucked into the drawing, letting the motions take over.

Despite her taking the initiative earlier, it took Jubilee a little longer to relax. She was stiff at the start, unsure where to put her arms, but seemed to shake it off once he started talking to her.

Soon, it starts to feel like any other Saturday afternoon. Sweet Pea works on his project. Jubilee curls up on his couch and enjoys the quiet and lack of roommates. He’s almost able to forget that she’s naked. Almost, but not quite.

It’s a little difficult to forget that important detail when he starts to work lower on the drawing and the little details of her skin start to appear on the paper in front of him. Jubilee’s clothes are still scattered across his floor and he keeps getting distracted every time she shifts and her dark hair tickles at her skin.

He’s torn between his professionalism and his feelings for Jubilee and one of them is going to give before the night is over.

“—and that’s why Fangs and I almost got arrested in Cancun,” he finishes, pausing in his drawing when her shoulders shake with laughter. Despite his and Fangs promise to never discuss the details of that night, she finally managed to weasel it out of him. Fangs won’t be happy about it, but the fond amusement swirling in Jubilee’s eyes is worth it.

“I can’t believe you two.” Jubilee shakes her head and snorts, but falls still again a moment later.

Sweet Pea finishes the detail of the thin, nearly invisible scar on her hairline before he glances at her over the top of his sketchbook. “What was I supposed to do?” he asks her, grinning when her lips twitch upwards. “The guy attacked me!”

Jubilee scoffs at him as her head tilts towards the hand lying on the pillow beside her face. “He threw a piñata,” she corrects him simply, still trying to wrap her head around the nonsense story.

“Same thing.”

“So you pulled out a samurai sword? Where did you even find one of those?”

Sweet Pea’s gaze flicks up to meet hers before he traces the curve of her neck with his eyes, adding definition to the rough sketch in front of him. “I thought it was fake,” he reminds her.

Her collarbones take shape on the paper and for a moment he allows his eyes to wander down to the tattoo on her ribcage, nestled just behind her breast. It’s just a splash of blue and lavender against her skin and he’d think it was a bruise if he didn’t know better.

He rips his eyes away from the tattoo when she says, “I can’t leave you two anywhere, can I?” Sweet Pea’s eyes slide back to hers and his heart swells when he sees the familiar, fond look in her eyes.

Sweet Pea turns back to his sketchbook just as quickly. He swallows, mouth suddenly dry. “You know us,” he jokes, “always getting in trouble.” Jubilee hums her agreement and he can’t help glancing at her again. “And you could have come with us.”

“And be a fugitive in a foreign country?” Jubilee asks him teasingly. “I’ll pass.” She grins at him and he shakes his head.

They lapse into comfortable silence for a minute as Sweet Pea tries to get the tiny details of the spatter of freckles beneath her collarbone just right.

Sweet Pea’s eyes immediately find Jubilee’s when he looks up again and for a moment he lets himself drown in them. His hand falters for a second, his pencil hovering just above the half-finished drawing. “So,” he starts, clearing his throat, “what are your plans after this?”

Jubilee’s eyes narrow just a tick and she purses her lips. “Tonight?” she asks him slowly, hesitating for a moment. “Or…”

He nearly swears when he catches the implication. “Graduation,” he corrects quickly, avoiding her gaze as his face heats up. “It’s coming up quick. You haven’t said anything about it.”

“Good question.” Jubilee wiggles her fingers idly before taking her bottom lip between her teeth and biting down on it. Sweet Pea stares as she rolls it between her teeth, his mouth suddenly dry. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“What?” he jokes, shaking away the thought of taking her lip between his own teeth and making her moan, “no big plans with your literature degree?” He quirks a brow at her and Jubilee rolls her eyes.

“Shut up. You sound like my dad.” Sweet Pea chuckles and Jubilee sighs as she relaxes back against the couch. “I’ll figure it out eventually.”

A smile tugs at his mouth. “I know you will.”

“And what about you?” she asks. “Any big plans after this, or are you going the starving artist route?”

He rolls his eyes, but grins at her teasing. Art as a career might not be the most stable thing, but Sweet Pea knows his friends and the other Serpents will support him no matter what he chooses to do. They got him this far after all. He just doesn’t want to let them all down like he did before.

Sweet Pea’s smile fades as his thoughts drift to the Serpents and his last conversation with FP over winter break. “Your dad offered me a job actually.” Jubilee’s brows knit together in confusion. “Hog Eye’s looking to retire. They need someone to run the Wyrm when he does.”

“What about your art?”

“There’ll be time for that when I’m not working the bar.” It rings hollow even to him and Jubilee’s frown deepens.

“I thought you didn’t want to bar-tend anymore,” she murmurs just loud enough for him to hear.

He shrugs. “It pays the bills. It’s stable. And I’m good at it.” Jubilee hums her agreement but doesn’t say anything. Sweet Pea’s hand stills and he stares at the half-finished sketch in front of him, tracing the fine lines with his eyes. “So I’m thinking about asking Micah for an apprenticeship once we go back to Riverdale.”

Jubilee is quiet for a moment. “Tattoos? Now that I can see.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You’re good with your hands,” she tells him. Sweet Pea snorts, shaking his head, and she laughs. “So why haven’t you asked him yet?”

“Not sure if it’s right, you know? Tattooing, it’s…” he trails off, unable to find the right word. “Delicate,” he decides on as he meets Jubilee’s eyes. “It’s easy to fuck it up.”

As usual, Jubilee sees right through him. “It makes you nervous.” She doesn’t move from her pose save for the slight downward curl of her lips, but that’s all he needs to know exactly what she’s thinking.

He laughs, ignoring the heavy look in her eyes. “Something like that.” Sweet Pea starts detailing her hair, falling in messy waves around her face, taking care to capture each strand as it falls around her.

They lapse into silence again as he gets sucked into the sketch, each stroke of his pencil more delicate than the last. Eventually, Jubilee asks, “so how many times have you done this?”

“Nude drawings?” Her head gives the slightest of nods and he hesitates before drawing the wayward strands of hair tickling the side of her neck. The small, red marks that he left last night have long since disappeared, but he can still taste her on his lips and hear her little gasps in his ears. Sweet Pea grits his teeth, shifting on the stool uncomfortably. “A couple times,” he answers vaguely, forcing his eyes not to wander further down her neck and trying to keep his thoughts from straying somewhere they shouldn’t. “I took that class on it before, but we only had one drawing session per week. Fangs and Archie ended up modeling for the class and I very seriously considered dropping both of my majors.” Sweet Pea glances at her, catching the slight quirk of her lips. “If I ever have to see Archie’s abs again, I think I might rip my eyes out.”

She giggles. “And do you like it? Figure drawing?”

“It’s okay,” he tells her.

It’s not a real answer. Not really, anyway, but it’s as close as he can get to one. Because he likes the intimacy of it, how different it feels from any other form of art he’s tried, but he’s not sure if he actually likes drawing people he barely knows when they’re naked. He can appreciate the form, but it’s the vulnerability that really gets to him, and he’s never been sure if he likes being that open and honest with his work.

Jubilee makes it different though. The amount of trust she has in him has always surprised him. Even after he let her down when they were younger, she’s always trusted him enough to be vulnerable around him, to let him protect her. And she makes him vulnerable too.

“Jubilee.” He doesn’t look at her as he speaks, gaze locked on the delicate curve of her neck etched into his sketchbook. “Thanks for doing this. You’re a good friend.” He doesn’t catch the way she stiffens as he talks, or the way her breathing hitches. “You know,” he chuckles, not thinking as the words tumble out of his mouth, “I’m really glad Fangs said no when I went to ask him to model for me this morning. You’re a hell of a lot prettier than him.”

The grin on his face disappears as soon as he glances up at her. Jubilee has gone still, her entire body tense. The small smile that’s been tugging at her lips since they started is gone, but that’s not what makes him freeze. It’s the raw, open hurt that flickers in her eyes for a just a second.

“So that’s why you practically ran out of here this morning.” A breathless, bitter laugh escapes Jubilee. “You were asking Fangs to—” She shakes her head before breaking her position and sitting up. “God, I’m an idiot.” She doesn’t look at him as she stands from the couch. “Shit.”

Sweet Pea watches in confusion as she scoops up her clothes off the floor. He sets his pencil down and stands from the stool slowly. “Jubilee, what do you—”

“You know what?” she cuts him off, still not looking at him as she shimmies her panties up over her hips, shying away from him. “I’m done. I’m done. I can’t—I can’t do this anymore.” Jubilee laughs again and this time it’s watery, the sound sticking in her throat. She yanks his flannel over her head, leaving it half-unbuttoned and grabbing for her discarded jeans. “I’ve been throwing myself at you all fucking week, Sweet Pea, and clearly you aren’t interested, so I think I need to leave.” She buttons her jeans, leaving her shirt on the couch with her bra and scooping up her things. “Sorry about your project, but apparently you already asked Fangs to be your back up, so you’ll be fine.”

The amount of venom in her words makes him flinch, and he can only stand there dumbfounded as she grabs her phone off the coffee table. “You’ve what?” he finally manages to ask once the words register. She’s been throwing herself at him? “Jubilee, wait!”

She ignores his question, but turns around to look at him as he steps around the easel towards her. That raw hurt stops him again and he can’t breathe. For a second she doesn’t say anything, just stares at him in utter defeat.

“You know, when you asked me to do this I thought maybe you finally figured it out,” she says, barely above a whisper. A sound caught halfway between a sigh and a laugh slips from her and she shakes her head. “Maybe you wanted me just as bad as I want you, because why else do you ask one of your best friends to strip down for a nude portrait? But then you make out with some random girl at a party and I kiss you and you practically run out of here the next morning.”

It hits him in the stomach, the realization that she remembers last night—that she meant to kiss him.

Jubilee waits for him to say something, anything, but Sweet Pea only stares at her, unable to move as he tries to wrap his head around all of it. It takes him a second too long to realize he’s fucked up and by then Jubilee is already turning away from him again.

“Lydia was right,” she murmurs, so low he almost doesn’t hear, “this was a mistake.”

She grabs her book off the coffee table.

He reaches for her instinctively, his fingers wrapping around her wrist to stop her from storming off. “Jubilee—”

“Don’t!” she snaps as the book falls to the floor. His hand drops immediately. An apology flickers in her glossy eyes and his heart squeezes in his chest. “Sweet Pea, just don’t,” she repeats, softer this time. “It’s fine, I get it. It’s not… I’m not mad, I just can’t be here right now, okay?” Jubilee tries to smile for him, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

She leaves the book on the floor and turns away from him.

Sweet Pea stares after her, unable to move as Jubilee shoves her phone into her pocket and heads towards the door.

She’s been throwing herself at him? Blood roars in his ears and his mouth moves but no sound escapes him. It hits him again that everything she did last night was on purpose. Asking him to zip up her dress. Kissing him like that. What else has he missed this week? Or even before that? How did he not notice it?

Or maybe he did notice and chose to ignore it.

“You’re wrong,” he calls after her, desperation seizing him as she grabs her bag and shoes off the floor and reaches for the front door. Jubilee hesitates, her hand hovering over the knob. Sweet Pea takes a step after her, his throat tight. “About me not being interested.”

Jubilee’s head snaps around. Her hand slowly drops back to her side as she looks at Sweet Pea, expression guarded and her brows narrowed in confusion. Jubilee’s lips part, but she doesn’t say anything as he takes another step towards her. She turns to face him hesitantly, and he stops in the middle of the living room, his stomach flipping sickly as she stares at him with wide eyes.

The shoes slip from Jubilee’s hands and fall with a clatter onto the floor, loud in the suddenly quiet room. She wets her lips, eyes leaving his for a second before snapping back to him. Her mouth moves wordlessly. “You never said anything,” she finally chokes out, letting her bag fall to the floor.

A breathy laugh escapes him. “Neither did you,” Sweet Pea jokes, the ache in his chest lessening when she steps away from the door. Jubilee crosses the small space between them until there’s hardly any left and his fingers twitch with the need to touch her.

She stops just in front of him, looking small and vulnerable in the flannel that practically swallows her whole. She has to crane her head back to meet his eyes, her head barely coming up to his shoulder. “Sweets,” Jubilee whispers.

“Fuck, Jubilee,” he takes a shuddery breath, “if I’d known you—”

He doesn’t get to finish. Jubilee surges up onto her toes and fists a hand in his shirt. She drags him down to her, cutting him off with a rough, messy kiss that he melts into easily. Sweet Pea’s hands settle onto her hips instinctively, one palm sliding around to her back and holding her loosely against his chest. His heart thumps erratically and he’s lost in the feel of her pressed loosely again his chest and the light scent of her perfume. The kiss becomes slow and coaxing, so much like the one from last night, and Sweet Pea sinks into it as her hands slide up his chest, her fingers tickling the sides of his neck as he sighs.

Jubilee pulls away from him slowly, lingering there as she drops back to her feet.

Sweet Pea’s palm presses firmly against her lower back and Jubilee shivers as the heat of his hand sinks into her skin through her haphazardly buttoned shirt. An absentminded finger traces the curved lines inked into the side of his neck and Sweet Pea shivers as he leans into Jubilee. Her breath fans across his lips and he drags his hand up her back, the tips of his fingers tracing the length of her spine.

“Why did you ask me to do this?” Jubilee asks him after a tense minute, her eyes searching his desperately for some answer. Gently, she cups his face in her hands, her thumbs stroking back and forth across his cheeks. Her exhales are shaky against him and she’s so close that Sweet Pea can hear the hitch in her breathing when he cradles the back of her neck with one hand. “Sweets?”

He opens his mouth to answer her, but no words leave him. He already knows why he asked her earlier this week. She was the first person he thought about when Kandinsky told them about the assignment. Jubilee’s always been beautiful, he’d be a fool not to notice that; but that’s not the reason he asked.

She means everything to him.

Instead of responding, Sweet Pea dips his chin and catches her in another slow, sweet kiss. His fingers wind through her dark hair as Jubilee tilts her head back and arches into his chest until there’s no space left between them. Her arms wind around the back of his neck tightly, dragging him down close, and a groan rumbles in his throat as her lips suddenly move against his in a way that’s almost bruising.

Sweet Pea kisses her back just as frantically, just like he did last night, only it’s different now. They’re both sober and he wants her just as badly as he has since they were in high school. And she doesn’t stop him.

Jubilee leaves fire in her wake as her fingers fist at his hair. She relaxes into his touch as his grip tightens around her hip. And Sweet Pea drinks in the taste of her, sweet and thick on his tongue, like honey and raspberries. Her perfume tickles at his senses in a hazy cloud and when her nails drag down the sides of his neck he shivers against her. Heat curls in his gut.

It’s sweet, but it’s not what either of them want.

A keening gasp escapes Jubilee as his tongue traces the seam of her lips. She surges up onto her toes again to kiss him harder, and Sweet Pea moans as she pulls his hair roughly. Jubilee nips at him, catching his lower lip between her teeth and biting down before releasing him again.

Jubilee shoves him. A grunt tears from his chest as he stumbles back against the couch, his knee knocking against the arm. But Jubilee doesn’t disappear for long. Her mouth is back on his again a moment later and she urges him down against the cushions. As soon as he drops back she crawls on top of him and straddles his lap.

Sweet Pea grins against her as she settles on top of him, her hands on his shoulders to hold her steady as her balance shifts. His hands drop down to her hips, squeezing roughly before snaking higher on her torso to trace the soft strip of skin that was peeking out beneath her shirt earlier. She sighs in response to his touch and idly he wonders if she would make the same noise if it was his mouth on her.

His moan rumbles against her lips as her hips roll against his. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” Sweet Pea mumbles, pulling back just enough to look at her. Jubilee’s fingers bite into his shoulders as his big hands grasp her hips again, squeezing roughly as he grinds her down against his hardening cock again. He swallows her gasp and bites her lip. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“Why didn’t you?” Jubilee murmurs. Her lips drag across his cheek to his jaw, where she starts peppering feverish kisses.

He chuckles, the sound low and throaty in the quiet room. Instead of answering, he grabs her chin, bringing her mouth back to his for another rough kiss. Jubilee melts into him, her arms wrapping loosely around the back of his neck. Every inch of her is pressed up against his torso, and he could stay like that forever if it was what she wanted. But her head tilts for a better angle and her fingers run through his hair as her hips roll against his in a steady rhythm.

Sweet Pea’s mouth tears away from hers with a lewd, wet sound, but he doesn’t stray from her for long. His lips meet her skin once more, hot wet kisses trailing over her jaw and down her neck without warning. Jubilee gasps as his lips wander across her soft skin, following the same path as last night. She squirms against him as he roughly bites and sucks at her pulse point, his lips lazily trailing down the column of her throat as he noses at her. His teeth gently scrape down her neck and her thighs lock around his hips.

“Oh, fuck.” Jubilee gasps as he peruses her neck. She tilts her head up to give him better access. “Sweet Pea,” she pants against his ear, her fingers twitching against the back of his neck. Jubilee’s eyes flutter shut as he finds a particularly sensitive spot just below her jaw, and her hips rock against his, desperate for some kind of friction as an ache builds in her stomach.

The sound of his name on her lips and the whimpers slipping from her mouth makes something hot flood through his veins. When she chokes out his name again, Sweet Pea bites down on her neck roughly. She yelps, but the stuttering sound becomes a breathy moan as he soothes the spot with a slow lick. Sweet Pea blows against her wet skin and she shivers, hips stuttering against his.

Swearing, Sweet Pea’s mouth latches onto her again. He pays particular attention to that sensitive spot on her neck, drawing her blood to the surface. Jubilee lets him work a bruise onto her skin and squirms when his mouth moves lower, peppering smaller hickeys down the length of her neck down to her collarbones and the exposed swell of her breast.

Jubilee brings his lips back to hers before he can linger on her chest and Sweet Pea shifts uncomfortably beneath her, painfully hard in his jeans as her core continues to grind against his. Her hips circle against his slowly and her hands cradle his jaw as she kisses him deeply. Sweet Pea’s hands slide up her back and he wraps one arm firmly around her back as his right hand finds the back of her neck again, holding her head loosely in place.

The urgency slowly drains from them, and Sweet Pea lets her rock above him lazily, content with whatever she’s willing to give him.

Her hands drift from his face down to his shoulders and his chest, and Jubilee sighs as her hands slip beneath the open fabric of his flannel. She begins to shove his shirt aside and Sweet Pea reluctantly breaks his hold on her as the flannel catches on his elbows. He shrugs out of it and throws the flannel aside.

Jubilee’s hands slide down his arms appreciatively and he grins against her mouth.

“Please,” she murmurs, muffled by a needy kiss.

Sweet Pea brushes her hair away from her neck and his free hand slips beneath her shirt, teasing the skin just above her jeans. “What do you want, Doll?” He doesn’t want to push her.

Jubilee quells his hesitation with a series of slow kisses. “You,” she breathes between brushes of their lips.

The easy answer makes his heart squeeze in his chest. A surge of affection and lust rips through him. “Shit.” His hands latch onto her hips as he jerks beneath her. “I don’t have a condom,” he mumbles, swearing when she rolls against him. He didn’t think he’d be needing one anytime soon.

A breathy laugh slips from her. “Back pocket,” she tells him before kissing him again.

Sweet Pea’s brows knit together in confusion before his hands slide down, groping at her ass and grinding her down against him. She moans into his mouth as his fingers dip into the back pocket of her jeans and squeeze. The foil package crinkles beneath his fingers and he pulls away from her to chuckle. “Did you plan on seducing me, Jubilee?”

Her hips jerk against his when he pinches her ass and fishes the condom out of her pocket, slipping it into his own. “I’ve been trying to all week, thanks for noticing.”

Shaking his head, Sweet Pea’s hands slide around to the front of her jeans. He pops the button on them and Jubilee’s breath catches. “Fuck, Baby,” he murmurs, “do you know how hard it was not to pin you to the couch and make you beg for it?” Jubilee squirms over his lap and wriggles out of her pants, kicking them to the floor.

She whimpers when his hands squeeze her ass again, his touch hotter without the extra layer of clothing between them. Jubilee wets her lips. “I think I have an idea.”

Her fingers ghost over his hips before grasping his arousal through his jeans and palming him roughly. Sweet Pea groans and his head drops against the back of the couch. Jubilee takes the opportunity to latch her mouth onto his exposed throat, nipping and sucking at his skin like he did to her, leaving faint marks in her wake. His breathing becomes ragged as he presses into her hand.

Jubilee presses butterfly kisses over his pounding pulse as she pops the button on his jeans and works her hand beneath his pants and underwear. Her soft fingers wrap around his cock and Sweet Pea grunts. “Shit, Sweets,” she murmurs against his neck, tracing the length of him with her hand. His eyes slip shut as she strokes him slowly, fingers squeezing around him until his hips stutter beneath her.

“Fuck. Jubilee,” he chokes out, hissing through his teeth when her thumb circles the head of his cock. Her lips move up to jaw and chin until she reaches the corner of his mouth, where she presses a surprisingly sweet kiss.

Sweet Pea reluctantly pulls her hand out of his pants and ignores the questioning look she sends him. She opens her mouth, but whatever she was planning to say is cut off by her gasp when his hands grab her ass. Sweet Pea stands suddenly, surprising her, and he chuckles when Jubilee clings to his shoulders. Her long legs wrap around his waist as he shifts his grip on her and pushes away from the couch.

Her mouth covers his again and he stumbles blindly around the furniture in the room until he finds the nearest surface.

Jubilee yelps as he shoves her back against the closest wall, his mouth immediately swallowing her appreciative moan as her legs squeeze around his hips. She hits the wall with a bang that he hopes his neighbors don’t hear, but Jubilee doesn’t seem to care as she coils around him. His grip on her thighs is bruising, but she only keens at the rough treatment, arching into his chest as her fingers tangle in his hair, her lips moving against his.

Her legs squeeze around his hips as he settles against her, mouth meeting hers in a fiery kiss. He forces her head back against the wall, enjoying the way she squirms against him, fingers pulling at him tighter as she rolls her hips against his again, no space left between them. Her thighs quake around him when he grinds against her, a soft, fluttery sigh leaving Jubilee. The breathy sound makes him shiver, his fingers sliding high on her legs until he’s flirting with the hem of her underwear. The lace tickles at his skin and she squirms as his fingers dip beneath the fabric teasingly.

Jubilee’s fingers ghost down the sides of his neck, the teasing touch making Sweet Pea’s hips snap against hers. She pulls back to murmur his name against his lips, and Sweet Pea’s heart seizes. Warmth blooms in his chest as she traces the shape of his jaw with a delicate finger.

For a minute they stay like that: Jubilee pinned between him and the wall, her touch soft and sweet as the tips of her fingers draw shapes down the sides of his neck, their lips brushing and their exhales mingling because they’re so close.

“God, I love you,” he murmurs absentmindedly. Jubilee’s breathing hitches and her eyes widen a fraction, her pupils blown wide with arousal. This time, Sweet Pea is the one to close the small distance between them, and when Jubilee sighs he relaxes into her. His thumb strokes her skin, sweeping back and forth across her thigh lazily.

Her hands slide into his hair and Sweep Pea pushes away from the wall. Jubilee’s legs tighten around his waist when she becomes airborne, but he keeps his hands firmly on her thighs to make sure she doesn’t slip. He feels his way through the apartment carefully, so wrapped up in Jubilee that he’s hardly paying attention. It’s easier than it was last night, with the sun still shining in through the open curtains, the sun only just beginning to set.

Sweet Pea drops her down carefully onto the end of his bed, hovering over her for a second and kisses her once more before pulling away just long enough to tear his undershirt over his head and toss it on the floor. Jubilee’s gaze rakes over his bare chest appreciatively and Sweet Pea can’t help the grin that pulls at his mouth, his dark eyes glimmering in amusement.

“Like what you see, Doll?” he jokes, standing in front of her with kiss swollen lips and messy hair from her fingers pulling at him. Faint hickeys are peppered across his neck and his jeans are slung low on his hips, unbuttoned and unzipped.

Jubilee is equally rumpled, wearing nothing but those white, lacy panties and the green flannel she was wearing this morning. Her chest heaves as she tries to catch her breath and deep red and purple love bites are scattered from the underside of her jaw down to her collarbone. Her flannel is half-hanging from her shoulder and revealing the enticing curve of her breast. He tried not to stare at her before, but now he can barely tear his eyes away.

Jubilee isn’t as patient. She huffs, reaching out for him with both hands. “Get over here.” He chuckles as she wiggles her fingers expectantly, but does as she asks. Sweet Pea lets her drag him down to the bed and she giggles as he crawls on top of her. Jubilee tries to wrap her arms around his neck but he gathers both of her hands in his before she can, pinning them to the mattress on either side of her head.

He kisses her again before she can complain and links their fingers together gently. She squeezes their interlinked hands before slipping her fingers away from his. Her palms press flat against his back, dragging across his skin slowly and making them both sigh.

Sweet Pea braces one arm against the bed, keeping his weight off her as he slips one hand between her legs. Jubilee gasps into his mouth when his fingers drag along the inside of her thigh. Goosebumps rise on her skin as his fingers trail higher, Sweet Pea testing the waters.

He releases her mouth, kissing her cheek briefly before his mouth moves lower. Jubilee arches into him, pressing her hips closer to his hand encouragingly. Two of his fingers drag along the front of her damp underwear and her hips jump as his fingers brush against her clit through the thin fabric.

“Sweets,” she gasps against his ear, opening her legs wider as his fingers continue to tease her. Her fingers dig into his shoulders as his mouth moves down her jaw to the sensitive skin of her neck. Her nails drag down his back suddenly and he grunts into the side of her neck. Sweet Pea dips a finger beneath the strip of fabric separating their skin and she gasps. Jubilee’s eyes flutter shut as he trails hot, open-mouthed kisses down her throat. “Please.”

“Tell me to stop,” he murmurs back to her, breath fanning across the hollow of her throat. He’s still painfully hard against her thigh, but he ignores it, taking a slow breath. Sweet Pea removes his fingers from beneath her panties and rises on his elbows enough to look her in the eyes. He needs to be sure this is what she wants, that everything isn’t happening too fast. “Jubilee, if you don’t want—”

“I want you, Sweet Pea,” she says, cutting him off gently. Her hands leave his back to grasp his face, and Jubilee brings him up to meet her in a slow, reassuring kiss.

Sweet Pea sinks into the kiss for a long moment before finally pulling back. He returns to her collarbone, working another hickey onto her skin as he slips his hand back between them, this time finding the buttons on her flannel. He pops each one open slowly, perusing each new inch of skin revealed to his greedy mouth. Jubilee’s chest heaves beneath him and a stuttering gasp slips from her mouth as his fingers find the last button.

He sits up again to look at her and Jubilee shrugs the shirt aside. The dark green fabric slips from her arms slowly and for a second he can’t breathe. Despite the fact that she stripped in front of him and he spent over two hours working on a nude sketch of her, it hits him in this moment how much she trusts him.

Jubilee watches him as his eyes drag down her frame like a physical touch, taking in every inch of her skin in a way he didn’t before. There’s a splash of color on her ribcage that catches his attention, just behind her left breast, almost on her back. His heart aches when he sees the small, delicate petals of a flower he recognizes. The blue and purple watercolor tattoo is still as beautiful as the first time he saw it.

“I remember when you got this.” His fingers trace the shape of the tattoo and she shivers beneath him.

Jubilee relaxes beneath him. “The day before we left Riverdale.” A heavy sigh escapes her, and Jubilee’s ribcage moves beneath his hand. He strokes his thumb across the tattoo one more time before sliding his hand higher to cup her breast. She inhales sharply, arching into him when his thumb brushes against her nipple. “Micah did a good job.”

Humming in agreement, Sweet Pea leans down to press his lips back to her collarbone. He works his way lower, lips wandering down her chest lazily. She’s vocal but quiet as his tongue and teeth graze her skin, little gasps and coos slipping from her mouth.

He grins against her when she hooks a leg over his hip, trying to pull him down to her. A frustrated sigh escapes her when he doesn’t budge, content to peruse her chest and drag more soft sounds from her. He could get high off the sounds she makes.

“Sweets,” she huffs, leg squeezing around him as he kisses across her left breast. Her fingers thread through his hair as his teeth graze her skin again, and she squirms when he nips at her, leaving a trail of faint red marks across her skin. As she presses her heel into his back, Sweet Pea’s hand slides down her side and back between her legs. His tongue swirls around her nipple and her gasps rise in pitch as he takes it into his mouth.

Sweet Pea rolls her nipple between his teeth as his fingers slip back beneath her underwear. His digits trace her opening and he groans when he feels just how wet she already is. Jubilee keens, hips rocking up against his hand as his thumb bushes against her clit. “Fuck,” she hisses against his ear. “Please.”

“I know,” he murmurs against her breast, the vibration from his mouth making her leg squeeze around him tighter. “Shit, Doll, you’re so wet.” Sweet Pea groans against her as two of his fingers sink into her easily, long and thick. Her head drops back against the mattress and her eyes squeeze shut as his digits drag roughly along her walls.

She arches into his mouth and hands. “Fuck, Sweet Pea.” He groans against her breast, curling his fingers and searching for the spot inside her that’ll make her gasp. Her walls cling to his retreating fingers, sucking him in deeper as his thumb rubs slow, teasing circles against her clit. Sweet Pea moves his attention to one of the hickeys on her breast, deepening the bruise.

Slowly, he works his way down her stomach, kissing a path down her quivering stomach. His nose brushes against her teasingly, and she squeals when his tongue dips into her bellybutton. Jubilee shoves his shoulder and he chuckles. His hands are hot against her skin as he gripes one of her thighs, holding her in place as he his fingers continue to thrust into her slowly. The soft sounds and sighs of his name slipping from her kiss-swollen lips make his heart swell with pure joy.

Jubilee inhales sharply when he slides off the end of the bed and drops to his knees, draping her knee over his shoulder. She sits up on her elbows and he locks eyes with her as he turns to press an open-mouthed kiss against the inside of her thigh. The shaky sigh that slips from her only encourages him. Sweet Pea pulls his fingers from her core and Jubilee whines at the loss of his touch. His fingers hook around the hem of her panties. Sweet Pea holds her gaze as he tugs them down her hips, Jubilee shifting to help him kick the scrap of fabric aside. Her bare leg dangles down his back and she presses her heel into his back to draw him closer.

Sweet Pea kisses across the inside of her thigh, working his way to her center as his fingers creep back to her opening.

Jubilee shakes her head, breathing out a laugh. “Really? You’d rather eat me out than fuck me senseless?” His fingers slip back inside her and the heat of his breath makes her toes curl against his back. Sweet Pea keeps a firm grip on her thigh and holds her gaze as his tongue flicks out against her clit. “Fuck,” she hisses. Her hips jerk, but he holds her firmly against the mattress.

“I can do both,” he reminds her before leaning back in and covering her clit with his mouth. She practically sobs as he starts to suck on the bundle of nerves, dragging her right up to the edge. The extended foreplay has left them both achingly sensitive and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t get her off at least twice tonight. “You gonna cum for me, Doll?” he teases, pulling away from her heat to glance up at her.

She drops back onto the mattress and grinds against his hand with a needy sound. “Sweets, please, just—” She cries out as he sucks on her clit at the same time his fingers curl inside her.

Jubilee cums hard, moaning his name as her hips jerk and her entire body trembles beneath his touch. Her walls squeeze around his fingers and he pulls his mouth away from her to watch her face twist with pleasure. His  thumb replaces his tongue on her clit and his fingers slow, but he doesn’t stop, drawing out her orgasm until she’s boneless beneath him, the sensations too much.

Sweet Pea removes his fingers as she comes down from her high. He rises from the floor and crawls back up her torso slowly, the tips of his fingers trailing up the outside of her thigh. Another gentle sigh slips from Jubilee as he presses butterfly kisses up her stomach and between her breasts. She reaches for him as his lips find her neck. Humming, he peppers kisses up to her jaw and across her cheek, letting her catch her breath. Jubilee’s hands grasp his shoulders like she needs something to ground her, like she might float away from him if he lets her go. And then her hands slip into his hair, brushing his bangs away from his eyes before she pulls him into a kiss so sweet that his chest floods with warmth.

For a minute he just holds her like that, kissing her slowly as her fingers caress the sides of his face. But he’s hard and hot and it almost hurts when he presses against her thigh. A groan tears from his throat when she rocks her hips against his. “Fuck,” he murmurs, his forehead pressed against hers.

Jubilee exhales shakily as he grinds against her thigh to relieve some of the pressure. “Jesus Christ, Sweets,” she murmurs as she feels the full length of him pressing against her.

He hums. “I know, Baby.”

A grin pulls at her lips. Jubilee drags her palms down his neck to his chest, her fingertips tracing the lines of his stomach teasingly all the way down to the front of his jeans. Sweet Pea moans her name as her hand slips beneath his pants. She wraps her fingers around him and his hips jerk into her hand. The grunt that slips from him when she begins stroking him slowly is almost embarrassing and she lowers her mouth to his chin, kissing him gently.

He stares down at her with hooded eyes when her mouth leaves him. Sweet Pea braces his forearms on either side of her head, shifting his weight off of her as she continues to stroke his cock slowly. He thrusts into her fist and swears under his breath as she thumbs at the head. Jubilee’s fingers circle around the sensitive tip, smearing the drops of pre-cum leaking out.

Abruptly, she releases him, and groans at the lack of contact. Her head tilts back as she kisses his chin again, and she grins at him when he forces his eyes open again. Jubilee hooks her fingers around the waistband of his jeans and underwear, pulling them away from his skin before letting them snap back against him.

“Take these off,” she murmurs, needy hips rocking up against him. Sweet Pea hisses through his teeth as she grinds against the front of his jeans. Her hands slip around his back and into his pocket, where she fishes out the condom from earlier.

“Fuck,” he murmurs, swallowing back a moan when her hips circle against his slowly. It takes him a second to disentangle himself from Jubilee. He rises from the bed just long enough to kick off the last layers of his clothing before returning to the bed.  

She giggles as she backs up, climbing up the bed, and he follows close after her.

Sweet Pea kisses her again, guiding her to lie back against the sheets as he slips between her thighs, and her fingers drag down his stomach again in response. His hips press against hers, his cock sliding between her wet folds and making them both groan at the contact. He grinds against her again, nudging her legs open wider, and swears loudly when she reaches between them to stroke him slowly and watch the way his jaw clenches at the pleasure that ripples through him in a wave.

She releases him long enough to rip open the foil package of the condom and he hisses through his teeth as she rolls it onto his shaft. He rocks his hips against hers slowly, running his cock over her slit, and Jubilee’s hands grasp at his upper arms, her fingers biting into his skin as he lines himself up with her entrance.

Jubilee hisses as he sinks into her, his cock stretching her from the inside. Sweet Pea slips into her easily, she’s so wet, and she shivers at the fullness, an ache already forming between her legs again. He’s big and hard and hot inside her, and when he shifts his hips she whimpers as his cock rubs against something wonderful inside her. “Oh, fuck, Sweet Pea,” she murmurs, biting her lip as his hips grind against her.

His responding chuckle turns into a moan when her walls squeeze around him, sucking him in deeper as her hips roll up against his, urging him to move. But he just rests there for a second, trying not to cum already, but between the foreplay and how warm and wet she is inside he’s already closer than he’d like to be.

Gently, he presses his lips against the side of her neck, kissing her there as he tries to control his breathing. Her pulse flutters beneath his lips and she pants, a light sheen of sweat making her skin slick against his.

Just as she starts to grow impatient, beginning to squirm beneath him, Sweet Pea moves, picking up a fast pace that makes her moan. His hips grind against hers purposefully, the friction on her clit making her toes curl into the sheets as she grits her teeth.

“That’s it, Doll,” Sweet Pea mutters, only half-aware of the nonsense falling from his mouth, curses and praises as she meets his thrusts. “Just like that.” His cock hits a spot deep inside her and her hips stutter against his, but he doesn’t stop talking as his hips move against hers roughly. “You’re so fucking incredible.” Her walls squeeze around him tightly.

A whine catches in her throat as he starts to thrust into her harder and faster. Her fingers squeeze his arms and her hands flutter over his skin like she isn’t sure where to grab him before she settles on his face and drags him down into a bruising kiss, her hips still rising to meet his.

“Come on, Jubilee,” he says when she releases him to breathe. His mouth immediately moves to her jaw, his teeth grazing her skin. She trembles beneath him, coil wound tight in her stomach as they continue to grind against each other. Her thighs twitch around his hips and she swears when his hand skims down her thigh.

She’s close, teetering on the edge, but it’s not enough.

Her arms wrap around him, her fingers digging into his shoulder blades as she holds him to her. “Sweet Pea, please,” she gasps, “I can’t—”

“I know.” He brushes her hair away from her neck before his teeth latch onto a dark hickey just below her jaw and he nips at her roughly. His hand finds her hip, pinning her in place as he sits up slightly on his knees. The angle makes her gasp and his lips drag down her sensitive neck. His hand slides from her hip down between them. “Just let go,” he tells her. “I’ve got you.”

Big fingers rub tight circles over her engorged clit and she cums again, choking on his name and arching into his chest. Her nails dig into his back and her hips jerk against his as her orgasm crashes over her. He fucks her through it. Slows his thrusts as she twitches, walls squeezing around him.

The strings pulling her taut suddenly release. Jubilee drops back onto the mattress, chest heaving and dazed from her orgasm. Her arms drop onto the bed on either side of her head, fisting in the sheets as his hips continue to roll against hers. The continued stimulation makes her twitch.

Sweet Pea kisses her, swallowing the little sounds spilling from her mouth. One of his hands finds hers and he pries her fingers out of the bed sheets to link their hands together, grounding them. He manages to hook his shoulder beneath one of her knees, forcing her open wider and making her hips shift, allowing him to reach deeper inside her.

She doesn’t have time to breathe as he starts fucking her senseless like she wanted, his cock pounding into her. He leaves her boneless and breathless, Jubilee taking each thrust against her sensitive core as whimpers and gasps spill from her mouth. The sounds she makes only spur him on and his hips grind against hers just right, cock continuously hitting a spot that makes her legs tremble as he fucks her into the mattress, chasing his own high as she teeters just on the edge.

He forces his eyes open, locking them on her and watching as her face twists in pleasure. She looks tiny beneath him, his frame caging her in and holding her open, and he fucks her harder.

“I love you,” he tells her, barely aware of what he’s saying, but she hears him. Her breath catches and her heart skips, and she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. “Fuck. I love you.” His fingers squeeze around hers and his pace is relentless as she rocks against him. Sweat slides down his neck. He pants, tensing as anticipation grows in his stomach. His heart pounds erratically and he shudders above Jubilee, their breaths mingling as his forehead presses against hers.

She cums again when his thumb brushes against her clit, the stimulation from his fingers and his cock too much, but he doesn’t stop pounding into her. His fingers move against her clit roughly, dragging out her orgasm until she’s trembling and moaning beneath him.

Jubilee’s fingernails dig into the back of his hand and she whispers his name and everything falls into place.

His hips snap against hers and the pressure building in his gut releases. His cock twitches as he pushes into her roughly and his throaty moan is loud in the room as he spills himself into the condom.

Jubilee’s arms wrap around him as he pulls out of her, and her lips find his in the darkness that blankets the room.

Sweet Pea wakes up before her the next morning.

The sun is just starting to rise, light bleeding in through the windows lining the wall, the curtains left open during their frenzy the night before. He groans at the sunlight spilling in and buries his face against her hair, his grip tightens around Jubilee and she sighs in her sleep before curling closer to his chest. Her legs wind through his beneath the blankets and her unruly hair tickles at his bare chest when she nuzzles into his frame, chasing his warmth as his fingers idly stroke the length of her spine.

For a moment he just lies there, hazy and warm with his arms locked around Jubilee, content for the first time in days.

But the light is irritating and his bladder is full and as much as he wants to stay in that moment forever, he knows he can’t. It’s hard, breaking his grip on her and sliding from the bed without disturbing her, but Jubilee only sighs at the loss of heat. Her nose scrunches up before she rolls onto her stomach and Sweet Pea chuckles. His fingers linger against her cheek as he brushes her hair away from her face.

He cleans up around the apartment while she sleeps, gathering their scattered clothing and slipping on a pair of clean boxers. He has a series of messages from the guys asking how the night went. Most are earnest, but Fangs has been sending him strings of eggplant emojis again. He answers them all vaguely before leaving his phone on the counter. Sweet Pea finds her phone shoved into her jeans by the couch and sees a few encouraging texts from Lydia and Toni that make him grin.

Jubilee is still sleeping when he finally returns to that corner of the room and for a second he just stares at her. She’s kicked away most of the blankets, leaving them low on her hips, and her arms are folded under her head. Her right arm is stretched out over the mattress, her fingers curled loosely, and her left is tucked under her cheek, her face buried in the crook of her elbow. Her hair is a mess around her and her back rises and falls with her breaths. From where he’s standing he can just see the curve of her breast against the mattress and the red and purple marks decorating her neck.

What really stops him is the tattoo on her side, the one she tries to keep covered up. She looks small and soft and vulnerable lying there with the sunlight spilling in around her and casting gentle shadows.

He doesn’t really think as grabs his sketchbook and stool from the living room or flips the page from the drawing of her from last night, finding a fresh one. There’s no hesitation this time as he puts her down on paper, and Jubilee doesn’t move the entire time he’s working, like somehow she already knows what he’s doing.

And Sweet Pea draws it all. The tattoo. The hickeys. Her relaxed expression. Hours pass without him realizing it.

He’s just finish the details of her tattoo when she sighs. Sweet Pea’s eyes snap to her face and a smile immediately pulls at his lips when she blinks at him sleepily. Sweet Pea sets his sketchbook aside, closing it as he stands and crosses the short distance to her.

“What time is it?” Jubilee murmurs as his knee sinks into the mattress beside her. Her eyes flutter shut when he brushes her hair away from her face.

Sweet Pea presses his lips to her temple, leaning over her. “Early,” he tells her. He’s not sure what the time is anymore, but after the weekend they’ve had she deserves to sleep in for a while. “Go back to bed, Doll.”

Jubilee rolls onto her back beneath him, and his chest squeezes as she looks at him, her eyes searching his. His fingers brush against her waist above the edge of the blanket and she lifts her hand to the side of his neck. The tips of her fingers brush against the double-headed snake on his neck.

She’s quiet for a while. “Last night you said you love me,” Jubilee says suddenly. He stills above her, mouth dry and throat tight, but she doesn’t wait for a response. Her hand shifts to cradle his cheek and her thumb brushes against his bottom lip. “I love you too.” His lip trembles. “You know that right?”

“Jubilee,” is the only thing he manages to choke out. His heart pounds in his chest and his fingers twitch where they’re resting above her hip.

“I love you, Sweet Pea,” she repeats. There’s a nervous glint in her honey eyes as they continue to search his, but it’s the heartbreaking honestly that steals his breath. Jubilee takes a shuddery breath and her eyes leave his, flickering between his face and somewhere over his shoulder, like she isn’t sure where to look. “And if you didn’t mean it—” She shakes her head, eyes glossy.

“Jubilee,” he says again, but she still won’t look at him. He slips a finger under her chin, gently coaxing her to look at him. The doubt that flickers across her face makes the pleasant warmth in his stomach turn to ice and he feels sick suddenly. “Hey, look at me.”

She swallows thickly. “Back in high school, I thought—but after the Ghoulies—” She trails off briefly, more hesitant than she was last night.

He goes still. She’s speaking in half sentences, but he understands. Before that night they were so close to something. Ever since she came home the beginning of sophomore year they’d been right on the edge of something. Sweet Pea doesn’t know if he loved her then or if it came after, the guilt and the anger overshadowed everything. Things have changed so much since that night. They changed. Riverdale changed. But the way he feels about her is the one constant in his life. No matter how hard he tries to shove it down it always comes back.

He’s quiet for too long.

Jubilee exhales shakily. Her hands withdraw from him. “You never said anything. You don’t talk about it. We don’t talk about it,” she stresses. “And if I did something—”

“No,” he cuts her off immediately. Sweet Pea cradles her cheek and tilts her head so that she’s looking right at him. “Fuck, Baby, no,” he repeats, thumb sweeping across her skin. “It was never you, okay? Never.” He sighs and strokes her cheek again before letting her go. “It was my fault, not yours.”

Her brow furrows in confusion that quickly melts into realization. “Oh, Sweet Pea,” she murmurs. Gently, he pulls away from her, sitting up on the bed. Jubilee follows him, drawing the sheets up to her chest. “I never blamed you.” Her small hand slides from his elbow to his shoulder.

“I know, Baby.” He looks at the sketchbook sitting beside the bed.

“Do you?” She squeezes his arm. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Sweet Pea shakes his head. “I was supposed to protect you,” he reminds her. “When you came home I promised your dad I’d—and you got hurt.” It comes out softer than it’s meant to, his throat tight as the words choke off.

“So did you,” she reminds him, tracing one of the scars on his back. Sighing, she shifts on the bed. “Sweet Pea, look at me.” Jubilee doesn’t give him a choice. She tosses one leg over his, straddling his hips and forcing him to look at her when she grabs his face in both of her hands. Her expression is firm now, eyes alight with something fiery. “I’m right here,” she tells him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She doesn’t say it, but he hears it anyway. She almost lost him too. He was so angry after that night, self-destructive. They both got hurt that night. The Ghoulies left them broken in so many ways, and he’s tired of letting that control him.

He can’t help it when he relaxes into her, his big hands covering her hips and holding her steady. “I know.” His hand moves to the tattoo just behind her breast. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

She smothers his apology with her lips, kissing him firmly. He responds automatically, pulling her closer as her mouth moves against his slowly, pointedly, just like she kissed him last night. He was apologizing then too.

Jubilee pulls away from him quicker than he would have liked. She shivers when his thumb strokes across the flowers blooming on her side. “Are you going to kiss me every time I apologize?”

“Only when you’re being a dumbass,” she jokes, running her hands through his hair and brushing it away from his eyes. He chuckles and she leans in to press another chaste kiss to his mouth, smothering the sound.

Sweet Pea shakes his head as she drapes her arms around his neck. His arm locks around her waist as he stares at her and she sighs when his fingers start tracing nonsense shapes across her back. “Fuck, I love you,” he murmurs, drawing her in for another kiss. It lingers this time and he drowns in the taste of her. She pulls away from him slowly, playing with the short hairs at the back of his neck. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” she tells him. “Tired. Good.” His fingers knead her lower back and her lips brush against his again. “Really good.”

“Yeah? Good.” Jubilee giggles as he leans in to kiss her properly.

It’s later, when they’re lying down and wrapped around each other quietly in the silent apartment, with Sweet Pea’s hands tracing shapes on her back while hers rests over his heavily beating heart, that she asks, “Why’d you draw a new one?”

It takes him a second to realize she means the drawings of her. He glances over at his sketchbook. It’s shut, but he stared at each of them long enough to pull them both from memory. Sweet Pea brushes her hair away from her neck. “It just felt right.”

[nadjaofstatenisland]

“You’re late.”

Alice puts on her best stern face, but Gladys pays her no mind. Instead the brunette kicks her bag under the bar and pulls on the collar of her blue work shirt to take a sniff. Alice sucks her teeth and starts pouring another beer for the kid standing in front of her.

“Look alive, Cohen. I said you’re late.”

Gladys steps into her personal space and some beer sloshes onto Alice’s hand. Gladys tugs her shirt towards her.

“Take a whiff. Do I smell?”

Alice slams the wet glass on the bar and snatches the crumbled up bills from the kid’s hand. He’s too young to drink - hell, she’s too young to drink too - but it’s a party going on and it’s the Southside of town and normal rules don’t apply in places like the Whyte Wyrm.

The kid slaunders off looking put out and even younger than he is in his way-too-big letterman. Alice crosses her arms, discreetly wiping her hands on the inside of her open flannel shirt, as Gladys inches ever so close. Her breasts press against Alice’s arm and she can see the smirk on Gladys’ face without looking.

“Al,” Gladys nudges her with a sneakered foot, “do I smell? I think I got some motor oil on my shirt. Well do I? Al? Alice Smith?” She nudges her shoulder. “Can you hear me? I’m right -”

“Yes, you reek. You smell like a goddamn garage.” Alice shrugs her off and takes a step away, taking in the sight of the bar. There were too many blue and yellow jackets for her to be at ease. “Can’t you bother to shower before you get here?”

“We’re fixing up a Mustang at the garage. I lost track of time.”

“It got real busy here for a while, you know.” Alice tries to sneak a look at the four loud boys whooping at the pool table, but Gladys’ gaze is burning a hole in her. “And I was all alone, left to deal with these drunk morons.”

Hog Eye isn’t even ten feet away doing a crossword puzzle at a table. They both know he’d never let the bar get backed up when there were Northside kids here with good money burning holes in their pockets, but Gladys keeps her mouth shut at Alice’s lie. She unbuttons the top of her work shirt, exposing the tank top underneath.

“Please, Gladys.” Alice mockingly covers her eyes, as if Gladys has anything she hasn’t seen before. “I asked you here to tend bar, not entertain.”

The words would cut if she was on the receiving end, but Gladys is all smiles. “This place couldn’t afford to get me up on that stage.”  Her expression changes as she pulls her shirt over her head. She looks either way around the bar, grin tilting. “Are we in school or something?”

Alice leans back, finally getting her glance in at the boys hogging the pool table. Fred’s running his hands through his hair in exaggerated frustration, FP has a sour look on his face, and -

A hand in front of her eyes brings her back to the bar. “What’s going on? Why is the entire football team here? I’ve told FP a million times the less I see of those stupid jackets, the happier I am.“

“You know we won that big game against Seaside High last night?” Gladys’ expression doesn’t change. “Well, we did. And since it was an away game, the team got home late so,” she waves her hand around the bar, “they decided to celebrate tonight.”

“Right.” Gladys rubs her bare arms. “And this is their idea of celebrating?”

“I guess they want to live life on the edge.” She rolls her eyes. “A bunch of dumb jocks slumming around a scummy bar.”

“Hey, you frequent this scummy bar all the time.”

“Not by choice.”

“Hmm. Where is FP?” She scans the place. “He can’t be too happy about his football buddies hanging around his stomping grounds.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” She drops her voice. “He’s in disguise.”

Alice head snaps back to the pool table to gesture at them. Of the four boys, only FP is sporting his RHS colors, yet he still looks more in place than the other three. Gladys cranes her neck to look at them and a mischievous grin comes upon her.

“My, my. What have we here?”

Alice bites her lip as she stares down the foursome. Hiram is in the middle of a celebratory dance and Fred and FP look sulky. The other -

“How did FP drag Fred here?”

The fourth boy lines up his shot on the pool table and Alice feels her breathe hitch. “Probably bribed him.”

Gladys laughs. “Oh I bet he did.” She does a rude gesture with her hand and mouth that earns a smile from Alice. “Are they hustling Northside boys?”

“Fred’s a Northside boy.”

“Northside boys with money, I mean. No one would be dumb enough to hustle Fred’s broke ass.”

The boy makes his shot and Hiram claps him hard on the back as he sinks a ball. “Sure looks like hustling to me. But Fred’s selling it too hard. Every time he misses a shot he starts throwing a fit. Good thing Hiram’s too stupid or drunk to notice.”

“Hiram’s not stupid.” Gladys goes about wiping down the wet rings on the bar with a rag. “He’s just cocky, arrogant.”

“That’s worse than being stupid.” Alice catches a lump in her throat. “He’s not even on the football team. God knows why he’s here.”

“Neither’s Fred.” Gladys pauses mid-wipe and looks over her shoulder. “Lodge is friends with Coop, he’s probably with him.” She shakes her head and returns to wiping down the counter. “Poor idiots. They’re going to walk out of here with no shoes.”

Alice clicks her teeth. “Yeah, well. It’s what they get. They’re not from this side of town.”

“Neither is Fred.” Gladys parrots her words for a moment ago.

“Fred is - Fred is Southside by association. Plus he and FP are trying to save up enough to buy a van. It’s as good a cause as any to scam some rich boys, right?”

“Right.” Gladys nods. “Hey, if they make enough tonight I bet I can weasle some two am milkshakes out of them.”

“I’d kill for a rootbeer float right now.” Alice peeks at the boys again. Hal Cooper’s looking in her direction and she snaps her head back so quick her hair brushes Gladys’ bare shoulder. “I’m just craving something sweet is all.”

Gladys raises an eyebrow and looks back towards the pool table. “Something sweet alright. Is that why your panties are in a twist?” She breaks out a cheeky grin. “Fred and FP ripping off the wrong rich boy tonight?”

“I don’t give a shit if Hiram Lodge is stupid enough to fall for the oldest trick in the book,” she scoffs. The heat rises in her face and her voice comes out several octaves higher than she cares for. “The pool scam? How dumb can you be?” She grabs a bottle of tequila from the wall and pours herself a shot. “Hasn’t he ever seen a movie or anything?”

Alice downs her shot and Gladys takes the glass before she can slam it on the bar. “Panties twisted,” she whispers an inch from her face. Alice swats her away and goes to tend to the group walking up.

“You’re so testy tonight, Al. I’m only messing with you.” Gladys hands off the beers Alice fills from the tap. “I know you have better taste than him.”

“Damn right I do.” She passes off the last beer and makes no move to give change for the ten they pass her. She raises an eyebrow and the group shuffles off looking embarrassed. “My type is the exact opposite of whatever Hiram Lodge is.”

“I get it.” Gladys nods. “You don’t go for short, dark, and handsome. Nope. You’d prefer tall, blonde, and boring.”

“Hal is not boring,” Alice hisses. She half glances over her shoulder. “Don’t you call him that.”

“Who said anything about Hal?” Gladys smirks at her confession. “But you did actually call him that last week.”

“I - no. Of course I didn’t.”

“Hiram said something dumb to you and you said,” she clears her throat and tries to mimic Alice’s high voice, “‘You think you’re so tough just because you have tall, dark, and stupid and tall, blonde, and boring with you.’ Ring a bell?”

She remembers the exact moment, coming out of the cafeteria and walking smack dab into Hiram with Marty Mantle and Hal Cooper on either side of him. Hiram falling flat on his ass and telling her to watch her attitude as Hal lifted him back up.

Alice shrugs. “I don’t remember that.”

“Of course not.” Gladys’ eyes search the smokey ceiling. “I just didn’t peg him as your type is all. Alice Smith drooling over some broad shouldered, all American boy who’d look better suited in a Leave it to Beaver rerun than a bar on the Southside. I’ve really seen it all now.”

“I’m not - he is not my type!” she hisses. "I don’t have a type! There is no drooling here! He’s just - just nice is all.”

“Nice and boring.” Alice glares at her. “Sorry. I just don’t get it.”

“Well no one is asking you to.” Alice plays with the loose button of her flannel.  “He’s just kind of - of cute. And I like his articles in the school paper. And maybe I like,” she sighs, “caught him drawing in English class one day and we got to talking and everything, but that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t like him. He’s not my type. I don’t have a -”

“Well, your type or not, he won’t stop staring at us.” Gladys peeks over Alice’s shoulder and gives a little wave. Alice pulls her hand down and whips her head around. Hal is looking at them, but Gladys’ wave is directed at FP. Hiram’s bent over the table lining up a shot as FP makes a crude thrusting gesture behind him and Fred fake coughs to cover up his laughter.  

Gladys shakes her head. “FP’s so stupid,” she says, but there’s a smile on her face and adoration in her eyes. Alice doesn’t know whether it’s sweet or sickening. “He’s like the teenage version of a puppy.”

“Uh huh.” Alice can feel Hal watching her even though she isn’t looking. “Trying to hump everything around him. Sure sounds like a dog to me.”

“Hey, barkeep!” Alice hears FP scream, even over the music blasting. “Mind bringing me and my boys over here some shots?”

Gladys cups her hands around her mouth. “Sorry, jock. Table service is for fellows from this side of town only. Guess you’ll have to come up here yourself.”

FP licks his lips. “There might be a nice tip in it for you.”

“Yeah? With what money?” She has the attention of half the bar. “You look like you’re about to lose the shirt off your back!”

He winks their way and turns back to the game. The patrons - still far too many Riverdale High students for her taste - slowly turn back to their own business. She catches a glimpse of Marty Mantle by the dart board looking stupid as ever in his varsity jacket, playing against some Serpents who look ready to tear him apart if he says one wrong word.

“I did my part. Maybe they’ll believe he really sucks now.” She turns back to Alice. “What’s with the pout?”

“I’m not pouting.” She wraps her arms around herself even though she’s as warm as anything. “I just wanna head home already.”

Gladys does an exaggerated pout herself. “What about your root beer float?”

“I’ll live.”

“Ah, I know what this is about.” Gladys takes her by the shoulders and spins her around so she’s facing the pool table. “Did my little outburst ruin your chances with Wally Cleaver?”

She shrugs her shoulders up but Gladys doesn’t let go. “I am not Hal Cooper’s type, okay?

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Hey.” Gladys’ voice is softer than normal. She wraps her arms around Alice from behind and rests her chin on her shoulder. She nudges her head until she looks up and she sees their ridiculous reflection in the mirror over the bar. “You see that girl I’m looking at?”

“Uh huh.” Alice tries to go back to wiping glasses, but Gladys tightens her grip.

“That girl right there,” she swings them back and forth a bit, “is one of the hottest girls in town, you hear me? I’d probably sell my soul to get curls like hers.”

Alice snorts. “As if you have a soul.”

Gladys squeezes her harder. “Anyone in this bar would nail her.” She smiles as the corners of Alice’s lips finally twitch. “Present company included.”

Alice finally let out a full smile. “Don’t profess your love to me just yet.“

"I didn’t say love. Just said I’d nail you.”

“Guys like him like prissy cheerleaders. Not me.”

“Oh, I think guys like that love girls from this side of town.” She turns her attention back to the pool table. “Look at him. Boy is a freak waiting to come out. And a virgin to boot.”

“He is not a virgin!” Alice rolls her eyes. “People like him.”

“Alice, please.” She takes her chin and turns Alice’s face towards the boys. “Look. He’s the type who’s mother has probably instilled abstinence and chastity into his head from birth. He’s just waiting for right girl to free him from that. Teach him the ways of the world. Show him a good time.” She turns Alice’s face towards her own, her lips pouted out like a fish. “You can be that girl, Al.”

Alice lets a breath out as Gladys frees her face. “A guy like that would never date a Southside girl.”

“Who said anything about dating?” Gladys scoffs. “You don’t need some suburban prince to save you, Alice. You know that, right? You don’t need to date him. But what you do need is to get laid, so get your ass over there and talk to him.”

She bites the inside of her cheek and fixes her eyes on her scuffed boots. “I don’t want to.”

“You’re such a pain in the ass.” Alice doesn’t look back up until she feels Gladys plucking at her flannel. “You’re all flushed. Let me borrow this. I’m getting cold.”

“No.” She wraps her arms around herself. “All I have on is a -”

“A t-shirt and I just have a tank top.” Gladys practically takes it off of Alice. “Just give it here.”

A thin line of skin shows between the bottom of her shirt and her jeans, but she’s worn a lot less in this place. Gladys slides the flannel on and rolls the sleeves up. She regards Alice, looking her up and down quickly.

“You look perfect.” She finally meets her eyes. “Hot, but casual. Knock ‘em dead.”

“Knock who -”

“Hey, Cooper.” Gladys glances over her shoulder and Alice freezes, unsure if she’s joking or not. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Hey, Gladys.” Goosebumps run up her spine as she turns. He smiles at her and, even in the dim bar light, it’s blinding. “Hey, Alice.”

“Hey.” Her words come out slowly and she forces a smile. “Cooper.”

“Cooper,” he repeats. “You’ve never called me that.”

Her mouth goes dry, but Gladys saves her with a light smack on her shoulder. “Of course Cooper must be your father? You prefer Coop.” She looks over at the pool table. “At least that’s what all your football buddies call you.”

His eyes stay locked with Alice even though his words are directed at the other girl. “Coop is fine. Cooper’s fine. Alice just normally calls me Ha-”

“Did you want something?” Alice cuts him off and his mouth drops at her harsh tone. There’s still a smile there, still more teeth than she can believe, but there’s a slight sense of hurt behind his eyes.

“Drinks, yeah.” He breaks their gaze to pull his wallet out. “FP has requested shots.”

“Whiskey good?” Gladys asks. She pinches Alice’s forearm before finally taking her hand off her and grabs a bottle off the bar by the neck. “Or do you and Mr. Lodge over there have more refined tastes?”

“Whiskey’s great, thanks.”

Alice starts for the shot glasses, but Gladys bumps her hips to stop her, shoving her closer in Hal’s direction. She grabs a rag to keep busy and wipes the clean-as-it’ll-ever-be bar down next to him.

“Coop, is that your Dodge Dart I saw outside? The ‘74?” Gladys asks. She stomps on Alice’s foot but her Doc Martens protect her from Gladys’ sneakers. “It’s a beauty.”

“Thanks.” Hal takes his eyes off of Alice and she finally lets out the breath she’s been holding. “I like her alright.”

“Do you know,” Gladys passes Alice the bottle and sets six shot glasses down, nudging her to pour, “the car was originally called the Dodge Demon until some Christian organizations protested it and they changed it to the Dart for the next model?”

“No kidding.” Hal fixes himself back on Alice as she quickly pours. “My mom would be one of those protesters.“

Gladys gives Hal a lopsided grin. “Your mom would, huh?” She pokes Alice in the ribs. “You don’t say.” She grabs a shot and nudges one to Alice. “Take one with us, Coop. Alice will top you off.”

“No.” Alice nudges hers towards Hal. “I just had tequila. Take mine.”

He starts to shake his head. “I couldn’t -”

“You can and you will.” Gladys forces another shot glass into Alice’s hand. “Tequila for the lady.” She clinks her glass against either of theirs. “To Riverdale High winning a football game.” She regards Hal over the rim of her glass. “That’s why you boys are here, right?”

“Yeah, sure. That’s it.” Hal’s eyes are fixed on Alice again and he clinks his glass against just hers this time. “To the very attentive bartenders at the Whyte Wyrm.”

Alice takes her shot with him and slams the glass down. “Impressed with this hole in the wall?”

“Aspects of it, yeah.” He breaks his smile with her to take his shot. “That is - that is not smooth.” He coughs. “Oh, let me get that.” He takes his wallet out but she shakes her head at the bill he offers her.

“Don’t worry about it, Coop. This round is on me.”

He waves it towards her. “Oh, Alice. I couldn’t let you -”

Her instinct is to snap at his niceness, at him turning down her generosity, but she forces her voice to come out as nice as she can get it. “Hal, I’m serious. My treat.”

“I insist.” He holds out the money. “I couldn’t -

Gladys snatches the ten from Hal’s hand. “Let’s just call it a tip then, yeah?” She folds it up into quarters and slips it in Alice’s back pocket, giving her a sharp slap on the ass before walking to the other side of the bar. Hal raises his eyebrow.

“She is certainly,” Hal thinks of the right word, “friendly?”

Alice bites her lip. “Handsy is the word I normally use.” She lets her shoulders loosen. “And that’s just her after one drink. You have to see her after a few.”

“Right.” He gulps subtly and she knows she’s not supposed to notice. “So do you work here every weekend or -”

“Hal!” Hiram Lodge’s voice rings out across the bar. “You here to pick up girls or you here to play pool, Hal? Where are those shots? Hal!”

Gladys groans. “Cram it, Lodge! Can’t you see he’s busy!” She nudges Alice before ducking under the bar and stomping over to the pool table.

Hal rolls his empty glass on the bar. “I guess I should get back over there.” He picks up two shots with either hand. “I’ll come back when they want another round of beers -”

“They’re scamming you guys.” The words leave her mouth before she can help it and she leans across the bar towards him. “Fred and FP. They’re pretending they’re bad at pool and when your guard is down they’re -” Hal starts laughing. “I’m being serious.”

“Alice, Alice.” He shakes his hands and a few drops of whiskey fall on his sleeve. “I’m not stupid. And no offence, but Fred and FP aren’t exactly subtle either.”

She furrows her brow. “So why are you still playing?”

He shrugs. “We’re having fun. And if I’m being honest,” he downs one of the shots he’s still holding, “I only came out tonight because FP told me you work here on the weekend.”

Her heart speeds up. “Yeah?” He nods and she grabs the whiskey bottle to refill his glass. “That’s - that’s cool. I’m glad you came. Even if my stupid friends are bleeding you dry.”

“Nah.” His smile verges on goofy as the drinks settle into him. “It’s Hiram’s money we’re betting anyway. He has plenty to lose.”

Her nose scrunches up as she laughs. The face her dad says makes her look mousey, but Hal is still all smiles at her.

“I think Gladys has taken my place.” He looks over his shoulder at the pool table. “I’d ask if you want to go hang out, but I drove Hiram.”

“You’re too drunk to drive anyone anywhere right now.”

“I am not drunk.” He looks back to her cross eyed. “I’m fine, really. But Hiram -”

“They’ll take good care of Hiram. Get him home safe.” Alice leaves out the part about them not having a car. “I promise.”

“You sure -?”

“Nice shot, Cohen!” Hiram screams. They turn together just in time to see Gladys ignore Hiram’s attempt to high five her.

“He’s having a blast.” She taps one of his shot glasses. “Lets drop those off and go.”

“You can just leave?” He glances both ways down the bar. “Aren’t you working?”

She shrugs. “It’s fine.”

He smiles at her again, half dreamy and half drunk. “Cool.”

Her leather jacket is tucked under the bar and she pauses before sliding it on. She may have been warm enough in the October air with a flannel, but Gladys is already working up a sweat running around the pool table in it. She slides the leather on and watches Hal’s eyes take her in.

“Let’s go?” He nods obediently and she takes two of the shots from him to carry over.

FP has his hand tucked into the back of Gladys’ jeans as they approach. Alice hands one to FP and leaves another on the table for Fred.

“We’re going to take off,” Alice mutters under her breath to Gladys. FP’s ears perk up and she gives him a death glare before his mouth even opens. “You guys can take care of Lodge, right?”

“Hiram and I are pool buddies now,” Gladys says loudly. “Of course we’ll take good care of him.”

“You’re leaving?” Hiram gives Hal a hard shove in the shoulder, almost knocking the glasses out of his hand. He takes one from him. “Suit yourself, Hal. Gladys is a better partner anyway.” He clinks their glasses together, spilling whiskey to the floor. “One for the road.”

Hal reluctantly takes the shot and claps Hiram on the back. “I’ll see you.”

“Careful, Hal.” Fred finally takes his shot and knocks a ball off the table, narrowly missing his drink. Alice resists the urge to kick him. “Alice bites.”

Pink patches play up Hal’s cheeks. “I’ll take my chances.” He picks up his jacket from a chair - a light blue windbreaker instead of a loud letterman - and follows Alice. When she opens the door, he’s a few feet behind her catching up and Gladys is waving enthusiastically at them.

“My car is right there.” He points as they cross the slew of motorcycles in the parking lot. “The green one.”

He stumbles the last few feet to the car and breaks his fall hard against the side. She can almost feel Gladys cringing at the thump from back inside. He turns around and leans against the door, seemingly grateful for the steady object.

“Remember when I said I wasn’t drunk?” He fumbles through his pockets as she catches up to him. She takes one, two, three steps closer than necessary so there are only a few inches between them. He’s surprised at her closeness when he finally looks up. “I think I lied. I might be a little drunk.”

“No shit?” She throws her head back and laughs. “I think you passed little a while ago.”

“Maybe.” He pulls his keys out of his pocket, a plastic Statue of Liberty keychain dangling from the end. He raises them toward his head. “How about I let you drive if -”

She snatches the keys before he can finish his thought. “If what?”

His hand is still held out and he slowly lowers it as a smile plays on his lips. “If nothing. You drive.”

“You play football with those reflexes?”

“Not well,” he laughs.

“Don’t say that.” Alice shakes her head. “You’re good though.”

“I don’t even like playing,” he admits. “I don’t even really like football. I’d quit if it wouldn’t drive my parents nuts.” He leans through the window of the front seat and she wants to kick him for leaving his windows open on this side of town. Some soft rock comes from the stereo and he hits his head on the frame as he comes out. “I’m okay.”

“I didn’t ask,” she teases. He gives her a smile so genuine and bright, she wants to melt into him in the poorly lit parking lot. Instead, she shifts her weight between her boots and clutches the keys to her chest.

“You don’t mind driving?“ he asks.

"You have a nice car and I never turn down a chance to make Gladys jealous.” She feeds him a wicked grin and forces the words out of her mouth before she chickens out. “So where does Hal Cooper take a girl when he wants to have a good time?”

He bites his lip. “Pops.”

“Pops?” Her voice drops. Her face drops. Her mood drops. “That’s not very,” she searches for the word, “private.”

“Who cares about privacy?” She catches her breath as he tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He pulls back, seemingly embarrassed by his own move, and shoves both his hands in his pockets. “I’d kill for a cheeseburger.”

“A cheeseburger.” She slouches and make a mental note to kick herself when she hears the disappointment in her own voice. Desperate. Stupid. She thinks back to Gladys words and smiles. “You want a burger when you have a pretty girl right in front of you?”

“No, I want a cheeseburger.” There are teeth marks in his lower lip when he opens his mouth for a smile. Bright and wide, no doubt a result of the mouth of metal he endured until freshman year. “And you know, I want you to still be in front of me at Pops. I can have a cheeseburger with the company of a pretty girl.”

“Uh huh.” She shifts her weight between her feet. “And what do I get for being your chauffeur for the night?”

He regards her carefully, front teeth digging into his lip again. “A root beer float.”

Alice’s mouth falls open. “How did you -”

“Gladys told me.” He closes his eyes and shakes his head softly. “You prefer root beer floats over milkshakes. She said it would be good to know.” He peeks his eyes open. “For future reference.”

“Right.” She stiffens up. “Well don’t get too comfy yet, Coop. No one ever said this was going anywhere.”

“I like you, Alice.” He smiles softly again. “You know why?”

Her heart beats so fast in her chest, she takes a step away from him. “Because you’re drunk and not thinking straight?”

“No.” He slumps against the car, hands still in his pockets. “I’m good at reading people. At least I think I am. But with you, I don’t know.” He gives her a look that reminds her of Gladys looking at FP inside. Stupid, sappy adoration. “I never know what you’re about to say or what you’re thinking. You always take me by surprise.”

A lump rises to her throat that she can’t swallow. “You like that?”

“Love it. You’re unpredictable. Exciting.” He feeds her that sappy grin again and she doesn’t realize she’s closing in on him until her boots nudge his shoes. “I like you.”

She swallows the lump, swallows her pride. “I like you too, Hal.”

His hands are still in his pockets but she tilts her head up towards him. His mouth opens but instead of leaning down to her, his eyes look to the side and he smiles.  

“Do you hear that?” His face lights up. “Your band just came on.”

She hears a familiar guitar rift coming from the car but the song escapes her. “My band?”

Hal hums along for a few seconds. “The Smiths.” He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. She raises her eyebrow. “They’re The Smiths, you’re a Smith -”

With a firm yank on his windbreaker, she pulls his face to her level and plants a kiss on him. It’s not until she lightly bites his lip that he opens his mouth and responds, kissing her back. His arms fumble as he takes his hands out of his pockets and wraps them around her waist. A few moments pass before they break away. Stars are in his eyes and color in his lips, apparent even in the dim parking lot. His hands stay firm on her waist.

“What was that for?”

Alice shrugs, letting go of his jacket and snaking her arms around his neck. “I had to stop you from talking before you said something else stupid.”

“It’s very likely I’m about to say something else stupid.”

They’re both leaning against the car as she kisses him again. She pushes from her mind how close they are to her home and how far from his. How different they are. How they come from different worlds.

All she wants is for this moment to last.

[rigginsstreet]

Fred/Fp

i literally only reblog these things so i can share fredsythe headcanons im so glad everybody knows lmfao

who hogs the duvet: fp even though freds the one that gets cold. fps just selfish

who texts/rings to check how their day is going: both bc theyre romantic but also extremely codependent

who’s the most creative when it comes to gifts: fred

who gets up first in the morning: fred

who suggests new things in bed: fp babyyyyyyy

who cries at movies: fp hes very dramatic

who gives unprompted massages: both but fps more likely to 

who fusses over the other when they’re sick: oh god they both do

who gets jealous easiest: fp

who has the most embarrassing taste in music: neither but also both. depends on who you ask and what their definition of embarrassing is. i listen to a lot of dad rock so their music taste is fine to me lmao

who collects something unusual: i feel like freds more prone to collecting shit but its not “unusual”. like he probably has baseball cards from when he was growing up or something. fps probably got some weird shit hidden in the attic he just seems like that bitch

who takes the longest to get ready: neither

who is the most tidy and organised: fred

who gets most excited about the holidays: freds very excited about christmas while fp goes batshit for halloween

who is the big spoon/little spoon: they alternate. they both love both

who gets most competitive when playing games and/or sports: fp

who starts the most arguments: fp

who suggests that they buy a pet: fp!! i have many thoughts

what couple traditions they have: whew theres... a lot. definitely camping trips on a semi regular basis cuz thats their thing™, stopping halfway through setting up christmas decorations to dance to christmas music and kiss under the mistletoe, breakfast in bed every birthday (which leads to birthday morning sex. tradition), trips to their favorite swimming hole every anniversary and they have a picnic and play old mixtapes they made for each other back in high school

what tv shows they watch together: freds not a big tv guy. but they watch sports together. (fp watches mayans mc i know he does and sometimes fred will watch with him but he has no idea whats going on and thinks its v violent and fp has to remind him that hes married to a gang member so...)

what other couple they hang out with: tom and sierra. alice and hal but theyd rather just hang out with hal djfhdgh dinner parties always end with fp and alice fighting

how they spend time together as a couple: theyre lowkey people, mainly just stay at home and cuddle and fuck or they go to pops. take a walk/drive around town. sometimes theyll play their guitars together and have little jam sessions and its very adorable 🤧

who made the first move: fred made the first move when they were teenagers but fp kickstarted their adult relationship

who brings flowers home: they both do bc thats romance bby

who is the best cook: fred

[princesweetpea]

I Found | Sweet Pea x Aurora Jones (oc)

All Chapters Here

Chapter: Prologue

Warnings: Language, family death, mentions of friend death

READ IT ON AO3

A/N: Takes place after Riot Night.

   The ceiling light of the hospital’s small examination room flickered, making that dull buzzing sound of electricity that was about to go out. Aurora Jones sat rigid in her seat, occasionally shaking from her nerves. She felt so sick. So, so numb.   “Rory—” Her brother began before the door flung open. A nurse quickly shuffled into the room with another woman in tow, who shut the door quietly behind her. The nurse gently stated that she needed to go over a few things with them before they could finish paperwork, and how sorry she was to inconvenience them during this difficult time. Peter glanced over to Rory, who just stared straight ahead into nothingness, before answering the nurse’s questions. Rory had them completely tuned out, only hearing the ringing of the unclarity of their voices in her ears. She shivered again. After a while, she focused her hearing.   “Is there a next-of-kin that we need to notify?” The nurse asked.   “It’s just us.” Peter stated, staring blankly into the void as he absentmindedly squeezed his sister’s hand. Rory snapped back to reality.   “My uncle,” Rory choked out hoarsely. Her throat was froggy from being silent for so long. “FP Jones.” The nurse nodded and made her way to the door.   She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before the nurse had dipped out of the room just then. She saw Peter shaking hands with the woman who remained with them. The woman’s other arm held a thick black binder with papers sticking out of it.   Was it supposed to happen this way? First my best friend, and not even a couple weeks later, my own mother? Why wasn’t I crying? Why hadn’t I cried?   “Miss Jones,”   Am I a sociopath?   “Miss Jones!” She was snapped to reality by the shrill voice of the woman in front of her. She mumbled an apology sheepishly. “Since you’re still underage, you’ll be sent into foster care,” Rory rapidly shook her head in both protest and utter confusion. “Unless you’d rather be with your uncle?” She suggested. “He has a record… but he is your only surviving family. I don’t know for certain if they’ll allow it.”   “Can I not live with my brother and my dad?” She asked quizzically.   “Unfortunately, no, his father isn’t biologically related to you, and he and your mother split up long before her untimely death so he isn’t technically considered your stepfather,” The woman stated, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Rory stared blankly at the woman in front of her. What did she mean they weren’t biologically related? “I’m sorry, I thought you would have known that. You didn’t find it odd that you two have different last names?” She asked condescendingly.   “They told me that they had a fight during our birth, and Peter was born first, before the fight. She said that by the time that they made up my birth certificate was already finalized, and it cost too much to have it changed,” Rory stated vacantly. Peter shifted stiffly. Her mind began to race, but she somehow managed to shove it to the back of her mind when the woman rudely snapped her fingers in front of her face. Peter hadn’t said a word. “Did you know about this?” She asked, her words dripping with agony.   “I found out a couple of months ago.” He sighed before burying his head into his hands. She felt like the knife in her chest had been twisted. He’d known for months and he didn’t bother to tell her, her own twin brother... She felt betrayed.   “Well apparently I’m the last to know important details about my own identity,” Rory scoffed with tears welling up in her eyes. She clenched her fists, almost relishing in the pain of her nails digging into her palms to calm her nerves. “I’m not going to live with a bunch of strangers, so don’t even think about putting me in a home,” Rory said ardently. “Why can’t I live at my house?”   “Despite the fact that you’re a minor— “   “I’m seventeen!”   “That isn’t the legal age of adulthood,” she sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. “Like I was saying, despite the fact that you’re a minor, you guys were already several months behind on rent.”   “So, you would put an orphan on the streets?” She asked, shooting daggers at Peter on the word “orphan.” He avoided eye contact.   “No, I would put an orphan with surviving family or a foster family, like I gave you the choice of. To be completely honest, your landlord was extremely gracious to let you both continue to live there rent-free for as long as you did,” The woman suggested. Rory never bothered to learn her name. She had more important things to worry about, like if she was a sociopath or not, and who the fuck she’s been calling “dad.” “So, we can try to place you with your uncle, then?”   “Yes, make it happen. Please.” The ugly truth was that she was conflicted. Her mother worked her entire life to keep them out of the southside, away from the crime and gangs that she grew up around. She worked double shifts for them to barely scrape by, living in a small house on the edge of the northside. And now it seemed like all of her hard work was for nothing. There was too much piling on at once. She needed to interrogate Peter and to confront her “father,” but she couldn’t deal with that right now. Not now. It’s all too much.

***

  Clouds of cigarette smoke enveloped Rory as she stepped into the White Wyrm. Rock music, laughter, and the clacking sound of pool balls seemed to shake the space from the ground up. She made her way to the bar.   “Ava? I haven’t seen you here in ages! You look great.” The bartender called to her. She sucked in a sharp breath and looked behind her to see if there was someone else there, and that it was just a coincidence. But no one was there, it was just her.   “I’m not Ava,” She rasped, her voice kind of breaking mid-sentence. She still couldn’t cry. Even at the sound of her name. “I’m her daughter.”   The barkeep’s smile grew even wider, though she couldn’t understand why considering she had never seen this man in her life. “Little Aurora, right?” Rory gaped at him for a moment.   “Uh, yeah. Rory is fine. Though not quite little.” She awkwardly chuckled and glanced around anxiously.   “Oh, sorry. I made you uncomfortable. I met you a couple times when you were a little girl. Before your mom stopped coming, that is. How is Ava, by the way?” Her eyes darted down to her thumbs as she twiddled them idly. “She passed away… a couple days ago.” He went silent and his smile quickly disappeared. The man shifted uncomfortably.   “I… I am so sorry to hear that. I’m not the best at comforting people… Can I get you a drink instead?” He offered, trying to joke some light to the uncomfortable situation he had just placed himself in.   “I’m only seventeen,” She half smiled. “I’ll have a Shirley Temple though,” His smile crept back onto his face. “… What?” She asked hesitantly.   “It’s just that that’s what your mom used to order when we were all teenagers, and when she was pregnant with you.” Rory smiled at him. She was instantly grateful for that smile coming back onto his face, for that little tidbit of information about her mother that made her insides feel warm, and her eyes welled up. This is it, she thought. I’m finally going to cry. I’m not a sociopath. Then… nothing. “I’m Hog Eye, by the way.” He extended his hand. She didn’t let the nickname throw her. Being somewhat close to the “culture” of the Serpents made the things like weird nicknames familiar to her. She shook his hand gingerly.   Suddenly, the doors of the Wyrm burst open and two boys swaggered toward the bar. They were loud, pushing each other over and joking around obnoxiously. They looked familiar, most likely from the new wave of students that came over from Southside High a few months ago. They were shouting profanities toward the petite girl wiping down the bar, and she flipped them off before starting a conversation with them. The taller of the two boys caught Rory staring and she immediately snapped her head down to the Shirley Temple that Hog Eye had slid in front of her. She stirred the ice around with her straw.   “You lost, Northie?” She ignored him, fully knowing that he was addressing her. A bar stool scraped across the wood floor near the end of the counter before she heard shuffled movements coming her direction. “You hear me talking to you?” He said a little louder.   “Leave her alone, dude.” The pink-haired girl from behind the bar rolled her eyes. She gave Rory an apologetic look. Her eyes were big and soft, and she seemed to be truly genuine with her expression. The boy scoffed at her with a smirk and leaned against the counter next to Rory.   “I asked if you were lost. You deaf?”   “And what if I was? What would you do?” Rory turned to him with an amused expression. He gazed at her with his mouth slightly agape for a moment as he tried to grasp for a response. “Right.” She snorted before taking a sip of her drink. A thick black curl hung loosely between his furrowed eyebrows.   “Sweet Pea, cut it out. She’s having a hard time.” The girl piped in again. Rory was kind of annoyed that she had eavesdropped on her and Hog Eye’s conversation, but then again, they were in the center of a bar and weren’t talking in privacy.   “Sweet Pea?” Rory raised an eyebrow with a smirk, turning toward the boy with her entire body now. She needed this distraction. Even if it was sure to turn out as an annoying encounter.   “Yeah, don’t let the name fool you.” He replied flatly.   “He’s a dick.” The other boy spoke up for the first time, then grunted when Sweet Pea kicked backward, hitting the boy in the thigh. He pushed Sweet Pea’s shoulder in return, but his eyes never left hers and he didn’t even budge, aside from his shoulder jerking forward.   “If you’re going to be in my house, I need to know who I’m letting in.” He huffed.   “My name is Aurora, my friends call me Rory,” she sighed, deciding to humor him. Sweet Pea snorted mockingly. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Is something funny?”   “Aurora? You mean… like the Disney princess?” She rolled her eyes at his response.   “At least I’m not named after a vegetable.” She muttered. The two other teenagers laughed. Sweet Pea crossed his arms over his chest as he mumbled for the others to shut up through gritted teeth.   “I’m Toni Topaz. This is Fangs Fogarty.” The girl piped in and motioned with her elbow as she wiped out a pint glass. Fangs gave a lazy salute with a coy smile. Sweet Pea was visibly growing increasingly more agitated.   “Look, Northsider, you aren’t welcome here —"   “Sweet Pea!” A loud voice boomed from across the room. “Are you giving my niece a hard time? Where is your Serpent hospitality?” The room grew nearly silent aside from the music as FP filed toward them. Sweet Pea’s jaw instantly went slack as Fangs slowly walked backward, knocking a barstool over. Sweet Pea quizzically looked from Rory to FP, and back again. She smiled sweetly.   “Did I mention that I’m a Jones?”

[swordcoastsimming]

Working on getting the game running smoother...

The choppy way the sims 3 has been running has been almost entirely unplayable. I'm fairly certain it's not the cc because I just moved the installed game AND my entire documents folder to a brand new 1tb SSD (the launcher jumps up like a whistle pig now, and the initial startup time is down to 3 minutes!)

The game itself still takes a pretty solid 25 minutes to load, even though I deactivated everything I possibly could about the background neighborhood and have very little active simtime, no extended families, memories turned off, freewill and story mode is totally off. My graphics are pretty high but I have a boss videocard which shouldn't have a problem, so why all this stuttering....

Turns out I'm hopping from 10 to 200 fps like a toddler who just chugged two sodas and no has hiccups.

So I limit fps on my GeForce controller. And the Nvidia controller thing.

No change. If anything it's a little worse.

Dig into the docs and it turns out it's got my Nvidia card listed as Found:0.

... Well then what the hell is it using?

... What do you mean I have two video cards?

So my onboard Intel is being a big diva and hogging the stage to the detriment of the entire show.

Got fiddle with some settings some more. Figure out how to tell the ten year old game the name of a three year old card. Then maybe download an extra fps limiter so I don't fry my good graphics card?

But first I have to update the Intel drivers because apparently that can keep it from pushing to the Nvidia.

I am so deep into this rabbit hole of serial numbers I feel like I'm about to solve the DaVinci Code.

For now I'm going to bed.

[ao3feed-choni]

by ttbl0paz

Toni Topaz had seen a lot in her young life. From a young girl, she'd been forced to fend for herself in an unforgiving world. She'd had to teach herself lessons, and learn to suffer from the beginning. Even with the life she lives now, Toni's past is always there, always catching up. You can't escape it.

Aka I'm SICK of no Toni backstory so I said fuck it and wrote it myself, even though chances are we're gonna get it in Season 4 and completely ruin my image but oh well, so enjoy this timeline of Toni's life.

Words: 2763, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Riverdale (TV 2017)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Toni Topaz, Cheryl Blossom, Archie Andrews, FP Jones II, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Alice Cooper (Archie Comics), Veronica Lodge, Gladys Jones, Jellybean Jones, Joaquin DeSantos, Fangs Fogarty, Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Tall Boy (Riverdale), Mustang (Riverdale), Hog Eye (Riverdale), Thomas Topaz, Southside Serpents Gang, Byrdie (Riverdale), Hot Dog (Archie Comics), Kevin Keller, Fred Andrews, Mary Andrews, Josie McCoy, Peaches 'N Cream (Riverdale), Pretty Poisons Gang, Sheriff Tom Keller, Reggie Mantle, Slash (Riverdale), Warbaby (Riverdale), Penny Peabody, Mad Dog (Riverdale), Ricky DeSantos, Penelope Blossom, Juniper Cooper, Dagwood Cooper, Sierra McCoy, Original Characters

Relationships: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Sweet Pea/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty/Sweet Pea, Fangs Fogarty/Toni Topaz, FP Jones II/Gladys Jones, Toni Topaz/Original Female Character(s), Toni Topaz/Original Male Character(s), Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Joaquin DeSantos/Fangs Fogarty, Joaquin DeSantos/Kevin Keller, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller

Additional Tags: Fluff, Angst, Humor, Eventual Smut, Canon Compliant, As much as possible anyway since we know NOTHING about Toni's backstory, High School, Crushes, First Time, First Kiss, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Recreational Drug Use, Drug Dealing, Drug Abuse, Gang Violence, Teenage Drama, Horny Teenagers, Like honestly calm down, Implied Sexual Content, Sexual Abuse, This is gonna be one hell of an emotional ride

[hotvillaindaddies]

Andrews Can Suck It || Sweet Vee

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Veronica Lodge

Rating: There’s sex so, be an adult.

“I broke up with my boyfriend tonight,” she sighed, glancing up at him as he stuffed a few french fries covered in ketchup in to his mouth. 

Sweet Pea’s eyes jumped from his plate to Veronica’s face, widened to convey his surprise, his mouth full of food. They’d been sitting here for two hours, pretending like they were friends over piles of fries and milkshakes. He’d come here because he was craving a late night meal after his evening of drinking, and she’d ended up here because she wanted to be anywhere else but home. Neither of them had had a good night at the Wyrm. He first slid in to the seat across from her to annoy her, already enjoying the sass she gave off every other time he’d been around her. Eventually, they’d just started talking about shit like old friends, which was nice. They’d proved each other wrong, she wasn’t that stuck up, and he wasn’t that much of an asshole. Pea figured he’d end up liking her eventually. It was nice to see she felt the same.

Veronica shrugged a shoulder and stole another fry, sitting back against the booth seat. “I don’t love him, and I think not letting him go would only hurt him further. We’re better friends, even if we were good lovers.” She doesn’t know why she phrased it that way, but she still means it. Archie was an amazing friend, and every time they touched, it was magic. It just… wasn’t the magic she craved. Hopefully Archie would come around to think that as well, because she prayed their friendship would still exist after this. After all, there were plenty of other girls at Riverdale High that would be perfectly suited for the boy. It just wouldn’t be Veronica Lodge.

She chuckled when Sweet Pea had to knock at his chest with his fist a few times, his mouth full of french fries delivering instant karma from his rash decision to stuff his face. “You did the right thing. Can’t force yourself to love someone, just gotta feel it.” He shrugged his shoulder. “But what do I know? I haven’t been in love with anything other than this burger.” He punctuated that thought with a bite of his burger, making her laugh again. “If you’re not careful, you’ll choke. I know snakes usually just swallow their food whole, but remember, you’re a mere human man.” Veronica smirked and took a sip of her milkshake, wondering if she should order a burger as well. She’d gotten the basket of fries for the two of them to share, but the tall boy across from her swore he needed his protein as well.

Sweet Pea shrugged at her line, seemingly stolen from FP Jones, and stuffed more fries in to his mouth, not really sure what else to say to her. Just from their interactions alone, Pea was sure that Archie Andrews just couldn’t handle this spitfire. She was stubborn and strong, guarded but soft. He’d seen her fire and determination in school, and even though some of her attempts at being nice had been trash, she’d grown on him. He hadn’t forgotten she was a Lodge, her daddy snatching up his favorite places on the southside like wildfire, but she was also just a girl that lived in her father’s shadow, kind of like he did. She’d accidentally told him that she liked romance novels more than anything, and he hadn’t read any, but he was sure he could be the guy on the front of one of those books way more than Andrews could. Not that he was gonna tell her that. Instead he told her she’d needed to get laid more if she found that shit romantic.

Her eyebrow quirked at his silence, but he shrugged and kept eating, unsure of why he would even think he could be a leading man for her. She was Veronica Lodge, Northside Queen, Riverdale Vixen, Perfect Princess. Except, maybe she wasn’t. He was still figuring that out as they sat here. Either way, he was just a shithead from the Southside trailer park. He just didn’t amount to enough. His scarred knuckles and neck tattoo instantly disqualified him from the running.

Veronica snatched a few more fries, dipping them in his ketchup before shaking her head as she ate. “How come you’re not still at the Wyrm? I thought for sure you’d be partying til dawn with FP?” Sweet Pea shook his head, glancing around Pop’s before meeting her eyes again. “Nah. Got into it with Hog Eye over a game of pool. Figured I’d dip before FP tried to ground me or somethin.” He was still a little confused on why FP was suddenly playing daddy to any snake under the age of eighteen, especially when Hog Eye was Pea’s uncle. Hog Eye still owed him twenty bucks from last weekend, on top of the few grams of weed, and when he didn’t pay up for their newest bet, Sweet Pea swung on him. He’d mostly booked it out of the Wyrm and over to Pop’s because he was pissed and hungry. Nothing like a little family drama to light a fire under your ass. Again, something he didn’t plan on telling Veronica, she’d probably chastise him for not making Hog Eye put the money on the table first, and he definitely wasn’t going to tell her his uncle owed him some pot. Last time he’d let his no good uncle pull one over on him.

She smiled knowingly, understanding his hesitation to give her any more information on what went on in the Wyrm that she didn’t witness herself. The Serpents were protective of their own, and Sweet Pea had shown how loyal he was to them over and over. She knew he wasn’t going to tell a Northsider, much less Hiram Lodge’s daughter. They all knew what her father was up to, and for a moment, she realized just how lucky she was that Pea was even at her table talking to her at all. She would’ve thought he was much too proud for that. The way his jaw clenched made her thighs clench, the way he wore anger was more beautiful on him than anyone she’d ever seen, and as much as she hated to anger the boy, she filed it away to use for to her advantage.

By the time she’d snapped out of her thoughts, he’d had at least another handful of fries, and his burger was nearly gone. She was slightly surprised at how quickly he seemed to eat, but then again, he was over a foot taller than her and needed triple the food probably. “Let me guess. Too shady of an evening to share? Did you misbehave, Sweet Pea?” she asked, raising an eyebrow slowly. She was enjoying the easy banter between the two of them, easily pushing it to flirting. Sure, she’d just broken up with her boyfriend, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t flirt with the attractive bad boy across from her. If only she could be so open about who she was.

He nearly choked on the last bite of his burger. Usually, he was much more focused around women. He and Fangs had perfected their pick up game so they’d never go to bed alone if they didn’t want to, but for some reason, that one look from Veronica had more game than he’d ever possessed. A smirk played on his lips as he leaned forward, eyes dropping to her lips. “I misbehave always, Lodge. You should know that by now.” He swore her eyes got darker, her teeth catching her bottom lip as she looked at him. What was happening right now? Was he seriously flirting with Veronica Lodge? He hadn’t expected the tiny thing with a loud mouth and a mini skirt to catch his eye, but he was slowly seeing why she had every other boy at Riverdale practically eating out of her palm. He could understand why Andrews was so ass over feet for her now.

She plucked the cherry off of the top of her shake, pulling it from the stem slowly as they sat watching one another. Her nails drummed against the tabletop as she chewed, trying to decide what to do. Sweet Pea was hot, and hanging out with him had been pretty fun so far. She had drank just enough to feel confident and sexy in her sadness, and she was willing to make a few bad decisions. Even though, she didn’t think she’d actually call this a bad decision. It just seemed like the right one in this moment. She sighed, reaching across the table to pull his hand closer, turning his palm up so she could slowly trace the lines there. “Yep, says right here you’re a total rule breaker, Pea. Always misbehaving. I think I can fix that, I’ve got a pretty easy solution.”

Sweet Pea lifted an eyebrow, licking the grease from the fingers she wasn’t holding on to. “You some kinda witch, Lodge? Goin around reading my palm?” He watched her nod her head slowly, her reply of maybe making him chuckle. He should’ve known. He pulled her hand closer and kissed over her knuckles, eyes smoldering up at her. If she was looking for a rebound from Andrews, that was a role he’d willingly play. He wasn’t going to turn down a gorgeous girl when she wants to feel wanted. Especially not when he wanted her as badly as he did suddenly.

He fished out his wallet and tossed down a few tens, sliding out of the booth. Catching the surprise in her eyes, Pea held his hand out, cocking his head toward the door. “Let’s go, Lodge. We can try your solution back at my place.”

He drags her out to his bike, telling her to keep her legs off the pipes so she doesn’t burn herself. The last thing he wants is for his bike to put a mark on her skin before he does. He can tell she’s scared, so he just explains that she needs to hold on, and drives away from Pop’s slower than usual to let her adjust. Once they hit Main, he opens it up to normal speed and feels her tighten her arms around him, her squeals making him grin.

The trip to the southside is a quick one, so it’s not long before he parked his bike in front of his trailer in Sunnyside. Hoping that she wouldn’t turn her nose up at his humble abode, Pea led her up the steps and in to his house. The decor stood the same since his Aunt had died and left him with an absent uncle, with a few pieces of his own added whenever he felt like it. The couch was floral print, but hanging on the wall above it was a few framed pictures of Serpents doing various things, obviously an ode to the club his family loved so much.

Veronica found it absolutely charming. She’d thought she’d be walking in to a pig stye, some sort of filth that every teenage boy seemed to live in, but it was actually tidy, and surprisingly smelled really good. The candle in question was located on the coffee table, filling the space even without being lit. It smelled like sage, one of her favorite smells, making her instantly feel at home. “Surprised to see you have candles and throw pillows, Pea,” she teased, yanking on his hand before he walked too much further in to the house.

She slid her hands up his arms to his shoulders, pushing on to her toes to kiss him slowly, small hands cupping his cheeks. She loved that he still had to lean down to meet her lips, his arms going around her waist to hoist her up against him. She could feel the back of one of her heels coming off, but he seemed to be holding her up as well, so she let it slip off completely. “Sweets, couch,” she groaned against his lips, but he shook his head. His hands slid down her back to briefly squeeze her ass, then dropped to the back of her thighs to lift her up, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist as he started kicking his boots off.

Her lips attached to his neck, scraping her teeth against his Serpent tattoo to make him groan as he dropped her to the large bed. The bedroom was bathed in golden light from the street light outside, so he didn’t bother to flip on a light, just watched her shimmy against his grey bedspread. “Didn’t realize how good you’d look in my bed, Lodge. Though, I’d prefer to see you in less clothing than that.” He yanked his own shirt over his head, dropping it on the floor before he crawled over her to slide his lips along her jaw.

All she could do was whine, letting him pull the sweater from her body, his lips sliding down to her collar bone. Her bra was quickly pulled from her body as well, a gasp escaping her as his lips wrapped around a nipple. “You gonna tell me your solution to my troublemaking?” He asked, teeth pulling at the bud before glancing up at her. Her eyes were closed, head tipped back, lips parted in a silent moan. With that moan, she shivered beneath him, nodding her head.

“Yeah, was gonna make some sort of joke about you putting your hands on my body or something, this is so much better so just forget about that,” she answered, fingers slipping in to his hair to tug gently. She rolled her hips against his, smirking when she felt him hard against her thigh. “Might wanna ditch those jeans, Pea. And help me get rid of this skirt.” She pressed her lips against his again, tugging gently at his bottom lip for a little incentive. His laugh made her smile and open her eyes to scan his face, trying to figure out what he found funny.

“Are you really rushin me, Lodge? You can’t let go of control for a single second can you? Just lay back and enjoy, princess.” Sweet Pea picked himself up on his knees, reaching to tug the skirt down her legs once she’d unzipped the side of it. She seemed to be satisfied with his words, her body becoming liquid on his dark sheets. His smirk returned when he noticed her panties matched her bra, something he expected from the girl. He quickly rid her of those too, sliding down her body to lift a thigh over his shoulder, his tongue sliding through her folds slowly. The sound of her moaning was like music to his ears, only spurring him on to taste her further.

Her hold on his hair guided his tongue, letting her yank him to where she wanted to get a feel for what she liked. To stay a few steps ahead of her, he pushed a finger into her slowly, curling it slowly as his tongue lashed against her clit. He could feel the muscles in her thighs jumping, so he added a second finger, her whimpers turning in to sobs as she fell apart. Slowing his fingers, he let her come down easily, watching as her eyes fluttered open. “Damn, Veronica. Almost took clumps of my hair out, take it easy,” he teased.

Veronica pushed up on one elbow, letting her free hand slide through his hair gently, a satisfied smile on her face. “Let me make it up to you?” She raised an eyebrow, but he shook his head, surprising her by sliding off the bed completely. He reached into the drawer for a condom, ripping the foil open with his teeth before he rolled it on. She gasped when he lifted her body with one arm, carrying her further up the bed to rest against the pillows. She tilted her head to kiss him deeply as he pushed in to her, making her moan against his lips at how good he felt. Her arms went above her to hold the headboard as he thrust into her, and for once Veronica felt perfectly full, her eyes meeting his as he gritted his teeth to pick up speed.

She looked so damn good underneath him that he was pretty sure he might embarrass himself, but if he made it good for her, he was sure she’d give him another round or two to make it up to her. He found a steady rhythm for a while, letting his hands grip her hips tightly to guide her against him. Maybe he’d leave bruises, hoping they’d remind her of him later. Then he lifted a leg up against his chest again, opening her thighs further to thrust deeply, feeling her flex around him. Her moans were turning in to gasps, her whines turning to begging. “Please, Sweets,” she whined, rolling her hips against his, question cut off by a particularly deep thrust. He knew what she wanted, his thumb quickly finding her clit to rub tight circles until she was coming undone, clenching on his dick so tight he was thought he might die.

He thrust through her orgasm, chuckling as she pushed at his shoulder. “Lay back,” she demanded, waiting for him to roll, his hands settling back on her hips once she sank back down on to him again. Once she was settled, she gave him a little smirk before starting to rock her hips back and forth, her nails lightly dragging down his chest, making him growl. How had he managed this? His hands fell to her ass, guiding her hips until he couldn’t stand it anymore, forcing her on to her back again to give her a few deep thrusts, coming with a groan against her neck.

They both laid there for a few moments, trying to catch their breath again. She tapped at his arm, pushing him a little to get him to roll off of her so he wouldn’t crush her. “Damn, Sweets,” she panted, watching him push himself up to get rid of the condom. Once he’d crawled back on to the bed to lay down, she scooted against his side, head dropping to his chest to lay against him as her mind wandered. She felt amazing, thankful for the several orgasms he coaxed from her even after she’d been having a very shitty and long night. That magic she’d been missing with Archie seemed to manifest tenfold with Pea, making her head swim with thoughts that she was sure were related to rebounding so quickly. Maybe. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next with her and Archie, or what might happen in Riverdale, but whatever happened, she knew she’d be okay. That things would inevitably get better like they always did.

While her fingers traced nonexistent patterns on his stomach, Pea let his eyes rest, just breathing her in, still surprised by the wild turn of events this evening. He’d have swung on anyone who told him that he’d be naked in his bed with Veronica Lodge. Then again, she’d shown him just how totally different she was than what he’d thought she was like. Maybe some of these northsiders weren’t so bad. Or maybe it was just Veronica. His hand slid over her back slowly, finally opening his eyes to look down at her, a smile appearing on his lips when he noticed she’d fallen asleep. Not surprising, they’d both had long nights. It was nearly five am.

Trying not to jostle her, Sweet Pea reached for the grey quilt and tugged it up over the two of them, making sure his phone was plugged in next to the bed before settling in for the night. Girls didn’t usually sleep over, then again, none of them were this girl. So he’d let it slide. He liked the way she seemed to cling to him anyways. Slowly, he let himself fall asleep, one thought seeming to repeat itself. Andrews could suck it. He was keeping this one to himself from now on.