𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓇𝓉𝓎-𝑜𝓃𝑒

"The way you feel when you kiss him for the first time

like fire within your bones

like your soul has returned to water

like every part of you that came from a dead star, came alive again."

- Nikita Gill

+ + + + 

Nellie had never felt more alive than when Sweet Pea had just kissed her. Her skin still tingled from where he had touched her. She carried her heart on her thumping lips. 

One glance to the side told her Sweet Pea was staring at her. She threw her head back, quickly running her fingers through her short hair. Her father had once told her he liked her long black hair because it reminded him of her mother. After her mother's death, she had cut it short. No way back.

"Sweets?" she broke the silence. 

The boy looked up, whilst pushing himself of the counter. He sauntered towards her, taking long strides. 

"What will happen to the Southside?" Nellie innocently asked. Sweet Pea swallowed. He had asked himself the same question over and over again during the protest. If it was unsuccessful, what would be the consequences for his neighborhood? What would happen to the Wyrm once the prison was built?

He placed his hands on his hips, taking a sharp breath.

"I have no idea," he answered honestly. "If the prison comes, everything will change. People will protest. If we're not heard, a lot of Serpents will move away, I am afraid." He said, turning his head away. From the small window he could see the trailers lined up in the park. His home.

"Could any good come off it?" Nellie wondered out loud, guiding his attention back to her. He looked down on her, her big eyes filled with questions.

He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I doubt it." he answered. "The Southside is a special place. It's a refuge for people who don't belong up North. Now, they're going to take that away from us too." 

Nellie looked down, turning away from Sweet Pea's lingering touch. She should tell him. That she was planning on taking her father down. Prevent the prison to even go through. He would appreciate her effort, right? She was going to help him safe the Southside.

"It's all Lodges' fault," Sweet Pea snarled, his voice filled with venom. "That man should've stayed in jail, rot away with all of his devious plans to destroy the Southside." 

When Nellie looked back at him, Sweet Pea was slowly returning to his anger from earlier. The defeat of what had happened today was still fresh. It ached him to see his Serpents being pushed aside by Northsiders. Especially on Southside territory.

Nellie pressed her palm against his cheek, guiding his dark eyes back to hers. Today had been heavy enough, she didn't need to bring up her father now. Sweet Pea wouldn't be able to handle it. 

"We've had a long day," she mumbled, her eyes following her fingers across his skin. "Let's go to bed," she added with a tired smile. 

When she returned from the bedroom wearing one of Bear's T-shirts, Sweet Pea followed her around the trailer with a mere look. She leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom, brushing her teeth while he tossed of his shirt. When he reached for his trousers, her cheeks flushed a bright red and Nellie quickly turned around and headed back into the bathroom.

He heard her spit in the sink and when she returned he noticed her quickly glance in his direction. Her eyes lingered a little too long on his abdomen. A chuckle escaped him at the sight. He stretched out his hand.

"Please stay?" he asked. Nellie figured Sweet Pea was a man of little words but the words he did say were honest and sincere. His words had immediate effect on her. They were welcoming and warm, so different from when he had first laid eyes on her. She hesitated, looking at the door of the bedroom and Sweet Pea's invitation. 

Her mind was reprimanding her, but her body was too tired and too eager for his touch. Scolding herself, she took his hand and followed him on the simple bed in the middle of the trailer. He wrapped his arm around her waist. She placed her head on his chest, listening to the thumping of his heart. 

Sweet Pea quickly dozed off, the adrenaline finally running out. She heard his heartbeat slow down. A light snore came from above her head. 

Nellie smiled against his bare chest. She should've never let it come this far but now that she was here, she didn't want to be anywhere else. She had made things even more complicated, but it felt so good.

When she had arrived in Riverdale, she'd wanted to get money from Hiram Lodge and travel around the U.S. When her money would run out, she'd stay wherever she had ended up and look for a job and a steady life. 

When Hiram had turned her down and she'd witnessed Veronica's confirmation, she had wanted to be recognized by the man. She had wanted to prove her worth to him. She wanted him to recognize her efforts to survive.

When she was done feeling pity for herself, she'd wanted revenge. She needed Hiram Lodge to feel the hurt and loss she had to deal with. Not only since her mother's passing but also since he turned his back on her and his responsibilities. He needed to feel what it was like to lose everything.

When she was laying in Sweet Pea's embrace, she wanted nothing more than to stay with him. She needed the peace she found when he was around. She needed the safety he provided for her. He cared for her and that was something she wasn't used to. 

She didn't open up to people. Poppy knew that. Her best friend from New York had reached out to her for months. Still, Nellie couldn't shake off the feeling that perhaps the girl wouldn't understand what she went through. Sure, she was kind and caring. But Poppy was raised in a loving home, with two brothers and a caring mom and dad. They had a dog, Fritz, and a big house with a garden. 

She lived worlds apart from the abandoned Dahlia and Nellie, living in their one bedroom apartment. 

Sweet Pea didn't. He lived alone with his brother, who was currently in jail. His parents were gone. Sweet Pea stood alone in the same cruel world Nellie found herself in. She needed him.

Without realizing it, she squeezed herself tighter to the tall Serpent. Her mind wandered off to the picture of his family in her bedroom. His parents. She still didn't know why they were absent. She glanced up at the sleeping boy next to her. 

He was always on the edge. Either from an outburst of laughter or a blazing fury. When he slept, he was peaceful as if the beast underneath his skin needed to rest too. He almost seemed innocent, were it not for the dark serpent tattoo on his neck.

She turned away from him, switching sides. She looked at the lone street light illuminating the kitchen and dining area of the trailer. When she'd first entered the small space, never had she imagined to find comfort between the thin walls. 

In his sleep, Sweet Pea wrapped his arm around her, pressing her closer to his stomach. Nellie sucked in a breath, not daring to move. She had never imagined to find peace within the arms of a Serpent, either. 

Finally, Riverdale started to feel like home.