Synopsis: The cauldron gifted you a blaze of power when you were sunk into it's clutches with your sisters. When your abilities start to become uncontrolled you seek out and Heir to Autumn for training.
You swirled around the Moonstone Palace in a dress shaped like a pastry, bouncing from one foot to the other as you glided through the air, head tilted up to the decadent ceiling.Â
“YNN! Stop playing around, you’re making me dizzy” You stopped hard mid-turn, hands clasping together in front of you, and your head sank to the compliant sister you always were.Â
“Sorry Nesta” She scoffed at your small squeak of an apology before rising to her feet to stand in front of you, her hands finding your forearms.Â
“I wish we left you at home” You looked up to meet her pitiful eyes, it rocketed a simmering rage into your veins you cared not to show, only offering a small meek smile in return to her words. The thud of a heavy door drew your attention to your sister and her dear mate, his closest friends flanking them.
“Oh YN you came and you're wearing…that” Cassian beamed until his smile dropped at the poof of fabric that consumed you, its twilight hue working against your natural palette.Â
“It was what the dressmaker had to hand, she wasn't supposed to be here” Nesta responded for you, as she often did, standing slightly in front of the bunches of tulle.Â
“And we're glad we could convince you to come”
“More like convince your handler to allow you” You ignored Azriels quiet comment.
“Thank you for including me Rhys, I want to be more useful”
“Sister you are useful” Feyre quickly added, squeezing your shoulder before standing in the centre of the group.Â
“Should we talk about why she had to come this time…” Nesta said under her breath, receiving an uncharacteristic glare from you.Â
“I didn't see the candlestick there, why was it even near the curtains!” You sighed, the three brothers laughing at your clumsiness.Â
“You laugh but it was in your wardrobe that it happened Feyre” Nesta added, shock painting your older sister's face. She coughed to clear it, giving you a reassuring smile before speaking again.
“Anyways, we’ll deal with that…damage later, let's head downstairs and get this over with so we can go home”
“And drink”
“Yes Cass, and drink” Feyre laughed before taking hold of Rhysands hand again, the group assuming their normal winnowing positions leaving you on the outskirts. Azriels dropped Elaine's hand, reaching for yours with a soft smile.Â
“You'll get used to the whoosh feeling the more you come with us” he whispered to you and you gave a grateful smile, not sure if you'd ever get used to anything about this world. You arrived in the similar violent way your eldest sisters had, sank to the bottom of a cauldron with great reluctance, still waiting for your cauldron blessed gift to bubble to availability or so they thought.Â
The Night Court landed with their usual power into the ballroom of the Hewn City residence, an event between the solar courts to help gain more favour in the fight against Hybern. You hung to the back of the group, unsure of your place in this outwards display of power, the room stilling as they took their welcome in their stride. Eventually Rhysands and Feyre released them from their display of submission, the party bursting to life. The group other than High Lord and Lady dispersed across the ballroom, all with their set target to woo into negotiations. You scoped along the edges of the ballroom, not drawing much attention until you clattered into a server, the tray of champagne coating your dress.Â
“Argh!” The biting cold of the gold liquid nipped your skin as it sank into the endless layers. The ramble of apologies from the server was interrupted by a colossal shadow.
“Hm, like a soggy burnt cupcake” you dragged your eyes from your gown up to the source of the smoky voice, a tussle of perfect auburn hair and captivating Autumn Court eyes meeting yours. Your words drained from your tongue, the imposing stature of the male enough to steal away any comeback.Â
“My lady I apologise for this-”
“Go. Get out of our sight, what kind of staff does Rhysand hire around here?” you watched the server's face sink before she scurried off at the harsh tone of the male.Â
“Prick” you whispered, turning to leave the shadow of the Son of Autumn, only to feel the strong hold of his grip on your forearm, turning you back to him.Â
“Heir actually” he smirked deeply, Eris' eyes dancing a little as they met yours again.Â
“I somehow believe that the name I called you is a more common moniker people use for you, your High Ass” you snatched your back away, his energy something you wanted to play with even with the possibility of it burning you alive.Â
“Thank you for noticing” he winked as you fought every nerve to not roll your eyes as you turned to walk away from him.Â
“Now if you'll excuse me, I'm wet and need to sort this out”
“I do tend to have that effect on females, I'm sure I could help you reach…resolution” this time you couldn't keep your eyes from looking up to the heavens as you left the Prince of Autumn smirking into his champagne.Â
You stormed your way to the private bathroom down one of the many halls of the buried city. Alone in the bathroom you took stock of the situation. With a deep breath you looked out of the bathroom door, ensuring no one was around before you closed it gently again. With a shaky hand you began to fan your fingers down your dress, careful not to touch the soaked fabric as steady heat began to pulsate through your skin. You smiled deeply as you felt the fabric beginning to dry. The cauldron had gifted you the elements but you weren't ready to share with your new family, not ready to have them examine you even closer, attempt to control you even tighter, even if it was meant with love. The thought pings into your head, what would they think? You could create measly sparks, nothing compared to the gargantuan powers your sisters had been gifted. You suddenly felt searing heat, the distraction causing you to lose control of your abilities, as has happened earlier in Feyres wardrobe. Thankful Nesta had bought that you knocked the candlestick, a perfectly plausible explanation for someone so clumsy.Â
“Shit fuck!” You cursed, the front of your dress sticking to the now uncontrolled flame as you began to pat furiously at the golden fire. You finally managed to snuff it out, looking again in the mirror to find the front layers of the poofy skirt burned through, the slip now the last layer keeping you decent.Â
“Fuuuuuuuccccck” you droned, your hands finding your hips.
“You sound like you're having a terrible time in there Cupcake do I need to call a healer?” you heard Eris laugh from the other side of the door. You panickingly looked around the room for anything to cover yourself with, snatching the world's smallest hand towel from the rack to drape it across your front.Â
“I'm fine” you sidestepped the Autumn Heir, his eyebrow raised as he sniffed the air. His eyes dropped down to the cloth you clung to poorly cover the damage. Your eyes met Eris’ again and you sighed, dropping the cloth to reveal the warped tulle.Â
“Hmm would you believe me if I said it improved the dress?” he smirked and you found yourself laughing back at him, shoving him playfully into the shoulder and then remembering yourself.
“Sorry I-I, my sisters say I must have been in the land of imaginary beings every etiquette class we had” you offered quietly, covering back over the shriveling fabric.Â
“Well, fuck etiquette anyway” Eris found himself smiling at you softly, the action seemingly catching you both off guard.Â
“How'd you do that anyway?” He coughed to clear the smile before returning to his curiosity.
“Oh I-emm there was a candlestick and yanno, clumsy” you gave a somewhat panicked laugh, trying to avoid his stare. Eris replied with a hum before he stretched out his long wingspan, banging the door of the bathroom back to look into the small room, no candles to be found. He raised his eyebrow at you as the door swung close again.Â
“Want to try another lie Cupcake?” He stepped slightly closer into you, the rush of fresh Autumn air seemingly flowing from him.Â
“I-”
“YN! There you are, we're fin-what happened to you!” Feyre quickly took stock of your tattered dress, darting her eyes from the fraying to the Lord of Fire. She looked accusatory towards Eris, poking a finger into his face.
“Did you do this to her!?” She barked, Eris briefly looking over her shoulder to find your wild pleading eyes begging him.Â
“Yes-” he responded with a sigh “-rouge flame, happens when I sneeze or something” he shrugged, you covered your mouth for a moment with the back of your hand, stifling a laugh. The smile dropped from your face as Feyre turned on the balls of her feet back to you, before looking angrily between you both again.Â
“I’ve just gotten Nesta to agree to let you venture out with us more and you go and do this, I'm so disappointed YNN” her saddened face burned harsher than the earlier flames until Eris dragged back the attention.
“Eh excuse me but is Nesta her keeper? As far as I'm aware Lady YN is an adult, what do you mean let her?” he chewed out the last words as Feyre turned her attention back to him.
“You! Stay out of my family business”
“Fine by me, stay out of mine, where is my dear brother anyways?” Eris tilted his head with a grin, Feyre leaving out an exasperated huff in response.
“C’mon YN, we're not trying to damage any more relationships so let's just not mention Toasties little hayfever here, we'll say you did it yourself” she took your hand and began to pull you from the scene.
“More believable than you think” you heard Eris whisper gently, before waving at you with just the tips of his fingers, his laugh then filling the hallway.Â
-
Alone in your room again you began throwing things around, practically shouting profanities at the idea that anyone might have caught you, especially him. You knew he'd use this information to manipulate something out of you but when and how. And why didn't he do it there when he had the chance? Leverage you decided, he wanted leverage for something. You sank down onto the foot of your bed, digging your palms into your eyes and wishing you never begged to leave these four walls. You threw your hands down again when suddenly a stray fireball flung free from your fingertips before you extinguished it. You huffed harshly, that was happening more and more often, soon you'd have to tell your family, ask for instruction and accept the return of the lock and key you lived under.Â
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Four weeks later
Your family sat around the large table within the House of Wind, the sinking sun causing the large windows to almost glitter.Â
“Sorry I'm late I was-” the words caught in your throat as your eyes snagged on Eris, casually sitting back in one of the towering chairs of the dining table.Â
“Nevermind now YNN, sit down, I swear where were you when we were at etiquette lessons” you barely heard Nesta’s comment as you sank into your usual seat, inconveniently across from Eris.
“I hear the land of imaginary beings”Â
“What was that?” You lightly kicked Eris under the table at Nesta's inquiry. His eyes shot to yours in shock and you panickingly looked down at the light salad on your plate leaving Eris to brush off Nesta’s question. The table went back to its conversation, discussing various strategies that Eris occasionally weighed in on as you bore holes in the dinner plate with your eyes.Â
“Prythian to YN, hello?” Your head snapped up to find Cassian waving at you from across the table.Â
“Wh-what sorry?”
“I'm sure that plate is very interesting sister but Cassian just asked about your day”Â
“S-sorry Feyre, it was fine thank you Cass” you smiled softly at the Illyrian.
“Just fine YN? Nothing of interest sparking to your mind? No burning comments on our plans even?”
“No” you gritted out slightly at Eris, who's grin only dipped into his cup of wine. The table looked between you both before Feyre spoke again.
“Well Elaine said you're a great help in the garden” Elaine nodded in agreement and you gave a weak smile. You knew they were lying, the only thing you could grow was height, every plant seemingly withering under your touch.Â
“That's the hot new hobby YN? Roasting under the scorching sun in the garden” Eris took another sip.
“YN should come with me to learn to dance, she'd like that” Nesta smiled, ignoring the tension between you and Eris.Â
“She would Nes, maybe we could teach her some traditional Night Court waltzes, what do you think Rhysand?”
“An excellent idea Feyre, YN could maybe spend some time in the library, oh she could-”
“-Maybe perhaps you should ask YN what she wants to do with her time?” Eris cut sharply across the group's planning of your time, his defence startling you. The table all looked to you, eyebrows raised for their response.Â
“I-I…sounds great” you said defeatedly into your desert as the table went back to their planning of your life. You caught Eris’ eyes who looked at you with such sadness it made your skin heat.Â
This whole damn conversation made your skin heat. Eris was right they should ask you what you want. Ask you what freakin dances you want to learn, not that you want to learn any dances when you have two left feet. They always did this, always controlled every step you took under the guise of protection. Well damn their protection you were sick of it, sick of you losing your voice every time they spoke to you. It was making your blood boil. Why couldn't you have the same confidence with them that you had with Eris? And you hardly knew him.Â
“YN” you looked up to Eris’s softened features before glancing up at the table to see your family's faces ashen.Â
“What’s wr-” you looked back down to your hand, the ball of fire from your digits melting the desert fork you once held. You left out a stifled laugh, the flame dying in your hands before you wiped the dripping metal off the now forever ruined table cloth.Â
“She-she controls fire”
“I do not-” you waved your hand attempting to cover your tracks, a ball of flame slinging free from your hands, causing Eris to duck and narrowly miss being toasted. Feyre quickly shaped a snake of water from her cup to extinguish the fire before it ruined another set of curtains.Â
“Control is a strong word” Eris chuckled and you glared again.Â
“How long have you known YN?” Nesta asked with trepidation, dragging her eyes off the curtains back to you.
“I um-”
“You burned your own dress that night of the ball, not Eris!” Feyre realised, the table looking at her with confusion.
“YN you burned your dress? You could have hurt yourself!” Nesta gave you a worried glance as Cassian spoke again.Â
“YN must be trained”
“YN should go to a healer to see to any burns-”
“YN should have told us sooner”
“YN should-”
“Hey Cupcake, watch yourself” you heard Eris whisper over the group's further discussion of your future, another ball of flame growing from your hands. Eris reached out and touched the very tip of the burning light, seemingly pulling it into his own hand before quashing it.Â
“Enough” you said quietly, not taking your eyes from Eris.Â
“C’mon Cupcake, use your outside voice” he winked and you finally snapped.Â
“ENOUGH!” You shouted, pushing back the giant chair with a scrape.Â
“YN, you forget yourself”
“No Nesta! You forget yourself!” You snapped back at her, Eris sitting smugly back into his chair, his fingers laced together in front of him.Â
“I've had enough of you all telling me what I can and can't do! What I can and can't wear! Feyre you had a male do that to you for a season and you nearly destroyed his Court! That's been my whole life and I've had enough!” You snapped before releasing the breath from your lungs. It felt like a thousand pounds had been taken off your chest.Â
“I am not going to a healer, I'm not going to one of your trainers and I'm not going to learn to fucking waltz!” You barked again, Eris looking down at his lap to bury his grin as the table looked almost appalled at your seemingly out of nowhere outburst.
“You!” You jabbed a finger towards Eris, his head snapping up “You are going to teach me to control this!”
“Yes ma’am” Eris gave you a fake salute, he could no longer hide his smirk, especially as the colour had completely drained from Rhysand and Feyre.Â
“YN, we can get Lucien to train you-”
You thought you heard Eris growl at Azriels suggestion, only for you to raise your hand to the shadowsinger.
“No, this smug bastard here is going to do it. Lucien is busy juggling two emissary roles and I have a feeling this poxy prick in front of me hasn't got a hobby” Eris put his hand to his chest in faux hurt as the group closed their collective jaws at the language from you.Â
“It will have to be in the Autumn Court if I am to continue my own role at home” Eris only spoke towards you and you tilted your head side to side.
“Okay sounds good”Â
“Wait wait wait absolutely not!” Rhysand stood, the sudden spike in hostility causing Eris to stand, only causing Feyre to stand before next thing you knew everyone was on their feet in verbal outrage at the idea of you leaving the Night Court.Â
“Hello! Did none of you hear me! Enough, I said enough! I'm going” you shouted over the fray before storming out of the dining room, Eris quick on your heels.Â
“Just for the record Cupcake that was incredibly fucking hot”
“I've had enough fire puns out of you” You snapped slightly at him as he raised his hands in surrender before laughing.Â
-
You packed your bags quickly, packing what you could of your Night Court wardrobe, afraid this sudden new found courage would burn out as quickly as it came. When you reached the large doors of the House of Wind you found your family standing in deep discussion, Eris on its outskirts with his arms folded and a bored expression.Â
“YN, are you su-”
“-Yes Elaine, I'm sure” you squeezed your sister's arm lightly before Eris took your rucksack from your shoulder and threw it over his.Â
“Eris has agreed to return you in 3 months for Starfall…if-if that's okay with you?” You could have laughed at Cassian's question, never once did your family ask if something was okay when it came to your life. You could get used to this. You smiled at the towering Illyrian before hugging him.
“If anything happens to her I swear I'll-”
“-Yes yes Lady Death whatever, let's go Cupcake I've had enough pleasantries” Eris batted away Nesta's pointed finger, stretching out his elbow for you to take hold of. You hugged the rest of your family goodbye before taking Eris' offered arm, sealing your decision.Â
-
You landed on solid ancient wooden floors with a thud as Eris winnowed you both into his secluded cabin deep in the woods. You stepped from him in an instant, bracing your arms on your thighs as you tried to regain balance after winnowing so far. Eris just watched you for a moment before slipping his hands down his chest.Â
“Right well, I wasn't expecting a house guest but you'll stay here during your time in my Court. I will remain in the main house many miles from here to keep from arousing suspicion. You will not leave this house without me. You will not talk to anyone without me. You will not-”
“Why do I have the feeling I've traded one prison for the other?” you righted yourself again, your hands finding your hips.Â
“Oh Cupcake-” he stepped in closer to you as he spoke “-this is much worse than prison” he smirked, a chill rattling over your bones.
“Don't leave the house” he repeated, a dart of flame leaving his hand to fill the fire before he sank away in smoke.Â
-
The next three weeks was Eris barking orders at you and you failing to comply, unable to call back the flame you created at dinner weeks previous.Â
“You're not trying hard enough!”
“Maybe you're a shitty teacher!” You snapped back, the early morning sun cresting the tall ancient trees in the forest clearing Eris had deemed as your training grounds.Â
“You're such a brat”
“And you're a prick, I can name call too!” Your hands found your hips, something flashing across Eris' face before he began to close the vast distance between you. He suddenly launched a flame towards you, sending you diving to the ground to avoid it. He sent another.Â
“Eris stop!”
“Block me Cupcake, block me with your own flame” he shot another few sharp sparks, then singed the hairs on your arms as you failed to block. He sent more.
“Stop!”Â
“Stop me!” He circled you around the clearing like a wolf and its prey, releasing a stronger than intended blast of pure destruction. You quickly realised you wouldn't dodge this one, instead you raised a hand, a blast of your own fire shooting out and deflecting his.Â
“Good, again!” He didn't give you a chance to celebrate, only sent more flames. This whole process was repeated until the rising sun started to say good night, sinking down beneath the towering mountains. You sat breathless on the grass, your arms sootie from flames you weren't quick enough to stop.Â
“You did good today Cupcake” Eris dropped down next to you, finally calling a truce.Â
“You're such a prick”
“So you've said” he laughed, the sound sending soothing heat over your aching muscles.Â
“You look sickly in those clothes by the way” he nodded towards your Night Court fighting leathers, an apology gift from your sisters.Â
“You love to comment on my clothing”
“The only comment I have about your clothing is that I wish you weren't wearing any” you laughed at his grinning face, nudging him with your shoulder.Â
“Or at least-” he sniffed the air “-clothes that didn't smell” your jaw dropped in fake offence, and you shoved the Autumn Heir with more force, his elbow sinking into some thick mud.Â
“Ugh! I love this shirt! You're dead!” He laughed, whipping his head around only to find gone from the spot next to him and running laughing across the field. Eris was on his feet after you but not before you clattered him with a ball of river silt as you dove out of the way of his grip.Â
“YN!” His laughter filled the clearing as he caught you, throwing you over one of his shoulders as you shrieked with laughter. Suddenly you didn't feel him beneath you, just crisp Autumn air and then freezing water as Eris flung you into the stream.Â
“Eris!” You howled through rattling teeth, standing to clatter him with more mud. Eris blasted a quick ball of flame towards you singing your clothes.Â
“Eris! You did that on purpose!” You clung the shreds to you as Eris nearly turned purple from laughing.
“I make no secret I hate those Night Court clothes on you! Or any clothes might I add” he quipped before running from your mud laden hands. Eris finally called truce when his hair turned the colour of mud with your successful aim. He walked you back to the cabin, the two of you in blissful silence as the songs of the forest at night sang to you.Â
“There's a present for you in your room, good night Cupcake” Eris smiled softly at the door before sinking into flame. You hurried to the room he now called yours to find a trunk or Autumn palette clothing. You held the delicate fabric to your skin, seemingly illuminating your complexion.Â
“Jealous prick” you whispered to yourself, not denying yourself the growing smile on your face. A notecard catching your eyes “from a jealous prick” penned across the cream coloured card.Â
-
2 months since arriving in Autumn
“Put her in” you screamed and screamed as they dragged you towards the cauldron. Begged and pleaded that you'd be better, screamed and cried as they hauled you over the rim and sank you into the water. It's water more like molten lava to your skin as they held you under, the thick magma threatening to choke you as you screamed.Â
“YN! YN! WAKE UP!” You shrieked as you shot up in the bed, Eris at your bedside, his own skin as clammy as yours as you heaved air into your lungs. You landed a hand on your throat, checking for burns down your trachea as you swallowed.
“It was a dream, it's okay, you're not-you're not there”Â
“Eris” you rasped out.
“Yes, Eris, you're okay now” he sat down on the edge of your bed as you vibrated next to him. He couldn't help himself as he pulled you into his warm embrace, this healing heat worlds away from the inferno inside the cauldron.Â
“I'll kill them all YN, they will pay for this” he whispered into your hair as he stroked it, calming his own nerves as much as yours.Â
“Kill who?” You murmured into his chest.
“I don't know- just them all” he felt you laughing against him, relief filling his chest at the sound as you pulled back from him. Eris ran a thumb across your cheek, swiping away the stray tears.Â
“Shouldn't you be at the palace?”
“Sorry I just felt you- I mean I thought I better come check on you after our rough training today and good thing I did, you were screaming down the cabin”
“What? No comment about being the one to make me scream” you laughed lightly.
“Hey if that's what you want Cupcake” he shrugged and you laughed again, lightly pushing him back.Â
“There she is” you heard him whisper to himself, your eyes meeting his.Â
“I know- I know this is stupid but…” you trailed off, looking anywhere but at Eris.
“Nothing you could say is stupid YN” you rolled your neck to look back at him and he laughed.
“Okay I mean when you thought my dogs were going to eat you was pretty silly but please, tell me”
“Fine…would you stay here with me? Just-just for tonight, I'm sorry I know that's stupid” you looked away from him only to have him draw your gaze back with a gentle hold on your chin.Â
“I'll stay but you have to tell me everything about what happened to you in there, everything you're comfortable sharing with me” he smiled softly and you nodded in agreement. Eris cautiously crawled into the bed alongside you, swaddling his arms tightly around you until your back was flush to his chest. He then felt you laugh quietly against him.
“Wh-what?”Â
“Nothing”
“No tell me” Eris felt uncharacteristically self conscious at your giggling.
“Nothing it's just- it's just I didn't mean stay here with me… in the bed with me, just stay in the cabin” Eris felt his whole face flush purple, your laugh now at full volume as you heard Eris groan in embarrassment into your hair. His hands began to slip back from you until you anchored him again to your stomach, sitting further back against his chest.
“Just stay” you said so softly he wasn't sure he heard you correctly only to have you gently nudge closer into him, your eyes falling heavy. Eris thought of all the reasons he should get up, leave you now you've settled again, protect you from what he might bring and yet, he just wanted to hold this moment in his hands forever, so he stayed.Â
-
The following three weeks Eris made every possible excuse to his family to spend more time with you and every night he possibly could. The two of you began to share meals together, evenings by the glow of the wood burner, legs tangled on the couch while you both read in blissful silence. Eris couldn't stop himself from baring all to you and the thought of you leaving his Court to return home in a week was starting to turn his mood.Â
“And that's how I slept with all those sisters” Eris' brother laughed aloud at the dinner table, his mother's head dipped to her dinner plate at the right hand of his father's chair. Eris entered the scene already ready to leave, slowly taking his seat to the left of his father's chair.
“What about you brother? Not like you to not be flaunting your latest conquests? All quiet these past few months” his middle brother mocked, attempting to bait and failing.Â
“Where is father?” He found himself asking instead, noting his father's absence despite being already 15 minutes late for dinner himself, the rest of his family already tucking into their dinners.
“Hunting in the woods” his mother said down to her plate, her broken voice heating the usual simmering rage in his chest. Eris took his customers sniffing his goblet of wine before taking a drink.Â
“Hunting some alleged fire breathing demon in the East woods corridor” the wine nearly came out of Eris' nose at the shock of his third youngest brother. His mother's eyes darted up as Eris clapped his chest with a heavy hand, begging the wine to release it's grip from his lungs.
“The East corridor?” He choked out, already standing to leave.
“Yes, reports of fire damage to neighbouring farm fences, what has your testicles in a twist? Where are you going?” Eris hardly heard his brother's questioning before he was out the solid oak doors, howling for his hounds to follow close.Â
Sweat began to drip down Eris' neck as the wind beat his face, his trusted stallion hammered hooves into the dusk soaked soil. The hounds yelped and yipped, coursing ahead of their beloved owner.Â
The front door of the cottage nearly came off its hinges as Eris slammed it open, the dogs flooding into the cabin.
“YN! YN! C'mon Cupcake this isn't the time to play hide and seek!” He practically roared through the various rooms of the cabin, pulling out wardrobes and looking under beds, the cabin deserted.Â
“Fuck, fuck fuck where are you!?” Desperation coating his voice as he ran back to his mount before taking off into the darkening woods. Eris galloped to an empty training ring, shot across the deserted streams, you nowhere to be found and nowhere where he had set out your boundaries. In the distance Eris heard his eldest hound, Craos, snapping her teeth. Quickly coming onto the scene, relief flushed into his lungs as he watched the hound howl up at you, sat reading in an ancient tree, a look of surprised horror on your face.Â
“Eris? What are you doing here?” You smiled, sliding down the bark of the tree to your feet, Eris eating up the ground between you now on foot. His heavy hands caught hold of your shoulders, your book dropping to the ground in shock as he drank in your features, scanning for injury.
“YN are you alright?”
“Yes yes I'm fine, what are you doing here? Don't you have that family dinner?”
“Wh-what am I doing here?” He whispered icy words before taking a small step back.
“Yea-”
“What am I doing here!? YN what the absolute fuck are you doing out here!?” He chewed, his tone biting at your bones with unfamiliar pain.Â
“I'm just out here reading I-”
“I'm just out here reading-” he Mimicked your voice before snatching your wrist in his and pulling you along “c’mon we're going”
“Eris relax I-”
“-Relax? Fucking relax? Do you have any idea where the fuck you are? Do you live in the land of imaginary beings full time? This is not there. This is the Autumn Court and this is not your safe haven” he spun back around half barking the words into your face.
“I-I just thought- I’m sorry I just feel so at home here I-” your voice was breaking but you kept the tears in, the word home stinging into Eris soul as he began to pull you along again.
“This is not your home” he forced himself to say, words betraying his heart. You felt the world spin on its axis, never did you think this male would hurt you and here he was to prove you wrong. You yanked your wrist free, crossing your arms tightly into your chest, Eris gesturing to the horse with a hand beckoning you to mount.Â
“Fuck you Eris” The words rattled out through gritted teeth.Â
“Wh-what?”
“I said fuck-” you jabbed a finger into his chest “-you” almost steaming tears began to form at your water line, your skin turning red with rage.Â
“YN-”
“Well well well, what do we have here?” Eris' heart dropped to his boots as he spun around to find his father mounted on a magnificent cobalt steed, a small hunting party flanking him. Eris sank to a brief bow, glancing quickly at you, beginning for you to do the same. You reluctantly dropped your arms back to your side, sinkinging into a short curtsey.Â
“Well I do say son, you keep all the beautiful females to yourself these days” Eris took a subtle step forward, every so slightly obscuring you from his father.Â
“She was a lost traveler, I was reprimanding her for trespassing” The ease of Eris’ lying caught you off guard and unsettled you slightly.Â
“Allow me to help” a flicker of pure darkness dashed across his father's face, Eris taking another side step to block you.
“Father that isn't necessary I-”Â
“-Fellows, seize her now, it's been an age since I've had a good plaything” the words sent goose bumps all over your skin, Eris' hounds circling the perimeter with a growl. You took a step past Eris before his guards could dismount.Â
“Nobel High Lord, I am but a lost traveler, looking for passage to the Spring Court where my contact awaits my arrival. I am of the Night Court and they are expecting me” The faux grandeur of your voice upset something in Eris he couldn't pin down.Â
“Well, they'll have to come get you from my chambers” this time you heard Eris growl as the hunting party dismounted and began to close in on you.Â
“Unlikely” you laughed cooly, the realisation of what was going to happen next rocketing through the Heir to the Autumn Court. Before Eris could beg you not to, you had already raised your arms, encircling the whole group in a blaze of golden fire. The sudden change in atmosphere caught the Autumn Court members by surprise. Beron raised a hand to squash the flame, unsuccessfully as you washed a blast of heat to his hunting party blowing them back onto their tail bones. You quickly drew another wall of fire, separating you and Eris from Beron and his pack.Â
“YN, are you fucking crazy?” Eris shot to you, his own flames supporting yours as he heard his father roar from the other side, just warming up to fight back.Â
“I had enough of the training wheels” you strained your voice with raised hands beckoning the wall to rise higher, taking small steps back.Â
“YN, get on the horse and go, don't stop until you reach the Spring Court-” Berons own flames starting to swallow yours, flickers of his enraged face through the inferno.
“-Eris I can't leave you I-”Â
“-You have to go! I can't he'll know something is wrong, he'll hunt us, destroy us, I can't put the mission at risk!” He pleaded, hauling you over his shoulder before dumping you on the back of the unsettled mount.Â
“I don't want to risk you!”
“Too fucking bad Cupcake” Eris then smacked the rear of the horse, sending it startled, bolting with your haphazardly on the back into the woods. Without your help, Beron quickly conquered the flames, Eris throwing himself down onto the ground before he did.
“She-she overpowered me” Eris coughed out, lying through his teeth.
“Pathetic, we will discuss this later” Beron spat before rushing back to his own steed and galloping off in your direction, Eris safe in the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to reach you after your headstart.Â
Eris laid on the long, torched grass, staring up at the night sky, his hounds slowly circling into him before settling at his side. His heavy hand rested against their skin as they cuddled in, weight sitting deep into Eris lungs from the pressure of the hounds and the sinking feeling of what just happened. You wouldn't forgive him after what he said, his father was going to mangle him, what was the point of leaving this beautiful night sky unmarvelled. The punishment would come but for now, Eris just wanted to take a moment of reprieve before he was sure all hell would break out
Synopsis: You belonged to the sea in every and all sense of the statement. Pirating the seas was just who you were and you loved it, its where you belonged until a pesky Spymaster takes an interest in your activity, quickly finding himself captivated by you in more ways than one.
Warnings: Flirty back and forth, snark, angst, near drowning, seasickness, light smut, enemies to lovers to omg could this be mates!?!?!?!?!? Rough editing (its exam season yall)
A/N: Hello! For this to make sense lets pretend that Azriel was with Amren and Feyre when they went to get the Book of Breathings! hehe, okay sound good? good!
The feeling of solid ground beneath your boots was always a source of discomfort for you, a child of the sea would never feel at home on the solid soil of Prythian. Rarely did you leave the comfort of the ship you captained, only coming to shore for the more lucrative deals. Passing through Adriata, you felt yourself admiring the shimmering buildings, catching yourself in an instant and banishing away the thought. You practically counted the cobblestones back to the port, where a smaller sailboat would bring you back to your floating home. You passed a building that was in the process of being rebuilt, the whole city still practically on stilts after Amarantha’s reign of terror, the stories your crew told you enough to keep you awake at night.Â
“Excuse me” A broad, winged male apologises as he gently bumps into your shoulder, your cloaked head unlifting from your course home as you pass. Never noticed, never seen, the main attribute that landed you at the helm of one of the most infamous ships at sea.
Through the crowded area before the final dock, tradespeople called from their port, customers eager to obtain the precious goods they brought from their travels. You quietly noted who sold what and for how much, marking their ship's colours in the back of your mind for later. You chuckled lightly to yourself at the plethora of unassuming fae, all ripe for the rip-off at the hands of these merchants, their financial gain ultimately trickling into your own. A sudden shudder shot up your spine as you found your feet instinctively taking you to shield yourself behind the canopy of one of the port side stalls. A large crowd of people stood in awe and fear as Tarquin transversed the crowd, a female in Night Court clothing on his arm with Cresseida and the Lord of Night following closely behind. You sneered at the sight of the foursome, playing Court to the crowds and clearly winning favour with all.Â
“How am I going to pass by their giant egos?” You scoffed quietly to yourself for no one to hear.Â
“I know the cape is a bit overkill on the Lord of Night Court’s part” You laughed lightly at the comment that came from the warm voice behind you, your movement then stilling completely. On the ball of your foot, you turned to face the wall-like male who you had passed earlier. Azriel raised an eyebrow to you, clearly feeling cocky he had caught you off guard, something that made you feel bare. Your eyes fell briefly on the Night Court emblem on his chest, its gleaming blue goldstone flickering in the unrelenting Summer sun.Â
“Shouldn’t you be part of the other swans?” You asked boldly, your hood still slightly obscuring your full face, a smirk dashing for a moment across Azriel’s face.Â
“Not my style, besides, who would keep an eye on the ones who normally avoid all observation?”Â
“I know know what you’re implying sir” You did your best impression of the confused damsel, the type you were sure Azriel spent countless nights with before you turned away to head into the flowing crowd, the royal four now nearly at the exit of the port marketplace. Azriel caught hold of your wrist, the leather of his glove crinkling under the light pressure on your skin. You turned to watch him lift your own hand between you both, his eyes falling on the toughened skin before sweeping away your hood. Azriel swallowed what gasp rose in his throat, trying to stay with his feet on the shore as your marine blue eyes seemed to flicker back iridescence.Â
“A seafarer?” He questioned gesturing with his head to your waterworn digits.Â
“I dabbled briefly” You lied, taking your hand back from him and a step to put some distance between you.Â
“What brings you to shore? You don’t seem to have a stall here? Or not one that I see that hasn’t recoiled on sight of you?” He quizzed, the mystery prickling along every nerve.Â
“Maybe I’m a tough of a boss?”Â
“I don’t doubt that somehow” he laughed as you fought to not show your offense.Â
“I have no business with the Night Court right now, no cause for this line of questioning” You bristled, turning your back on the Illyrian and striding away, the end of the dock in sight. You thought of your contact waiting beneath the boardwalk, you unable to meet him with the Night Court’s Spymaster breathing down your neck.Â
“Interesting how you said right now. What previous business had you with my cour?t” He called out to you, stopping you in your tracks. You balled your face into a knot, rookie rookie mistake you cursed yourself. The sound of the rising tide crashed beneath the tall boardwalk. Beneath the gnarly warped boards, you could make out the silhouette of your contact, gently swaying back and forth between the slats of the wood. The end of the unfenced dock now a mere metre away.
“I meant… I’m always open to business with all courts, perhaps we have business to agree to down the line” You lied again, the business you occupied yourself with would never be agreed to by any Court inner sanctum.Â
“I somehow doubt the business you deal with would be in the interest of my Court unless it is to stop it?” Azriel’s voice danced the line between playful and arrogant ease similar to that of a cat with a cornered mouse.Â
“I spoke out of line sir, I have nothing to offer anyone, I was simply shopping for wares for presents” You decided to change tacts entirely.Â
“And the large bag of rare gems and crystals you have in your shoe, is that the payment for these invisible presents?”Â
“How di-” You cut off your own question, Azriel’s eyes fully aligned with the thrill of the catch, he would have to try harder to catch you. You scoffed, your face changing from faux concerned cornered damsel to the hardened confidence in your ability that years of trade had given you. Your hands clasped together in front of you before you clapped slowly, the action seemingly catching the Illyrian off guard.Â
“Nice catch, tell me is your outfit fully leather?” the question surprised Azriel, his eyes looking down briefly.
“Are you a fashion consultant now?”Â
“No no, just making an observation, you seem so fond of those” You rocked back and forth on the balls of your feet, ever so softly inching your way to the edge of the dock.Â
“And what observation is that?”
“Quite a heavy material when it's wet” Azriel didn’t have time to further question you before your foot slammed harshly down on the rotting board, Azriel narrowly but nimbly dodging the gap created by the crumbling plank, its reminisce crashing into the swirling tide 20 feet below.Â
“Cute, any other party tricks?” Azriel straightened himself.Â
“Just one” You saluted him with two fingers against your forehead before once again surprising the Illyrian and launching yourself backwards off the dock to freefall into the rushing wild tide below. Azriel ran to the edge of the dock, foamy white circles fizzed around your entry point into the water. The heel of Azriel’s ankle slipped from his boot as he prepared to follow you the moment you came up from the air. Except you didn’t. He waited and counted to at least 2 minutes before planting his foot back into the boot. Azriel looked out towards the growing swell in the ocean where he squinted to bring the very distant hazy grey outline. He couldn’t understand how you had made it so far, so fast, clearly at home in the crispy sea.Â
“Azriel, if you’re gonna off yourself you have to at least warn me so I can get a jumpstart on the funeral speech” Rhysand laughed from behind the Spymaster, his voice making Azriel jump slightly, the sight of it confusing Rhysand.Â
“Hey you okay?” Rhysand clapped a hand on Azriel’s shoulder, ever so gently guiding his friend back from the edge of the dock.Â
“Yeah I eh..” He couldn’t find the words.
“Oh Azzie I know that look, well keep it in your pants, we’re here to get the book and go, I’m sure you can find someone just as fun at home” Rhysand laughed, turning Azriel’s body away from the edge of the dock, guiding him back up the boardwalk. Azriel took one more quick glance, no longer able to make out your distant shadow.Â
—--------------------------------------
Azriel cursed every moment of his life that led him to this one that he shared with Feyre and Amren. This was the Spymaster's ultimate nightmare as the floods of endless water crashed into the chamber room, Feyre seemingly having a psychotic breakdown while clinging to the Book of Breathings. Every nerve was screaming at Azriel to entirely freak out but watching Feyre struggle with whatever the Book was giving her kept his head between his shoulders. As quickly as the water flooded in, the pulling force wrapped around the friends and tugged. Feyre and Amren seemingly had a silent discussion that pulled the three through the smothering water.Â
The first swallow of salty air was choked down by the three as the wraiths pulled them upward through the blasted door, the dehydrating water still keeping a tight hold on Azriel. Alarms blared in any and all directions as Rhysand clearly had his own trials during the retrieval of the book. Wraiths suddenly squabbled over Azriel, their sharp talon like nails clawing along his wings, his yelps drowned out by the waves. Swelling currents pulled and pulled as the wraiths clung to Amren out of fear and Feyre out of repayment of debt leaving Azriel to fend for himself against the violent washes of water. Azriel had felt all his energy sapped by the fight for air inside the chamber being challenged again by the pulling force of the water. Out of bloodshot eyes, he saw the wraiths successfully bring his friends to shore until he could no longer fight the fray and instead allowed it to sweep him out.Â
—--------------
Azriel’s face was swollen in the colours of choking purple and blue as his lungs fought to cough up the swallowed seawater. He felt his bones sink into the water-swollen wood of the ship he found himself hauled up onto. The sound of his body being dragged along the wood rattled against the strong gusts of wind.Â
“Well, who did you piss off this time?” You laughed down towards the greying Spymaster as he tried to blink you into focus. He could only groan in reply before you jerked your head to the side, the large males dragging him across the deck continued their course, tossing him into the bowels of the ship. A smaller fae quickly clasped heavy chains on him, energy stores still depleted from the fight with nature.Â
Azriel couldn’t tell if it had been minutes, hours or days since he had arrived on board the next time he woke up. He took in the musty surroundings, unable to detect any other living creatures in the room with him.
“I told you leather was a heavy material when wet” You smirked from atop the beam above Azriel before jumping down to land in front of him.Â
“Remind me to take the fashion advice next time” Azriel rasped out, his throat raw from the salt. You circled him briefly before retrieving a tray from a darkened corner of the room, the swells of the wave lifting and dropping the boat in a natural rhythm, it never throwing off your stride. You placed the tray down by his side as he squared off his hips to sit upright on the sodden wooden floor.Â
“Drink” You half ordered, Azriel looking from the liquid lifeline to your eyes of equal colour.Â
“To have you poison me?” he scoffed.Â
“The salt in your system will do that work for me if you don’t drink” Azriel looked back down at the water, weighing up the options before deciding to take it with a heavy chained hand. The water tasted of pure light itself as you watched him carefully swallow it all while attempting not to drool yourself. Another swell hit the side of the ship, causing Azriel to fall to his side.Â
“You’re going to want to find your sea legs soon Leathers if you want to be able to keep your lunch down” You laughed, removing a cloth from the tray to reveal a thick, nutritious stew.Â
“Where are we going?” He managed, trying his best to keep his sickly grey cheeks from turning green.Â
“We're chucking you out closer to home, a courtesy” you squatted down to his eye level, drawing his amber eyes into meet you.Â
“Why?”
“What can I say, I don't love the drama it loves me” you laughed standing again, pushing the tray closer to him with your foot.Â
“Real answer” the stew bubbled in the dish, punctuating Azriels words.Â
“I fish a prize out of the ocean, I'm going to collect”
“Aw you think I'm a prize” Azriel batted his eyelashes in faux flirtation, righting himself. You squatted back down, catching his chin lightly and to his own surprise he allowed you.Â
“No, but the High Lord of endless wealth does” you let him go with a jerk.Â
“Now eat, we've a few stops to make” You left him to his thoughts.Â
-
Azriel picked at the food, before falling in and out of a state of pure exhaustion, it had been at least 3 days since he was sent out to sea. He gave into the food after 72hrs of deciding whether or not it was poison until it's filling nature sent him to as comfortable sleep. Azriel woke to the feeling a cool liquid dripping down his wings.
“Don't touch me” he jerked his wings out of your reach, the cloth going slack in your hand.Â
“Listen here Leathers, either the wounds are cleaned or you lose the wings” You bit, Azriel weighing up your words, the cuts the wraiths left fighting to heel under his diminished energy.Â
“Fine, do it yourself” You wrung out the cloth before dropping it to his side.
“Why do you care?” The thought rattled around Azriels head for the hours you had left him in the dark, he had to try to find the answer. He reached for the cloth, dripping the liquid down what wounds he could reach under the constraints of the chain.Â
“You're less valuable to me dead” You lied, trying your best to ignore the cuts he missed. You ran your tongue across your teeth, and Azriel took note of your inspection.Â
“Seems you care an awful lot about someone you see only as monetary gain” he smirked, unable to hide how your interest made him feel. He then proceeded to miss the wounds on purpose until you finally snapped, whipping the cloth from hands.Â
“Just let me!” You snapped harshly and then met his wing with surprising tenderness. Azriel watched you from the corner of his eye, afraid to blink and you'd disappear.Â
“Damn wraiths” you whispered, the deep claw marks fighting against the healing solution.Â
“The way you swim, I thought you might be one yourself” You met his eyes with a grin, the cloth slipping from your hand.Â
“Don't belittle me like that Spymaster-” Azriels eyebrow raised again at your coy response “-yeah I knew the moment I met you who you were and how much it drives you crazy that you have no idea who I am”
“I'm piecing it together” he said softly, watching you trace your eyes over his wings. Veins of opal and midnight blue liquid leaked from your hand, flowing over the deeper marks and sealing the shut-on contact.
“And more pieces fall” Azriel said, watching in amazement. You brought a finger to your lip and whispered shh, a banging then coming from behind.
“Captain, we're here” a burly voice came from the door, you stood before they could see what you were doing.Â
“Business to attend” You grinned down, wiping your hands on your trousers and leaving Azriel once again.
—------
The boat soon after began to rock again, Azriel still not finding comfort in the waves. He tried to map out mentally the course you had taken him and why his family had yet to appear and save him. He knew the importance of the Book of Breathings and its vitality in a successful mission but he thought he was equally as vital. The swells rocked the boat to almost vomit-inducing levels as it reached the peaking waves of the thick sea once again.
On the main deck you glided with ease, your whole crew used to wild seas and never wanting to change any part of them. A long day of scouting out treasures and seeking payment for your protection had you staring up at the ceiling of your cabin, contemplating it all. The rush of waves hitting the solid oak of the massive ship sent you to welcome sleep shortly, the whole ship falling into well-earned rest after a day of various activities. Hours later you woke with the feeling of a true unfamiliar sickness. You ran quickly to the private washroom adjacent to your room, your skin a sickly green colour, your body at the will of the ocean for the first time in centuries.Â
“What the fuck?” you said to yourself before wrapping a cloak around you and heading to the deck. Stray waves washed over the rim, flooding the deck as your crew fought with the sails, waves almost as tall as them made an attempt to claim a prize. You raised a stray hand, deflecting the walls of water from any serious damage, still unable to fight off the full feeling of sea sickness. You were always one with the ocean, allowing it to reek it havoc but keeping it from toppling the ship. The boat rocked nearly level to its starboard side before you willed the water to keep the mast from tilting, your crew ever happy to have a master of the elements at the helm.Â
“Just keep the fucking sails straight” You barked, your crew scrambling to obey as lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the flooding deck, your stomach doing somersaults to match the movement. You rushed from the wheel down the decks again before entering into the depths of the ship, shielded from the rain.Â
“For fuck sake, drink this before I vomit” You fired a small vile at the green Illyrian who caught it through his disorientation. Azriel always hated being at sea, doing his best to avoid it during his training and having a stark reminder of why now that he found himself at the centre of a colossal storm.
Azriel’s eyes locked on you as he fiddled with the lid of the bottle, he no longer cared if it was poison, if it ended the hellish seascape he’d drink it happily. Your eyes rolled like the waves before you made short work of the distance separating you both and in quick movement you separated the blade strapped to your thigh from its holder, sinking it into a miniscule chink in one of the chains on Azriel’s arm. You quickly hauled him upwards, the movement rattling his head to accompany the severe seasickness as you hauled him over to the side of the room. With your bare hands, you pulled the small wooden sheet nailed to the wall down, revealing a porthole. In a swift motion, you whipped it open, pressing Azriel’s face out into the swirling sea air.Â
“There! See that line, thats the horizon, stay on that!” You barked at him, the ravenous waves crashing up to meet Azriels face through the hole as sea spray. He rocked from foot to foot, allowing his weight to rest in your strength as he found the horizon, nearly boring holes in it with his eyes as he focused.
“Just focus on the centre of your world Azriel, focus” You tried more softly this time, his name from you striking some deep nerve he always neglected. He caught as much air as he could before turning to lock eyes on you, colour drained from his face.Â
“Not on me, the horizon!” You snapped, catching the back of his head and forcing it forward again. The curling, twisting sensation in your stomach was quickly replaced by a different sinking sensation.Â
“Okay, okay, I’m okay” Azriel called out, your pressure releasing slightly on him, allowing him to sink back to the floorboards, one arm still tethered to the bowels of the ship. You followed his lead, sliding down the wall of the ship to meet his side. He curled his knees into his chest like he did as a child and you found your thumb tracing small soothing circles on the back of his hand before realising. He scanned you in almost horror, panting deep breaths into his lungs.
“That vein in your head is gonna pop if you keep thinking that hard” You found yourself laughing breathlessly, thankful for the end of the illness you so rarely felt.Â
“Do you make this many visits to prisoners normally?”
“I guess you’ll never know, maybe this is how I am with all my guests” You rolled your head against the wall to look at him.
“An interesting way to treat your guests” He jingled the chains.
“Chains make it more fun” You whispered, the words rolling over his nerves like a wave at sea.
“More pieces, Captain” his rusty voice stopped your thoughts under his warm gaze.
“You’ll never have enough to understand”
“Oh yeah?” In one smooth movement, Azriel swerved his chained arm over his head, hooking it around your throat. He pulled until you found your back flush with his chest, his legs like vice grips around you from behind as you dug your nails into the betraying chain.Â
“Chains make it more fun-” He whispered into the crook of your neck, the hairs on your neck standing on their end “- Now tell me how you knew I was sick down here?! Have you spelled me?” He ordered, rolling his hands into tighter fists around the chain, ensuring you were fully at the will of its biting metal jaws. He released enough pressure for a life-saving gasp of air you took hungrily.Â
“The-the same way you-you knew how to find me on-on the dock. How did you see m-e that day?” You rasped, Azriel allowed more slack on the chain as he thought, the answer rolling off his tongue like a rogue wave.Â
“How could I not?” he admitted in a whisper, the only sound filling the room.Â
“Then that is my same answer to you” You thought of the ways you could overpower him at this moment, the simple ways you could will the sea to save you and yet you didn’t. You weren’t ready to end this moment and you weren’t fully sure why, well not in a way that you’d admit to yourself yet.
“I just-I felt someone need me, call to me without a voice… I just saw you through it all” he realised aloud.
“People don’t usually”
“I thought you were a Captain, or was that just a pet name?” his head tilted in question, “I’m no ones pet” More tension was released from the chain, enough for you to put your fingers between it and your marbled throat.
“I bet I could change that” his warm breath coated your ear, some force pulling him forward until the full slack was released from his chain, it clattering to the floor along its captivated wrist, his other hand tracing along your chest to gently catch your chin. You felt your back relax further into your chest until you instinctively fell to the side allowing the Spymaster the access to your neck he desperately craved. Fresh, electrifying bittersweet pain rattled through your body as Azriel sank his teeth into your tender flesh, his chained hand anchoring you to his chest by curling tightly around your abdomen. You released the air from your lungs that felt as though it had been held forever. Azriel’s hand left your obedient chin to trace down your body, landing at the fraying waistband of your favourite sleep shorts. His thumb traced beneath the band, his nail skirting along your skin, a shiver shooting up your spine.Â
“Tell me your name” He whispered with tantalizing ease.Â
“YN” You replied, not often telling those outside the inner sanctum.Â
“The name I’ll thank the sky for and wish on every star to hear” His hand finally sank beneath the elastic, stroking small circles to coat your throat in soft moans you fought to keep hold of. You could feel him against your backside, feel how much he wanted this and you and yet you didn’t want him to know the same about you.Â
“For you, only you” He groaned, pressing further into you as if hearing your thoughts, a rewarding groan this time unable to be stopped from leaving you. As quickly as he had trapped you, you turned, hooking a leg over his to press him back into the deck, straddling either side of his waist, his chained arm clanking against the wood. Your hand traced his cheek and he allowed himself to rest against your palm, his wings relaxing outwards, the wraith marks on show. You felt rage boil beneath the surface at the sight of their claim to what you felt was yours. You lowered down to his mouth, eyes swirling into his as he drank your energy in.Â
“I’ll kill them for hurting you”
“And I’ll do the same to those who look at you in any unkindness, or look at you at all, unworthy of the pleasure” His free hand found the nape of your neck, magnetic forces guiding you down until a wash of the purest release met you both in one another's lips. Nirvana. Then unrelenting hunger. Your mouth parted slightly causing him to eagerly take the invitation, his tongue conducting teasing strokes that you happily match. Your hands clutch the material of his shirt, afraid to let go of him and the movement.
“Land!!!” An unwelcome shout came from far above where the two of you were deep in entanglement. The voice of your second mate pulled you back from Azriel, who tried his best to not whine at the movement. You quickly shot from his grasp, retucking your shirt and pulling your damp hair to one shoulder. You looked frantically at the broken chain before darting to cover the porthole again.Â
“What-what just happened?” Azriel asked, doing his best to stand.
“We just reached your drop off” You left a sad smile paint your face as Azriel bolted towards you, his chain dragging.
“But we-I just- we just-”
“I know but they’ll be expecting you and my crew will be expecting the payout I promised them when we diverted course to fish you from the sea” You caught his knotted hands in yours, the marks of your years of hard work melting into his of deepest cruelty.Â
“Run with me, come with me, just don’t leave me” he found himself begging.
“This is my world, that’s yours, I don't have land legs just like you definitely don’t have sea legs-” you laughed “-besides, I don’t think we’ll be welcomed in this Court after our capture of one of the favourite children” You joked, your hand tracing his cheek.Â
“YN, I’ll tell them the truth, tell them how you saved me, how you will save me in so so many ways” A knock came at the end of Azriel’s plea, your sign to say goodbye.Â
“I’m sorry Azriel, my crew are my family and I owe them what they deserve” you stepped back outside the range of what his remaining chain would allow. You reluctantly opened the door, towering males like those who dragged him aboard entered, your back facing him unable to look. Azriel wasn’t sure what happened yet, wasn’t even sure he cared.Â
—------
“Is he dead?” Azriel heard Nesta through the screeching song of overhead seabirds. He rolled onto his back, the sharp sun scratching his retinas after a few days in the dark.
“Azriel!” His friends said in unison, helping him to sit up in the soft sand.Â
“They didn’t drop you where they said, sorry it took so long to get to you” Feyre smiled, dusting the sand from his hair as Rhysand and Cassian scanned the horizon for any semblance of your ship, long long gone.Â
—-----------------
The following weeks were rough for the whole Night Court, all unsure of their next moves to save their world from Hybern. Countless nights watching the bay allowed Azriel time to devise plans and hatch ideas. All paths lead to you more so than success against Hybern.Â
That Starfall his family rejoiced in their full reunion, their first in 50 years and yet Azriel still felt a missing part of him, it cast out to sea. He watched Rhysand take Feyre by the hand up the stairs, a smile decorating his face at his brother's deserved happiness. His rusty coloured liquor reflected the moon, the party danced around him, the noise of it all not enough to drown out what he felt was a call he had to answer.Â
Azriel landed on the shores of Velaris, the hidden home he’d die for, thinking about the hidden love he’d do the same for. An idea pinged into his head at the sight of Velaris residents releasing lanterns from passing canoes.Â
Without full coherence, Azriel found himself rowing a small dingy of a boat out of the Velaris port. He dug deep against the slowly growing waves, the House Of Wind and it’s gleaming party lights in the growing distance. He rowed until he could no longer see his home over the crests of the waves before he stood on rattling legs and found the bow of the small boat. With one deep breath, Azriel swan dived into the crystal clear depths, allowing it to overwhelm him and pull him down. Cautiously, Azriel opened his eyes beneath the water, adjusting to he burn before swimming deeper. Lactic acid began to build in his muscles and beg him not to swim deeper into the pressure of the unforgiving water. Black blots inked across his vision as the darkening water began to overwhelm his system once again until right before blacking out an arm wrapped around him.Â
“You have to be fucking kidding me” Was the first thing Azriel heard you say in weeks as you both breached the surface. He almost howled with laughter and exhilaration of his near-death experience and seeing you again.Â
“I-I knew you’d come” he rasped out in giddy excitement.Â
“Risky game Leathers” You laughed until he kissed you, the lapping water supporting you both. Overhead the sky began to fill with lights on their journey, reflecting off the water with pure light but in that moment Azriel knew that even the darkest night would be illuminated by you.
Synopsis: Azriel frequents the hotel in Hewn City that you manage with his many lovers, a source of your constant teasing until Azriel can't replace the way he feels about you with anyone else.
Warnings: Silly, fluff, banter, back and forth hehe, a lil slut shaming moment
A/N: Hello friends, it was recently my birthday and now I am travelling in celebration but not before put out this is silly little cute fic, originally titled Heartbreak Hotel but I think Honey just fitted so much more, you'll of course see why. I'm working on a second party of Mirror but still haven't decided if it's ready or not yet ✨
Your legs laid one over the other beneath the large oak desk, one-foot tip tapping, the sound of the large grandfather clock’s beating heart filling the lobby. Your head rested on your hands between the shadows cast by large stacks of unchecked paperwork. The ring of the well-rung bell forced you upright in your chair once again as a cloaked figure entered the hotel accompanied by a bubbly, bright female who seemingly couldn’t believe she had been chosen. You scoffed at the two of them, the male approaching you familiarly while the female absentmindedly twirled her hair by the stairs.
“One room please” he spoke quietly through his hood, a scarf obscuring his lower face.Â
“No problem, here are your keys, one for you and one for Honey over there”
“My name isn’t Honey?” the female tilted her head, her doe eyes sparkling at you before she found her attention taken by the bowl of centuries-old sweets on the coffee table of the lobby.Â
“Oh Honey, not like it matters” You smirked quietly to yourself for only him to hear. You offered the two keys between your fingers, his scarred hands taking them softly before he turned on his heels.
“Have fun Honey”
“Why does she keep calling me Honey?” the female asked him as he practically swept her up the stairs ahead of him, not bothering to answer her. You returned to your resting position, eyes landing on the booming clock to begin your timer.Â
Sometime later Azriel came quickly down the stairs, solo, you grinning from behind your desk at the sight of a slightly dishevelled warrior.Â
“Must have been chatty, two hours and…seven minutes, new record” You chuckled, your palm flat waiting to receive the key.
“You’re very judgemental, it’s bad for your skin” he teased.
“Keeps my heart young though” He smiled through the scarf covering the bottom half of his face, the corners of his eyes lifting to match yours.Â
“I come here for discretion, perhaps I have overstayed that courtesy”
“Whatever, you know you love me” You batted your eyelashes in faux obsession that was very rapidly becoming less and less faux.
“I tolerate you, honey” You scoffed at his reply, taking the key, his hazel eyes examining you closely. It had been close to a year since Azriel had begun to show up occasionally with his Hewn City conquests. The hotel you managed was on the very outskirts of Hewn City, at the very limits of the mountain, too far and too cold for most to trek to.Â
“Whatever” you stood, slogging your bag across your back as the sound of another Fae shuffling in the background got louder. You slid over the desk with the agile grace that comes with years of practice, landing at Azriel’s feet Â
“And where are you off to?”
“Home” You strode past him, the female taking over your shift sank into your chair without so much as a goodbye. You strolled into the dark streets of the enclave in the mountain, conscious of the shadows that followed you.
“Unbefitting of a lady to travel in these streets alone”
“Unbefitting of a gentleman to comment” You shot back at him, a few steps trailing you from behind.Â
“If you’re going to murder me, at least walk beside me until you decide the right time, the hovering is creepy honey” He quickly closed the distance he held from behind you, meeting your side with a curiosity he couldn’t quash.Â
“How I do love our time together…ehh” You stopped still at his words, turning to raise an eyebrow at him.
“Really? It’s been like a year and you don’t know my name”
“I hadn’t realised such a thing would bother you, honey” The corner of his eyes turned up, his deep smirk masked behind his handkerchief.Â
“You bother me” You lied, striding once more through the icy winter streets, the mountain's deep core working overtime to shield from the arctic temperatures on the other side of the shell.Â
“At least I know you think about me, honey”
“Yeah, I think of how your money is gonna free me from here” You half laughed, feeling Azriel stop alongside you again.
“You want to leave here?” He quizzed, your gaze turning back to see his slumping shoulders, wings tightly folded in to be kept from the cold and potential threats.Â
“Why would I stay? For the company?” You scoff before continuing your stride, passers-by watching you with eagerness, waiting for a moment to pounce and thinking otherwise when noticing Azriel.Â
“There are plans to improve the City” He jogged once again to walk parallel to you.Â
“Are they levelling it?” You smirked, gaining an equal expression from the Shadowsinger.Â
“What do you suggest, honey, other than a large bang?”
“Not my job, that’s the job of the pompous assholes that live upstairs” You shrugged, unaware of your company, Azriels grin deepening.Â
“Perhaps” his hands rested behind his back, striding along in levelheaded confidence you matched with your casual self-assured nature.Â
“This is me” You swung your bag to your stomach, digging through its contents for your keys, Azriel inspecting your home. The towering building matched its surrounding counterparts, paint peeling, stones splitting as the structure stretched into the thick boulder it was cut into. An elderly female watched the both of you from her living room window of the ground floor apartment, eyes scanning for any information she could gather on Azriel, he felt oddly bare at the sight.Â
“Ignore her, she’s as old as the dust that falls from the stalactites-” You laughed, noticing Azriels slight discomfort “-she’s probably just judging me for bringing a male near my home”
“Ah so your judgemental state is a taught behaviour” You shoved him playfully from the pavement step.
“Is yours?” You laughed, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet, unsure as to why you couldn’t walk away yet.
“A consequence of my pompous surroundings” You tilted your head in question to his joking reply.Â
“Walk with me some more?” He offered his elbow for you to take, your hands finding your hips.
“What are you doing?”
“What?” He laughed, scarf slipping slightly.
“You come to the hotel with a steady string of females, pay and leave. I’m not going to join the string of females who wonder where their knight with the dazzling eyes is gone the next morning”
“Aw you think my eyes are dazzling?” You shoved his obscured goofy face fully from the step, Azriel unable to keep himself from laughing.Â
“I think that it's a wonder no one has strangled you with that scarf yet” You began walking without full consciousness of the decision, Azriel happily following suit.Â
“It helps me to remain mysterious”
“Helps you look stupid” You chuckled, arms folding into your chest to fight off the cold. Azriel slipped from his jacket without your full awareness. You leapt slightly at the feeling of it shrouding your shoulders, the intoxicating scent of night-chilled mist and cedar brushing against your senses. You fought away the strange feeling crossing your chest, settling on the warmth of the wool being the cause and nothing else.Â
“Are these the moves you put on all your females?”
“Oh, if I was using the moves, you’d know all about it, honey”
“YN”
“You’d know all about it, YN, honey” You rolled your eyes continuing on your course with no final destination. You both walked around in a new sense of comfortable silence peppered with small snippets of one another's lives until you returned once again to the stoop outside your home.Â
“I should probably head in, I have work again in a few hours” The night getting away from the two of you.Â
“Of course” Azriel smiled softly beneath the scarf, it showing in his eyes until they landed on the elderly female in the window, still surveying her kingdom of this long-forgotten street.Â
“Until next time Smokey”
“Smokey?” You just nodded to the shadows that had appeared around his legs, his dear friends who he normally kept away from him during his escapades had sensed their master's warmth and comfort around you and believed it was time to come back to him, that he was home.Â
“Ah yes…until next time Honey” You just smiled softly at him before turning and heading up the steps, Azriel still fixated on you.
“Oh your jacket” You span around to return down the steps with the heaven-sent fabric.
“Oh no, I must have forgotten it, I guess I’ll have to come back for it” He laughed, stopping you in your tracks as he gave a small wave and began his walk back to his family in the Court of Nightmares. You shook your head side to side and found yourself laughing, eyes landing on your elderly neighbour who remained watching.Â
“Mind your business Mags!” You called towards her knowing look before slipping inside.Â
—-------------------------------
Over the next number of weeks, Azriel made his usual pilgrimage to the hotel, but unlike normal, he was now accompanied by no one else. He arrived at the beginning of your shift to keep you company and found himself walking you home after each clock-out. He resigned himself to keep his identity obscured, for fear it would send you running in fear or disgust. You spoke freely of your ideas to change the City for the better and your plans for the future, the other side of the mountain. Azriel found himself more forthcoming with the details of his life, identifiable clues excluded still however. Your walks around Hewn City were quickly becoming both of your favourite times in the week, missing one another when you were gone, denying it when you were together.
“And then I locked him out of the cabin naked” Your laugh at Azirel’s story practically filled the streets of the city.Â
“I’ve only heard brutal stories about the Illyrian mountains but I swear you make it sound like an enjoyable time”
“I have brutal stories too” He joked, your smile faltering.Â
“Tell me those” Azriel looked towards your soft expression, it glowing in the faelights of the usual route home you took together.Â
“My brothers and I, were torn apart from one another during the Blood Rite, forced to find our way to one another, we did unspeakable things to reach the summit, I’m afraid I’ve done a lot of unspeakable things in my life” his gaze fixated on the cobblestone in front of him as he walked, fighting away memories of a time he tirelessly tried to disown from his mind. You looked at his furrowed face before instinctively finding your hand in his, lacing your fingers through his deepest insecurity, his mind screaming at him to let go but his heart wanting nothing of the sort.Â
“What you do in survival shouldn’t decide who you are in the sun”
“I like that” He found a subtle smile grow beneath the scarf again, his hand squeezing yours to test if the contact was all a lie.Â
“Unless you’ve like killed a puppy or something then you can burn in that same sun” You laughed, Azriel’s hazel eyes rolling in their socket.Â
“And tell me who are you in the sun, Honey?”
“I don’t know, mountain, remember?” You gestured up to the solid ceiling miles and miles above you, Azriel shaking his head in apology, an idea crossing his mind, stopping you both on your stroll.Â
“Cover your eyes” You scoffed but found yourself obeying him, your hand leaving his left a chill in him he wished to smother again. He took a deep breath before snaking a hand around your waist and pulling you tight to his side, an electric pulse shooting down the two of you at the closer contact. Azriel looked to his shadowy friends, a now frequent attendee of your time together unable to pull against the magnetic force you applied to them. He swirled the two of you in shadow, pulling you through the space he created until you were taken from where you stood to land with him gently on the top of the mountain, in the Moonstone Palace. The whole motion was so painfully gentle, you felt as though you hadn’t moved from the spot you left. Azriel stood in front of you, pulling your hands delicately from your face, the wash of light hitting you causing you to squint.Â
“Open Honey” His serene tone filled you with the same warmth the rising sun provided. Your mouth hung agape as you looked through the glass of the gigantic windows on the top of the Night Court, the sun beginning to stretch its limbs over the gloriously harsh landscape. You rattled a nervous laugh out, looking quickly from Azriel back to the astonishing view. You found your feet taking a step back, the sudden vastness of the space in front of you almost suffocating in its airiness.Â
“You’re as beautiful in the sun as you are in the shadow” Azriel spoke with a level of apprehension he hadn’t felt around you before, afraid he’d overwhelmed you into a state of trepidation.
“I-I-I” You couldn’t manage the words, the sprawling scene stealing syllables as they formed.Â
“Who’s that?” Both you and Azriel shook in alarm at the voice, Azriel thinking his family were in Velaris. Feyre stood at the end of the very long dining room looking between the both of you.Â
“Azriel?” Your head flew in his direction at the first mention of his name you had heard, he balled his fists at his side, cringing his face upward before releasing the tension again. Azriel pulled the scarf that had become like his very own flesh from his face. You took another step back from him, his face rivalling the staggering beauty of the other side of the glass.Â
“Hello?” Feyre tried again with a laugh, your head darting back to her as she closed in, you sank immediately to the ground in a deep bow.
“YN, it's okay” Azriel whispered down to you, you unsure if you would faint on your way back to your full height or not.Â
“Ah YN, the lovely lady who keeps our equally lovely Az away from us” She reached your shadow, a hand outstretched to help you stand again. You shot upright in front of her, unable to find any words.Â
“I thought you were at home Feyre?”Â
“And I thought I was High Lady and could go wherever I want Az?-” She laughed in reply, your eyes boring into the ground in practised submission “-Don’t worry YN, we’re not all pompous assholes like your dear Az” your head shooting back to hers, a playful smile decorating her delicate features.Â
“My-Your-I-I”
“Feyre, if you could give us a moment” She only nodded to the Spymaster before making her exit as quietly as she had made her entrance.Â
“Are you okay, Honey?” Azriel spoke with the candour of someone trying to talk a baby deer into not running away from a hunter. His uncharacteristically shaky hand reached for you before he guided you to sit in a grand dining room chair, your brain fogging slightly from the altitude. Azriel crouched afore you, his hand not leaving yours as it landed in your lap, your eyes searching the hazel eyes you were learning to call home.
“I-I can’t bel- I don’t understa- We were grossly undercharging you at the hotel” You managed, Azriel’s laughing singing in your ears, his thumb tracing circles around the back of your hand.
“We can rectify that I’m sure”
“Are these- Are these-”
“The mountains above Hewn City? Yes, this is a small sliver of the world I want to show you” He beamed up, your utter shock dripping away as the return of the comfort he gave you flooded back, his shadows swaddling your ankles.
“I was going to say are these the moves but yeah sure let's go with that” You found your panicked laughter changing to match the lightness washing through your chest, Azriel chuckling.Â
“You’re the first female I’ve brought home…probably obvious by Feyre’s reaction”
“Fe-Feyre, the High Lady of Night Court, you call Feyre, like she’s anyone”
“You should hear what I call the Lord of the Night Court” His joking tone pushed away the draining colour in your face, the flush of unadulterated happiness returning.Â
“What is happening right now?” Your laughter was almost hysterical, Azriel stood again, pulling you up to his chest.Â
“I can bring you back below if you’d like-” You walked back towards the window again, captivated by the scenes “-Or, or I could show you more of my world? You’ve been so kind in showing me yours”Â
“I have work” You found yourself saying before turning back to see his confused face and then bursting into laughter.
“What the fuck I have work” You couldn’t stop laughing, Azriel joining the sound as his hands caught your forearms.Â
“Well, I did leave my jacket at your place, I have every reason to continue forgetting to collect it” You chuckled against his chest, his arms tracing their way across your back, his chin resting on your head.Â
“I’m gonna be another one of you Honies aren’t I?” You looked up through your lashes, a laugh continuing to leave you
“You’re the only one I want to call Honey” His thumb traced circles on your cheeks as he leaned down to kiss you in sweetness, night-chilled mist and cedar swirling into the undeniable taste of honey.
Synopsis: You visited Riverdale intermittently throughout your young life, captivating and definitely influencing a certain serpent
-------------------------------------------
Sweet Pea POVÂ
Age 9
“Ready?”
“I don't know yn” our toes hung over the edge of the inlet with river water running below. I was never a good swimmer, YN attempted to teach me when I was 7 during her family visit with Toni. I never made it past the dog paddle, wasn't sure I ever would. She always influenced me to do these things, wasn't sure how it happened. Before I could object again, she pulled me by the hand off the edge and into the depths below.Â
Age 12
I was never going to be ready for this new school. YN dragged the yellow spray can along the wall, its paint splattering everywhere.
“Are you sure this is okay YN?” She just laughed at me continuing on with her masterpiece.
“Why not, it's just a shed?”Â
“Hey you kids!” The voice of a burly man screaming from his car shook the both of us.Â
“Run!” YN dropped the tin, caught me by the hand and hauled me off through the streets of the Southside. She was hysterically laughing when we finally stopped running, huddled up behind a disused bus stop.Â
“You’re crazy YN” that was so close my god
“Oh well” she beamed at me. Is this what love feels like? The sound of her phone interrupted my thought process.
“Hi Dad - Yeah - okay I'm coming home now - bye” she hung up the phone before standing back up and pulling me back to my feet. Â
“I gotta go Sweet Pea, dad's waiting to drive me back….nice to see you” it was so quick it was like it didn't happen, she kissed my lips so fast and then ran off back into the streets. I couldn't move my feet from the spot as I watched her disappear into the evening. My first kiss.
Age 15
“Who are you taking to the dance?”
“I'm not sure Fangs, maybe YN, she's visiting isn't she?”
“Oh you loooove her”
“I do not shut up” I shoved him off the path on our way walking home. Yn was like my best friend….my long distance best friend, I don't think I like her like that.Â
“He loves who?” She joined our side with Toni in tow. I gave Fangs’ smirking face a warning glance. I'm gonna deck him when they're gone.Â
“Sweet Pea loves dancing is all” she cocked an eyebrow to Fangs as Toni rolled her eyes at all of us.Â
“I've never seen him dance”
“Well why not see it on Saturday at the Southside High dance” oh he's dead dead, I glare towards his goofy face, a dead man.
“Sure why not” my head whipped back around to her, no way no way no way.
“Keen Sweet Pea?” my glare returned to Tonis smug voice. I tried to nod as little as I could and play it off cool, not very successfully.Â
~Â
That Saturday I waited outside the High School for her. I waited. I waited. I waited. She never showed. I waited. I waited. I waited.Â
Age 18
3rd person POV
You lounge across the sofa, the room spinning with drunk and wild teenagers attempting to escape the plagues of senior year. Cheryl's birthday party engulfed the entire manor as you sipped cool gold liquid from a crystal flute until it was empty.Â
“Don't sulk cousin” Toni replaced the glass in your hand. You gave a half there smile before drinking deeply again. Toni swayed as she walked towards Cheryl, hugging her tightly and raising a glass to her, their laughs swallowed by the loud music. Your envious gaze left them and landed back on your glass. You had broken up with your long term boyfriend two weeks ago before fleeing to Riverdale to gain some distance from the heart break. Your glance lifted from the crystal again and onto the tall Serpent sinking pints in the doorway. His body shook with laughter at his friends antics before meeting your eyes across the room. You adjusted yourself slightly, trying to not look like the fallen bird you felt like. The Serpent pushed from the doorway, exiting his conversation to land himself next to you.
“Long time no see YN” he gave a genuine smile to you, leaning further back into the sofa as you sank your drink, grabbing another from a passing waiter's tray. You hadn't been back in almost 4 years, things had settled a lot at home and the yearly pilgrimage for peace to Riverdale wasn't as desperately required.
“Makes me laugh that even at a rager, Cheryl's got white glove service” you nod to the waiter in thanks as he fights a roll of the eyes.
“Are you going to talk to me or should I leave you to make googly eyes at your alcohol?” you turned your torso to face him, his arm across the back of the chair behind you. You clink your glass off of his and take a deep sip. The golden liquid causes your head to swirl slightly, a crutch to ease your aching heart.Â
“I'm just passing through” you offer.
“Hmm yeah I heard about…yeah I heard” he tried his best to stop the pity from painting his face, failing massively, gaining a scoff from you.Â
“Id rather not talk about that”
“Rather talk about standing me up 3 years ago instead” you sighed, dropping your face into your hand in almost disgrace. He nudged you laughing.
“Relax YN, water under the bridge, I'm just teasing”
“I'm sorry regardless, I'm sure Toni explained but I had to go-”
“-YN please I'm only teasing it's okay, teenage Sweet Pea is probably still pissed but I've grown” you couldn't hide your laugh at his joking tone.Â
“And how do I make it up to teenage Sweet Pea?”Â
~
“Okay Sweet Pea if you leave a mark then Toni will know” you almost giggle separating the Serpent from your neck.
“Maybe I want her to know” he grins before biting down again in sweet pressure, laughing as you slip from his grip slightly, your head gently knocking off the brick of the wine sellar wall behind you.Â
“She wouldn't like it very much” you grinned as he met your lips with an equal smile. His hands slipped down your sides to grip you from behind, your own hands across his shoulders. Sweet Pea lifted you from the ground allowing you to wrap your legs around his waist, your back flush against the brick all without breaking apart his lips from yours. Your ringtone cut through the air of the wine cellar loudly, giving you both a fright. Your ex's name illuminating the brick as you pull it from your pocket. Sweet Pea slowly dropped you gently back to your feet, his face falling too. He stepped back away from you to look anywhere but at the glowing screen as you answered it
“Hello - hi - Riverdale why? - maybe - really? How sorry? - maybe I could come back - I just -” the phone was snatched out of your hand so quickly you didn't have time to react.Â
“Hey she's busy!” he hung up the phone to your confused ex.
“Pea why'd you do that!?”
“Why'd you answer the phone in the first place!?” His sharp tone matched your own as your face contorted in confusion.
“I don't understand”
“YN Ive waited 6 years to kiss you again and you -”
“Again?....oh my god yeah” you rubbed your hand down your face and almost half laughed at the cringe of a 12 year old you.
“Yeah, man I was so surprised” he followed your laugh, cringing at his own reaction. Silence fell between you both again, the chill in the air cutting at you both.Â
“Remember that time when we were like 7 or something and I taught you how to swim-”
“-Remember? I nearly drowned and got pneumonia” he laughed with his chest at the memory and you smiled.
“Or that time we climbed the tree by the Wyrm-”
“-You mean the time I broke my elbow?”Â
“God Pea, I'm a bad influence” Sweet Pea closed the gap between you both, his hands finding their way to your hips again.Â
“I never mind being influenced by you” you bit your lip at his quiet words before kissing passionately again.Â
“How long are you going to stay this time YN?”
“Well actually….I was thinking of transferring for senior year” in one smooth motion Sweet Pea picked you up from the ground and back against the wall.Â
“Really?”
“Yeah, just thinking about it” you ran a hand down his chest.
“Well YN….allow me to influence you” he reattached himself to your neck as you laughed, wrapping your arms around him again
“Reg stop! Where are you going?!” You half shouted across the car park to your ex boyfriend, his back to you looking to where he parked his car.
“I have to kick some Serpent ass” you finally caught up to him outside his car, snatching his keys from his hand.
“YN!”
“Reg stop, it was an accident, we were just dancing and he did it by mistake!”
“Dancing?! You were dancing with that jerk? Isn't it bad enough you took his side yesterday, now you're off dancing with him? What has gotten into you YN?” Your eyes landed on the ground at his sharp tone. You were transported back to when you were dating, being reprimanded for even the smallest thing.
“We were…we were having fun”
“YN, it's okay to have made a mistake” your face contorted in confusion as he moved towards you and caught hold of your hands, dragging your gaze back to him.
“YN, I'd take you back, we can be back together again” you scoffed loudly at him pulling back your arms from his grip.
“I have self respect Reggie”
“Really is that new? Come with the Serpent?” He bit, cocking his head to one side. Ever a group for good timing, Fangs and Sweet Pea rode up the driveway of Pops on their motorbikes. Fangs on the way to meet Kevin, accompanied by Sweet Pea who hoped to run into you. The two parked their bikes, removing their helmets releasing laughter from beneath, short lived as Sweet Pea found his eyes on you and Reggie.
“C'mon YN, come back to me, you'll never find better” his words fed an internal voice you regularly fought off. You bit your lip looking back down, he slowly caught hold of your arms again, unaware of the Serpent heading in your direction.
“No” you almost whispered, pulling back again.
“Don't say no to me! No one else will want you!” The words you hadn't heard from him in so long brought crashing memories back of a tumultuous relationship, you felt your mind go out to the sea of sadness it had spent so long trying to escape from when a familiar voice came as a life raft.
“I’d want her…if she'll have me” you both spun to face Sweet Pea, still holding his helmet in one hand, his other in his leather jacket pocket.
“You!” Reggie seethed, springing from his spot, almost knocking you to the floor in the movement. Your friends came out from inside Pops, to find the Serpent and the Bulldog rolling around shouting and fighting. Kevin ran to your side as you screamed at them both to stop.
“You fucking loser!” Reggie screamed as Archie hauled him up off the floor after Jughead pulled Sweet Pea off of him.
“I'm not the one who cheated on the perfect girl!” He spat back. Your friends' heads shot in your direction. The secret was out. The secret you kept to keep things normal. The secret you kept so they wouldn't have to pick sides and you didn't haven't risk not being who they'd choose.
“YN is that true?” Archie half winced from behind Reggie. You slowly shook your head in agreement, eyes going from Sweet Pea to the floor.
“Wow Reggie you are a loser” Jughead released Sweet Pea as Archie did the same to Reggie.
“At least I'm not a Serpent slut like YN” Reggie barely had the sentence out before Sweet Pea had him pinned to the ground again. Distant police sirens cut through the night air, having been alerted to the commotion outside the diner.
“Shit SP, go, they can't catch you again!” Fangs called, pulling his best friend back by the shoulder. Sweet Pea gave a hurried glance to you before darting off in the direction of the woods behind Pop's.
“Sweet Pea wait up!” You called as you dodged tree trunks, branches and long tangled roots. The latter being the one to send you crashing on to your hands and knees, Pops now long behind you. You swore quietly under your breath as you sat back onto your legs kneeling, wiping your hands on your thighs.
“Really YN, bubble wrap isn't the expensive” Sweet Pea left a half laugh escape his short of breath lungs, reaching a hand down and pulling you to your feet.
“I didn't know that they didn't know about you and…him” Sweet Pea kept hold of your hand, the sounds of sirens cutting out in the distance.
“It's okay, I should have told them when it happened” he nodded in small agreement to you.
“I meant what I said, I'd be with you if you'd let me” Sweet Pea moved closer to you until your chests were touching, whispering the desired words into the top of your head before kissing your forehead. You took your hand from his, sliding it up his chest before going around his neck to clasp the other hand, pulling him down to meet your lips so sweet and softly.
“I'll be with you if you promise to never dance around me again”
“Hmm I think that can be arranged” he smiled against your lips, closing the distance again
You woke naturally later, the red glow of the alarm clock showed 3am. You snuggled deeper into the duvet and pillow before sitting up, confused as to where you were. The sudden upwards movement of your body had your head screaming as you groaned in slight pain, trying to bring the dim room around you into focus. Your room you realised.
“What the fuck?” You found yourself whispering aloud, scrunching your face as your hand reached for the top of your head.
“I didn't know you knew that word YN?” You leapt a little at the fright of Sweet Peas voice, you searched around the room for the source unable to see him.
“Down here” you slowly peered over the edge of the bed to find the Serpent balled up under his jacket, suitably blue from the cold.
“Whats going on?”
“You got elbowed into the top of your head, knocked you clean out, probably all the head trauma you give yourself, definitely consider bubble wrap” he stood slowly, before sitting on the edge of your bed fully clothed in what he had on in the bar.
“I don't-”
“-Kevin, Fangs and I brought you back here, he said your parents were away, you did wake up a few times since then. Serpent medic looked you over, they didn't think you needed the hospital, to be honest I don't think they wanted you to get all of them into trouble for drinking underage” he confessed, reaching for the bottle of water he set out earlier for you and passing it to your hand.
“Fangs and Kevin are downstairs…sleeping…. allegedly-” he grinned at you and you gave a half laugh.
“-I stayed up here in case you got sick or needed something” his sincerity cut through your growing headache as you placed back down the water.
“How'd I even get an elbow into the head?” You found yourself laughing at the thought.
“I'm not sure….maybe someone you know and definitely shouldn't be mad at…is really bad at dancing….” he said shyly, turning for a moment from you to hide his smirk.
“Oh my god” you swung the pillow you had laid asleep on at him, he instantly put his hands up in a truce. You both laughed out loud at the whole ordeal. He reached to take your weapon from you, a hand catching your wrist in the process. The cold of his fingers burned through your skin and you flinched a little under it, he released instantly.
“You're freezing Sweet Pea”
“Nothing I'm not used to YN, don't worry, I should probably go and get Fangs and bounce” he went to move, stopped only by your voice.
“No stay!” You said almost too eagerly, earning another smirk from Sweet Pea.
“I mean…don't go downstairs to them, you never know what you'll see” he laughed at this before agreeing, moving to slide back to the floor.
“Sweet Pea….you can just..” he hung on your every sound, he watched you bite your lip thinking of your next words carefully. This action was driving him crazier than before. You only slid over in your bed and peeled a corner of the blanket away from the mattress, gesturing for him to join. He went more than happy, if only for the warmth of the duvet but even more so to be close to you. You both laid on your backs staring at the ceiling
“I didn't think it'd be my dance moves that'd get me into your bed YN, not going to lie” you swung out your hand and hit him in the chest chuckling.
“Full of surprises tonight”
“Then again I suppose Reggie was in this bed so you'll let anybody into it” he laughed only to be met with your silence. You rolled slowly away from him onto your side, tucking your hands beneath your head. Regret fogging his mind instantly.
“I don't want to talk about him”
“Oh…sorry I didn't…I-”
“-its okay Sweet Pea but we should probably go to sleep” you said quietly, eyes closing to force thoughts of your ex boyfriend out.
“Why'd you break up?”
“That doesn't seem like not talking about it” you sighed, the pain in your head now no longer from just the alcohol and bang.
“Curiosity killed the serpent” a minute or two of silence passed before you sighed again.
“He was…kinda possessive and then…he cheated on me” you could feel Sweet Pea's body stiffening alongside you.
“Yeah that normally gets that reaction” you half laughed, rolling back onto your back.
“I can't believe someone would be so stupid as to give you up”
“We just…weren't good for one another, he was crazy jealous and I was confused and I don't know, shy I guess. Reggie just needed someone more social than me I guess”
“Well based off tonight you seem pretty social with the right people” he looked from the ceiling to you and quickly back again.
“I guess, he's just a kinda…act now think later kinda person, at least that's how I justify him at that girl sleeping together” you pushed the lump in your throat growing away.
“You really amaze me YN”
“Thanks-” you half laughed again “-it completely knocked my confidence, I deserv-”
“You didn't deserve that YN” he took a serious tone, rolling onto his side to face you, you laughed fully then.
“I was going to say deserve to be treated better but thanks for your encouragement” he smiled at the glimmer of self-assurance he so rarely saw so blatantly from you and he loved it.
“I love hearing you speak, why don't we talk more often” he confessed as you rolled on to your side to face him.
“I think it's all the head trauma I've had today….I just don't feel afraid of speaking to you right now” you softly reached your finger tips to the darkening marbling your ex had gifted Sweet Pea earlier. He held your hand to his face before gently sweeping a stray hair from your eyes. You gave a small smile to the action as he leaned in so painfully cautiously, and kissed the top of your head that had taken so many hits lately. From there tiredness grew ferociously in your both, eyes growing heavy and closing, tangled in one another for the night.
-
The next morning you gently pulled away from Sweet Peas warmth. Ever so slowly you raised yourself from the bed, cautiously moving Sweet Peas arms from around you. You groaned with your new upright position, your head feeling as though it may split open with another move.
“YN, just stay with me a bit longer” his arm wrapped around your waist pulling you back into him as he bargained with you. Back in the position you woke up in, your headache eased again along with any tension in Sweet Peas chest.
“Sweet Pea! Put your clothes back on!” Fangs banged the door of your bedroom nearly off it's hinges causing you both to leap in your skin.
“What?!” Sweet Pea swung his legs over the edge of the bed while quickly replacing the covers over you as you sat confused and head spinning.
“Meeting right now, we overslept….looking good YN” Fangs winked at you causing you to look down at your legs beneath the sheets, trying to hide your reddening cheeks.
“Leave her alone Fangs, let's go” Fangs buried a smirk before leaving the room hurriedly again.
“YN I really…I really had a nice time last night…except when I briefly knocked you on conscious” you laughed at that as he stared almost lovingly at your eyes.
“Briefly? Nice for you to downplay it” He returned your smile before grabbing his shoes and heading out the door.
-
Later that night you hung around your normal friends in Pops, Kevin reliving last night's escapades to the group.
“Oh and then Sweet Pea knocked YN clean out” the group hesitantly laughed only to be spurred on by your and Kevin's audible chuckling.
“Yeah he really had me on the ground, I was out for the count” you rolled your eyes at the absurdity of it all.
“What happened?” Your laughter left you at the sound of Reggie's voice.
“YN was just telling us how Sweet Pea hit her-”
“What?” Anger rose in Reggie's voice, cutting off the end of Veronica's explanation, the light-heartedness long gone from the table. Reggie turned quickly on his heels and rage took him with speed out the doors of Pops.
“Shit” you almost all said in unison, Archie going to stand only for you to stop him with a raised hand. You looked panicked around the table before darting out the door after your ex boyfriend
Synopsis: Sweet Pea wants to drag you out of your shell. When you take his side in an argument with your ex boyfriend, a trip to the Wyrm brings you outwards
Fluff
------------------------------
You drifted through the halls Friday morning, keeping your head down and pace quick, the usual, only this morning your tracks were interrupted by the gaggle of Serpents arriving. They flooded the hallways in true Southside style, loud and unapologetic. They had been here for some time now but their presence was still notable.
You crinkled your face as you struggled to get the locker door to give way. Its rusty hinges allowed access with your force, your hand slipping, sending your balance alongside it. Your hips met the ground square from behind as you felt every eye in the corridor land on you. As quick as you were on the ground you were up, sailing the top of your head right into the bottom of the locker. You cursed harshly in your mind, bringing a hand to the growing bump.
“Have you considered bubble wrapping yourself?” tension grew from your nerves at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. You glanced quickly to the side to meet the Serpents eyes, wide and smiling at you. Sweet Pea and you had few interactions in the classes you both shared but his interest in you was growing more and more by the day. You knew little about one another, with one of you desperate for that to change.
“I…umm…maybe” you breathed out, shoving your gear bag into the metal casing and almost slamming the door closed again. Your palm quickly landed on the door trying to quiet the sound.
“That'll show it” Sweet Pea smiled again.
“YN! There you are! come on I have to tell you the drama, I-” Kevin came rushing to your side, cut off by Sweet Peas presence.
“Keller's kid right? Go on then, I like to hear the drama too” his eyebrows raised, Kevin only side eyeing him before hooking an arm in yours and pulling you away. You hesitantly looked back at Sweet Pea who just gave a wave with his fingertips before laughing and rejoining his cohort.
-
“Marry, Fuck, Kill, Serpent addition” the group laughed at Veronicas idea of a game when lunch time came around.
“Don't be crass Veronica, they're like my siblings now” Jughead winced at the thought of the outcome of these answers.
“I don't care, don't play then. Kevin, which of those three over there are you marrying” Veronica pointed a long manicured finger to where Fangs, Sweet Pea and another Serpent talked just outside the common room.
“I hate those guys” Reggie cut off Kevin before he could talk, Jughead rolling his eyes and going to their defence.
“If I could marry and fuck one of them I'd be happy, you've a free house tonight, maybe I'll get my chance there” Kevin whispered to you as the group volume raised over the premise of the game. You smiled, gently bumping him with your shoulder. Kevin had become one of your only really good friends, his own friends adopting you then by proxy. They never got much out of you, instead you just listened and made your own internal judgments of them, and there was a lot to judge them for.
Sweet Pea strided over with Fangs, both sitting on an arm of the chair Jughead occupied, silence falling on the group. This peace lasted all of two minutes, abruptly ending as Reggie and other Bulldogs decided to ruffle some Serpent skin. You quickly made your exit after seeing your ex boyfriend take the first swing.
On your way back to your locker after a long day of painful classes, you walked past Sweet Pea sat on a chair outside the principal's office, the halls almost empty. You looked briefly at the darkening bruising under his eye as you ambled past.
“I should have bubbled wrapped myself” he gave you a small grin, hoping to pull you into conversation.
“Yeah maybe” said with a little shrug in return. The principal's abrupt exit with Reggie from his office silenced you both. Reggie gave Sweet Pea a blood curdling stare, only to have the Serpent look back unfazed.
“Now you both say it was the other that threw the first punch and I have no way of-”
“YNN was there” Reggie cut the Principal off before he could finish. The three pairs of eyes all landing on you. The hairs on your neck stood on their ends, Sweet Pea pulling his gaze away, accepting his fate of another bad reputation at another school. You and Reggie dated breifi, he clearly was testing what loyalty was left between you both. You glanced between the three and gulped before answering honestly.
“Reggie threw the first punch Sir.” You looked down to your feet, Sweet Peas head snapping back in your direction in disbelief.
“What the fuck YNN?!”
“Reginald! Language! You can go-” he gestured to Sweet Pea who instantly stood up without hesitation “-and you Reginald, back in here with me”.
Sweet Pea sighed a breath of relief as the two re-entered the Principal's office, he turned to thank you but you had taken off up the hallway, by passing your locker and out through the exit.
“Hey hey wait up YN” He easily met your side with his long stride, you nodded in reply to him, almost frantically turning your head to watch your bus drive off without you.
“Thanks for that”
“Don't mention it”
“Seriously that was really cool of you”
“Seriously don't mention it” you kept your voice low, looking for anyone around familiar to you and landing your eyes on Kevin. Kevin who was with Fangs and heading in your guys direction both looking very cosy.
“What a difference a day makes” Sweet Pea joked earning a small smile from you.
“Not much of a talker no?” Fangs voiced prevented your own from answering Sweet Peas question.
“Sweet Pea, Sweet Peas Girl, come on we're going to the Wyrm with Kevin….and some other people but mostly Kevin-” Fangs winked at Sweet Pea “-...gotta show him-i mean them our world" Fangs was clearly gushing over Kevin and you and Sweet Pea thought it was adorable.
“Sounds good, yn?” You bit your lip and it was driving Sweet Pea crazy.
“I-I don't know” Kevin's eyes looked at you pleadingly, he couldn't very well go to the Southside alone.
“Ah come on YN, I owe you a drink after you saved my ass”
“Oh you told them the ex hit first, nice revenge YN” Kevin nudged you. A new energy came from Sweet Pea at this information.
“I-I guess I could go for awhile” you spoke before Sweet Pea could ask questions. His delight at your agreement sent them out of his mind.
“-Great, I'll take you on my bike, Kevin can go with Fangs-” the two had already began making strides towards the motorbike lock up “-and I can bring you home whenever you want then” he beckoned you to follow him over to where he'd parked earlier. You nodded smally being reassured with the presence of Kevin at Fangs side.
~
It was later that night and after a few drinks you began to relax into the atmosphere. Kevin stayed close to you as did Sweet Pea. The buzz of the bar bouncing off the walls surrounding the booth. It was nice to hear the stories from growing up in the Serpents, not nearly as horrible as all the rumours made it seem. Sweet Pea was enjoying seeing you outside of school and you were, to your own surprise, feeling the same about him. Drinks were free flowing as a party at the bar kicked off, leaving your brain feeling a bit groggy with the increasing volume of music.
You came back from the bathroom to find Sweet Pea in an empty booth.
“Umm?”
“Well Fangs is showing Kevin...the inside of the coat closet” he gestured to the far away cabinet on the other side of the dance floor.
“Want to dance?”
“I didn't take you for the dancing type Sweet Pea”
“Plenty you don't know about me YN” he stood, taking you by the hand and leading you to the crowded dance floor. He wasn't the dancing type. He was really really not coordinated but you didn't care. You were having fun being silly with him, the alcohol and his energy taking away any self consciousness you felt, a new world of feeling. The lights flickered the colour of the rainbow as the music climbed and climbed with volume, Serpents dancing letting loose, being young dumb and free, all feelings you regularly denied yourself. Then darkness
Synopsis: Sweet Pea is longing to have you be his again after a drunken mistake he made a few years ago.
A/N: Short-ish, fluffy.
----------------------------
“Pea, do we have to do this every day?”
“Only until you say yes YNN” the tall Serpent practically towered over you as he leaned across the Whyte Wyrm bar top where you polished glasses.
“SP, give it a break, you're sounding desperate” Fangs smirked at his best friends daily ritual, sliding onto a barstool next to him.
“I'm just looking for another chance is all”
“Pea one of these days I'm gonna roll my eyes so hard at you I'm gonna go blind” you gently patted his shoulder smilingly before moving down the bar to take another Serpents drink order. Jugheads birthday party getting into the full swing of things.
“You've worked so hard to get back to this place SP, are you sure you want to risk losing it all again”
“Fangs, I just know we're supposed to be more but maybe it's time to just call it” Sweet Pea watched your outline drift into the sea of Serpents as you moved from behind the bar with a tray of drinks. You had known one another for over two decades, raised in the shadow of this very bar. Partners in crime with a healthy dose of one-sided outwards pining but mutual feelings. The two of you had dated before, it crashing and burning almost two years ago.
Sweet Pea scanned the room, his gaze landing on Veronica Lodge, laughing with her Riverdale counterparts.
“Ugh I know that look” Fangs followed his glance before taking a swig from his drink.
“What?”
“That's the, let me jump on the next thing that moves and pretend it's yn because that's who I really want but can't have, look”
“Sounds like it needs a rebrand” Sweet Pea chuckled in return before pushing off the bar and strolling over to reacquaint himself with the raven haired girl boss. He squished into the booth alongside the Northsiders and began to work his magic on Veronica as you rejoined Fangs at the bar, apron and drink in hand.
“Finished for the night YNN?”
“Yeah, right on time to watch that trainwreck” you plastered a smile across your face that didn't quite reach your eyes as you took a deep drink from your glass and threw the apron around the other side of the bar.
“I know you want him back and you're scared what happened…will happen again”
“Woah Dr. Fogarty when's the daytime advice show airing?” you laughed as Fangs joined you. Fangs passed his drink from his hand to yours, taking your empty glass. You tore your eyes from the booth and landed them on Archie Andrews, back fresh from active duty. He moved through the crowd heading back to his friends from the bathroom.
“Oh god, not that look”
“What?”
“That's the, let me jump on the next thing that moves and distract myself from the deep unresolved feelings I have towards Sweet Pea, look”
“A rebrand should be considered” he laughed at you and your similarities to Sweet Pea. He considered a career in behavioural psychology as you sprung from your chair with a fresh drink and swanned over to Archie.
The night took a very drunk turn from there, for all parties involved. Dancing and drinking and shameless flirting were heavy themes of the night. You felt Archie's hands trace your hips as you both swayed to the music growing in volume. Throwing your head back laughing at whatever Archie said, his mouth quickly attached to your neck. Your surprise turned to rising pleasure and then very quickly to shock as the red head was suddenly pulled back from you.
“Hey!”
“Hey yourself Andrews!” Sweet Pea stepped between the both of you, pushing Archie backwards by the chest.
“Sweet Pea leave it” you tried to pull him by the shoulder back only to have him shrug you off and whip around back to you.
“You're being stupid YN” you scoffed at him as Archie began to give out again. Sweet Pea whirled around, his bare fist meeting the side of Archie's jaw. Fangs launched himself from the bar, Jughead following suit, attempting to separate the two of them as they began to brawl. Your head started to swirl from the alcohol, fed up with the boys in front of you, you separated from them, and out the door.
You made it a little way along the road up from the bar as Sweet Peas drunken gait met you.
“YN, where are you going!?”
“Away from you!” You shouted back, matching his tone. He reached you quickly, catching your wrist and turning you to face him.
“Let go of me!”
“YN when are we going to stop pretending you don't still have feelings for me!” His wild eyes searched yours for answers, wishing to not hear what you said next.
“When are you going to stop pretending you didn't hurt me!” You snatched back your wrist and stomped in the direction of home again.
“YN, that was a mistake, a stupid, drunken mistake, she didn't mean anything to me-”
“-then why'd you do it?” You suddenly turned again, bumping into his chest. The street lights cut through the night as you bite back alcohol induced tears.
“I… I don't have any excuses. I've said I'm sorry but I'll say it again, I'll never stop saying it. I made out with that girl. I did and I have never not regretted it, I'm sorry” you looked into his genuine eyes as they dampened with tears. He caught hold of your shoulders and stepped in closer.
“YN, I am sorry. I'm so sorry. I know I said I'd be happy to have you in my life even just as a friend, that I'd make peace with whatever scraps you'd give me but….I need you. I need you to be mine again and I need you to need me” he gulped at the end of his confession and then leaned in to meet your lips. A flush of memories enveloped both of you, warm and comforting, familiar and pure. You separated again, dismay painting your face but not as much as Sweet Pea’s when the palm of your hand sailed across his face.
“That…That was for drunkenly kissing that girl the first night we went long distance” you then shoved him backwards, tears now streaming down your face as you gritted out “That…that was for once again getting behind the walls I built to keep you away” you grabbed the collar of his shirt then, hauling him back to you again. He went willingly, too dumbfounded to put up a fight. You pulled him down to meet your lips again prior to pushing him back, still holding his collar.
“And that…that was for making me want to try again” he gently lowered down your hands, keeping them in his. You rested your head off his chest, he dropped your hands and draped his arms over you, pulling you in. You both stood there for a long time in the glow of the street lights above you.
“Fangs owes me 100$”
“Why?” you laughed into him, reaching for his hand and pulling him into a walk again, not really sure what direction you were heading in.
“He said I'd never wear you down again, bet 100$ two years ago when we started being friends again”
Synopsis: Following the death of his best friend, Sweet Pea finds the emotional toll a lot to bear even a year following Fangs death.
A/N: This is kinda a sad fic, gets a bit fluffy after getting a bit shouty.
----------------------------------------------
The unmistakable sound of a bottle opener cracking against its latest victim, a bottle of golden liquor. Sweet Pea took a drag of his freshly opened drink and sat in the darkness of home, the tv attempting to illuminate the tin shell. His head could only just be torn from the tv set as you stumbled in the door, groceries in hand, diner uniform begging to be swapped for pjs.
“Hey honey” Sweet Pea replied with a lowly grunt and took another sip, returning his eyes to the screen. You rolled your eyes and then went onto to unpack the groceries before a large manila envelope caught your eye.
“Pea…” you took it in your hands and walked to Sweet Peas side after flicking on a main light
“Mhm” you stepping in front of him in a bid to get his attention only to have him tilt to see around you. You reached down beside him, taking the remote and switched off the buzzing screen.
“Hey!”
“Hey yourself!” you smacked the envelope into his chest and his face immediately dropped.
“Ohhh I was supp-osed to mail this wasn't I?” you huffed loudly before stomping off and slamming your bedroom door. Sweet Pea took a few misguided steps, putting his two hands on the doorframe to steady himself.
“I'm sorry I forgot” the door flew open in front of his face and you found yourself squaring up to the tipsy Serpent.
“You're sorry? YOU’RE SORRY?! THATS MY COLLEGE FEE! I COULD LITERALLY BE THROWN OUT OF COLLEGE BECAUSE YOU FORGOT”
“WELL I DI-DNT MEAN T-O FORGET!” you pulled your face further from his at the smell of liquor tainting his breath. You found yourself slamming the door again.
“YN! Ope-n the door, I forgot, I'll do it tomorr-ow”
“You said that yesterday!” You called from the other side. You curled up at the end of the bed, hugging your knees to your chin.
“YNN, I'll g-o do it no-w” he attempted, turning on his heels and stumbling toward the envelope. You unlatched the door, easily overtaking him and retrieving the envelope first.
“Don't bother. I'll do it myself, I do everything else”
“YN, you know the pa-st year has bee-n hard for me” he glanced to his feet and back again, to find your face softening.
“Sweet Pea. I know it's not been easy. No one has found losing….losing Fangs easy to deal with-” he looked away from you again, unable to cope with the words and your eyes. Sweet Pea reached back for the bottle he had opened only to have you snatch it from him again.
“Hey!”
“Sweet Pea, enough. You've had enough. Fangs wouldn't want you wasting here,a fucking shell of someone who was once great”
“You don't understand” Sweet Pea bit out, his tone taking a completely different turn, his face souring. The past year had been hard on both of you. You had bounced back as much as you could, if only so the both of you could survive. You helped Sweet Pea as best as you could but often you felt you were fighting a losing the battle.
“I understand Sweets” you tried to pull him back to softness, unable to. You could feel your heart almost leap from your chest as he suddenly caught the mud coloured bottle from you and sent it flying into the living room wall behind you.
“NO Y-OU DON-T” you flinched at both his action and his volume. Shock painted across his face at his own actions as pain decorated yours. You turned quickly, clutching the evenlope, reaching for your jacket and heading back towards the door.
“Get help Sweet Pea, I can't do it anymore” for a final time that night you slammed a door between the both of you. Enough was enough, you needed space from it. Sweet Pea threw himself back down on the sofa, cracking open the lid of a new bottle, bringing the opening to his mouth. He sighed into it, looking around the empty trailer, his eyes landing on the shards of glass. He couldn't believe he'd done that, that was so unlike him. He felt he didn't know himself in that moment and was unsure if he could find his way back to who he was again. Unsteady, he rose again from his seat, stalking over to the coat hanger and draping on his leather jacket. He needed a change of scenery, drunkenly lacing on his shoes and heading out in the direction you had just left.
Cool liquid swirled around the soles of his shoes, the puddles finally breaking down the worn walls of torn sneakers. He kept his pace even and eyes on the flooded path ahead as the rain and night encapsulated his entire figure. The fresh water rain whirled into the salty drops falling from his world-weary eyes and were almost immediately swept back away with a battered hand. A chill coarsed down his spine with bitter revenge, the sensation of multiple sets of eyes sank into his back. Sweet Pea let the next 10 minutes happen, too tired from his fight with you to fight off the Ghoulies earning their stripes, he let them tear him down as if only so his outside appearance could attempt to match the raging storm inside.
~
Air laboured its way through Sweet Peas lungs as the smell of clean cotton woke him from his heavy sleep. His blurred vision attempted to take in the sterile light of his environment. Every inch of his body screamed at his gentle movement, placing a heavy hand to a swollen right eye.
“oh my god my head” he rasped out, the beeping of various machines competing with the volume of his heart beating.
“Take it easy Sweets” you guided his hand gently back down to his side, holding it in yours to trace small circles around the IV insertion site.
“YN” he breathed quietly out, closing his eyes gently again.
“YN!” Sweet Pea attempted to jolt forward, his aching bones bringing that movement to a swift and painful halt.
“Shhh Sweets it's okay, I'm here for you”
“What happened?” Sweet Pea brought his other hand to hold his throat, the scratching vocal cords burning from his side of the conversation.
“You're in the hospital. Last week….they jumped you…Ghoulies…..I shouldn't have left you alone that night” betraying tears fell from your eyes, landing on the crystal white cotton sheets as you sat on the edge of his bed.
“I threw…I threw something at you YNN” his own tears falling now, only to be brushed away gently by the back of your free hand.
“YN, I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry, I can't believe I did that” Sweet Pea pleaded and began to once again attempt to sit up, only to have you beckon him to stay put.
“It's okay Sweets, this has been a hard year”
“That's not good enough YN, I'm in a bad place. I want to feel like myself again. I want to be better, I'm going to get better” a small saddened smile found its way across your face as you leaned down and kissed his cheek forgivingly. He meant it, he'd try, he'd try to be better and you'd help him.
“Sweet Pea when I got that phone call about what happened you….I really thought you were gone” you fought back the sob, pressure building in your throat.
“YN, I will never leave you….besides I have a letter I have to mail” you gently nudged his chest as his soft laugh. Sweet Pea did get better from there, of course he had his moments but never again a moment like that night. Never again was all hope lost. Never again did he forget to mail your letters
“Not a chance Kevin” you laughed, pulling your jumper closer into your neck, trying to cover what Sweet Pea left you with three nights earlier. Archie wrapped an arm around your shoulder as he pulled you through the corridor Monday morning.
“Kiss and tell YN, we'll keep your secret safe” you could only roll your eyes at him, knowing that would never happen. You didn't want to tell them what happened between Sweet Pea and you, you didn't really even understand it enough to explain. The only thing you understood was it made Jughead insanely uncomfortable and that alone made you insanely happy.
Sweet Pea POV
Jones and I didn't really speak after he stormed out of my trailer on Saturday morning. Man I wish I got a picture of his face at the sight of YN. Priceless.
We all sauntered up the school hallway, Jughead keeping his distance from me. I met her eyes midway through laughing at whatever her friends said as I passed. I didn't look for long, afraid if I did I'd have no choice but to pin her to the locker and finish what we started. I don't like seeing Archie hang off her, that should be my arm. I shook my head. I'm being crazy, it was a moment, these things happen. Won't happen again.
-
I swear it was like she was avoiding me after that. I didn't see her in the halls, I didn't see her class or after school for the rest of the week. I sat on my sofa thinking about what happened in this trailer a week earlier. What gives? A knock to the trailer door snapped me out of it.
“YN?”
“Are you alone?”
“Yeah wh-” she then pressed her hands into my chest, pushing me deeper into the trailer, catching and closing the front door with her foot. She pulled her shirt from over her head and stood in front of me in her bra and jeans. What is happening? What is happening?
“What is happening?”
“Fancy some stress relief Sweet Pea?” Oh hell yeah.
3rd person
Sweet Peas hands went straight to your hips, the feeling of small calluses meeting your soft sides sent pulses down you both. He met your neck, the same place he had a week ago as his hands moved to cup your backside, lifting you from the floor to wrap your legs around his waist.
“Why can't I keep away from you?” You breathed, the hairs on Sweet Peas neck standing on their end.
“Why does that make me so happy?” Was all he could manage before reconnecting to your neck.
Sweet Pea carried you into his room before throwing you onto the bed. You knotted your fingers through his hair and forced down the moan trying to escape at the pleasure of having him nip you. You tugged his hair until he pulled from you to face you.
“Sweet Pea if we kiss…this might become more than what either of us want”
“I want all of you”
Sweet Pea almost cautiously lowered his mouth to yours until they met again. Much like the first time electricity coursed through both of you but unlike the last time, neither pulled away, only growing hungrier.
You could feel him hardening against your thigh, no longer able to fight the little victory you were going to give him, you moaned gently. He smirked hard into the kiss before it became more feverish. Your hand ran across him beneath the fabric of his jeans, his turn to groan.
You both began to rip the clothes from one another until you wrapped your legs around him to pulling him in closer. You both wanted every inch of skin to touch. His hand went from your chest, slowly sliding down to your inner thigh, teasingly.
Your fingers began dragging up and down his bare back before digging into his shoulders at the feeling of him entering you. You both let out a breathless moan at the sensation. You wrapped your legs around his torso at this while he placed his hands on your hips to steady himself. He slowly began dragging in and out before the sensation was too much and he increased his speed, spurred on by your hitching breath. The sensations growing and growing and growing until the band snapped sending you into overdrive as every nerve in your body stood to attention and then exploded. You practically screamed his name making him go over the edge, returning the sentiment by moaning your name. Sweet Pea collapsed on top of you before rolling over and hauling your shaking body to his.
“I had no idea how much I needed to hear you say my name like that YN” Sweet Pea finally found some composure to rasp out. You tried not to cringe in embarrassment as you buried a laugh into his chest.
“Don't get shy on me now YN” he returned the laugh and you smiled, pulling the covers up around the both of you, tangling in your legs.
“YN…I'm never gonna not be in the Serpents”
“I know”
“But I also really like kissing you”
“I know”
“Can both be true at the same time?” You reached up towards him to meet his lips again.
“Are you still a Serpent now Snake brain?”
“....yeah?”
“Well I guess both can be true at the same time”
~
Sweet Pea POV
I loved being with her, even if we were keeping it on the quiet side. I felt like she was starting to understand the Serpents and maybe even appreciate them, even if it was still from afar. She would come and go from my home without notice and I loved every moment she was with me. The only thing I found hard was not screaming to the world she was mine and I was hers even though we decided to just be casual. If spending every moment we could together be called casual that is. Continuing on like we still hated each other in public became a bit of a game and a bit of a turn on. Watching other guys fawn over her though was definitely not.
I filled my locker with books I pretended to read as Jones stood next to me watching the world go by. We had kind of decided silently to forget what he thinks he saw between me and YN three months ago. If only he knew what happened that night had far and beyond escalated passed that.
“Fuck it” was all I heard from Jones before he sprung off the locker and towards YN. In one smooth moment he caught her by the arms as she walked past with Archie and pulled her into kiss him. Kiss him. YN is kissing him. Kissing him. It really felt like every single emotion possible coursed through me. I had no idea what my body was going to do. Was I going to vomit? Was I going to faint? No. I was having an out of body experience as I stood, walked over, caught Jones by the shoulders and flung him backwards with what strength my shocked state had and flew him into the locker I had just left. It felt like slow motion and then, it felt like motion sickness.
“Sweet Pea!” Was she shouting at me? I really felt like the earth wasn't under me and then it wasn't. Jones jumped from the ground and straight into me. If I wasn't in a daze he wouldn't have taken me off the ground but it felt like I was out at sea. We rolled around the floor, I dodge his hands and tried to push him off me. I didn't fight back, not even when he clipped my jaw, I probably deserve what's happening. YN was shouting at the two of us until Archie and Fangs hauled Jones from me, cursing out loud. Fangs might kill him for me. I sat up from the ground, the whole hallway's eyes on me and my bleeding lip. I found my sea legs take me running from the scene and out into the car park, YN hot on my heels.
“What the hell Sweet Pea?! That wasn't very casual!” I heard her shout from behind me, her voice echoing off the empty car park.
“What if I don't want to be casual anymore YN?! What if I never wanted to be?!” I could see this caught her off guard. I was finally thinking out loud.
“Finally, you were getting hard to read” was all she said with laugh before rushing to me, wrapping her arms around me and kissing me. Electricity returned. The ground beneath my feet returned to a solid state. We parted smiling, over her shoulder I saw our friends at the school entrance. Not a single face without shock or surprise. I couldn't care less.
“I guess I'm not the only attack dog in the relationship” she smiled, wiping the blood from my lip. Relationship, this was a relationship
A/N: I really like this part, finally some contact going on hehehe
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Sweet Pea POV
“Sweeeeeeet peaaaaaaa, moove overrrr I'm coming in-'' he slurred and stumbled past. What the hell is going on? He crashed onto my makeshift bed and stretched.
“-I amm having a sleeeeeep over here, the Seniors haveeen comman-commaannnder-commandereeed fuck it, they took my housee” I looked out the front door and watched some very drunk, very big men crowd into his trailer and close it. I went to object to him but he was already passed out on my sofa.
“Sweet Pea what's going on?” YN said smaly from my room. I quietly rushed to her and into my room.
“Jones kinda stole my digs after the seniors took his….do you mind if I stay in here?”
“I mean it's your room sooo I can just make my way home”
“No no stay, I don't know who's still around outside and besides it's freezing” there was little to no space between the two of us. It was difficult to fight my urge to lean into her. I forced myself to take a step back from her, taking a pillow from the bed and throwing it on the floor.
“Just sleep in the bed with me Snake Brain, your old man back will break sleeping on the floor” she shuffled back to the bed and slipped under the covers on my side of the bed. My side. I slid in next to her trying not to completely freak out that I was legitimately sleeping with the enemy. Both our eyes were locked onto the ceiling. I should really paint up there.
“What happened with you and Jughead earlier?” I couldn't help myself, I had to say something to take the weird tension away from between us.
“He told me I abandoned him and it was my fault he had to join you guys” she exhaled the words out. Fault? As if we're the worst thing in the world to happen to anyone. I have all the right to kick his ass from my sofa.
“Just leave him sleep Sweet Pea, you won't get anything out of him now” was she inside my head? I moved gently in the bed at this thought.
“You're not exactly hard for me to read Sweet Pea, relax” she laughed a little but I didn't relax. How was I so easy to read? No one has ever said that before. She rolled onto her side to face me, hands tucked up under the side of her face.
“What else did he say?”
“That I should have fought harder to come home sooner….that I might have been able to save him from you guys…basically it's my fault I'm upset” save him from us? Save him from us?! I went to move from the bed, I was gonna kick him out I don't care. I was stopped by the feeling of YNs hand wrap into mine beneath the sheets.
“Just leave it Sweet Pea, defend your honour tomorrow after you sleep-” she yawned out.
“-besides it'll be a lot more fun to shout at him when he's fighting his hangover” she gave a mischievous smile as her eyes gently closed. She's still holding my hand….I'm still holding hers….why are we still holding hands and why don't I want to let go?
I laid awake for half an hour staring at the peeling paint of the roof. The pain in my shoulder growing from my unmoving hand was getting hard to ignore as YN slept peacefully next to me. Caught between my dying nerves and the dying want to not let go I quickly rolled towards her, releasing her hand and catching it with my other. I misjudged the distance between us and clocked her straight into the head with my own as I did. She dropped my hand to place it on her forehead. Damn it.
“You're such a freak” she laughed, rubbing her forehead and then rolled in closer to me, draping an arm across my waist and gently pulling herself into me, resting her head between the pillow and my chest. Great. This is great. This is also very confusing. Again, it was like she read my thoughts, even half asleep and she sat up, leaning on an elbow to look at me.
“Sorry I… I don't know why I did that”
“It's okay YN…it was actually comfortable…I'm okay with it if you're okay with it” she gave me a smile I never wanted to see leave her. She has to know that that was difficult for me to admit. She rolled to face out towards the wall and for a moment I thought Id left myself be vulnerable to the wrong person, that she'd laugh and reject me, call me the silly snake brain I was and leave. But no. She didn't. She instead shuffled down into the bed and laid her back flat against my chest. I cautiously moved my arm to cross her waist and she caught hold of it to move it faster and then held it there with her own. Am I asleep? Is this a dream? Am I being punked?
I nestled my chin against the top of her head, pulling her closer into me, tangling our legs. So close to me…..oh shit too close she's too close. I shuffled a little to try to hide the part of me that was betraying any sense of secrecy I had about my changing feelings to YN. She just moved back to where she was, no hiding from her. I could almost feel her whole body smirking as she gently rubbed little circles with her thumb on the back of my hand. Damn it she's winning.
“You're not…hard to read Sweet Pea” yup, she's definitely smirking at me. I tried to push the embarrassment out of my voice before speaking. She's not gonna win this one.
“Well I hardly think that's surprising, I already told you what I think needs to happen for you to relax” I barely whispered, it was her body's turn to…stiffen in the bed alongside me. Point Sweet Pea. I slowly moved my mouth to hover above her neck. We were both so still, I could almost see the hairs on her neck stand on their end. My lips met her neck almost painfully gently. I began to kiss her there until she rolled her head back slightly to allow me more access. I then started to nip her neck, sucking gently as I went. Her own body betrayed her then as she gave a small moan of approval. Point Sweet Pea.
She didn't let my point advantage last very long as she began to push herself into my growing length, a low growl escaping me before I reburied myself in her neck, more feverishly this time. Her hand wrapped tighter around mine on her chest as she grinded into me, encouraging me on. Electric, I was being electrified by her. She rolled more on to her back and I was hovering above her. I didn't really think then, I just leaned down and met her lips with mine. Truly electric. I'm kissing YN. This went further than I thought it would. This is going to go further than I thought it was. She must have had the same thought separating from me. Sex is one thing, kissing someone like that and feeling how we did while kissing during sex is another thing.
“I…didn't mean to….I shouldn't have…” I didn't know what I was saying, almost begging her with my eyes to say anything.
“I-” she was cut off by the sound of Jones sneezing from the sitting room, causing us both to jump. I had completely forgotten he was out there. We were about to…I don't know what we were about to do but we were gonna do it with him out there.
“Night Sweet Pea” was all YN said, rolling away from me again to face the wall, this time not taking my arm with her. Fuck.
I didn't sleep for the rest of the night, the thought of what could have been controlling me. I don't think she was asleep either but I didn't challenge her on it. Fuck.
I got up and got dressed, heading into the kitchen for coffee as the sun hit the inside of the trailer. Jones sat up extremely groggily and groaning. Karma.
“Morning” I smiled at him, only getting a huff in return.
“Sweet Pea I'm gonna go before Jughead wa-” YN whispered as she entered the living area. Not quiet enough. Jones' head shot to hers then to mine and back again. If he wasn't green before he certainly was now. I didn't know what to think or where to look. Karma? YN just looked down briefly at her feet, surely just trying to take any break from his giant eyes. Then she looked back, directly at him.
“Morning Jughead, I gotta say, I kinda get the Serpent thing” she beamed. Oh she's evil, she's really really evil, she would make a great Serpent. She then practically bounced out of the trailer, leaving me back to face the brunt of his darkened eyes. Point YN.
Jones chickened out and didn't talk to her that day. I chickened out and hid from her for most of the week. I think being honest with her frightened me more than I thought. I let her see a weakness, even if she could probably guess it before I said anything.
I laid out on my couch in my trailer that Friday night, mulling it over. I ran my palms down my face hard, trying to wipe away the cringe I felt about what I said to her before the Serpent thing.
“I'll be fine Arch, talk to you later” the sound of YNs voice in the trailer park sent me upright immediately. I peaked out behind the curtain into the clearing of the park to watch yn hang up her phone and head towards Jones’. What the fuck? She can't be here. I watched as she knocked gently on his door, almost immediately it was opened and he gestured her in.
I waited a few moments before weighing up my thoughts. I don't care, I don't care, I don't care. But what's going on in there? Maybe I do care?
My thoughts were interrupted at the sight of the leader YN had punched into the face last week strolling through the park with some of his confidants. Oh shit. He took out a list, no doubt with our names on it before heading to the trailer closest to the exit, 5 up from Jones. I then saw YN come darting out of his trailer. Was she crying? Oh shit. She slammed the door behind her and tried to collect herself.
I shot up and out of the trailer as I watched the group of Serpents move to the next trailer up and knock on the door. Without really thinking, I ran out across the centre of the park and straight into YNs side, taking her clean off the ground and up and over onto my shoulder. She screamed as I bolted around the back of Jones' trailer and into the wooded area.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” She half shouted after I dropped her to the ground but before I clasped my hand over her mouth. She pushed it away.
“Shh YN, we have to get back to my trailer-”
“-Im not going anywhere with you you freak!” Her eyes were burning red, she was definitely crying but my attack on her had seemed to chase away the tears.
“Your best friends are at the entrance of the park, I'm sure it's just rent they're here for but we gotta get you away from where he might see you” I tried to hide the desperation in my eyes but she saw right through it. She seemed to soften slightly, weighing up her options.
“Or you can go back to Jugheads?” She scoffed at this. As if on que Jones came out of his trailer and called for YN.
“He must have heard you screaming your head off” I rolled my eyes.
“Its not my fault a giant wall crashed into me” she bit. I caught her forearm and crouched down. I waited for Jones to walk towards the entrance. The others must be at least one trailer up by now. Very quickly I ran the both of us across the centre of the park again before YN could object. The sinking sun helped to cover us as we barrelled into my house, I released her arm quickly almost flinging her across the width of the trailer in doing so. I quickly glanced out the closed curtain and saw Jones talking to the Serpents. Phew.
“You're so annoying” my head whipped around to hers in shock.
“I save you, for a second time might I add, and I'm the problem?” I watched her shuffle from foot to foot, crossing her arms over her chest. Oh really she's doubling down on this? I went to speak again but the sound of a fist off metal of door caused us both to jump. I caught YNs arm again and dragged her into my bedroom.
“Stay in here and stay quiet” I closed the door on her before she could object.
“Hello everyone, here for the rent?” I tried to be as relaxed as possible opening the door to my fellow Serpents, rent envelope in hand. They nodded before taking the slip.
“We're having a birthday barbeque outside if you want to join SP” I watched him gesture towards other Serpents as they began to set up. Oh shit.
“Ehhh I'm actually not feeling the best, all that Northside air I've been getting but maybe next time” I went to close the door quickly but a boot landed between it and the frame.
“Okay SP, but don't let that shiny new school make you forget where you came from” I nodded to him slowly as he removed his foot and turned back to the group.
As soon as I had the front door closed, YN had my bedroom door open. Oh shit I hope it was clean in there.
“Do they not sell vacuums on the Southside?”
“Oh my god do you ever take a break from the attack?”
“Says the man that just grabbed me off the side of the road!” she moved towards me, an angry tone building in her. Oh she's not gonna wanna shout at me that's for sure.
“Maybe you'd find it easier to fit back in here if you weren't such a bitch all the time” I looked from her to back outside, yup they're gonna be camped out there eating and drinking for all hours. I sighed looking back to a silent YN who just had her eyes fixed on me, jaw clenched.
“I….that didn't come out how I meant it to?” I tried to salvage the situation as I saw her begin to shake gently, clearly fighting back tears that got away earlier.
“No you meant what you said you were just being-”
“-Harsh” I sat down on the sofa again, cutting her off and gestured for her to do the same. She stayed stood.
“I was going to say honest….I should probably go”
“Id say you're stuck here for the night, they're settling in outside for a long one, Jones too and as much as Id love to see the panic in his face at you leaving my trailer late at night, it's not worth the others maybe recognising you” I gave a half smile. It would be pretty funny to watch Jones try to understand her leaving here. She looked around the space, I suddenly felt very self conscious.
“Look it's up to you, I'm just gonna be watching TV and trying not to be tempted outside by all the fun”
“So you'd stay in here with me instead of going out to your family?” I buried the smile that tried to grow on my face. She finally understanding what the Serpents were to me.
“Yeah but mostly I don't want you rooting through all my stuff” a smile returned to her face, the anger drifting away. She finally nodded, before pulling out her phone to text her mom, probably. It's so weird having parents like that who'd want to know where you're sleeping on a Friday night. I flicked on the tv and patted the seat next to me for her to join, the whole time I could see the cogs turning in her mind. The noise outside began to grow as I'm sure more Serpents came to play.
We channel surfed for an hour or two in silence and eventually landed on some cooking show. I fought the sleep off as best I could before it finally took me with it.
I woke some time later to the sound of very drunk Serpents absolutely mangling a rendition of Look What You Made Me Do by Taylor Swift. I blinked the dark trailer into focus, feeling a weight into my shoulder. I glanced down to find YN asleep against me. Clearly the antics took her energy from her too. I allowed myself to smile at her, only because there was no one else around to corroborate that I did. The sound of a glass bottle smashing off the side of the trailer jolted YN awake and she gently fell back against me, still dozing. She then shot forward as if she remembered where she was and was horrified by it.
“Sorry sorry I fell asleep” she rubbed her eyes while trying to play it off. I missed the warmth alongside me.
“It's okay we just dozed off” another bottle was flung onto the side of the trailer causing us both to jump.
“You sleep in my room, I'll sleep out here, I'll get you a shirt or something to sleep in hang on” I stood on weary legs before directing YN to my bedroom and rifling around in the drawers for something clean. I tossed her an old band tee before leaving her to get changed, arranging a makeshift bed on my sofa.
“Night Sweet Pea….thanks for letting me stay” I caught a glimpse of her in the doorway before she closed me off. I wish she'd only wear my shirts for the rest of our days. I shook the thought from my head and stretched against the sofa as I rolled in. The shouting and singing growing from outside.
I drifted off for about an hour or so, I was woken up hammering on the front door as 2am reared its head.
“Jones?” I squinted an eye and tried to wake my voice.
Hey wait up Brass Knuckles” Sweet Pea easily reached you in a light jog. You gritted your teeth to push down the pain of the spasm in your leg at the end of its contractions. You pulled your hood up before returning an arm to your thigh.Â
“So I'm not even gonna get a thank you Princess?” You stopped dead, if even to just give your leg a break from your weight.Â
“What do you want a fucking medal?” you shot.Â
“Listen, from where I'm stood, you need me a lot than I need you right now, so you wanna maybe try another tone? Let me help you home” You just rolled your eyes at him and began to limp along again. Sweet Pea went to put an arm around you to support your weight only to be met with the palms of your hands into his chest pushing him away.Â
“Do. Not. Touch. Me.” You snapped.Â
“Okay fine, hobble along, maybe I should go back and tell them where you've gone to or who you are?” You stopped again, your leg sending a shot of warning pain down to your toes. You exhaled loudly before stretching out an arm allowing Sweet Pea to pass beneath it and support your weight with his shoulders.Â
“What are you even doing out this far this late?” He didn't leave the silence between you stay that long.Â
“Trying to sort through my thoughts”
“Yes I hear punching the leaders of gangs is very good for that” you glanced worriedly at him.Â
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean what I said, or is that rain jacket cutting the blood flow to your ears” he threw your early words back at you.Â
“I didn't know that's who he was, a weird man grabbed me, it was instinct”
“It's a real shame you hate Serpents so much, that was a very Serpent thing to do” you scoffed at him.Â
“Why'd you even help me anyways?”Â
“I was in between shifts selling drugs to children” he gave a small laugh and you fought away a smile. You both carried on along the road for awhile without speaking.
“This changes nothing”
“Whatever you say Princess”
“Stop calling me that”Â
“Fine, I'll go back to attack dog, seems more fitting now anyways” you didn't care about the pain in your leg, you snatched your arm back from over him and tucked it into your side. Your surroundings started to become more familiar to you as you got closer to the Northside once again. Sweet Pea slowed behind you and you turned, surprised he didn't badger you about not letting him help.
“What?”
“Nothing I just… I just don't like being over there without my friends” Sweet Pea nodded in the direction of where you grew up and you couldn't help but laugh.
“Afraid of the little Northsiders? Very surprising” you teased but he didn't quip back.Â
“If anyone asks, you weren't on the Southside alone, I wasn't on the Northside alone, everyone stayed where they're supposed to” you nodded in agreement, happy to forget this night. Your cadence evened as your leg finally relaxed after being electrified.Â
“Well….I got it from here, thanks I guess”
“Wow who knew Northsiders had manners?”
“Who knew Serpents even knew the word manners?” He scoffed at you before gesturing for you to keep walking without him.
-
Sweet Pea POVÂ
Monday morning came around, the junior Serpents were alive with discussions of last Friday night.
“I heard a Ghoulie girl came up and clocked him”
“I heard it was a girl from New York”
“I heard it was his long lost daughter” I buried a smile at my friends and their theories. Thank god no one got a good look at her. Why do I even care? She's so nasty to us. It kept me awake all night. Why did I help her? Why am I still thinking about it? I looked out from my locker to ask Jughead a question to find him staring longingly at YN. I tried not to roll my eyes. Our friends lost in their theories.
“What's up Jones?”Â
“Nothing”
“Nah, you're looking at your attack dog more like she's a cuddly Pomeranian” I closed the locker and leaned on it alongside him.Â
“She's not like that normally, she just has a lot on her plate”Â
“And do you also wanna be on that plate?” Couldn't help myself, he pushed me sideways along the locker smiling.
“Maybe I did once but the way she looks at me now….she hates me”
“No no, she looks at me like she hates me, she looks at you like she's trying to figure out her next move with you. Just give her the time and space to figure it out” his head shot in my direction.
“And you know this because why? You look at her a lot?” If I was being honest I did find my eyes on YN a lot, every class we shared, she was more interesting that whatever the teachers were droning on about.Â
“No no, just an observation I made, part of my job to be….. observant” he looked at me like he didn't believe me. I didn't believe me. Lucky for me he didn't speak whatever he was thinking. I took a stolen glance at YN laughing down the hall with her friends. I wish I could make her laugh like that.Â
“Right I've had enough, I'm gonna talk to her today, I can't keep going on pretending I don't miss her”Â
“Careful Jones, that's not very Serpent of you”
“Yeah…but maybe I don't want to be a Ser-” I cut him off, my temper taking me as I caught his shirt.
“Don't finish that sentence unless you mean it. You're either with us or against us” our friends stopped gossiping and stared at us. I released my grip before pushing off the locker and heading down the hall. I don't like when people use me and my friends. Was he just using us until he got back to here? I met YNs eyes, she saw everything. Good job Sweet Pea I'm sure that'll help the situation.Â
-
I sat on the end of bleachers of the football pitch during lunch, the only place I could have a cigarette without a teacher freaking out at me.Â
“Yanno that'll kill you?” I turned to find YN sat a little distance from me.Â
“Funny, Jones said the same thing about you to me” I hear her give a half-suppressed laugh at me. Not quite the hearty laugh I heard from her this morning but I'll take what I can get.
“What was that with Jughead this morning? Tell him what happened with us on Friday?”Â
“Us? Oh no no Princess, you get all the credit for your right hook, all the blame too” I crushed the cigarette into the bleacher before chewing on some gum.Â
“You know what I meant” she kept her gaze on the field of football players doing their lunch time training as she spoke.Â
“Don't worry I didn't say anything. I was just giving him advice on what you need-”
“-And how the hell would you know what I need!”
“Well I think you need a good fuck cause that's the only thing I think that'll get you to stop being so up tight-” her head shot to me, no longer concerned with who saw us talking.
“-but I settled for the old reliable give her time and space” I watched her chest release the full capacity of air from her lungs before taking another deep breath. She shuffled slightly before zipping up her sweatshirt. Oh shit I was just staring at her chest.
“I didn't…I didn't mean that I want to be the one to….fuck you…I meant …” I didn't know what I meant so I shut myself up and waited for the bleachers to swallow me whole. She scoffed before returning her eyes to the field, watching Archie passing the ball around.Â
“I'm not normally like this, I'm just finding it hard to find my feet back here again. So much change here and when I was out moving house every few months the only thing that kept me sane was knowing this place would stay my constant. Now that's changed too” her head dropped down slightly with her lowered tone.Â
“I umm I don't know why I just told you that”
“The Serpents are my constant, I know you don't like us but they were the only ones to care about me growing up. I don't like when that's disrespected, that's what the thing with Jughead and I was about this morning”Â
“Careful there snake brain, your human side is showing” I grinned at her comment. The lunch bell rang out across the school, sending YN and me our separate ways for the day, the whole interaction not leaving my thoughts for the rest of the week
Synopsis: You return to Riverdale to find your best friend Jughead has joined a gang he said he never would. A certain member of said gang takes an interest in you in return
A/N: This was a draft from years ago. It's set when the Serpents join Riverdale high (a throwback) but also somehow their senior year....
This is very long, apologies.
Pt. 2Â Pt. 3Â Pt. 4Â Pt. 5
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You piled your books into your locker, the Monday dew still cascading the halls. Groggily going about your business but happy to be finally back in Riverdale High. You had moved back on Friday night with your family and had already seen most of your friends that same night. After moving around so much with both your parents in the army it was nice to finally replant your roots.
“Ah yn, how I have missed you standing there" Archie threw himself against the locker smiling.
“I missed you too Archiedoodles, do you think we can go see Jughead today?” Archie had decided to keep you away from Jughead for as long as possible, he didn't quite think you'd want to see who had become.Â
“Emm I don't know, he's kinda busy lately”Â
“Too busy for me...did you hear that?” It was like a scene from a film. The banging of the hallway doors and entered the Serpents, their new school. You and Archie looked to see the swarm before Archie could see who was leading them.
“Oh hey YN look at this locker door” he turned you against the lockers by the shoulders.
“Archie what the hell” you laughed pushing against him to turn and see Jughead striding past youÂ
“Juggy!”Â
“Yn!?” You ran over to him, interrupting his new hard core image, giving him a giant hug.Â
“What the hell are you doing back?” he smiled greatly shock still colouring him.
“Mom's done with the Army so she moved us back, dad still has a few more years but that's okay, I'm back! What are you doing here Arch said you moved schools?”
“School moved us”
“Us?” It was then you noticed the sward behind him and the leather jackets they wore. You took a step back, all of them eyeing you.
“Oh….umm” Archie joined your side, the group glaring at him harshly.Â
“I thought you said you'd never jo-”
“-uh yn this isn't the place for this conversation” Jughead interrupted you.
“Well then make it the place Jughead” a chorus of oohs from behind him followed.
“Come on yn let's go, you must meet Veronica” Archie wrapped an arm around you breaking the stare off you and Jughead were having.
~
The day flowed on and you avoided Jughead as much as possible, until the final bell rang and he cornered you outside your car.
“Yn we need to talk”
“I'd love to talk to Jughead, let me know when you see him will you?” you opened the car door but he closed it again, almost catching your fingers in it. You sighed loudly at his action.
“Yn it is still same the Jughead-”
“Really?! I remember a Jughead who hated the Serpents and what they did to his dad and how they're basically the reason his family is in two! I remember a Jughead who promised he'd never get caught up in that world! Because you sir, are not him!” you jabbed your finger into his chest.
“Hey Jones you coming?” A tall serpent called from across the carpark.
“Just a second! Yn this shouldn't be a big deal, so I have a family now, it doesn't matter!”
“You have a family now?! What am I then?! And Archie and Betty?! We were your family, your friends….” you looked down at the ground and he looked desperately at you, the tall Serpent called him from the background again before beginning to stride over.Â
“YN, I don't want to have this conversation in front of the Serpents, I have to keep a strong front for them” you rolled your eyes at him as Sweet Pea reached his side. You couldn't help but glare at him and he gave a small laugh.Â
“Jones, who's the attack dog?”
“Listen here Snake Brain-”Â
“YN, leave it!” Jughead cut across you earning another laugh from Sweet Pea, you began to seethe at your old best friends defence of his new family member.Â
“Just call me when you feel like being yourself again” you breathed out the words until your lungs nearly emptied, moving to open the car again to be stopped by Sweet Peas voiceÂ
“i think the snake skin is him Princess-”
“Don't you have some drugs to deal to children or something -” you cut across him this time.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Sweet Pea raised an eyebrow, smile now long gone. Jughead looked between the two of you
“I meant what I said, or is the leather jacket cutting off the blood flow to your ears”
“Listen I don't know you Princess but you're not exactly making a good impression-”
“I don't give a fuck what you think about me, you seem to care a lot about what I think about you though” more Serpents seemed to join around, panic began to rise in Jughead, his attempted to stop Sweet Pea but Sweet Peas voice came harsher.
“You're seriously misguided Princess”Â
“And you're seriously what's wrong with Riverdale” you said through gritted teeth, receiving scoffs from the gathering Serpents but Sweet Pea stated unreadable eyes fixed on you.Â
“Guys just relax, YN I'll call you later” Jughead reached for your arm but you moved took a step back.
“Don't bother”
~Â
For the remainder of the week you avoided Jughead and the rest of them, instead spending time with your friends you missed so much. Catching up with all the chaos that had gone down since you left 3 years ago, and there was a lot. It was nice to feel like a senior around your friends, how it should be. You were shocked that for the most part everyone was understanding of Jughead joining the Serpents, you couldn't really understand it. Jughead continued to try to text or call you until you had enough. You needed a break from it, leaving your phone turned off on your dresser before putting on your runners.Â
You tried to process how you felt as you jogged through Riverdale, trying to remember your old route. You were zoned out of the world as your legs took you from a jog to run, the burn growing from your thighs down to your shins. You had been out for an hour or so now and by the third wrong turn you landed out of your subconsciousness and back to the world in front of you. Lost. How could you forget the town you grew up in. Suddenly you became very aware of the dark night that had closed around you. You looked around for anywhere still open, only a gruby bar was in your sights. They probably had a phone you thought, walking right past the fading sign of the Whyte Wyrm.Â
Upon approach you noticed the large amount of motorbikes outside the door. Then the amount of Serpents jackets and their owners flowing in and out of the bar. Shit you thought. You turned to leave back through the carpark you just walked through and instead crashed directly into an older Serpent and his pint of larger, sending it all over him.Â
“What the fuck?!” He half yelped at the cold hitting his chest. You stuttered apologies as you moved to walk past him. Instead he caught your wrist with bone crushing force. Without realising what you were doing, you sent the heel of your hand straight up and into his nose, contorting it completely. He shouted before releasing you and you moved from his shadow, other Serpents witnessing the incident and gathering quickly. You begged your tired legs to bring you running back to the main road as some began to follow you shouting.Â
Sweet Pea walked around the wall of the car park boarder and was immediately confused by the several Serpents beginning to run towards his direction. You didn't even take notice of him as you ran past, your leg then spasming, sending you my into the pavement. He didn't know where to look. You pulled yourself cursing behind the pillar of the entrance, resting your head again the cement of its support, preparing to get mangled by Serpents.Â
“Sweet Pea!” An older woman shouted his name bringing his attention from you and your attention to him.Â
“Ehh yes Penny?”Â
“Did you see a girl, Y/C/H, this tall or so” the woman made a guestimate of your height with her hand. You held your breath as Sweet Pea fought every instinct to not look down at you.Â
“Emm I did see someonel go over the hedges towards the back there, maybe thats her?”Â
“Great, she just broke one of the Seniors noses, girls dead meat” shock painted Sweet Peas face and he tried not to laugh at the thought. The woman then gave a wave before running off with the others in the direction he sent them. He exhaled loudly, looking at where you once were sat, now empty. Sweet Pea looked quickly to find your shadow hobbling down the road you think you came down. He gave a small laugh, rolled his eyes and began to jog to catch up with you.Â
A/N: In my world Fangs is not dead. I don't know if this makes sense with the canon of the show. it is what it is. Much love.
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Sweet Pea jogged through the streets of the South Side, mind racing about following Josie to New York or not. The 11pm jog a result of another fight about futures between the two. Sweet Peas legs burned as he pushed through, enjoying the pain and believing he deserves it. The rain glowed in the street lights, the centre of the Southside almost deserted, all busy taking advantage of the late night and the cover of rain to get business done.Â
Finally deciding he'd had enough he checked his phone to find a missed call from a private number. Not unusual for a high ranking Serpent he thought, locking the phone again, tucking it into his pocket and beginning to jog again, crashing directly into the door of a taxi.Â
“Fucking hell!” He gripped the top of the window with his hands before placing a hand on his chest. You swung your legs out of the taxi starting to apologise, the words catching in your throat at the sight of him.Â
“Sweet Pea”Â
“YN…YLN”Â
You took the door from his grip closing it behind you, the taxi immediately relocking it's doors and taking off back into the streets. The dying light of the last remaining Southside motel flickering light up both your profiles.Â
“Emm you're looking well Sweets…Sweet Pea” the red flush from his jog was gone from his face growing pale at the sight of a ghost and a nickname not spoken in almost 4 years, back to senior year.Â
“Thank- what are you doing here YN?” tones of confused sadness left Sweet Pea, the anger towards you he felt so many years ago unable to be conjured back at will.Â
“I have business with…it doesn't really matter who. I wasn't expecting to see you, it's only a flying visit”
“I suppose you're good at that” you looked away briefly to shield some of the pain of that dig before looking back, exhaling and trying to nodd to him. The rain had began to soak you both down to your skin but neither of you moved.
“I…I'm sorry about how we left…how I left it…I know that's not enough… I don't know how to fix it” it came out of you in a jumble.
“If you had an umbrella that might make a start” he half smiled at you easing some tension, used to playing that role in your life. Your phone ringing cut through the air between you.Â
“I have to take this Sweets….Sweet Pea” he nodded in understanding as you swiped to answer the phone while turning from him.Â
“Yeah- Yeah - I'm here now - whatevers necessary - Yeah - For how long?! - But - Yeah fine” you looked back around and found a puddle where Sweet Pea once stood, having run back off into the night.
Sweet Pea POV
After my encounter with the ghost I met with my friends at the Wyrm. I needed a drink...or a bull tranquiliser.
“She what?!” Toni chipped the ball over the side of the pool table in shock as told them of my encounter.
“She tried to apologise”Â
“Ughhhh” Toni took her shot and Jughead watched from the booth, typing away.
The bar was abuzz with talks of yn. She was the name on everybody's lips, a few people even saying I made it up.
“She should just go back to where she came from” Toni growled.
“Isn't she doing that by being here” Toni looked at Fangs like she was trying to explode his head with her mind. Â
“There's no way she'll last the weekend, she'll get wind of all of the gossip about her and bolt” Fangs sunk a ball in the corner pocket.
“Yeah she's good at that” Toni missing a sure bet. It was clear Yn was running laps around her mind, she was in everyone else's.Â
“Do you think she'll go to FPs birthday party”
“I'm not sure fangs, I wouldn't think so” I sunk another ball.Â
“That'd be pretty ballsy” he sunk two
“Yeah but then again that sounds like yn” Toni chipped another ball over the side receiving teasing from fangs and I. She's usually much better than this, she's clearly very bothered.
The ball rolled along the bar floor and stopped dead under the sole of a boot. Yns boot. She stood, hands in her pockets, confidently surveying the bar. You could hear a pin drop, it was like a scene from an old wild Western. She laughed lightly before kicking the ball back in our direction and strutting towards the bar, there wasn't an eye in the house not on her. Fangs mouth hung open, Toni stood straight with pursed lips and a mixture of hate and pain in her eyes. Jughead was the only one to make noise, busily typing away. Yns eyes dragged around the room, staying a little longer on me than anyone else...or maybe I was imagining that. The sound of her boots off the wooden worn floor echoed throughout, she sauntered up the back the stairs, pushing a strand of hair over her shoulder. I hate how i want to be the one to do that again. I hate how she can still command a rooms attention without a word. I hate how i don't hate her. She reached the back office door, looking over her shoulders before ducking inside. The bar buzzed back to life.Â
“How dare she walk in here!!!” Toni was turning red, fangs looked more confused but not as much as Jughead did.
