#mercykilling

Lavender sat in FP’s office, twiddling with the hem of her skirt. She was currently being lectured on breaking the fifth Serpent law by breaking Kitty’s nose the night before at the Whyte Wyrm. She hardly saw how the little dispute was considered betrayal, and she wondered why FP was giving her such a hard time about it.

“Look kid, I know you’ve been through a lot the past two months. I get it. But you don’t welcome a new recruit by breaking a beer bottle across the back of her skull! That is the polar opposite of what you should have been doing!” FP said, his voice raising loud enough for anyone outside the room to hear. Currently that included the dynamic trio of Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni.

“She was sitting in my boyfriend’s lap. Was I supposed to just cheer on her while she proceeded to try and fuck him?” She asked, growing ever more irritated with her leader. He could at least try to understand.

FP stared her down, his gaze hard, “No one knew you two were even dating. Of course she sat in his lap, Shanna, you two were keeping it a secret. Next time maybe don’t be ashamed of your Serpent boyfriend.”

Lavender’s gaze steeled with an angry fire. “I’m not ashamed of him, FP. What I’m ashamed of is how everyone at Riverdale high things I’m a whore. Do you have any idea what they say about me behind my back? Hell, they’ll even say it to my face. I had just ended the relationship with James. If they knew I had bounced right over to Sweet Pea, then the torment would have been relentless. I get it, I shouldn’t have attacked her. And I’m sorry that I did, but if you want to take my jacket over this one little thing, then fine. You never deserved my loyalty in the first place.”

She stood, taking her jacket off and throwing it at him in one motion. “Don’t think for an instant that I don’t know that all this really comes back to you. You ordered my father to burn down the Ghoulies’ drug lab. You ordered him to destroy their stash. They came after me because he was doing his goddamn job, and all of that is on you.”

Not a moment later she turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind her and stomping down the stairs. Her two friends and boyfriend were staring at her, shocked looks across all of their faces. None of them had known anything about what she had just said to him. They knew she was targeted because of something her father had done, but that was the extent of it. They didn’t know the details.

Sweet Pea was the first to move, quickly catching up to her so that she wouldn't be outside alone. James was taken care of for the time being, but what about the three others? Jughead had declared war right in the rapist asshole’s face. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from going any further as it looked like she was not about to stop anytime soon.

“Shanna, stop, you know you can’t be out here alone.” He said, his voice loud but somehow gentle at the same time.

She stopped walking, too embarrassed to even look at him as hot angry tears fell down from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sweet Pea. I guess I’m not a serpent anymore. I understand if you don’t want to be with me.”

He audibly sighed with annoyance as he pulled her into his chest so he could hold her in a close hug. “Listen, you’re still my girlfriend. Even if you are a brat that was hiding things from me.” His hand ran along her spine in an attempt to calm her down and to hopefully help her to stop crying. He still couldn’t handle her tears. “We’re not going to let FP kick you out over some dumbass cat fight, okay?”

Lavender sniffled, her tears stopping as she rested her head against his firm chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you…” She mumbled, thinking he was mad at her when really he wasn’t.

Sweet Pea picked her up suddenly, making her grab onto him in fright. He carried her over to Fang’s truck, setting her down the hood. “I don’t care that you didn’t tell me about your dad. What I care about is that those losers at school are still harassing you and you didn’t tell me.”

She attempted to wipe away the makeup that had smeared down her face thanks to her crying. It wasn’t much use. Luckily she had used waterproof mascara so she didn’t have thick black streaks all down her cheeks. “There’s nothing you can do about it, Pea. It is what it is. They’ll all forget about it eventually…”

He was standing between her legs, hands on her upper thighs. Her eyes flickered down to watch his thumbs rubbing the material of her skirt. “I want to help you.” His voice was soft now and it still seemed so foreign to her when he talked to her in this way.

“There’s not much to do about it now. Everyone is going to know we’re dating and the bulldogs will start with their shit again. Just, try not to get kicked out of school by kicking all of their asses.” She pulled him down for a light kiss in an attempt to prove to him that she would be okay.

“I won’t get kicked out if it’s not during school.” Sweet Pea muttered darkly, making her roll her eyes at him.

“Then you’ll get arrested. Which is worse.” She reprimanded him flatly. “Then who will be around to protect me from the rest of the Ghoulies?”

Sweet Pea grumbled something indiscernible under his breath as Fangs and Toni walked out to join them. Fangs had a familiar leather jacket in his hand. He threw it between the two lovers and it landed on Lavender’s lap, on top of Sweet Pea’s hands.

She noticed how much he was grinning, “You’re not kicked out. You’re just on probation.” He seemed much more happy about this than she did. Lav didn’t just want her jacket back, she also wanted an apology. However, she was almost certain that she’d never get one.

“We should throw a party tonight.” Lavender said, “I have an idea.”

The taller serpent looked skeptical, “an idea for what?”

“To draw the Ghoulies that hurt me out.” She said, and although fear rose high into her throat from the pit of her stomach, she acted completely calm.

Fangs shifted his weight uneasily, “what’s the plan?”

“We’re going to throw a party.” Lavender said, grinning brightly at the three of them.

Much later that night, the young Serpents (minus new recruit and recently injured Kitty Rollins) set up a booming house party in a vacant house on the Northside. The house had once been Lavender’s residence, before her mother sold it and left. The new buyers recently upped and left, as strange things kept happening around the home. Strange things that could all be accounted for scientifically if you knew where to look.

Lavender didn’t much like the fact that her mother sold the house and kicked her to the curb all at once. So she had done everything in her power to make the home unlivable for anyone that decided to move in by unleashing a multitude of clever pranks on the poor homeowners. It should go without saying that she was very pleased to see that they had upped and moved suddenly.

There were two kegs, an assorted liquor bar which Toni was manning for the night, Cheryl as her pretty barmaid,

“What would you like to drink, ma cherie?” Cheryl asked, a smile on her bright red lips.

Lav was paying her minimal attention, “something virgin that looks alcoholic.” She instructed. “I’m playing pretend tonight.”

Cheryl didn’t even bother feeling confused as she took the order to Toni who was already clued into the plan. Lavender was going to pretend to be drunk and act as if she was out alone. In reality Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Jughead would be lying in wait not far from her. And if that failed, she had her father’s switchblade tucked on the inside of her bra.

A few minutes later, Cheryl came back with her drink. It looked like some kind of fruity cocktail, but was really just a blend of fruit juice without the alcohol. “This round is on the house.” She said playfully, sliding the drink over.

“Cher, I am the house.” Lavender said with an amused smile. Cheryl merely winked at her before going to help Toni.

Sweet Pea swooped in a second later, anger already setting onto his features. He had been against this one hundred percent. He didn’t think she should be risking using herself as bait. It was reckless and he felt sick just knowing that she was going to be in danger, even if he would be right there with her to stop it.

“Angry Pea,” Lav said teasingly, “did you do as I asked?”

He motioned for Toni to bring him a beer, needing something to take the edge off. It was that or a cigarette and he’d already chain smoked half a pack less than an hour ago. Not long after a solo cup full of beer from the tapped keg was set in front of him and Sweet Pea chugged it down. Once he was finished he finally answered, “yes. It’s done. The Ghoulies know all about the party. They’ll show up sooner or later. Talon has eyes on the street so he can alert us when they get here.”

Lavender took his face into her hands and forced him down for a kiss. When she pulled away, there was a sour look on her face. “You taste like an ashtray.”

Sweet Pea was not amused. “That’s what you get for making me go through this stupid plan.” He bit back harshly. For a second he thought he saw a hurt look cross her face, but if it had been there then it was gone within a moment.

“It’s not stupid. I only know one other name, Pea. James made it clear that it would be the same ones as before. I’m still a prime target. I’ve got my knife if something happens and I’m not drinking tonight. You saw me take out Kitty the other night. You know I’m not some weak little girl when I’m not caught off-guard.” Her voice was stern now, as she was no longer in the mood for his pettiness. “God, you’re such an Aries.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!” He asked, voice raising at what he perceived was an insult. The purple haired girl merely shook her head at him.

“Forget it, stop making this into a fight. Think of it this way...You’ll get the wreck the other boys that attacked me just like you did James. Did you bring your bat?” She asked, her voice softening in an attempt to douse the flames growing inside of him.

He sighed and motioned towards the back corner of the kitchen. Old reliable was resting there, blood stained and beaten to hell. Lav smiled up at him brightly after she caught sight of it. “There, now stop worrying. You won’t let anything happen to me.”

All Sweet Pea could do was groan before getting a second cup of beer.

Hours later, Jughead got the call from Talon that there was a car with three Ghoulies inside hanging out front of the house. Jughead rounded up the other two boys plus Lav and reminded them of the plan. They would leave around back, hiding in the shadows while Lavender stumbled out front pretending to be drunk. Once everyone was clear of what their roles were, they set off to finish this once and for all.

Lavender was appearing completely calm about this, she knew she had to in order for Sweet Pea to not call the whole thing off. Truly inside she was an anxious mess. There was rage, sure. Did she want revenge? Naturally. But there was still that very much broken part of her that didn’t know if she could really face them again. There was no turning back now. She had to do this. Not just for herself but for Sweet Pea too. If they were ever going to work then they had to stop having to look over their shoulders everywhere they went.

She stumbled outside, tripping down the stone stairs to look as authentic as possible. Her hips moved side to side, swaying as she walked in a strange zigzag pattern. The three guardians hiding all thought that it might be just a little too convincing. However, Sweet Pea had watched over her like a hawk. She hadn’t had a drop of alcohol that night.

By the time she was in front of the next house, three boys exited the dented Chevy sedan that had been lying in weight. They descended upon her at a fast pace, cat calling and whistling. Taunts were thrown that she’d heard all before. The familiarity of it made her freeze, flashbacks whirring through her mind at light speed.

Sweet Pea cursed under his breath. He knew the look on her face all too well. “We need to go, now .” Trusting his judgement, Jughead gave the signal for them to reveal themselves.

Lavender found that she couldn’t move besides the shaking of her hands. It had been dark that night and she had been so intoxicated, but their voices were all so damn familiar. Every last one. There was no doubt in her mind that these three were the same ghouls from two months ago.

Her boyfriend came in swinging, his bat slamming into the back of the tallest Ghoulie’s head with a grotesque thud. Fangs was in a boxing pose, taking jab after jab with knuckles wrapped in brass.

Jughead managed to force her to move backwards and turn away before taking out his switchblade. They enjoyed cutting up defenseless women? Well then he was going to show them exactly what that felt like.

The fight felt like it lasted for hours when really it was over in minutes. Flashing blue and red lights were coming fast over the hill down the street. Sweet Pea scooped Lavender into his arms, throwing her over his shoulder so they could run to safety. Inside, lookouts were telling everyone to scram before the pigs got there.

Lavender lifted her head, and even though Sweet Pea was carrying them down the street in leaps and bounds, she could clearly see the three broken (but breathing) bodies of her assailants. And deep down she knew that justice had been served.

The next few weeks seemed to blur by. Lavender and Sweet Pea settled into a routine. While they seemed attached at the hip most days, there were times when they had to be separate to do jobs for the Serpents. During these times, Lavender usually sought the company of their mutual friends. Though on occasion she did choose to be alone, usually on days which she went to trauma therapy to try and deal with what she had been through, today was not one of those days.

Today she and Jughead were hanging out in the Jones trailer, reminiscing their childhood together as they had been very close friends. Jughead kept looking at his phone, and Lavender was growing more and more curious as to what he was looking at.

Him and Betty had broken up once more. She didn’t know why but figured it was over something petty and that they’d eventually get back together, as always. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to ask. “Is it Betty? Is that who keeps texting you?”

His bright blue eyes shot up to meet hers, looking completely caught off-guard. “No. It’s not Betty...Did you ever know Lily Owens?”

She searched her memory for the name however it came up empty, “no. Why?”

“She’s coming back to Riverdale and…” He paused, obviously not knowing what he should say. “Things are about to get very complicated around here. Just do me a favor because I think something is about to happen that is going to be devastating for you.”

Her heart shuddered at the thought. Could she even handle anything else ‘devastating’ in her life. “What’s the favor?” She asked, her voice quiet.

Jughead kept his gaze connected with hers. “Forgive him. Just please, forgive him.”

A/N: Mercy Killing will be getting a sequel, debuting in the next couple weeks after I've finished all the requests I have in my inbox currently. So while this is the last chapter for MK, there will be more in the series! If you waited a full year for me to update like some of you have, then hopefully this will bring you joy after the ending that I just left you with.

To prepare yourself for the sequel, you might want to read Young Gods by @the-gargoyle-queen​ as it will actually be a sequel to that as well! I know Chels is technically writing a sequel (Lose Sight) but we collectively decided on this as an AU in which Sweet Pea and Lily did not end up together.

Tag List: @the-gargoyle-queen​, @steve-harringtonnn​, @xserpentlife​, @somethingdawn​, @salutetomeimurserpentqueen​ If you want to continue to be tagged in the sequel, just let me know!

Things hadn’t changed too much since that night at the Wyrm. It had only been a few days but they had seemed a little more at ease with one another. The tension was gone, finally. It was very obvious to the other Serpents and especially to Toni who had been manning the bar that night.

“It’s um…” She mumbled, not really knowing how she should respond. “A little complicated?” Her voice ended in a question. Was it really all that complicated? She had basically asked him to be his girlfriend and he (in his own Sweet Pea way) said yes. By all accounts they were “official”.

“So you’re just boning in the supply closet then?” Toni asked jokingly, putting her now empty container of food down. “Because I know it’s more than that.”

Lav bit her lip, “we promised to keep in on the down low.” She said in a soft voice. “But yes, we agreed to be exclusive.”

A grin broke across Toni’s face. She didn’t even try to conceal her excitement for her two friends. Her smile faltered slightly though, unsure of how Lavender was really taking everything. “But you were okay with this? After everything that happened with James? I mean, that relationship just ended…”

She put down her rice as a small frown formed on her face. “Yes, I’m okay…” There wasn’t much confidence left in her voice now as she looked at her lap.

Toni reached out to grab her hand, “Lavender, tell me the truth.” Her voice came out like an older sister trying to pry information out of a younger sibling. Lavender’s eyes lifted to look into Toni’s.

Tears lined her lower lids suddenly as emotion overwhelmed her suddenly. “I’m so scared.” Lavender said, her voice wavering as she tried not to sob. She felt like she had just cried so much the past month that crying more just seemed moot.

Toni smiled softly, her thumb rubbing against the back of Lav’s hand to help soothe her. “The Serpents will protect you, you know that, right? No Serpent left behind.” She wanted to make sure that her friend knew that things would be okay, these threats would blow over eventually.

“No, it’s not that.” Lavender stated, feeling calm enough to speak. “I’m afraid that I’ll ruin things between me and Sweet Pea.”

Toni’s brows furrowed in confusion, “why do you think that, baby?” She asked, not knowing what the reasoning behind Lav’s anxiety was. “Sweet Pea is kind of a brute but he’s not going to hurt you on purpose. You know that, right?”

Lav wiped her eyes with the hand that wasn’t in Toni’s grasp. “I’m so fucked up, Toni. I don’t want him to leave because he can’t handle all of my baggage. I don’t even think I can handle it. It’s so heavy. I’m so tired. I don’t know what to do.”

Toni moved closer, wrapping her arm around Lav’s shoulders to hug her. Her friend was shaking from holding back tears, her previously unspoken fears now bared to the world. “Pea is the strongest boy I know. Strong enough to carry you and your baggage.” Toni said in a reassuring tone.

“You really think he can bench all that?” Lavender asked, her tone a little less depressing and a bit more playful.

“You’ve seen those arms, girl.” Toni replied with a laugh, squeezing her shoulders one last time before pulling away. “And you won’t get rid of him that easily.”

*~~~~~~~~~~~*

Sweet Pea sat with his girlfriend in the examination room of the orthopedic clinic. Lav was finally getting her cast off after having it on for six weeks. Things had been going slow with Pea but not unbearably so. They were connected and nights with him were sensual but there felt like there was a block between them.

Perhaps it was just her that felt that way, but Sweet Pea hadn’t even attempted to have sex with her again. Though things had gotten hot and heavy a few times, there was always something interrupting him. Usually it was Kitty, calling, texting, knocking on the door to Pea’s trailer.

Because they still weren’t open about their relationship, Lavender had been reluctant to simply tell Kitty to fuck right off of her territory. The only ones who knew for sure were Fangs, Toni, and Cheryl. Even the Joneses had been kept in the dark, though Jughead had pretty much figured it out already.

The doctor came in, looking at his chart. “Alright, Miss Rhodes. Let’s get this cast off.” He flashed her a smile before picking up the saw. “You’re going to feel some vibration, okay?”

Lavender nodded as he slowly cut off the cast that had kept her bones in place for six weeks now. After the doctor removed it, she flexed her hand a few times. It almost felt foreign to not have the cast in the way of her thumb. There was a small smile on her lips that caused butterflies to flutter in Sweet Pea’s chest.

“We’re going to do one last set of X-rays just to make sure everything healed properly. The nurse will be in, in one moment.” The doctor said after looking over her wrist, making sure she had a good range of movement. Once he was satisfied, he left once more.

Lavender looked at Sweet Pea, noticing that he was staring at her. “What?”

Sweet Pea shifted uneasily in his seat as he felt a little called out. His neck flushed in a slight red. “You just look happy.”

She looked down at her freed wrist. “I’m glad to finally have that thing off. It was the last evidence I had of anything being wrong with me. Now when people look at me, they won’t wonder what happened. They’ll start to forget.”

Pea let out a soft sigh. Sure she was physically healed but he knew that mentally she still was struggling more days than not. Before he could say anything further the nurse came in to take Lav to the X-ray room.

*~~~~~~~~~~~*

Once Lavender was given a clean bill of health, she and Sweet Pea went to the Whyte Wyrm to relax with the fellow young Serpents. Lavender was shooting pool with Fangs while Sweet Pea sat on the sidelines, waiting to play winner. Of course they all knew Fangs was going to win because Lav was such a terrible player.

They were actually tied when Lavender saw a girl with dark hair fried from too many dye jobs, walk in. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she felt Fangs’ elbow gently jut into her side. “You’re shot, babe.” He said, knowing fully well what was distracting her.

Kitty sauntered over to Sweet Pea, sliding into his lap effortlessly. “Hey Sweetie Pea.” She breathed.

The anger that had slowly been building inside of Lavender for six weeks now finally boiled over. It bubbled through her veins and something deep inside of her snapped totally.

Lavender moved so that her back was to them and leaned over the table. She glanced up at Fangs with a devious smirk on her face.

Sweet Pea stiffened in his seat, not knowing exactly how to react to this situation. He didn’t care about Kitty in the slightest, in fact her constant pining towards him was starting to grow annoying. She always interrupted him when he was about to get laid and Lavender would be so angry afterwards that the mood would totally be ruined.

Lavender lined up her shot in a way that seemed very confusing to Fangs and Sweet Pea. The angle of her stick was all wrong, even for her. Suddenly she jerked the stick backwards, the end colliding into Kitty’s nose. The sound of bone cracking rattled the bar.

Kitty let out a loud shriek, jumping from Pea’s lap as her hand flew to her now bleeding nose. Blood and tears gushed down her face. “What the fuck?” She screeched so loud that the two boys flinched.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Lavender said. “I didn’t know you were right behind me!” Her voice was so superficially innocent that it really didn’t fool anyone.

“You bitch!” Kitty lunged at Lav, claws out to scratch at her face.

However, when Lavender wasn’t been blindsided by alcohol, darkness, and multiple assailants, she was actually a pretty skilled fighter. She stepped out of Kitty’s line of fire, grabbing Sweet Pea’s empty beer bottle and breaking it across the back of Kitty’s head.

Kitty stumbled forward and Fangs had to catch her before she fell to the floor. Lav was staring into Pea’s wide eyes. Her own gaze ripe with freshly burned fury that was released as she dropped the neck of the now broken bottle. She grabbed Sweet Pea by the lapel of his leather jacket and pulled him into a deep and fiery kiss.

Her display of dominance was an incredible turn on. Sweet Pea grabbed the back of her head as he kissed her back with the same ferocity. Suddenly he needed her and she needed him, but another romp in the back room didn’t seem good enough.

Fangs was holding a very dazed Kitty, an amused glint in his eye as he watched his two friends kiss passionately. Kitty tried to get her bearings straight but she was seeing stars from the second blow to the head.

“Let’s go, baby,” Lavender said, her lips still lightly touching Sweet Pea’s as she whispered. “I need you. Now.”

Sweet Pea stood up from his seat and wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her outside. As they were walking to his bike, his hand slipped down to grab her ass playfully. Once at his bike, he handed her his spare helmet, “Better prepare yourself, doll. You’re in for a ride.”

Lavender smirked at him, putting the helmet on and getting onto the bike behind him. She squeezed her front tightly against his back, hand dangerously close to the crotch of his pants.

Pea sped off to his trailer where he knew they were less likely to get interrupted. Plus he definitely had a stash of condoms there and he wasn’t sure if Lav had any in hers.

He parked his bike and Lavender tore off her helmet. She leaned into him more to kiss the snake on his neck teasingly before he could dismount. Her hand finally venturing to between his legs to grope him.

He let out a possessive growl at her touches, “Better get your ass inside before you make me fuck you on this bike.” He warned her, making Lav laugh. She withdrew from him and got off the bike. Pea followed after, sweeping her up into his arms to throw her over his shoulder so he could carry her inside.

Lavender let out a squeal of surprise when he picked her up, but didn’t fight him. Laughter erupted out of her as he quickly made his way into his trailer and threw her down onto the bed. She sat up to meet him in another passionate kiss as he crawled over on top of her.

His hands traveled up her legs, thumbs roaming the inside of her thighs. Sweet Pea’s lower lip caught between her teeth and she sucked hard on it in the slightly chapped skin.

Pea greedily tugged at her underwear, nearly ripping them at the seams as he pulled them down. Lavender released him, letting out another laugh. “So, you’re not even going to take my skirt off first?”

He let out a small groan of frustration. “You started this, not me.” He pointed out, referencing to her attack on Kitty since it was probably the biggest turn on he’d ever experienced.

She grinned at him innocently before lifting her hips up so she could discard her skirt as well. “Take your clothes off, sweetheart.” She cooed as she tugged off her own t-shirt and bra so that she was completely naked underneath him.

Sweet Pea admired the view before making quick work of his own clothes. Now that they were both naked, Lav could see how rock hard he was. She gave him a look of pure anticipation. He dove down to capture her lips once more.

He left a trail of wet, sloppy kisses down her neck and down between her breasts. His thumb rubbed over her clit teasingly, causing Lav to let out a whiny moan.

Her legs spread for him eagerly. “That’s right baby, spread your legs for me.” He growled against the skin of her breasts.

A finger ghosted her entrance, producing another whine from her. “Damn, you’re this wet already?” He asked, looking up at her with a very proud smirk on his face.

Lavender shuddered as he moved back to rub her clit again in slow circles. She reached down and grabbed his cock to stroke it slowly. She smeared his pre-cum across the tip, sending pleasure through him that equated to her own.

He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed a condom out of the box just lazily sitting on top of it. Boy had nothing to hide, apparently. He ripped open the gold foil packaging and took it out.

She took it from his hands, “allow me.” She delicately rolled the condom onto his hard penis. Sweet Pea groaned at her touch, his head tilting back slightly.

He regained his train of thought and ran his tip against her slit. Lavender moved her hips to try and get him into her. He shot her a disapproving look before slowly inserting his tip.

She bit her lip at him, “Please, Pea,” She murmured to him. He grabbed one of her legs and brought it up against him so that it was against his shoulder. He kept a tight grip on her thigh and he pushed all the way in.

Lavender let out a moan, finally feeling some relief from all the pent up frustration she had been feeling the past few weeks. At last no one was interrupting them and they could just be.

Sweet Pea stopped when he was deep inside her, simply letting himself enjoy the feeling of being engulfed by her warmth. She looked up at him with pupils blown with passion. The same look always had whenever things started getting intense. He loved it. He wanted to capture it on film and just look at it any time he was feeling low.

He slowly started to thrust, taking himself almost all the way out before slamming back in. It was slow but hard, and every time he went in to his hilt he heard a delicious cry of pleasure come from his girlfriend.

Eventually his speed picked up, thrusts becoming a bit shallower in order to move faster. Lavender’s moans grew with his speed. The fabric of his sheets were bunched in her hands as she couldn’t touch him due to the position they were in.

Sensing that she wanted more to hold, he leaned down. Her leg bent at the hip to allow his body to be closer to hers. Her hands shot up and wrapped around him, nails digging into his skin. Sweets groaned at the sensation, always having loved to feel a bit pain while buried deep inside of her.

He started to pound relentlessly into her, wanting her to hit her peak and knowing that he could get her there quickly. “Sweet Pea,” She mewled, her leg still draped over his shoulder so that he was hitting a deeper angle than he normally did.

“You like that, baby?” He asked huskily, “you like being fucked by your man?”

“Yes!” She cried out, feeling her climax rising just as he wanted it to.

Sweet Pea didn’t let up, he kept moving his hips furiously until she was screaming out his name so loud that anyone outside the trailer probably heard it. A few jagged thrusts later, he came as well and moved her leg to the side so he could rest on top of her.

Lavender tried to catch her breath, feeling overwhelmed with a mass of emotions. Pea’s forehead was resting on her shoulder as he breathed deeply as well. Once he could see straight again he slid out of her and took off the used condom.

After tossing it into a nearby trashcan, he rolled over to lay beside her. They were cramped in his twin bed but it was comforting to be forced to be close together. His arm rested across her waist and he held her tight in his arms.

“You’re going to fall asleep, aren’t you?” Lavender asked once she could breathe normally again. Her tone was light and joking, not caring if he did fall asleep for a nap.

“Hmm,” He hummed tiredly, “considering it.”

When Fangs opened the door to her trailer he rushed over to her. Both he and Sweet Pea gathered her into their arms. She was hiccuping back tears between them, not really knowing whose hands were where but feeling comforted by both of them.

Fangs spoke softly to her, telling her it was okay and that she was safe. He was much better at calming her down vocally than Sweet Pea who felt so out of place. Sweets wished he could do something other than just hold her, but he let Fangs take the lead. This was his friend’s forte and he knew that.

Eventually, after taking in a few shots of alcohol, the boys got her into bed so she could rest. She insisted that the rum stay on her bedside table though so she could sip it during the night whenever she woke up from a nightmare. Sweet Pea didn’t want to let her but caved at her begging him. He found himself unable to tell her no this time around.

It was probably one of the roughest nights to date for both Sweet Pea and Lavender. Every hour she woke up upset and every hour he struggled to calm her down. When her alarm went off the next morning, they were both exhausted. There was no point in staying home though, she wouldn’t be able to sleep any more than she already had.

Time moved slowly but ultimately uneventfully until Friday night. There was a Serpent meeting at the Wyrm. Lavender was dressed in a pastel and black skater dress and her serpent jacket. She hadn’t put it on awhile and it felt good to be wearing it again. With her favorite girlfriends by her side, she felt confident.

She was also excited to be seen as someone that should be included in the gang’s business again. It made her feel better in the recovery she had achieved. Sure she still had her cast on but that would be off in another two weeks. It was barely visible with her jacket on anyway.

Her makeup was on point, hair in a high pony. Over all she felt fierce and she felt herself again. She was in between Toni and Cheryl, their arms all linked together as they walked up to the Wyrm. Last time she was here she drunkenly came onto Sweet Pea. Briefly she was kind of hoping they’d find their way back in that closet again in the same position, except this time she’d be a little more sober. He couldn’t resist her now, could he? She hoped not.

Lavender had only had sex (consensually) twice since her one night stand with Sweets. Neither time her partner was as good as he had been.

She hadn’t seen James at school since Fangs and Sweet Pea jumped him. There were rumors that he was in the hospital recovering but she wasn’t sure how true that was. Other rumors said he scampered back to Greendale but that she definitely didn’t believe.

It had only been two days but already James being out of her line of sight had done her wonders. Knowing there was some sliver of justice in the world for what happened to her was healing as well. She drank a little less. She slept a little easier. It was nice. Of course sometimes she would drift into the darkness and think about how there were three more men out that that had put their hands on her. Usually during those moments she planted her face into Sweet Pea’s chest and just held him tightly until the smell of his cologne made the light come back on in her head.

Naturally Sweet Pea would hold her back in his own quiet way. He was glad that she seemed to be relieved just from the contact and didn’t need him to talk her down from any ledge she might have been on.

“Want your usual, Lavie?” Toni asked, breaking away from her to go behind the bar. Cheryl was slipping onto a bar stool, adjusting the fit of her bright red jacket.

Lavender sat down next to her. She actually hadn’t had a drink today, so perhaps one or two wouldn’t hurt. “Can you add an extra cherry?” She asked, looking around the bar to see if she could find her two favorite boys – her best friend and…what exactly was Sweet Pea?

She bit her lip at the thought of the conversation they had yet to have. He had spent every night with her this past week. She heard Toni slide the drink in front of her.

Lav picked up the cherry by the stem, her eyes traveling to Sweet Pea who had just noticed her presence. He watched as she slowly took the cherry into her mouth, teasing him with the way her lips wrapped around it.

Sweets swallowed hard at the image she was giving him. She took the fruit into her mouth and plucked off the stem. A small smirk pulled his lips on one side when he realized she was purposefully putting on a show for him. At last she looked like the girl he met that first night in July again.

She turned away from him with a small smile on her face. Cheryl elbowed her with an amused look. “You better make him work for it this time.” She said teasingly as Lavender slid off her seat. She rolled her eyes at the red-head, taking her drink in hand.

“Don’t worry, I plan on it.” Lavender said with a small laugh. She pretended to be walking towards him as he continued to watch her, but at the last minute she turned and went to Fangs instead.

Fangs laughed at the expression on Sweet Pea’s face. His frustration was very obvious as he went back to his pool game. Lavender opened her mouth to speak when the music suddenly changed and the lights dimmed. Her heart dropped into her stomach. This only happened during one occasion: a serpent dance. There was only one girl that she knew that was a Serpent hopeful.

Her eyes went to the stage, trying to keep her confident air about her but struggling. A head of dark hair walked onto stage in an over-sized button up shirt and skirt with stockings. Kitty was on stage, hand on the pole as the music played.

She began to dance, stripping off her clothes to show a lacy lingerie set. It was black, which was typical. It was not what Lavender had gone with for her dance, because she wanted to stand out, but definitely something that fit Kitty’s personality.

Lavender dared to look behind her to see Sweet Pea staring up at the stage. There was a pleased look on his face as he licked his lips. She couldn’t help but stare at him, her heart sinking further down. Sweet Pea didn’t even seem to notice her anymore. Like she was fading away, her confidence shattered instantly and she quickly set her drink down at the table Fangs was sitting at.

Fangs wasn’t too engulfed to not notice Lavender’s change of mood. He knew things between her and Sweets was extremely fragile, and Sweets seemed to be ruining what they had before it even started. Even if all he was doing was something any teenage boy would do. Fangs knew she was misunderstanding Sweet Pea’s attention completely. The tall Serpent had no feelings for the dancer on stage. However in was clear that Pea had never actually told Lavender that.

Anger surged through her so fast that she thought she was going to burst. She looked like she was set to kill as she stormed in Sweet Pea’s direction. The song had ended and he was clapping, hollering to show his support of Kitty finishing her dance. He only stopped when he felt a shoulder slam into his arm and a flash of purple hair storm past him.

She went outside, hot tears brimming her eyes. Her mind raced as she wondered if she’d ever meant a thing to Sweet Pea of if she was just another notch in his bedpost all along.

“Shanna!” Sweet Pea called after her, only using her real name when he was trying to calm her down or get her full attention. “Stop!”

She whipped around, fury evident in her glossy eyes as she glared up at him. “What do you want, Sweet Pea?” She hissed at him, coiling back like a snake ready to strike.

He ran a hand through his hair before trying to reach out to her, “you can’t be out here by yourself. You don’t know who is out here.”

Her breath hitched in her throat. She hadn’t thought of that. Of course she was still on the Ghoulies’ hit list. She swallowed hard but her anger did not wane. “What do you care? Go back to Kitty since you like watching her dance so much.”

So she was jealous? Sweet Pea was a little taken aback. Since when did Lavender get jealous at him paying attention to other girls? Sure there was the time before when she confronted Kitty about sleeping with him, but he thought that was just a case of one cat not liking another.

Sweet Pea’s bewildering look showed her that he hadn’t realized what he’d done. Not that it made it any better, but her anger lessened ever so slightly. “I don’t care about her, Shanna. I care about you, damn it! You can be mad at me but don’t just run out here on your own where you can get hurt again!” He said, obviously angry at her as well for being so reckless.

Her features softened slightly. Why did he always share his feelings when he was yelling at her? She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed defiantly.

“Plus, you’re the one being a tease tonight. Eating that cherry like that and then ignoring me.” He crossed his arms too, staring down at her with frustration etched across his features.

Lavender stepped closer to him, feeling somewhat bad about her actions earlier after seeing that they had obviously hurt his feelings. She lightly grabbed his forearm, forcing it down so he’d uncross his arms. “You mean that, about Kitty? Didn’t you sleep with her?”

Sweet Pea put his arms by his side as she stepped even closer to him. “No, you kept interrupting us before we got that far.” He said as a matter-of-fact. “She was just a distraction anyway.”

She bit her lip as she looked up at him with big, beautiful, hazel eyes. “Let’s go back to the store room.” She whispered lowly as she reached up to touch his face softly, “I need you.”

His eyes were dark, even the light of the street lamp couldn’t lighten them. “Are you sure?” He whispered so quietly that she almost didn’t hear him.

“I trust you, Pea.” She replied, leaning up on her tippy toes and bringing his face down at the same time with her hand so she could kiss him gently on the lips. “I’ll never be over this if we don’t.”

He nodded, his face still close to hers. “Let’s go through the back.”

Lavender smiled slightly, “do you have a condom?”

Sweet Pea cursed because he knew he didn’t. “I’ll get one from Fangs.”

She shook her head, “how do you not have a condom?”

“I wasn’t expecting to get laid tonight.” He added flatly, rolling his eyes. “I’ll meet you there. Just give me two minutes.”

Sweet Pea watched as she walked to the back door, waiting until she was safely inside before hurrying through the front door. He made a bee-line towards his best friend who was drinking Lavender’s drink. “Fogarty, I need a condom.”

Fangs gave him a disapproving look, “really, dude? You’re going to do that to Lavender?”

“What are you talking about? She’s the one that asked me.” Sweet Pea asked, clearly confused.

He stared at Pea, having thought that he was going to use the condom to sleep with Kitty. “Sorry, man. I just assumed you meant Kitty. Here,” he pulled a condom out of his wallet and handed it to him. “Don’t go too rough, okay?”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, “you don’t have to tell me that.” He replied, knowing fully well that this wasn’t about to be a bought of kinky sex like he usually enjoyed. That wasn’t what she needed right now…well, not unless she asked.

Toni shot him a look as he went behind the bar to go into the storeroom. She had an idea of what was up but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t very happy with Kitty becoming a Serpent either. Neither she nor Cheryl cared for the girl. She just seemed shady to them.

Sweet Pea opened the door to the room to see Lavender leaning back against the built-in shelves lined with supplies. He closed the door behind him and reached out to grab her good wrist, pulling her over to him. He cupped her face before kissing her deeply.

Lavender kissed him back with a small eager moan, arms wrapping around his neck. His hands moved down her body, reaching around to grab her ass playfully and squeeze. She let out a small laugh between breaths as she pressed her body against his.

He groaned into a biting kiss, taking her lower lip in between his teeth to nip at it. One of Lavender’s hand stayed on the back of his neck while the other tugged at the hem of his shirt.

“Oh, you actually want me naked this time?” Sweet Pea asked in a teasing tone since last time they had sex they had kept most of their clothing on. Only removing what was in the way.

“That was all you, not me.” Lavender corrected him before pulling his shirt up higher. Sweet Pea pulled away from her to take it off and throw it to the side. Her hands ran over his chest and abdomen, tracing lines and lightly scratching.

Sweet Pea’s breath caught in his throat at her touch. “You’re going to need to stop that if you want me to be gentle.” He warned her, not knowing how she wanted this to go.

Lavender already had a hazy look in her eye, her fingers travelling lower to run over his belt. “Bold of you to assume that I want you to be gentle.”

He hastily pushed her jacket off of her shoulders and she slid it off of her, dropping it next to his layers of t-shirt, flannel, and denim vest. He fumbled around looking for a zipper on her dress, making her frustrated with him. “There is no zipper, Pea.” She said before pulling it up over her head just as he had done with his shirt.

His eyes ran over her matching set of bra and underwear and he noted that it was something nicer than what she would normally have worn. “You planned on doing this tonight, didn’t you?”

She gave him an innocent look as she unfascined his belt, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said coyly. Next she unhooked his button, sliding his zipper down. Sweet Pea just stared at her, fascinated with her change in behavior.

Of course he had always had a feeling she had it in her to be like this, but even during their one night stand she had been a little more reserved. More importantly she was sober this time around so her actions weren’t fueled by alcohol.

“Are you sure about this.” Sweet Pea asked, hesitating even as her hand slid into his pants. He clenched his teeth to keep from moaning. Resisting was becoming more difficult but he had to be sure. They couldn’t go back from this.

“Do you not want me?” Lavender replied, pulling away from him as she suddenly felt very self-conscious. Her bruises were gone, her cuts were minimal, and the only thing really wrong (besides her mental state) were her healing bones. Self-doubt ran down her spine, maybe she didn’t look as good as she thought she did. Maybe he didn’t sexually desire her like she thought he did.

Sweet Pea grabbed her by the hips and brought her back closer to him. “Yes, fuck, I want you so bad.” He whispered to her. “I just don’t want to hurt you.” He gave her a chaste kiss before pulling away slowly, “you’re beautiful.”

Lavender’s face flushed pink at his compliment. She’d never heard something so sweet come from his mouth. It was awkward but perfect at the same time. “Sweet Pea…” She practically moaned against him, his words setting her on fire. “Yes, I’m sure. Please just fuck me before I go crazy.”

Sweets chuckled, “I think I can do that.” He started to grind his hips against hers, one hand running behind her back to unclasp her bra. He tore it off of her so he could play with her chest.

She shoved his pants down and he stepped out of them, having to awkwardly kick off his boots first. Lavender laughed lightly at him fighting to take his own clothes off. He shot her a warning look before snatching her up in his arms to kiss roughly down her neck. Her laughter turned into a fit of giggles as his lips tickled her skin.

The sound gave him a final vote of confidence to keep going. If she needed him to stop, then he was sure she’d tell him. Her hand was between his legs, rubbing his length painfully slow. Sweet Pea let out a groan, one hand on her breast and another on her ass, and both were groping with bruising grips.

The hand that was on her backside, slid to the front and into her green lace underwear. His fingers quickly found her clit and he rubbed circles around it, being just as slow with her as he was with him.

Lavender moaned, resting her forehead against his shoulder. She moved his boxers down to grab his cock, palming him a little more feverishly than before. He was already partially hard, growing more rigid at her touch.

Sweet Pea let out a breath as he moved his own fingers faster since she decided to stop teasing him. “How do you want it, baby?” He murmured into her ear before licking the shell of it.

Lavender shivered as she thought. There weren’t a whole lot of positions they could do in the small room. “Against the door.” She said back and he spun them around, pressing her back against the door as he finished taking off his boxers.

He got down to his knees and slipped her underwear down so that she was also totally naked save for the heels she was wearing. Lavender stepped out of the undergarment so that she wasn’t restricted.

Sweet Pea lifted her up and placed her thighs on his shoulders, his mouth honing in onto her core aggressively. He licked and nipped and sucked until her body was shaking against the piece of wood half holding her up.

Her hands were in his hair, mussing it up as she cried out from the pleasure he was giving her. “Pea,” She cried out, “Oh god, please-“ She couldn’t form complete sentences anymore as her brain went haywire.

There was not a shred of darkness in her brain. Her thoughts were bursting with light and color and affection. Sweet Pea brought her to the edge by lapping at her clit while fucking her with his fingers.

If he weren’t holding her so tightly, then she’d have fallen when she hit her peak. Her upper body was squirming since her lower was forced into place.

As she caught her breath, he dragged his tongue slowly over her to clean her up. Once done he set her legs down carefully. He grabbed the condom that he had set on one of the shelves and ripped it open. He rolled it onto his fully erect penis before getting up onto his feet.

Lavender was panting more from anticipation than from the high. Sweet Pea lifted her up once more, wrapping her arms around his waist. He guided himself into her and they both moaned out at finally feeling together.

Sweet Pea wasn’t quite rough but he wasn’t gentle either. He was a perfect mix of the two, pumping in and out of her. “Fuck baby, you feel so good.” He groaned into her ear, making her whine softly.

“Does it feel good, princess?” He asked, knowing by her moans that she had to be feeling good but also wanting to hear it.

Lavender kissed his tattoo, her tongue sliding along the snake’s body. He grunted in response. “Your dick is perfect.” She cooed back. Sweets increased his pace again, the door knocking loudly against its frame.

He was leaving bruises on her shoulders as he pounded into her. Soon enough they were both orgasming from the sensation of the other. It was intense, blinding, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of them. The thick veil of frustration had been ripped away as they were both now satisfied.

The air of the room was thick with heat and humidity from their sweat. Sweet Pea removed himself from her and set her legs back down onto floor. Lavender’s knees were shaking still as she hadn’t quite come down from her high yet.

There was a banging on the door suddenly. “I need more tequila!” Toni shouted loudly over the music that was blaring in the bar.

Sweet Pea threw some boxers on before urging Lavender to move. She stood behind the door as he opened it and handed Toni a bottle of clear liquid. “There. Anything else?”

“If Hog-eye catches you two he’s going to flip.” She said with a very amused look. “So you better get dressed before he comes back from his run.”

Sweets shut the door and looked at Lavender. “You heard her, Rhodes. Better get dressed.” He started putting his clothes back on as Lavender hesitated. Her mind was reeling from what had just happened, not sure if it was real or not.

“Are you okay?” Sweet Pea asked, noticing her sluggish movements. “Did I hurt you?” Suddenly he was worried that he had done something wrong and got too into it. Maybe he should have held back more.

“I’m fine.” Lavender nodded, slipping her underwear and bra back on. “That was just…very intense.” She said before picking up her dress. “Can this…not be a one-time thing?”

Sweet Pea stared her down with his deep brown eyes that she’d come to adore. “Are you asking to be my girl?” He questioned, wanting clarification to what she was asking.

Lav bit her lip. “Yea…” She whispered, doubt rising in her stomach.