Sapphire was drunk.
Sapphire was drunk and that was surprising in itself because Sapphire drinks but she doesn't get drunk. Especially not after having her drinks drugged. But here she was standing on top of the bar in the entertainment room of Stone Manor loudly singing a rendition of Purple Rain.
She had long ago thrown off her Serpent Jacket and was proudly strutting around in just her bra and a stolen pair of Joaquin's cargo pants. Of course, in retaliation, Joaquin was recording her "to play at her wedding" but everyone knew that it was for blackmailing purposes.
Beyoncé's Dance for You started playing, and Fangs nudged him with his elbow. "You should go get her down before she starts stripping and giving Toni lap dances… again. Somehow I don't think Cheryl would appreciate that."
The two boys laughed knowing exactly how jealous Cheryl was of Toni's and Sapphire's friendship. Not to mention that Cheryl wouldn't want to do anything to hurt said friendship especially since Sapphire had only just stopped glaring at the ginger whenever she came around. Yeah, Saph was still not over Cheryl entering their group and manipulating her friends away from her.
"But, dude, seriously, once the second verse hits, I don't doubt that somebody would get hit with her bra," Fangs teased, and Sweet Pea shook his head with a smile. He downed the rest of his drink before standing up and making his way over to his ex-girlfriend who had started to slowly belly roll alongside the beat. Just the sight of that had heat pooling in Sweet Pea's lower region, but he still maintained his sanity as he got closer.
"Aw, come on SP," he heard someone groan as he stopped in front of the bar. Sapphire though perked up and look towards Sweet Pea. Her eyes widened even as a smirk pulled on her lips and she dropped down into a split. Immediately, wolf whistles and groans of sexual tension echoed around the room. Sapphire paid them no mind as she gazed at the beautiful boy standing before her.
She swung her legs around until she was sitting as she could get in front of him. "You're cute as fuck," she said and felt a flash of confusion when she heard her brother choke on a laugh. The boy in front of her laughed also even as he was fighting off his own cocky smile.
"You're beautiful yourself princess," and Sapphire's nose scrunched up. "Princess? I'm more Xena than Cinderella."
He laughed again, and she smiled. He had a nice laugh. "Yeah, I can believe that. But I was thinking more of a Female Loki."
Marvel! He was Marvel fan! Fuck, he was becoming more perfect with every word. "I think I'd make a better Shuri or Female Tony Stark."
"I can totally see that. You're certainly smart enough for that."
Sapphire blinked. Just who the hell was this cute boy and how did he know her. She was one hundred percent sure that she would've remembered meeting someone as gorgeous as he. She turned her head a little and grabbed a bottle of wine from behind the counter. She quickly uncorked it and chugged it down before turning to look back at the boy.
She sighed just a little, "You are really pretty," and then she yelled as she looked around the room for her best friend only to see her locking lips with that Blossom bitch. She wasn't even a good powerpuff girl. "TONI! LOOK AT THIS HOT PIECE OF ASS IN FRONT OF ME!"
Toni pulled away from Cheryl to look at her gem sister and the apparently attractive person in front of her only to come to the sight of Sapphire and Sweet Pea. Toni immediately started laughing. "GO LOOSE, SAPH!"
Cheryl even chuckled as she realized what was going on, "I thought you said that she doesn't like drinking."
Toni smiled and shook her head, "She doesn't. Not after everything that happened with Nick, the Dick."
Of course, not what many people were privy to was that Sapphire just had one hell of a week dealing with SE's Board wanting her to be more included in the company's business and then she had to deal with flushing out some of the bad businessmen committing industrial espionage. Then she was being fought tooth and nail at the teenage club that she was trying to get opened. And not to mention the fact that since opening Stone Industries, her cousin, Sonja, had Sapphire wondering if going to jail for murder really worth it. If she had one more meeting to sit through, she swore she was going to scream.
Back by the bar, Sweet Pea was trying to coach Sapphire off the bar, but she was too busy flirting with him. Her hands reach out and gripped one of his muscles. A sort of thrill went through her imaging him picking her up and holding her against a wall—
Sapphire nods, eyes scanning Sweet Pea's face slowly, taking in every aspect and feature on it and she smiles pleased when she finishes, "I gotta ask, do you come here often?"
To her mansion? Yes, twice a week and sometimes three if there's no more ice cream in at any of their homes.
Sweet Pea snorts, fondness for this dumbass making his heart to beat faster. "Charming as always, I see."
"I can show you 'charming'." Sapphire says, eyebrows wiggling in a suggestive manner and while the others groan and stifle laughter from around them, Sweet Pea just smiles. "But before that, I'm a woman of honor and I gotta know: are you single?"
Sweet Pea immediately paused, and it was like someone pressed mute on the room with how quiet everyone got.
Sapphire only looked directly at Sweet Pea. She swore she was going to cry if this stunning boy was taken. She had never felt more beautiful than at that moment with the way he was gazing up at her as if she was the most important thing in the world to her. She felt like a character right out of the romantic novels Joaquin gifted her for Christmas two years ago.
She felt like a princess.
His Princess.
"No, I-. I'm actually… courting someone at the moment," he replied sincerely. "I made a mistake and now I just hope she feels the same."
Courting? Who the fuck uses courting in a regular sentence like that? But at the same time, she felt dread settle in her stomach. Whoever this girl was to get this attractive ass dude to use courting in a sentence must be pretty damn special.
"You should buy her diamonds. Or pearls. Or Swarovski studded chocolates. Those are good. Oooh, you should buy her some sapphires," she smiled goofily before giggling abruptly. "My name is Sapphire. Sapphire Stone."
"I know who you are," pretty boy says again and Sapphire pouts. He was a fan? That just took his attractiveness down like a lot. Sapphire sighed before she slowly slid off the bar to stand unsteadily on her feet. She looked at pretty boy and patted his cheek, "You're way too pretty. I hope the girl you're courting gives you another chance."
And then she turned and pressed herself to her brother's side. "Quin? I'm ready to go home."
She didn't hear the soft mutter of, "I hope she does too" from behind her.
It'd be another two weeks before anyone would catch a glimpse of Sapphire. She had been hiding away trying to buy a publishing company mainly because she did not have the patience to wait any longer for updates. She had also attended a few anime conventions and had to do a photoshoot for Teen Vogue and Seventeen. Not to mention, she was being considered a voice actor to an upcoming show. She was tired, and she wanted nothing but to get to her bed when she walked into her house.
She didn't even notice the rest of the Kingpin and the Northsiders that were sitting in the front room. She only hung her keys on the hook and pulled off her shoes throwing them wherever. She took off her jacket and chucked off her shirt and pulled off her pants as she made the walk towards her room. The last thing the people sitting in her living room heard was the sound of her door slamming shut.
The Kingpin members each turned to look at each other as if wondering who was going to go check on her. Toni was immediately shaking her head, "Did you see her face? Her eye bags had bags. The last time she looked that, and someone bothered her nap, she sent the man to hospital from femur. You know how hard it to break a femur?"
Joaquin pretended to not even see the looks being directed at him. He lived with Sapphire and he knew how wise it would be to leave her alone. All the Kingpin did, but clearly Sweet Pea didn't have any self-preservation instincts as the taller serpent stood up and head down the hallway.
A second passed before a loud inhuman screech of anger was heard alongside a high-pitched yelp and something hitting the ground. Fangs jumped from his seat rushing to help his best friend, "Don't kill him, Saph."
"Shit," Joaquin cursed when the sound of Fangs screaming for dear life came a second later. He jumped up ready to help his friends while also trying to figure out how to escape his sister's rage when said girl came storming out. She had a crazed look in her eyes and her hair was in disarray. She didn't bother to take off the make up on her face and she was just in her underwear. Literally. She was only in her panties.
"Come get them out of my room and know that the next person that enters won't be leaving with their life," she growled before she spun around and left. Joaquin in turned threw a pillow at Archie and Reggie who were both staring after his younger sister. The glare he gave them could've scared the devil.
Joaquin walked out the living room and towards his sister's bedroom only to find her with a pair of Toni's noise cancellers on and Fangs and Sweet Pea sitting extremely still right by the door eyes never leaving Sapphire.
"What happened," Joaquin questioned, and two eyes flickered up to him quickly before they were shaking their heads. Joaquin rose a brow before motioning for them to leave the room. The two boys stood quickly, and Joaquin slowly closed his little sister's door before heading back out towards their friends.
It was hours later, and the group heard when Sapphire awoken and moved to take a shower. When she finally emerged, she was wearing a stolen t shirt from Jughead and a pair of Sweet Pea's stolen sweatpants that pooled around her feet, but she walked without even noticing the extra fabric.
Anyone with eyes could see she was still tired even as she moved to sit in the free space beside Joaquin and cuddle into his side. Sweet Pea chuckled, "Tired, Princess?"
"Even Xena needs sleep," she mumbled as her brother began to run a hand through her hair.
"Someone should tell Tony Stark and Shuri that," he casually replied and watched as Sapphire's brow crinkled. She peeked up at him because she swore she heard a conversation similar to this.
["You're beautiful yourself princess," and Sapphire's nose scrunched up. "Princess? I'm more Xena than Cinderella."
She sighed just a little, "You are really pretty,"
"TONI! LOOK AT THIS HOT PIECE OF ASS IN FRONT OF ME!"
Toni pulled away from Cheryl to look at her gem sister and the apparently attractive person in front of her only to come to the sight of Sapphire and Sweet Pea. Toni immediately started laughing. "GO LOOSE, SAPH!"
"No, I-. I'm actually… courting someone at the moment," he replied sincerely. "I made a mistake and now I just hope she feels the same."
"You're way too pretty. I hope the girl you're courting gives you another chance."]
Sapphire immediately felt herself flush in embarrassment as her drunken mumbles from two weeks ago finally registered in her mind. She pressed her hands to her eyes as she remembered how much she called Sweet Pea attractive. Not to mention she remembered how disappointed she had felt when he had said he was courting someone. "Kill me now," she groaned in embarrassment and everyone burst into laughter.
"Oh, come on, Princess. Your words did wonders for my self-esteem," Sweet Pea teased, and Sapphire shook her head. "I don't even know how you all put up with me or how I put with you."
Sweet Pea shrugged with an easy grin, "You are legit one of the best people on this earth."
Sapphire turned and gave him a shy smile back, but it dropped at his next words as she rolled her eyes with a scoff, "And because you think I'm pretty."
The sun was beginning to set when Sweet Pea found Sapphire sitting on top of one of the cliffs at Sweetwater river. Her eyes were trained on the cliff edge that she had been flung off months prior and he watched as a shiver ran through her. But he said nothing as he made his way over and sat down beside her.
Sapphire jumped when she noticed someone beside her and turned to her head to look at Sweet Pea, but his eyes were trained on the setting the sun. She felt her lips twitch as she watched the colors dance across his face before she turned back to forward.
A beat passed before she said, "I wasn't lying, you know. You really are incredibly pretty." Sweet Pea smiled but didn't turn to her knowing that it'd only make her flushing cheeks flush deeper.
"Thank you," he replied sincerely. Another beat of silence passed before he was going, "Hey, Saph?"
She hummed in acknowledgement and he swallowed thickly wondering if he was brave enough to go through with this. And then she turned her gaze on him and he knew that he would replay this day repeatedly if he could if it meant seeing her with the rays of the fading sun sprawling across her face as the glow of the moon lit up her eyes.
"Do you remember when I was talking about the girl I was courting," Sweet Pea started, and he watched as Sapphire's face twitched as she tried to fight off a blush and change her features into something more neutral. She nodded her head slowly. "I was wondering if you could help me woo her so to speak. Not that your suggestions of buying her jewelry and chocolates were bad. I just can't afford it you know."
Sapphire huffed out a laugh remembering suggesting he buy Swarovski studded chocolates like they aren't ten thousand dollars.
"Why do you need my help," she inquired. She watched as Sweet Pea flushed a little before turning to her full on.
"Like I said before, I made a mistake. I broke her heart, and now I'm trying to fix it."
"Maybe she doesn't need fixing."
Sweet Pea inclined his head in a nod, "Maybe, but it doesn't mean I'm not willing to try."
Sapphire turned her head to look at the moon settling shining over the river, "Tell me about her…. Tell me about this girl."
Sapphire was completely unprepared for the soft look that crossed his features and how his eyes lit up.
"She is… she's perfection. She has this is ability that I doubt she even notices to light up a room when she smiles and dim the sun when she's sad. She always has this twinkle in her eye whenever she starts rambling passionately about something that had gained her favor. She's protective until the point where you would think it was overbearing and annoying, but you know that she'd only want the best and safest things for those she cherishes before herself. Everything about her is confident and smooth. She always in control and with her by my side I feel like I can take on the world…
…And then I messed up and I tried to convince myself that I hated her. That she wasn't the girl for me. You know that saying about he looked at her like she was the sun? In a way it was true. Except during that time, I never really looked at her except in frustration. I basked in her warmth when she was near. I complained about her when she was gone. But I hadn't never took the time to look at how my actions affected her when she was gone from my side. On the days she said nothing around, I complained thinking she was being jealous hearted and petty. When she started to resemble the girl I had first met, I hid my emotions from her and tossed my actions in her face…
…Until one day, I stopped and paid attention to her. When I finally manned up and acknowledge that I was wrong. And in the beauty of the sunset, I wondered how I never seen it before…
…She's a hater but she's a lover. She will fight, but she has suffered. She can be cold, but she can be warm. Everyone marvels at her beauty, but they glance at her storm…
…She was the girl that was always there. No matter what I did before, she was there to love me even when I didn't deserve her love. I guess I took that for granted and went on to make a huge mistake that cost me her heart. Because I finally realize that she's exactly what I need in my life, because she was proof that broken things could still be beautiful…"
He finally stopped and really looked at her only to notice the tears streaming from her eyes. "Saph," he whispered reaching out for her and she let him instead of flinching back like she used to.
"SP, well never be those kids again," she muttered before she tried to clear her throat. "She sounds like a good person though."
"The best," he replied, and Sapphire didn't want to look him in the eyes. She knew what she would find. Love and passion and fondness and so many other synonymous words that she couldn't think of… couldn't process at the moment because her heart was beating too hard and beating too fast.
"Sapphire," he whispered, and she took a deep breath and cautiously looked into her eyes. "Be my Pea, again. Be my Sapphire. Please. I want to hear people whispering about us. Sapphire's Sweet Pea and Sweet Pea's Sapphire. Please. Give me one more chance."
"How do I know you won't hurt me again," she finally replied. "How do I know you won't leave me again?"
He took her hands in one of his and lifted her chin with the other. He stared her right in the eyes as he said, "Because you're it for me. I know where still just teenagers in high school. But I doubt that there is literally even another person in this universe that was made for me and me for them like you. I can't be without you, Sapphire, whether as your friend or your boyfriend. Either way, my heart… my soul… my very existence will always belong to you."
Tears trailed down her face even quicker as she tried to turn away, "You're a goddamn sap. You know that?"
She took a deep breath before looking at him once again, "One chance, SP. I'm giving you one last chance. Don't make me regret it."
And the smile that lit up his face had her believing even for the moment that she doubt he could even try, and when he kissed her, she swore it felt like ending one chapter and the beginning of another.