May I request 1. 13. And 17. For Sweetbee I'm just in the mood to request them and feeling it tonight 😋🤓
Whoops, this turned into the longest drabble I’ve written yet. (Also, it was the final SweetBee pairing request in my roster. Maybe I was trying to hang onto them.) Hope you find it worth the wait!
1. “Do you want me to leave?”
AND
13. “I couldkiss you right now!”
AND
17. “This is all your fault!”
Jeeze Louise, when the Serpents celebrated, they celebrated. Betty dodged more than one swaying indulger on her wayto the storeroom to top up Toni’s supplies. The girl hadn’t asked for anythingor sent Betty to run this errand for her, but that was only because she hadn’thad a chance. Drink orders, both slurred and enunciated, had been flying sinceBetty had walked into the Wyrm an hour earlier. She couldn’t understand whyToni had decided to bartend on the night of her girlfriend’s acceptance intothe gang. Maybe Cheryl had requested to be thrown in the deep end, forced tointeract with her universally leather jacketed new extended family. Predictingher cousin’s eccentricities was a battle just waiting for Betty to lose it.
Another toast to the newest Serpent went up as Betty snuck down the backhallway, grinning. It was possible that Cheryl hadn’t quite known what she wasgetting into with this gang, but it was highly probable that the Serpents wereeven less prepared for Cheryl.
Now, she knew the storeroom was back here… Aha! A propped open door. Bettybounded to it, eager to return to the party and surprise Toni with herhelpfulness. She hauled the door open (it was heavier than she’d thought) andbegan to step inside. Abruptly, she stopped, her sneaker scuffing the oldlinoleum. She wasn’t alone: Sweet Pea sat on the floor across from where shestood, back against a shelf. Feeling awkward to be alone with someone she’dnever really had a conversation with, Betty faltered, twisting the doorknobbehind her back to channel her discomfort. He glanced sharply up at her.
“Do you want me to leave?” she asked, trying to be polite and not nosy,though she did wonder what one of Toni’s best friends was doing in, essentially,a closet on such a momentous occasion.
Sweet Pea shrugged, though he looked at her carefully. He’d gone off on heronce in the past, but Betty liked to think they could see a little more eye toeye now that the whole community had begun to be knit back together―Cheryl, asNorthsider as a Northsider could be, being admitted into the Serpents wassurely proof of that.
“Go or stay, just don’t―”
Betty stepped forward to hear him and lifted her hand from the doorknob.
“―close the door.”
There was a solid slam from directly behind her. Betty spun as Sweet Peahopped to his feet.
“Oh my god!” she exclaimed, rotating and tugging at the doorknob. “Is itlocked? Why is it locked?”
Sweet Pea shouldered her aside, trying the doorknob for himself. Even in themidst of her panic, Betty found strength to roll her eyes.
“It’s always locked, Girl Genius,” he replied sarcastically. “Room full ofbooze―” Sweet Pea gestured around them, “―bar full of alkies―” he thumped hisfist against the door, “―you don’t think they keep it locked?”
Not a particular fan of being condescended to, Betty turned to face SweetPea, ready to reply until she realized they were practically chest to chest,standing there between the racks of bottles and cans stacked to the ceiling.
“So, um,” she started, taking a cautious step backwards and swallowing hardunder the tall boy’s rather intense gaze, “how did you get in?”
“It was already open. Sometimes they keep the bolt fired and let the doorrest open so they don’t have to unlock it every time.”
“Then how did it shut?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sweet Pea joked meanly, letting his head fall to theside as he accused her in not so many words, “why don’t we ask the person whowas fiddling with the fucking doorknob right before we got locked in here!”
Betty scoffed, folding her arms around her sweater-ed middle.
“Fine,” he sighed dramatically. “I’m sorry. Somebody’ll be here any secondto rescue you.”
“Actually…” Betty shifted guiltily, “…I didn’t tell anyone I was headedback here and the bar’s a little too crowded to assume someone would’venoticed.”
“Toni?”
“Busy.”
“Cheryl?”
“Basking in the attention.”
“Jones?”
“Which?”
“The one with the stupid hat.”
“We’re not really on each other’s radar so much anymore,” Betty admittedweakly.
“Great,” Sweet Pea groaned, totally insensitive.
“Excuse me,” she demanded, taking a step back towards him, “but youshouldn’t have even been in here!”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have been in the Wyrm!”
“Maybe you should’ve had a key!”
“Are you kidding me? This is all your fault!”
His volume startled her and Betty hastily retreated. Sweet Pea caught up inone stride, grabbing her arm.
“Don’t…” he began to admonish her, until his eyes went to her lips, “…knockanything over,” he finished more softly.
“Ok,” she promised. “Maybe we should just… knock on the door.”
Sweet Pea nodded once and turned, pounding it firmly with his fist. Theywaited, listening, for a good 30 seconds.
“Nobody’s gonna hear us,” he pointed out.
“Oh, they will,” Betty insisted, pushing around him this time. She noticed,passingly, that he smelled pretty good. She shook her head. For a Serpent who’dbeen sitting on the ground in a room full of alcohol, she clarified to herself.Before she could get half a dozen knocks in, Sweet Pea caught her wrist.
“You’ll break your fingers before they ever hear you.”
“Do you know from experience?” she huffed.
“Could be.”
There he was again, standing a little too close for normal, non-intimateconversation. Betty felt slightly dizzy and told herself it was just becauseshe was having to look up at him.
“It’s not so bad in here,” he offered with a shrug, then smirked at her.“You won’t go thirsty.”
Betty laughed.
“That’s why I came, actually. Some of your fellow Serpents are getting alittle rowdy out there. I was thinking I’d get some soda so Toni could make therum and Cokes a little less rum, a little more Coke.”
“No way,” Sweet Pea joked, more kindly than before. “You came in here to getdrinks?”
“Knock it off.” Without thinking, she whacked him in the chest with the backof her hand. He smiled like he didn’t mind… or he a little more than didn’t mind. Betty’s heart sped up like it had been theone slammed into.
He stepped away, leaning his back against the door and keeping dark, unreadable eyesfixed on her, smile still in place.
“What were you doing in here that I interrupted?” Betty asked quickly.
“Feeling sorry for myself,” Sweet Pea said, chin rising a little like he wasexpecting to get punched there for his vulnerability.
“Over what exactly?”
Sweet Pea gave her a searching look.
“I’m pissed about Cheryl,” he finally answered.
“You don’t like her?” Understandable, Betty thought. Even after discoveringtheir blood connection, it had taken time for her to really warm to her cousin.
“I don’t like her breaking up me, Toni, and Fangs,” he grumbled. Bettyfrowned sympathetically.
“Well,” she ventured, “this must have happened to you three before. Someother girl or guy―”
“There’s never been anybody this important. Toni wanted her in the gang.”
Betty nodded, getting that this was a big deal. From experience, she knew itwas a big enough deal that Jughead hadn’t wanted her in the gang when she’dtried to get closer to him.
“It’d be different, I guess, if each of you had someone.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “For a little while, I really thought Fangs and yourfriend Kevin, but, uh, no dice.” He scratched the back of his neck.
“And… you?” she asked tentatively, wondering at the feeling in her chestwhile she awaited his answer.
Sweet Pea only shrugged with a slight smirk, giving her nothing.
“So really… I’ve helped you out,” she concluded. Sweet Pea stared at her,confused. “It’s hard to think of an excuse for missing the celebration more legitimate than being locked inthe storeroom with no one to hear, um…” He was walking towards her. Bettylicked her lower lip. “…no one to hear you knocking.”
Breath a little shaky, she backed into a shelf that rattled onimpact.
“You sure you don’t have a key?”
Sweet Pea grinned down at her and made a show of patting his jacket pockets.His hands lowered to hover in front of the pockets of his jeans and her eyesfollowed. He caught her looking.
“You wanna help?”
Betty flushed and Sweet Pea’s eyes moved over her, probably picking up onthe ferocious thumping of her heart.
“Oh!” she said suddenly, planting a palm on his chest as she pushed pasthim.
“What the fuck?” he said, sounding mildly annoyed but willing to put up withher.
“I know how we can get out of here!” Betty probed her fingers into her hair,just below her ponytail, and plucked out a bobby pin. “I’ll pick the lock!”
“Yes!” Sweet Pea shouted, hurrying to the door to stand next to her. “Icould kiss you right now!”
Hand halfway to the lock, Betty paused. She looked at the bobby pin in herhand, then up at Sweet Pea, his muscular arm pressing into her shoulder.
“Well,” she offered slyly, “we could stay and do that instead.”
He met her gaze. Raised his eyebrows. Reached for her face. Bettypractically jumped into his arms as they came around her. In all the strokingof his neck and the running of her fingers through his hair while he kissed herdeeply, Betty forgot to hang onto the bobby pin. It took her a while to notice.
Hello! Was wondering if there was any way you could do Sweet Bee #68? Thank you so much!!! 😊😊😊
Hi! Of course, and thank you for your patience!
68. “Well, this is where I live.”
The pedestrian signal was flashing red and his jacket was over hershoulders. The pair of them stuttered forward and back, his rubber-soledsneakers longing to squeak, yet unable on wet concrete; it had rained whilethey were in the movie. When they, tacitly, decided to wait to cross ratherthan racing to the other side of the road before the light firmly forbade it,Sweet Pea’s hand shot out and clasped Betty’s. He was jumpy and everythingbelow the shoulder felt paralyzed, but he’d done it. He had her hand! Now what?
Sweet Pea exhaled and let his gaze sneak sideways until it locked withBetty’s and she smiled and he panicked.
“So you liked it? The movie?”
His first words in four blocks, and an almost exact copy of those he’d saidas they’d pressed out of the Bijou’s doors.
“Yeah.” Betty laughed a little, probably at him, but he deserved it forbeing so goddamn spacey. “What did you think?”
“Kickass,” Sweet Pea stated. “I’ve never gotten away with stealing anythingtrickier than a wine bottle. It’s nice to have role models.”
She laughed harder and he felt her fingers wiggle and twist until, suddenly,miraculously, they were intertwined with his. What he didn’t bother to say wasthat his real favourite part of Ocean’s 8had been the vibrant costumes; Sweet Pea was near certain that was the elementhe had to thank for letting him stay focused on the screen instead of the angelsipping cream soda and smelling like GIRL in the seat beside his.
“How did you pull that one off?”
“Oh, straight up the sleeve, then clutch the arm like you’re favouring aninjury,” Sweet Pea explained with a shrug. “Child’s play.”
Betty gave him a respectful nod, lips in a pink smirk that darkened near themiddle. Probably had a tongue fuchsia from her soda. He was still staring ather face when her eyes turned greener.
“Let’s walk,” he said, jerking his head at the signal now in their favour.
They hadn’t exactly talked aboutwhere they were going, but they’d left the Bijou with a buzz, eyes glimmeringfrom being on a first date that didn’t feel over yet to either of them. SweetPea just felt… connected to her. He knew if he’d walked her home, he would’velaid down on the lawn and stared up at her window all night, heart thumping,eyes uninterested in the stars.
They crossed to the other side of the street and Sweet Pea could feel thatthing happening―that thing that happens at a dance, where the partners inchtogether, so slowly that the song might end before they’ve reached that pointwhere their adrenaline dies down and they can tell they’re holding the otherperson like they want to, like they wanted to when they started dancing, butdidn’t have the guts to. It was going on between him and Betty because theuniverse was a conscientious and benevolent place that cared for Sweet Pea andwanted to put his accomplishments up in the sky as constellations like thelargescale version of taping a kid’s art to the fridge.
Their hands loosened from each other’s and their inner arms rubbed together,then Betty’s fingers were sneaking along the back of his shirt and holding abelt loop of his jeans on the far side from where she was walking along next tohim. Sweet Pea lifted his hand and brushed her hair away from the back of herneck to lay his arm there. It dangled over her shoulder, warming the leather.
Apparently, Riverdale had kept on existing while they were wrapped up in therightest first date he’d ever been on(out of, ok, not so very many), because they were standing outside of hisSouthside apartment building.
“Well,” Sweet Pea said, looking down and aligning his shoe with a gruesomecrack in the sidewalk, “this is where I live.”
He felt Betty’s hip when she tucked herself closer and watched her eyelasheslower as she probably devised a plan to take off, possibly including the words,‘thanks, but no thanks,’ or at least the sentiment.
She said, “I like it.”
“No shit?” he gasped. “Sorry.” Sweet Pea swallowed, collecting himself. “Youwant to…?”
“Mhmm,” Betty agreed.
They were awkward at the door of the building, ending up with him holding itopen while she passed under his arm. Except that she lingered there, shelteredby him, hovering like a dragonfly. He held his breath (which just made himbreathe harder) when Betty reached up and stroked the chain slung from hisneck. She twitched her head and continued inside and he stood there, hardeningin his pants, wondering what exactly she’d just talked herself out of. And ifthat mystery urge would come again.
