You’re Not So Bad Yourself
Sweet Pea and OC Fic
Written as a gift for the amazing @cactiem as part of the @southsidearchive ‘s event A Very Merry Hissmas Secret Santa Fic Exchange. I had so much fun writing this little piece and hope you enjoy reading it!!!
Word Count: 2606
Summary: Sweet Pea and Reese never saw eye to eye, but when Sweets is put in charge of her security detail, will that change?
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“What the hell do you mean, no other choice?” I raved, pacing in front of FP and Jughead while Sweet Pea stayed behind them with crossed arms.
“Exactly what I said, Reese,” FP shot back. “The Ghoulies have a price on your head after that stunt you pulled at the Quarry. If we’re going to keep you safe, someone has to be with you at all times. Sweet Pea has the night shift. He is staying with you and that’s final.”
I stopped my frenzied movements, daring to glance back at the stone faced Serpent they were speaking of. One look at his icy expression had me turning back to answer my leaders. “It’s not my fault. They shouldn’t have talked to me like that,” I whispered, earning a chuckle from all three Serpents.
“You broke Malachi’s arm, slugger. Did you expect them to forget that?” Jughead scoffed, joining Sweet Pea by the fire. “It was bold, I’ll give you that, but you can’t fight them alone; not now. Let us help you.”
Sweet Pea’s smirk caught my attention and I held his gaze, daring him to make fun of me. We had known each other our entire lives, but could never quite master the art of civil conversation. Sweet Pea ignored my weak attempt at intimidation all together and laughed, “That I would’ve paid to see.”
I flipped him the bird in retaliation, refusing to look at his smug face.
Despite my urge to argue, I took a minute to think their offer over. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I barely got away from the Ghouls that night, and that was before they were after revenge. Truthfully, I had been worried about what might happen if they caught me. This morning was too close of a call. Having Sweet Pea there with me would be annoying and we’d probably fight a hundred times before morning, but for some reason it made me feel safer, so I reluctantly agreed to the Joneses plan.
“Princess, you made the right choice. We’re going to have a great time,” Sweet Pea murmured in my ear as he followed me to where his bike was parked. I reached back to smack his shoulder, disgust evident on my face.
“Disgusting pig,” I muttered stopping in front of his motorcycle.
“Annoying hard ass,” he shot back straddling the seat and shoving his helmet in my direction. “Your place or mine?” As much as I longed for the comfort of my bed, my instincts were screaming against it.
Sweet Pea huffed as I thought it over, shifting his balance from one leg to the other. He never did like to be kept waiting, and the cold did nothing to help his patience. “Any day now, princess!”
I bit back the insult that was hiding just behind my teeth and answered him sheepishly, climbing on the bike behind him, “I think we better go with yours. It’s possible that they might know where I live.”
Immediately, Sweets went rigid, turning his head to eye me suspiciously. “Yeah, Jughead told me that. But I’m curious. How, pray tell, would they have figured that out?”
I hid my head behind his shoulder, hoping to miss the judging look that was sure to follow my explanation. “Because I might have hooked up with Mordecai last summer at my house.”
“His brother? Do you have a death wish? You must.” Sweet Pea immediately got off the bike to face me with his eyes matching the fire in his voice.
“Hypocrite,” I fired back, standing chest to chest with him. “You sleep with Ghoulies all the time! Nobody ever gives you shit for it!”
He reached for the lapels of my jacket and clutched them tightly. “I don’t take them home, that’s a damn rookie mistake. And I sure as hell don’t break their brother’s arm. I just want to keep you safe, but you make it so unbelievably hard.”
A slight blush spread onto my cheeks. Sweet Pea didn’t scare me. While most shrink under his steely glare and the intensity of his voice, I always fought back. I could handle his rage, but his sincerity caught me off guard. “Sorry you’re stuck with me tonight,” I mumbled, unable to think of anything else to say.
To my surprise, he chuckled softly releasing his hold on me. “I volunteered, actually. Come on, we can keep arguing back at my place. At least we’ll be warm.”
I staggered back behind him, stunned. The short ride to his trailer was silent as I mulled over why he would ever volunteer to spend an entire night with me. I hadn’t noticed we had arrived until a large hand reached for my chin, lifting it slightly to meet my eyes. “What’s got you quiet? This might be the longest you’ve ever gone without saying anything.”
I ignored the insult altogether. “Why?”
His crooked smile faltered slightly, and I could tell that he knew exactly what I was talking about. “Cause I didn’t trust anybody else to do it. Can we please go inside now?”
I laughed and nodded, accepting his answer… for now. Sweet Pea’s trailer was not what I expected. The living room was immaculate; no piles of laundry or discarded beer cans. Instead, there were neatly folded blankets and a lemon scented air freshener. A small smile grew on my face and he laughed at my reaction. “Shocked that I know how to clean, princess?”
“Actually, yes, I am. Very.”
He shook his head, shrugging out of his jacket and reaching to take mine. “Do you need anything? I know you didn’t really have much time to grab your stuff.”
My mind raced and I reached for my bag, rummaging through to see what I did manage to snag as I was rushed out of my room. “You don’t have any sweat pants I could borrow, do you? I brought clothes for tomorrow and an extra t-shirt, just not pants.”
His grin made me nervous for what he was about to say next. I backed away slowly as he matched my steps. “Oh I don’t mind if you go pantless. In fact, I encourage it.”
I snorted at his dirty comment and chucked a pillow at his head.
He held his hands up in surrender, making his way back to the bedroom. “Kidding, kidding. I’ll grab you some. Make yourself comfortable.”
line break?
After a quick shower and changing into the clothes Sweet Pea found for me, I joined him back in the living room. He was stretched out in the recliner, one arm slung over his head and scrolling through his phone. “Feel better?” he asked as I plopped on the couch.
“Like a new woman. It’s been a long damn day.” I reached for the blanket on the back of the couch and snuggled into it.
“So I heard. Jughead said he just barely got there before the Ghouls showed up. That must’ve been a hell of a wake-up call.”
“God, was it ever.”
“REESE? REESE! Get up!” Jughead yelled, yanking my bedroom door open and jolting me awake. His eyes were frantic and he grabbed my bag to stuff random things from my drawers inside. Quickly, I reached for my robe and scrambled from the safety of my bed to confront him.
“Jug, what’s going on?” My toe found the menacingly sharp edge of the bed frame and a slew of curse words came tumbling from my mouth stopping Jughead in his tracks.
“They’re coming! They’re pissed! We’ve got to get you out of here.” My stomach dropped at the realization of the “they” he was referring to and I instantly joined him filling my bag and throwing on clothes before following him out to his truck. I knew exactly who was after me and why Jughead was so panicked.
Something had told me to stay away from the Quarry last night, but Toni stubbornly insisted. The uneasy feeling only worsened as thirty minutes went by with no sign of my favorite pink-haired Serpent. When the Ghoulies had started to pile in, I shot Toni a quick text and stood up to leave before any of them noticed that I was the only Serpent there.
Unfortunately, Malachi spotted me right as reached my car. “Not so fast, darling. Reese, isn’t it?”
I groaned, opening the door and trying to get inside, only to have Malachi reach out to stop me. “You know…Mordecai speaks of you all the time…in great detail. Maybe, I’d like to see what he sees in you, baby snake.”
Before I could stop myself and before Malachi had the chance to grab me, I reached for the crowbar under my seat and swung it him. I heard the crunch as soon as it made impact, but I didn’t stop to look. I threw the car in drive and took off, making sure to call Jughead and tell him how royally I had just fucked up.
“Why were you even out there? You knew they’ve pretty much taken it over,” Sweet Pea asked jarring me from my thoughts.
“Oh…Toni wanted to hang out. Said she was feeling nostalgic, but she never showed. Something must’ve come up.”
Sweet Pea’s jaw tightened. “Remind me to talk to her about that. Last night could’ve gone a hell of a lot worse, and she just left you there.”
The same unfamiliar nervousness from earlier tonight crept over me and I scrambled to speak. “No--no. Please, Pea, she feels bad enough. It was fine. I’m fine!”
He shook his head, mumbling about the code and being distracted, but I was too busy trying to figure out why he cared. “Come on, Reese, I’m beat. Let’s go to sleep.”
“Where am I sleeping?” I asked, hopping up from the couch and returning the blanket neatly to its rightful place.
“In my bed.” Sweet Pea tossed me a bottle of water and I caught it with a confused look on my face.
“Then where are you sleeping?” Clearly I had missed something.
“In my bed,” he answered with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, clearly entertained by the rosy blush in my cheeks.
My eyes widened, and I barely managed to muster up a strangled, “why?!”
“Because I like my bed.” He coughed to cover up the chuckle that was building in his chest. “Look, if I sleep in the living room and you sleep in my room, I’d be worried someone would come through the bedroom window and I wouldn’t be able to get there in time. If you sleep in the living room and I sleep in my bed, I’d be worried that someone would come in through the front door. If we both sleep in the living room, we’d both be miserable, so what’s the point? That only leaves one logical solution…bed buddy.”
I huffed dramatically, hating to admit that he had a point more than anything. “You don’t sleep in the nude, do you?”
He erupted into laughter and trudged over to sling his arm around my shoulders once he caught his breath. “Only if you ask nicely.”
Sweet Pea’s room was cozy and surprised me just as much as the living room and kitchen. There were lamps and throw pillows and worn books on the nightstand. I sat my bag on the chair by the end of the bed and ran my hand up the bedspread.
“You like it?” Sweet Pea asked, tugging his shirt over his head and turning the sheets down. “Fangs’ Abuela gave it to me for my birthday. She really helped me fix up this place.”
I smiled at the mention of that woman. Abuela was an angel to the lonely kids of the Southside- the orphans, the rejects, the rebels--she loved them just the same. She always knew the right things to say and do. “I’m proud of you, Pea. Really, it looks amazing in here. I can barely keep up with laundry since my mom split. I don’t know how you do it.”
As he sat on the bed, he reached for my hand to pull me down beside him. “I forgot she left, shit, I’m sorry. Wait, who has Noah? Should we go get him?”
I shook my head at his worried expression, leaning gratefully into the pillows behind me. “Abuela has him actually. Noah and Enzo are best friends. Besides, Fangs is there too, so I know he’ll be safe.”
“Still, I’m gonna call Fangs to check in later. It was hard enough when my folks left and I had to take care of myself. I don’t know if I could’ve taken care of a kid too.”
I thought of my kid brother--cherub faced and golden-haired--and my heart tugged. He was my Achilles’ Heel and as hard as it was to keep him safe and happy and healthy, I wouldn’t change a thing. “I love him, and I didn’t want him to feel like he was missing anything. I would do anything for him.”
To my surprise, Sweet Pea’s arms reached out for me to pull me into his side. “You’re a good sister, you punk.”
I giggled against his chest and glanced up at him, curious about the sudden change in our chemistry. “You’re a good housekeeper, apparently. Are you hiring?”
He jokingly shoved me away and we both sank deeper into the bed on our sides facing each other. “You couldn’t afford me.”
“Darn.”
His face, still bright from laughter, went serious again and my stomach instinctively tightened. “If you ever need help with the house or with Noah, please call. I guess I didn’t realize how much you had on your plate.”
I stiffened, uncomfortable accepting help of any form. “I’m doing the best I can.”
For the second time tonight, his hand snuck under my chin and I tried desperately to fight against his hold as he made me look at him. “Hey…I know. All I’m saying is that you don’t have to do it alone.”
I sat quietly for a moment as he slowly relaxed his grip on my chin. I thought back to the arguments and snide remarks we exchanged over the years. I had known this man for as long as I could remember and dreaded being in the same room as him, but tonight something was different. It was like I had never really known him at all. “Why are you being so nice to me?
The rough tips of his fingers brushed against the lines of my face before he answered and I held my breath in anticipation. “Maybe I’m starting to realize you aren’t the worst person to be stuck protecting.”
The blush that was ever present tonight returned, but I scooted closer to him earning a smile in the process. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
No Ghoulie bothered us that night, and Sweet Pea took both me and Noah in until the smoke cleared. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months until eventually there was more of our stuff at his place than there was at my own. Sweet Pea helped me make sure that Noah had a good life and having someone to help meant more to me than I ever could’ve imagined. The same man that once made my skin crawl grew on me and became the most important person in my life. If I knew that getting into trouble would’ve brought me here and given me the family I had always hoped to have, I’d break Malachi’s arm a hundred times over.