Lilith chuckles, rubbing his shoulders from where she stands behind the couch, “You know I wouldn’t expect you to sit through a social gathering without some kind of alcohol.”

“Thank god for you,” he tilts his head back so she can kiss him. Her palms squeeze his cheeks and she giggles against his lips, “Yes, you absolute drama queen. Now, let’s go to the store.”

“It’s not enough that I have to agree to having people invade our home, now I have to endure the grocery store too?!” 

She smacks him on the back of the head lightly, “I will pour all of your beer down the sink.”

An hour later, sitting in the meat section, Sweet Pea contemplates how much trouble he’d be in if he just ran home right then. He rests his head on the arm bar of the shopping cart, groaning loud enough for Lilith to hear him.

“You are the biggest baby I’ve ever met in my entire life,” she sighs, tossing another package of bratwurst into the cart. “I’m literally trying to have social interaction like the majority of human existence, and you’re acting like I’m plucking your toenails out one by one.”

“I’d rather you do that,” he sighs, standing back to his full height. He taps his silver rings against the plastic on the cart handle, unable to sit still for even a moment. 

Lilith raises a brow, “Don’t tempt me.”

He gets a mischievous look on his face just then, reaching out to snatch her by her belt loop, “And if it weren’t bad enough, you look hot as hell. Can’t wait to get you back home.”

She’s trying oh-so hard to keep her expression annoyed instead of enamored, but it’s difficult with the darkness settled in his irises. Lilith pats him on the chest, “That’s no way to talk to a lady.”

“You like how I talk to you just fine.” Sweet Pea rolls his eyes and squeezes her backside before she can unravel herself from him. She glares at him over her shoulder before walking back down the aisles.

He doesn’t mind - just means he can keep ogling her ass. 

-

“Why do we have to clean like the Queen of England is coming to visit?” Sweet Pea whines from the bathroom, toilet brush in his hand. Lilith is across the house in the living room, folding the remaining laundry into various baskets.

She’s sighing for like the umpteenth time today, “Because we can’t let them know we exist here, Pea, duh.”

Sweet Pea growls before furiously scrubbing the toilet until it’s clean. He sets the brush down and wipes his forehead with his shirt sleeve, turning to look at Lilith. A gentle smile tugs at his lips as he takes her in - dark, curly hair twisted into some sort of messy, frizzy bun atop her head, his t-shirt encasing her smaller frame, her honeyed skin glinting in the morning sunlight that’s filtering in through the blinds.

Something swells up in his chest and he walks over, squatting beside her as he takes her face between his hands. Her eyes go wide, those purple irises that never cease to amaze him, and her mouth parts to protest, but he claims her lips in a gentle kiss before she can admonish him for distracting her.

A hum passes between their tongues, gentle sounds soft and sweet from their throats. Lilith tucks her hands against his calves, anchoring him to her. He drinks her in like she’s his last breath before parting, eyes still shuddered closed. 

“What was that for?” her voice is slurred with serotonin, steely irises sparkling up at him. 

He tilts his head, “I’m glad the universe brought you to me.”

“Wow,” Lilith squeezes him around the legs, “you’re being rather philosophical this morning. Usually you’re not even awake yet.”

Sweet Pea rolls his eyes, “Don’t ruin this for me.”

She laughs and pushes herself upward to plant a quick kiss to his lips, patting his thighs, “You’re cute when you’re in love with me.”

-

Only their closest friends know how good of a cook Sweet Pea is. Specifically on the grill. Inside the kitchen, Lilith is in her domain. Her mother was a whiz in the kitchen, and she only got it honestly. 

Fangs, Toni, and a few others make their way to the backyard. There’s a patio kitchen area - something Sweet Pea insisted upon when they first started talking about house plans - and that’s where everyone gathers. 

A fire pit is burning just a few feet away, the boys gathered round with beer, talking Serpent business. Lilith curls up on the bench swing with Betty and Jellybean, giggling about some thing or another.

Sweet Pea casts a glance across the yard, eyes falling on her frame. A calm washes over him, and all he can think is: I’m home.

-

“So, was it as horrible as you thought it would be?”

“There was a lot of beer. Made up for the excruciating reality of being known.”

“That’s what I thought.”

-

a/n: AND. SCENE.

for those who don’t know, here’s lilith! 

Sweet Pea reaches out for her, beckoning her closer, “Not gonna dump my ass for a Northsider, are ya?”

She puts the ball in his lap, curling her fingers around his cheeks to tilt his head upward, “You couldn’t get rid of me if you tried, Sweets.”

He smiles, a rare occurrence if she’s not present, and purses his lips to kiss her chastely. A hollering comes from across the court where Reggie makes obscene gestures with his hands. Sweet Pea is stood to his feet before Lilith can grab ahold of him, his steps echoing in the otherwise empty gym.

“You know, if you and your little demon-girl want to make out, you can do it away from the rest of us.” Reggie spins a basketball on his fingertip, smirking across the court at Sweet Pea. He flinches as the Southsider gets too close, fists balled up at his sides.

“Reggie, you son’ve a bitch,” Sweet Pea’s biceps flex with the muscle memory of how to sucker punch. He tilts his head, “You’re lucky I don’t lay you out in front of the whole damn team. I already tripped you up at practice this morning, and in gym, and this is what you think you should do?”

Reg’s dark eyes take in Sweet Pea’s taller frame, packed with dense muscle. He holds his hands up, pouting his full lips, “Hey, Sweets, I just-oh shit!”

Sweet Pea has decked him in the face, shaking his fist from the impact, “Damn, Reg, got a hard head, don’t ‘ya?”

Reggie is reeling, falling backward into the arms of the rest of the basketball team. He seethes through his teeth and surges forward, ready to return the favor, when Lilith steps in between the two of them, palms on either of their chests.

“I swear I’ll give him a good talking to, Reggie,” Lilith looks towards the Northsider, his eye already swelling. “You should go get some ice on that.”

Despite everything telling him to slug Sweet Pea, Reggie turns and walks to the locker room with the other athletes in close tow. Lilith shakes her head, chuckling to herself as she turns to look Sweet Pea in the eye, “You’re a sap.”

“What?” Sweet Pea narrows his eyes, “I-I am not.”

Lilith grabs him by the shirt to yank him down to her level, only to press a kiss to his nose, “You literally just got angry with him because he called you my nickname for you.”

The Southside Serpent blushes just enough for Lilith to know that she’s gotten it right. She pats him on the cheek before releasing him, wrapping an arm around his waist, “Drive me home?”

“Pfft,” Sweet Pea tucks her under his arm, kissing the top of her head, “Like I’d let anyone else do it.”

“I dunno,” Lilith trails off. Her eyes dart in every direction, “Maybe I could ask Reg for a ride home?”

Sweet Pea’s fist curls around her bicep and he starts to grumble and growl, but she squeezes him around the waist with a giggle, “Sweets, babe, calm down. I’m kidding.”

“Damn right. Like Reg could even put up with your smart ass.” Sweet Pea leans down to grab her up, tossing her over his shoulder, a pert slap landing on her backside as he does so. Lilith squeals, holding him around the torso to keep herself steady, “You dick! Put me down!”

He laughs, “Not many Southsiders let their girls call them dicks, sweetheart.”

“I’ll call you anything I like.” Lilith huffs into the fabric of his leather jacket, pouting even though no one can see her. Sweet Pea walks with her strewn over his shoulder through the Northside parking lot until he reaches the spots where all of the Serpents’ motorcycles are set up.

After placing her back on her feet, Sweet Pea pats down her hair and clothes to get her back from her disarray. He rolls his eyes at her facial expression - eyes unable to focus and a bright flush on her cheeks. He’d never admit it aloud, but he loves the innocent fullness of her cheeks and roundness of her eyes. The way her amethyst eyes sparkle when she looks at him makes him sure that he’s doing the right thing most days, when otherwise he’d feel like he were failing.

Lilith pokes her index fingertip into his ribs, glaring as menacingly as she can when she looks like she’s embarrassed, “Listen here - I don’t like-oh.”

Sweet Pea grabs her by the waist and pulls her upward, kissing her square on the mouth. He laughs as he pulls away, leaving her dazed at the sudden action. Pushing her curly locks away from her face, he nods to his bike, “Wyrm first - you got that test tomorrow, right? Can’t have you flunkin’ out on me.”

Her eyes are shining up at him once she shakes out of her stupor, fingers wrapped in the cloth of his flannel. Lilith leans forward to thump her head against his chest, “And here I was, trying to get you home so I could have my way with you.”

A mischievous smile tugs on Sweet Pea’s lips, “Finish that studying and you can have your way with me in the Wyrm’s supply closet. C’mon.”

-

a/n: IT WAS SO BAD. BUT. I’VE GOT TO GET MY TRAINING WHEELS BACK ON SO I CAN FINISH FORBIDDEN FRUIT.