Grief, Gin, & a Bad Boy (Part 1)
Sweet Pea x Reader
Warnings: Death, Depression, Slight Alchololism, Drug Use, Eventual Smut
Reader is Midgeâs best friend. After sheâs murdered, everyone else seems to have moved on. You still miss her and have trouble coping with it. You meet a tall gang member at party and he seems like a great distraction.
Kevin dragged you to this party and you couldnât be more pissed about it. Your only saving grace is the cup of jungle juice in your hand. Youâd already chugged three and you were feeling it. This one was just to replenish once your buzz wore off. Kevin was off with Betty somewhere and youâd slunk off to hide in the stairwell behind a couple making out.
You canât help but think of Midge. She used to drag you to these things too with Moose. That seemed like a world away now. Where you were reserved and almost always caught with a resting bitch face, Midge was a smiley ball of sunshine. When sheâd first dragged you into the playground with her in second grade youâd been determined not to like her.
Sometimes, when you missed her so much it hurt, you wish sheâd never smiled at you that day.
You didnât realize you were crying until a tear landed on your hand and then into your cup.
âShit,â you mumbled under your breath and wiped at the tears quickly. You got up and carefully made you way past the couple and to the bathroom where you had to kick out another couple just about to go at it.
You slammed the door behind you and stared at yourself in the mirror. Your red eyes could be explained by the jay youâd smoked off of someone outside but the tear streaks you hadnât wiped at yet weâre clear. Your shift your expression in the mirror from sadness back to blank and then put on your mask for the rest of the world.
âSheâs not half as mean as she looks,â Midge would tell everyone. You can almost hear it in her voice.
With that, you leave the bathroom and run right into a hard body.
âJesus watch where youâre-â you begin and then look up to who youâd run into.
Fangs stares back at you, shock written on his face. Youâre sure you look that way too until you wipe it off your expression. You turn to leave but he grabs you by the arm softly. You hadnât seen him since the riots. It had all gone so fast. Midget had just died and word got out she was cheating on Moose with a Serpent. Everyone had gone on a witch hunt and of course came to you demanding a name.
Youâd played dumb. Lied about Midge not telling you anything but you knew it was Fangs. You also knew he was in deep with her and wouldnât hurt a hair on her head. Telling Reggie and his goons would just mean theyâd hurt him.
It didnât make a difference because Fangs got shot anyways. You hadnât spoken to him since the moments before heâd gotten shot.
You yank your arm free harder than you meant to,âIâm glad youâre okay.â
âThank you,â he said sincerely,â Just had my last check up. Iâm all healed up.â
âGood,â you say, you mean it but talking to him makes you hurt remembering Midge.
âLook, after everything happened I never got a chance to properly thank you for not ratting me out.â
You exhale a breath you didnât know youâd been holding,â Yeah, well. Itâs what she wouldâve wanted.â
âYou couldâve just given me up but you didnât. I wonât forget that.â
You scoff, âWhat difference does it make? Midge is still dead and you got shot. My silence did nothing.â
You stare at the wal behind him, flashes of blood and knives, and screaming going through your head.
âAre you okay?â
You snap your eyes back to Fangs, âFine.â
âAre you here with anyone? I came with some of my friends if you wanna-â
âThere you are!â
You turn to see Kevin coming towards you and taking you by the arm,â Iâve been looking all over. Iâm about to do shots.â
Kevin looks between you and Fangs,â Sorry am I interrupting?â
âNope,â you say quickly and shot Kevin the fakest smile,â Lead me to the shots.â
Kevin pulls you away talking your ear off and you donât look back. People say hi to you throughout the house and you greet them back. You see several bulldogs crowded around a table with tequila shots and lime.
âShit looks like the jocks got to them first.â
âYou think Iâm gonna let Bulldogs stop me,â you say and untangle from him, pushing between two football players and finding yourself across from Reggie Mantle.
He smirks when he sees you and youâre sure you scowl as your eyes narrow.
âWell, well, well Bulldogs it looks like weâve got a new challenger. You up for it sweetheart?â
Youâre suddenly very aware that theyâve created a spectacle of all this. Thereâs a bunch of Riverdale student cheering it on and youâve caught yourself in the middle of it.
âWhatâs the rules Mantle?â You asks, refusing to be unfazed.
âThatâs cute. No rules. Shots until you canât anymore. You vs me. What do you say?â
You donât hate Reggie. At least you didnât used to. He was more an asshole in the periphery of your vision. Of course being friends with your best friend boyfriend meant Midge had dragged you on double dates hoping youâd click but Reggie was simple and you were not down to be his arm candy.
Then after Midge had been killed in the middle of your deepest grief heâd cornered you with a bunch of his Bulldogs and demanded you give him the name of the Serpent Midge was cheating with. Youâd been crying and screaming and traumatized and his bullshit had sent you over an edge.
You hadnât really come back since.
âYouâre on,â you say and thereâs something heavy in the air. Someone starts to count down and once your hear zero you slam back the first shot and then the second and then the third and the fourth and the fifth and Reggie is coughing and sputtering at that point but thereâs eight shots laid out and you finish all of them. Everyone cheers around you and you donât care as they pay you on the back. Youâre staring right at Reggie and hoping he sees how much you hate him.
Kevin is the one to drag you away from it, yelling over the music about how much you just drank and asking if youâre okay.
âFine!â you yell and then Kevin pauses and looks to someone and you follow his eyes to Moose. They both smile.
You knew they were fucking and you had no right to be mad but you were always angry nowadays and Kevin just so happened to be here.
âYou two are really fucking obvious,â you say and Kevin snaps his head to you with wide eyes, âYou think I wouldnât notice?â
âLook I didnât mean for it to happen especially after-â
You yank yourself free of him, âDonât say her name.â
Youâre not sure where youâre going but then you find yourself back in the kitchen with the Bulldogs and getting more jungle juice.
You feel him beside you before you see him. It pisses you off youâve been around him enough times to know his cologne.
âIt was kind of hot that you beat me.â
âFuck off, Reggie,â you say without looking at him.
âLook I get that you hate me. I do. But canât we move past it all. We had a lot of fun.â
You didnât think you could get any angrier but you did.
âI think you think you get just how much I hate you but you donât. And let me make it clear, I didnât have fun when we fucked. I was drunk and you were the closest thing with a dick.â
He looks upset for just a moment before he smirks, âWell it looks like Iâm the closest thing again. Wanna go for another round?â
You leaned close to him, making him think his charms had worked and then you stopped, eyes fierce,â Fucking me doesnât count as an Iâm sorry I started a panic that made Midgeâs mother shoot someone and forget that the reason everything started in the first place was because your best friend died. You might not have killed Midge but you made damn sure finding her murdered became about everything else but her. Everyone forgot Midge and I blame you, you fucking idiot.â
âEverything okay here?â
You donât look away from Reggie but you recognize Fangsâ voice. Reggie looks from you to him and you know somethings about to start.
âFangs, how you doing buddy?â
âFine,â he said curtly as you still stared down at Reggie, daring him to do something so you had a reason to make a scene, âY/N are you good?â
âWhy wouldnât she be good Fogarty?â
âBecause she looks like she wants to kill you.â
You snap out of it then and mumble out that youâre fine before downing more jungle juice.
âYou know just because you feel bad doesnât mean you gotta follow her around?â Reggie said and then tried to protectively put his arm around you. You shove him off much harder than you intend and send him onto the floor
âDonât fucking touch me,â you slur out as the kitchen goes quiet, watching the scene unfold.
âWhy are you so mad at me?â Reggie screamed, pulling himself up from the floor and making you jump back at his anger, âIâm not the one who was fucking Midge!â
Itâs a different type of silent now at the mention of her name. Everyone knew The Black Hood went after your best friend because she was cheating on Moose with Fangs, an act deemed immoral by the serial killer. You never judged her for it, pushed her to do right by Moose because he was a good guy, but never judged her.
Reggie definitely was.
âIf you want someone to be mad at, be mad at the guy that stuck his-â
Reggie doesnât have a chance to finish because your fist is in his nose. Youâre cursing at him and swinging and you can feel yourself being pulled back from him but whoever it is isnât strong enough. You lurch out of their grip and tackle Reggie, hitting him again and again.
âDonât you fucking put it on her,â youâre screaming, âDonât you dare blame her!â
Before you can register it youâre being picked up around your waist and hauled off, still kicking and screaming.
âPut me down,â you yell, trying to pry the arms that carry you outside into the cool night air.
Finally, youâre set down on the porch and you whip around to see a frantic Fangs and Sweet Pea.
âJesus youâre stronger than you look,â Sweet Pea mumbles, catching his breath.
âLook,â Fangs began gently, blocking your path back inside, âAs much as Iâd love to see Reggie get a black eye this isnât you. Youâre drunk and youâre angry and-â
âHow about you donât tell me what I am and move out of my way?â you growl at him, arms crossed.
âMidge wouldnât want you to do this.â
âMidge is dead,â you replied, voice cold, âAnd I donât need you to-â
You stop, eyebrows knitting together.
âWhatâs wrong?â Fangs asked.
You turn and throw your face over the porch as you violently throw up the contents of your stomach.
âIâm gonna go get her some water. Just donât leave her side,â you hear Fangs say.
You hate being this girl. You didnât used to drink this much and you certainly werenât this angry when you did. It just made things easier.
You finally stop, catching your breath and groaning off the side of the balcony.
âEw,â you mumble to yourself.
âYou good?â
Youâd forgotten Sweet Pea was still there to watch you. You had no right to be angry with him...or Fangs. So you resigned yourself to the exhaustion fighting its way into your body.
âFine,â you throw over your shoulder, straightening up and running your hands back through your hair.
âYou donât look fine.â
You glare at him over your shoulder, faltering back a bit, still drunk, âDonât take this the wrong way but Iâm really fucking tired of people telling me that.â
Sweet Pea chuckles to himself, âYouâre fun when youâre pissed.â
You go quiet, making him feel bad. Slowly, he came to stand next to you.
âFor real, howâve you been doing?â
You look to him. You hadnât spoken to him since Fangs got shot. When Fangs and Midge had first hooked up, youâd found yourself awkwardly with him as both of your best friends made out across the room at the White Wyrm. Heâd cracked a joke and made you laugh. Youâd thought he was cute back then.
âI just punched Reggie Mantle in the face and threw up. How do you think Iâm doing?â
âWell only one of those things sounds like it wasnât fun,â he teased and you chuckled under your breath, âOh look she still smiles.â
You half heartedly glare at him and he smiles down at you, all teeth and big, brown eyes and you canât have the heart to be mad anymore. Vaguely you start to remember the time youâd danced with each other at a party. It seemed like a world away.
âThank you,â you say hesitantly.
He shrugged, âYou didnât rat Fangs out and you really didnât have to be there when he got shot...but you were. Makes you alright in my book.â
You scoffed, âJust alright?â
âWell you do go around punching people so I gotta wait before I give you the full okay.â
âAfraid Iâll turn on you,â you teased, the alcohol on your blood and on your breath making you confident as you stepped closer to him and his eyes darken enough for you to hold your breath.
âPromises, promises,â he drawls, and youâre fresh out of air in your lungs.
The door opens and you donât realize just how close youâve gotten to Sweet Pea. You take a step back as Fangs comes out with a bottle of water. He raises a brow at Sweet Pea who pretends like nothing had happened.
âI got you some water,â Fangs said and handed it to you. You quickly began to drink it down, grateful. When youâre done you look to him.
âIâm sorry,â you say sincerely, âYou didnât deserve me yelling at you.â
He looks down at his feet, âNot really sure what I deserve right now.â
You know what he means and suddenly you can see the guilt and grief that hangs over you is right above his head as well, darkening you both. All the time youâd been avoiding Fangs and he might be the only one who really, truly understood just how you felt about losing Midge. Sure, Moose was her boyfriend but you and Fangs shared the same guilt in the thing the Black Hood has judged her for. She cheated on Moose with Fangs and you watched her do it, you lied for her, you were by her side when you went to meet him. You werenât the ones that killed her but it felt like it sometimes.
âIt wasnât your fault.â It tumbled out before you lose the nerve and then youâre reaching out to squeeze his hand. He takes it, giving you a squeeze back and a small smile.
Something bubbles in your chest and you let go more forcefully than you intended.
âNights still young,â Sweet Pea said, breaking the tension, âyâall still down to party?â
âFuck it,â you mumble and youâre the first one back into the house
You find yourself at the beer pong table. You slink the last shot right into the final cup in your game. Sweet Pea and you are on the winning team and just beat Cheryl and Toni. Sweet Pea hollers and pick you up, spinning you around. Heâs caught up to you in how drunk you are.
He puts you down, quickly and yells over the cheers, âDonât throw up!â
âFuck you,â you yell and shove him at his chest playfully. He grabs your hand and holds it there, making intense eye contact with you.
âGot room for another game.â
Your moments broken up by a particularly pissed looking Reggie with a bruised nose. You snort a laugh, too drunk to be angry anymore.
âNot enough that a punched you in the face you want me to wreck you at beer pong too, Mantle?â you call out, laughing and taunting him as you down whatâs in your cup.
âI could wreck you sweetheart,â Reggie says, lewdly scanning your body.
âMantle you wanna fuck off,â Sweet Pea said calmly, arms crossed.
Reggie looks from Sweet Pea to you, his smile unnerving, âCareful, bro. Sheâs pretty but she might punch you in the face next.â
You recover quickly and drawl, âOh my god you think Iâm pretty.â
Moose comes to his side, pulling him away and looking at you with an apologetic look. It was the only way he ever looked at you now.
âCâmon bro thatâs enough,â Moose said, tugging Reggie away.
Reggie pointed to Sweet Pea with a smirk, âSheâs a real handful when sheâs mad but sheâs a great time.â
Luckily no ones paying attention to the drunk Bulldog this time. You know Sweet Pea hears it though because he looks from Reggie to you with a raised brow. Your jaw clenched and you start to walk away but Sweet Pea stops you. You hate that he made you feel ashamed of yourself. You hate Reggie for making you remember this drunk, angry girl is not who you are.
âWanna get out of here?â
Thereâs tears pricking at the corners of your eyes and youâre suddenly very aware of how loud it is in here, back leaning against a wall.
You look up at him and wipe it all away to smirk and bat your lashes, âI want you to take me somewhere to fuck me.â
His brows shoot off his head, âDonât fuck me to get back at Reggie.â
âIâm fucking you because you look like you want it about as much as I do,â youâre pushing it. You know that but Sweet Pea smiles and leans down until his lips are at your ear.
âIf you did wanna piss Reggie off look at him right now,â he whispers in your ear, hands coming up to grab at your waist. You find Reggie over Sweet Peaâs shoulder, glaring at the two of you. You smirk at him just as Sweet Pea pulls back to look at your face, forcing your attention to him.
âWas he looking?â he asked though his eyes are on your lips, the last thing in his mind Reggie Mantle.
âYeah,â you manage as the hulking boy in front of you puts a hand at your jaw, tilting your face up.
âGood, letâs give him a show.â
He kisses you deep, thumb brushing at your cheek and pulling you so close you gasp. In the space of your parted lips, his tongue meets yours. All thoughts other than the Serpent holding you leave your head. Heâs a good kisser, a great kisser and heâs everywhere. Your back presses into the wall and you find yourself fisting your hands in his shirt, trying to pull him closer but thereâs no more space for you two to close between you.
He brings a leg forward, making you part yours for him. Thereâs a whimper in your ears and you realize itâs you. He chuckles, dangerous and low against your mouth.
âYou okay baby girl?â
You nod, eyes still closed.
âLook at me.â
You pull your gaze to his and if you couldnât hear your heartbeat before you can now looking into his eyes, pupils blown wide and gaze heavy lidded on you. He puts his fingers under your chin, tilting your head up to look at him.
âWhen I fuck you, itâs going to be because you want me so bad you canât take it. Not because weâre drunk and you want to piss off Reggie.â
He kisses you one last time, slow and sweet instead of with the sloppy heat of before. He finds your hand entangling with his.
When he pulls away your gaze at him is soft.
âCâmon letâs get some water,â he suggest over the music and leads you away hand in hand. You donât even look back at Reggie as he pulls you through the crowd.











