𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝓎

The Angel of Death had once more come to Riverdale. Midge Klump's gruesome murder had gutted the entire town. And in grief brought us together...

- Jughead (2x19)

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"Fucking hell," Sweet Pea hissed as soon as they entered the trailer. His hands ran through his hair, pulling it up in strange spikes. He looked as pale and fragile as Nellie felt. The girl's image haunted her every time she blinked her eyes. 

Sweet Pea looked lost. He couldn't stay still in one place, dashing from the kitchen to the table to the bed. Restless yet exhausted, he took long strides from one spot to another. The sound of his footsteps was the only one in the trailer. 

"Did you know her?" Nellie finally asked, breaking the silence. 

Sweet Pea sighed, running a hand over his face. "She was in a couple of my classes. I didn't speak to her but I knew who she was... Still..." his voice remained stuck in his throat. Now that Nellie was in the safety of their trailer, he allowed himself to think about the gruesome murder they had witnessed tonight. 

Sweet Pea had seen many horrible things. He had inflicted a few himself. The difference was, he couldn't think of any reason Midge Klump deserved to die. As far as he knew, she didn't do anything to meet such a horrible fate. Perhaps she had just been the wrong person at the wrong time at the wrong place. 

Nellie stared in front of her, not really seeing anything. Instead she felt empty and hollow. When she'd been thinking about her father, the girl on stage had been killed in a most painful way. A psychopath couldn't fathom something as ugly as she had witnessed. Even worse, the murderer was still on the loose. 

She looked at Sweet Pea. He looked forlorn, deep in thought. She wondered if he even noticed her when she stood up to meet him. He'd finally decided to sit down on his bed, his forehead resting on his palms as the events of the day took their toll on him. He had been there when she needed him, now she needed to be there for him. 

With a single finger she tilted his chin to meet her gaze. She wasn't prepared for the turmoil of feelings coiling within their depths. Sadness, anger, fear. Everything flashed across his face as if he couldn't decide how to feel. Not knowing what to say, Nellie turned to the sole way of comfort she'd experienced with him. She knew words wouldn't matter. Nothing could be said that would make the events less painful. 

Slowly, she pushed his chin higher, as the movement created a flow in which his arms dropped to the sides. Rising one leg after the other, she straddled him. Her hand traced the tense jawline, gently tucking a strand of dark, nearly black, hair behind one ear. Sweet Pea didn't move. Nellie wasn't even certain he was breathing at all. He just looked at her. 

Her other hand caressed the other side of his face, landing at the base of his neck, where his hair curled around her fingertip. She let her vision roam over his features, admiring every piece of him. A strong jawline, a subtle stubble on tanned skin, a long straight nose, which was remarkable, she thought. She'd expected he had broken it at least once. She ran a finger across one dark, straight eyebrow. A shaky breath escaped Sweet Pea but Nellie continued undisturbed although he grabbed her hips firmly in anticipation. 

Finally she allowed herself to make eye contact. She knew the danger that his eyes held. She would drown in them. Their coiling depths filled with feelings and memories, which Sweet Pea would never elaborate on. She was right. As soon as they locked, her guts twisted at the sight. He looked tired but his eyes were burning. 

Nellie didn't mind as her treacherous body moved closer, her head leaning in and finally their lips connecting. She felt his hands digging on her lips, pressing her closer to him. Her fingers gently pushed aside the soft leather of jacket. He shrugged it carelessly off, not breaking contact with his lips as he shove the jacket somewhere else on the bed. 

Nellie's palm spread over his chest. His racing heartbeat pulsed underneath her fingertips. A groan escaped him, as he pulled her closer. The cold metal of his belt burning the hot skin of her thigh. He toyed with the hem of her dress, restless and impatient but waiting nonetheless. 

He wanted her, he thought, his fingers grazing her thigh. Her hands wound around his shoulders, fingers tracing the muscles on his back until they too reached the edge of his T-shirt. Her cold fingertips grazed the hot skin of his back ever so slightly. 

Sweet Pea pulled away, breathless. He needed a break or his heart would explode, he thought as Nellie's ragged breath fanned over his cheeks. 

Her eyes were closed. He rose his hand to cup her flushed cheek. He swallowed hard, trying to get the desire out of his voice before he spoke. When she opened her eyes and he noticed the lust so clearly displayed in them, he had to look away. 

Today had been such a rush of emotions once more, it was hard not to give in to the thought of being dragged away by one of Nellie's kisses. Instead he let her forehead rest against his, feeling her blood rushing through her veins where his fingers wrapped around her wrist. 

As they caught their breath, the moment of wild desire fled and exhaustion - both physical and emotional - caught up on them. 

A mess of tangled arms and legs, they soon fell asleep, comforted by each others presence. Too tired for thoughts, they drifted off in a dreamless sleep, unaware of underground movements stirring the Southside. 

A killer on the loose.

A rival gang burning with revenge.

A mobster desperate for power.

A daughter desperate for her father's blood.