Geraldine Grundy- Jennifer Gibson is dead, and Amy's day can only go downhill. Between another shooting and Jughead's first day at Southside High, tensions are running high and no one knows what will come next.
Chapter title is from Human by Christina Perri
WARNING: (not-explicit?) sexual content and discussion of underage sex- consensual, but underage nonetheless, and (not that she's realized it yet) Amy has a messed up understanding of sex. Please do not take it to mean that I agree, or even approve, but the reasons will get explored throughout the fic
Also I feel like I should have mentioned this at some point but I imagine that Riverdale is somewhere in New York State or New Jersey- I'm not really sure where exactly, but we know that the Blossoms and Hiram have both had involvement in drug trade shit and with the real world opioid crisis in America, the drugs come primarily from New Jersey, so I sort of imagine that Sweet Water River stems off of the Hudson
(Cast Not Your Stone at the) Wayward Daughter
I Can Dance and Play the Part (If That's What You Ask)
Amy woke up to sunlight streaming through the windows of the Jeep. As she opened her eyes, she found that she had been using Sweet Pea's chest as a pillow, one arm wrapped tightly around his middle and both of his holding her. Looking up, she saw that he was still asleep, although the way he squinted his eyes told her that he'd be up soon. Turning her head, she saw that Fangs was still asleep but that Toni was awake and had her camera out.
"I don't understand you morning people," Amy said, rubbing her eyes.
"Sunrises are the best time to take pictures," Toni replied, lifting her camera to take a picture of Amy's pout. "Now put the pout away and get dressed- you've got to get to the Northside and we have shit to talk about before you go."
"Yes Ma'am—" Amy saluted— "Could you help me wake Sweet Pea though? He's fucking heavy."
Toni smirked, pulling out her phone. "It would be my pleasure," she teased. A moment later the opening riff from Eye of the Tiger blasted through the car, and both boys jolted awake.
"What the shit, Topaz?" Sweet Pea demanded.
"Needed to wake you up," Toni said with a shrug.
"Bitch," he said, smiling fondly.
"Yeah but you love me. Anyways, we've got to talk. I got a text from Lottie that Jughead's first actual day at Southside is today and she was supposed to give him his tour, but she's not going to be at school today so she passed it off to me."
"So Jones is actually coming to Southside… I figured he'd say 'screw it' and stay at Riverdale High," Amy mused.
"Guess not—" Toni shrugged, unconcerned—"but we need to be on the same page about how we're doing this."
"I think… I think we need to offer him our protection," Amy admitted.
"Really, babe?" Fangs asked—he had been so quiet that Amy almost forgot he was awake. "I thought you hated him."
Amy sighed, "I do. But he's FP's son, and he'd want us to look out for him. And more importantly, he's—maybe not a Serpent, but Serpent-Adjacent. People know that, there's no way people don't know that. If we aren't seen as at least offering protection, Ghoulies are going to smell blood in the water and stir up a whole lot of shit that we just don't have the time to deal with right now. No need to be all buddy-buddy or whatever, but offer him protection, invite him to our side of the cafeteria—not our table though—and suggest that he wears the jacket, since I'm entirely sure he won't be. More than anything we need to make sure that whatever happens is on him, not on us, and that even if I hate him, and he hates Serpents, we don't let anyone fuck with him and get away with it."
"You got it, babe," Fangs agreed, the other two nodding along.
"Good, good—now who let me fall asleep with my hearing aids in?" Amy asked, already tired of worrying about the younger Jones.
"I'm pretty sure you were the last one up," Toni told her. It wasn't an entirely uncommon problem, but Sweet Pea usually reminded her.
"Yeah, that's fair," Amy sighed, "but I need to get to the Northside so Sweets, you gotta let go."
"No thanks—" the taller boy smirked, tightening his arm around her. A sharp elbow to the ribs had him letting go with a pout. "Damn, Adams, harsh."
"If you had your way, we'd be here all day. Shit shit shit, how many spare outfits did I have left?"
"I'm pretty sure yesterday was your last," Sweet Pea answered.
"You know what, pants are overrated anyways," Amy decided.
She pulled on the oversized flannel she had worn the morning before, grabbing the black bike shorts she usually wore under her cheerleading uniform and slipping them on too, tightening her usual hip holster and lacing up her boots. "So, how do I look?" she asked, with a twirl.
"Like if you get back in this car, one of us is going to jump you," Fangs told her.
"If I could get out of cleanup I would, but I think Toni would kill me."
With that, the other three climbed out of the car to change too, and Amy started putting away the mattress so that they could return the Jeep to normal. Once it was, they all took their usual seats, and made their way back to the trailer park to grab their bikes.
"Alright, I'll probably miss gym, so someone make up an excuse and text it to me. Not taking my jacket with me now, don't feel like dealing with Northsiders," she added.
Sweet Pea hopped out of the car, crossing over to Amy's side to help her down.
"Drive safe," Toni told her.
"C'mere, Doll," Sweet Pea mumbled, pulling her in for a hug. "Be safe and text us if anyone gives you any shit. I'll have a coffee for you in English."
"Thanks," she said. One hand wrapped in his hair, she pulled him down and stood on her tip toes to kiss him. "Love you guys, save me a seat and bring in my jacket," she called, waving goodbye as she threw a leg over her bike and took off across town.
"Seeing her in your clothes really does it for you, huh?" Toni teased, when Sweet Pea joined them back in the car.
"And for you," he reminded her, thinking of the time Amy had shown up to the Wyrm in one of Toni's mesh shirts and the girl had turned into a 'blushing mess', as Sweet Pea called her.
"Well yeah, obviously. But—"
"Okay, no need to pull them out and measure them," Fangs interrupted, "we all like seeing her in our clothes as much as she likes wearing them. I mean it's not as easy with you being taller than me," he continued, turning to Sweet Pea, "but I bet I'd like you in my clothes too."
"Doesn't help that anytime she wears my shirts she refuses to wear pants," Sweet Pea added.
"Yeah, and neither of you could fit into anything of mine," Toni agreed.
Across town, Amy pulled to a stop outside of the Andrews' home. After a moment's thought, she decided to park on the far side of Fred's truck, so that people on the street wouldn't see the bike. She didn't really care what anyone thought, but still wanted to do whatever she could to limit the bullshit Archie had to be exposed to, with everything else going on.
She pulled her keys out of her holster, opening the Andrews' door and letting herself in. Kicking off her boots, she saw Mary and Fred sitting in the living room.
"Amy, I'm so glad you were able to come! I know it's going to be hard on him no matter what, but I think having you here will make it a bit easier," Mary greeted, getting up to hug the girl.
"Of course, I'll always be here for him," she promised. "How are you feeling?" she added, crossing the living room to hug Fred as well.
"Better. Not perfect, but better. And you?"
"Oh you know…" She tried to shrug it off, but Fred continued to make eye contact until she opened up. "Okay, so it fucking sucks. I mean, there's a murderer hanging around Riverdale, FP is in jail, I'm pretty sure Tall Boy wants me shipped back off to the Sisters, again, and—"
"What do you mean again?"
"Right I didn't tell you guys… um, back at the beginning of summer, even before Jason died, Mustang pulled some strings or something and I would up back at the Sisters in their 'child rehabilitation' program, which is… just as fucked up as any of their other programs. As soon as FP found out, he got me out and had me sent to a proper rehab—didn't want me around in the aftermath of the Jason shit, but I was there for… ten or so weeks? I don't know, time got funky, July to mid-September or something. Anyways, it doesn't matter."
"What doesn't matter?" Archie asked, coming down the stairs.
"Nothing, Red," Amy assured him quickly. She knew that, with everything that had happened recently, Archie would be sure to fly off the handle if he knew the truth.
"If you say so. What's with the shirt?" Amy recognized the tone of his voice, had long since dubbed it his 'protective big brother' voice, and suddenly remembered that she was wearing nothing but Sweet Pea's shirt.
"Ran out of clean clothes, stole this from Sweet Pea. Toni's probably would have fit better but I'm pretty sure she was out of clean clothes too so…" Archie raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious, Red, no big deal. It's not like we had some orgy in Sweet's car last night, it's way too awkward to move around back there anyways."
"That's why you couldn't?"
"Hey, reasons are reasons…"
"So," Mary interrupted, knowing how easily the teens could keep the conversation going, "there's actually something that I need to tell you, Arch."
"What's wrong?" He asked, letting Amy guide him to the couch and take a seat in his lap.
"Geraldine Grundy—"
"Jennifer Gibson," Amy corrected immediately.
"Yes, Jennifer Gibson, she was found dead in her home last night, throat slit. Apparently a neighbour saw the body through her window, but no one knows what happened."
"Amy? Did you—" He cut himself off, unable to finish the thought.
"I wish. I mean it, I would have loved to kill her for what she did to you. But no, this wasn't me."
"Okay," the redhead said softly, hugging Amy tighter and hiding his face in her ponytail as he tried not to cry.
Amy shifted in his lap until she could hold him tighter. It wasn't a straddle, like it usually was with Sweet Pea, but she managed to turn so that both of her legs were bent to her chest, her head resting on his chest as she hugged him back.
"Are you going to be able to go to school today?" Mary asked eventually, when the hitching breaths had returned to normal and he had started to loosen his grip.
"I think I should at least try. It might be easier if I'm distracted, and tackling Reggie will definitely help."
Amy laughed, "I can't think of anything that wouldn't be better after tackling that moron," she agreed.
"I'll get breakfast today," Fred offered.
"Are you sure? You're supposed to stay off your feet," Archie reminded him.
"I can make some toast and cut up fruit," he told them, allowing Mary to help him stand.
She and Fred both left the room, knowing that the two teens needed some time alone.
"Are you going to be okay, Red? Like, for real?"
"Probably not today, but I will be. I just… if I stay home today it's all I'll think about, and it'll make it harder to go back, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. But eventually?"
"Eventually I'll be okay," he promised. They stayed sitting together for a while, until Fred called them for breakfast.
Amy stood, reluctant to let go of Archie but eager for food. She took her plate eagerly, digging in.
After several minutes of silence, Archie spoke again, "I have to get to practice," he told them.
"I should probably be heading to the Southside anyways—need a lift?" Amy asked.
"If you don't mind."
"Not at all, you can borrow my helmet," she promised.
She laced up her boots while Archie gathered his school supplies, hugging Fred and Mary goodbye as they headed outside.
"Wear this and hold on," she reminded Archie, handing him the black helmet.
"I know the drill," he reminded her.
"Better safe than sorry though." He laughed, following her instructions, and they took off towards Riverdale High.
"Text or call me if you need me," she demanded, hugging him. "I'm going to make some calls and see if anyone knows anything."
"Thanks, Ames."
"Be safe, love you," she called, waving goodbye.
"You too!" He called back, jogging towards the school.
Once she was out of sight, she opened her Facebook Messenger app.
Snake Bitch: Hey Sabrina- pedophile named Jennifer Gibson (or Geraldine Grundy idk which name she was using) was murdered in Greendale last night. Lmk if you know anything
Witchy Bitch: haven't heard anything but I'll keep an ear out
Snake Bitch: thanks
Satisfied that she would hear from Sabrina if she did know anything, Amy drove to the prison.
"I'm here to see Forsythe Jones," she told the guard.
"Name and ID," he demanded.
"Amethyst Adams," she said, handing over her driver's licence.
"Go ahead," he waved her on.
"My king," she greeted, picking up the phone.
"Cut it out, Amethyst," FP laughed, "shouldn't you be in school?"
"Things came up. You ever heard of a Jennifer Gibson? Or Geraldine Grundy, whatever, I don't even know anymore…"
"Never heard of a Gibson, but Grundy sounds familiar…"
"She was a fake music teacher at Riverdale, manipulated and raped Red time and time again."
"And you want to be sure that we don't know her so there won't be any consequences for you?"
"Nope, she was murdered last night. Maybe by the same person who shot Fred, but no one knows. Gotta rule out any Serpents before some fucking Northsider tries to blame us for all of their problems."
FP nodded. "Good thinking. As far as I know, no, none of ours would know her. You'll ask around next time you're at the Wyrm though."
"Of course," Amy agreed.
"Good girl. Now, how's Freddie Andrews?"
"He's… okay. He's definitely not back to normal but he's getting better, and Mary is handling a lot of his usual work so that he can focus on resting. I don't think he was thrilled with my outfit of the day, but he took it better than Red."
"You haven't told them about—"
"You want to try to explain to Mr. All-American that I'm in a relationship with two boys and a girl? I wouldn't even know how to explain the whole queerplatonic thing, let alone the fact that there's also sex and initiations and in theory we can also date people who aren't each other!"
FP chuckled. "You have a point. I actually meant the part where you guys spend almost every night sleeping in a car and that Sweet Pea needs to wait for his mom to go to work if he wants to get you spare clothes from your drawer at his place because you refuse to commit to having anywhere that you consider home."
"Wow, way to tear down all of my walls, FP. I mean… you're not wrong, but really? And yeah, I'm not exactly planning to tell them that, the last thing Fred needs is something else to worry about right now."
"As your legal guardian, he does have the right to know."
She sighed loudly. "Fine. I'll tell him soon," she promised.
"That's my girl." FP smiled fondly. "Now, fill me in on everything else that I've missed."
Amy leaned back in her chair. "Get comfortable, there's a lot to say."
It was well over an hour later when Amy finished filling him in on everything that had happened since she last visited. He had sent her off to get to school, and she eventually agreed, signing out of the prison and climbing back on her bike, making her way to Southside High.
She pulled in to her usual spot by the maintenance door, parking between Sweet Pea and Toni's bikes. Checking the time on her phone, she saw that first period would be ending soon, and opened her chat with Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs.
Too Gay For This Shit (Amy): has baby jones shown up yet
Gem (Toni): not yet- asshole stood me up. gonna stop by the main doors before next class just in case
De(sin)gnated Driver (Sweet Pea): me n fangs will save your seats in English
Amy was about to put her phone away when another message showed up on her screen, this one from Archie.
Red: hey ames
there was another shooting last night, moose is in the hospital
Ames: shit red I'm so sorry- you okay?
Red: uh…. I'll be okay. Gotta go now, no phones in the hospital, ily
Ames: alright- be safe, ily
Finally she opened her last message, unexpectedly from Veronica.
Veronica Lodge: Hey Amy. Archie probably already told you, but one of his friends is in the hospital. I'm having the squad over tonight for the Matchelorette premier and I think he'd be really happy to see you- you in?
Amy Adams: Never watched it, but I'm in. Text me the address later?
Satisfied that she had dealt with everything, although still surprised to have been invited over to Veronica's, Amy finally tucked her phone back into her holster, certain that Sweet Pea would have her backpack and jacket waiting in their next class.
She snuck through the side door and into the hallway, quickly making her way to her next classroom while trying to avoid any Ghoulies.
She slipped into the room just before the bell rang, sliding into her usual seat between Fangs and Sweet Pea, greeting them each with a chaste kiss.
"Any sign of Toni?" she asked.
"Not yet, which probably means that Jones showed up," Sweet Pea told her, "but I've got your jacket, your backpack, and a coffee."
"Oh thank god, you're the best," she thanked him, taking the items. She took a long sip of the—now lukewarm—coffee. "Oh my god is that vanilla? Sweets, did you actually go to fucking Dunkins to get me my favourite coffee?" The nearest Dunkin Donuts was pretty much in the middle of the Northside, and Sweet Pea absolutely hated driving there, but Amy loved the vanilla lattes.
"You've had a rough few days," he shrugged, fighting off a blush.
"God I love you," Amy said, leaning against him as best she could without leaving her chair.
"Love you too, Doll."
"What am I, chopped liver?" Fangs interrupted, laughing.
"I love you too," Amy promised.
Fangs opened his mouth to reply, but closed it when he saw Toni walk in with Jughead, heading straight for their row. Jughead took a seat in the front row, but Toni took her usual seat in the empty chair between Amy and Fangs.
Amy could feel, more than see, the way that Sweet Pea tensed up as class began. All four of them got bad vibes from their teacher, but he had also always been particularly condescending and dismissive towards Sweet Pea.
He began the lesson, and Amy scoffed when she saw that Jughead was actually taking notes. Instead of commenting, she focused her attention on trying to keep Sweet Pea calm, wrapping a hand around his bicep and, when the teacher looked away, moving to sit in his lap.
"Hey Sweets," she whispered, "just ignore him, yeah? It's just you and me, forget about the rest of this bullshit." She could feel him starting to relax, and pressed a soft kiss to his jaw. "Make it through the period without snapping and I'll owe you one," she promised.
"My choice?" He asked, just as quietly.
"Your choice. Anything."
"Wanna… I want to make you fall apart," he said after a moment.
"Tonight," Amy agreed immediately, "just focus on that and not on this asshole."
They made it through the rest of the class with no problem, separating from the other three to head to their various next classes.
"Want to bail?" Amy asked, right before she and Sweet Pea would have to part ways.
"With you? Always." Amy beamed up at him, immediately dragging him towards the nearest storage closet.
Too Gay For This Shit: Stealing our boy for an hour, see you in chem 3
The four had a basic policy of always informing each other of their hook ups or dates, within or outside of the group, so Amy put away her phone and locked the door.
"So is this a fun skip or a serious skip?" Sweet Pea asked.
"Bit of both? Can you just… I don't know… this is going to sound stupid but can you just hold me for a bit? Before the sexy times?"
"Of course, Doll. That doesn't sound stupid at all," he was quick to assure her, pulling her into a tight hug. Amy lifted her legs to wrap them around his waist, letting him support her fully.
"FP thinks that I should tell Fred about the whole living out of the trunk of a Jeep thing," she said, after several minutes of silence.
"He doesn't know?"
"Last he heard I was living in a trailer and sometimes we'd have sleepovers in the Jeep. Then I wound up at the Sisters for however long that was, which I only told him about today, then rehab, then fucking Jughead decided to actually live in the stupid trailer and now I'm technically homeless and apparently my legal guardian should know that but he's recovering from being shot and there's no way he can handle more to worry about let alone having another teenager living under his roof."
"Maybe it's for the best though—not to move in with them or anything, unless that's what you want—but for him to know. He's your guardian, so if anything happened and it was found out that he didn't know where you were living, he could be declared an unfit guardian."
"Fuck, I never thought about that… Okay, I'll consider it. I did mention that we had a sleepover last night, but I'm pretty sure that Archie thought that was code for an orgy…"
"It's way too awkward to move around in the trunk though," Sweet Pea protested.
"That's what I said! Anyways, enough about that, I believe that you made some promises about making me fall apart?"
"I thought that was for tonight?"
"Oh, right, I didn't tell you guys- I got invited to Veronica Lodge's tonight to watch some dating show. Apparently she thought Archie would be happier having me around—I'll fill you guys in on that mess at lunch—so I agreed."
"Need a ride?"
"Always, but not the kind you mean. She sent me the address last period and told me she could have her chauffer—she has a fucking chauffer—pick me up."
"And about that other type of ride?"
"Seeing me in your clothes really appeals to those caveman instincts, don't they?" Amy teased. "Not sure we have time for that—actually I don't think there's time for you to make me fall apart either, but I did say I owe you one, so—"
"You sure?" Sweet Pea asked.
"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't, Sweets. I mean yeah, I don't have that whole sexual attraction thing, but I like making you feel good, and you make me feel safe. You can pay me back later, if you want, get me ready for that ride."
Sweet Pea smirked. "I always want," he agreed, carefully setting her down. "As long as I get to make you fall apart tomorrow, it's not fair otherwise." Amy nodded complacently, so he wrapped one hand in her ponytail, cupping her jaw with the other, and gave her a quick kiss before she dropped to her knees.
Half an hour, a blowjob, and several hickeys later, they left the closet and made their way to the chemistry classroom
"Love you," Amy murmured, closing the closet door behind them.
"Love you too," Sweet Pea returned, a promise, more than anything.
Toni and Fangs had reached the class before them, though thankfully without Jughead.
"Looks like you two had fun," Toni said, eyeing the collection of hickeys that trailed from Amy's neck to her collarbone and under the shirt.
"That's one word for it," Amy agreed, licking her lips suggestively.
"Put that tongue away unless you're planning on using it," Fangs told her.
"I already did, but I can pencil you in for later."
"Sounds good- lunch?"
"Can't. I've got practice and then I need to give you guys some Northside updates."
Class started before any of them could ask what she meant. They weren't doing any lab work, so she grabbed her phone to text Kevin.
Joaquin's Girl: hey keller- scored an invite to Chez Lodge tonight, is there some sort of dress code I should know about? Cause I'll warn you now, I'm fresh out of clean clothes.
Joaquin's Boy: no dress code but you should totally come early and we can play dressup with Ronnie, she definitely won't mind
Joaquin's Girl: sounds… kind of terrifying tbh… I'm in- guessing I should leave the jacket behind tho?
Joaquin's Boy: yeah def- I'll start a chat with Ronnie so we can make a plan, but for sure NO JACKET
Joaquin's Girl: lmao sir yes sir (or was that more joaquin's title ;) )
Joaquin's Boy: …..no comment…..
Joaquin's Girl: DAMN KELLER
Rather than reply, Amy saw that Kevin had indeed started a chat with Veronica.
Kevin Keller: SOS Ronnie fashion emergency- Amy's never been to a northside party b4- can we come over early to doll her up?
Veronica Lodge: OMG of course! I've got some clothes that would look *amazing* on you Amy! I've got vixens til 4:30 so I'll have Smithers pick you up from the Wyrm at 5:00?
Amy Adams: tell him to park behind the dumpsters and I'll meet him there
A chauffer and a limo would draw a shitton of attention
Veronica Lodge: Got it!
Amy turned off her phone, trying to figure out what on earth had just happened- is this what friendships were like on the Northside? Dress up and chauffeurs? She was so focused on that, that she missed the bell, and Sweet Pea had to shake her shoulder to get her attention.
"Come on, Doll, class is over."
"Right, of course… Ready for practice, T?"
"I'm going to be giving Jones a tour, but the duffle is in our usual locker."
"Roger that- remember, invite him to sit on our side of the caf but not at our table."
"I know," the taller girl promised.
Sweet Pea walked Amy to the locker room while Toni went to meet Jughead, Fangs following close behind in case of any trouble with Ghoulies.
"Hearing aids, Doll," Sweet Pea reminded her.
"Oh fuck shit you're right, one sec."
Amy removed her blue hearing aids, putting them away in their usual small case and handing them to Sweet Pea. She couldn't cheer with them in, the last time she had tried a flip they got tangled up in her hair and she had to stop, but she didn't trust that no one would try to steal them, so Sweet Pea always kept them in his jacket pocket while she was busy.
Practice only lasted for half an hour during lunch, just a time to run drills on days that they didn't have a real practice, so soon Amy was changed and walking to the cafeteria with the rest of the cheerleading team.
Walking into the cafeteria, the first thing that Amy noticed was that Jughead was sitting alone, followed immediately by the fact that, as she had predicted, he wasn't wearing his jacket.
"Excuse me," she bit out, splitting off from her teammates. "Sitting alone, Jones? Didn't Toni tell you to sit on our side of the caf?"
"I'm more of a lone wolf," he returned, not looking up from his book.
Amy planted her hands on the table, leaning forward slightly. "Look, Jones, I don't like you, you don't like me, whatever. But you need us. Everyone knows who your dad is, and if the Ghoulies think you're alone they'll come after you. Stay on your high horse, don't stay on your high horse, I don't really care, but if you don't want to die, wear the fucking jacket and sit with us at school." With that, Amy stood straight and marched across the room, immediately taking the hearing aids that Sweet Pea was holding out.
"Thanks, Sweets. God, he's such a bitch."
"I tried," Toni told her, "but I guess he'd rather be killed."
"Well, fine. That's his problem. But if the Ghoulies take it out on us, I'm taking it out on him."
"Hot," Fangs was quick to taunt. "So you were going to fill us in on some Northside shit?"
"Right, yes, I was. So first of all, I'm apparently going to the Lodge's tonight because Veronica thinks that Archie needs it—which I'll fill you in on in a sec—so she's going to have her chauffer pick me up by the Wyrm at 5:00. I don't know exactly when I'll be back but I'll send updates and let you know if there are any problems, and I'll meet you guys back at the Wyrm when we're done."
"Look at you, making friends with Northsiders," Toni laughed, "so what happened to Andrews?"
"Turns out a boy on his football team was shot in the forest last night- dove in front of his girl to protect her, or something. I don't know the details but Red is super shaken up about it."
"That's rough… You'll tell us when you know more though, right?"
"Obviously, Fangs."
"I was just asking," Fangs said, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"Yeah, that's fair. You boys might need to cash in your IOUs tomorrow instead, depending on how shit goes though. Keller invited the two of us over early so that they can play dress up with me—is that a Northside thing? Like, do people actually do that?"
Toni shrugged, "I thought it was just in movies."
"So did I!" Amy agreed. She accepted the apple that Sweet Pea passed her, taking a bite instead of continuing the conversation.
Amy napped through Spanish class, spent history playing on her phone, and finished her project in art class, spending the entire time worrying about what to expect of a night with only Northsiders. When the day finally did end, the quartet met up at their bikes and returned to the trailer park, hiding the bikes and taking the Jeep over to the Wyrm.
"Damn, Adams, nice hickeys," Ricky shouted from the pool table where he was getting his ass kicked by Tall Boy.
"Thanks!" Sweet Pea called back, earning quite a few catcalls from the various Serpents in the bar.
Amy wasn't working, so instead she sat at the bar, working through her homework before she would have to leave. Shortly before she was expecting to be picked up, she made her way to the bathroom to touch her makeup up. She knew that Kevin and Veronica wanted to play dress up, but she saw no reason to let her guard down, and quickly set to work reapplying her dark lipstick and eyeliner, her own personal war paint. Once she was done, she tossed her jacket over to Sweet Pea, tightened her ponytail, and walked straight to the dumpsters, surprised to see that the black limo was already waiting for her.
"Good afternoon, Miss Adams. Are you ready to go?"
Double checking that she had everything she needed in her holster—phone, knife, keys, and makeup—she nodded. He opened the door for her and she slid in, trying not to show her absolute awe. The car ride passed in complete silence, something extremely unusual for her, and soon they were pulling into the Pembrooke—the Pembrooke!
She walked into the lobby, wishing that she had her jacket to shield herself with, and tried not to let out an actual sigh of relief when she saw Kevin and Veronica sitting in the plush armchairs.
"Hey girl," Veronica greeted as soon as she saw her, both Northsiders crossing over to her immediately.
"Hey… So, nice place you've got here," Amy said, hoping that she didn't sound as nervous as she actually was.
"It's not quite what we had in New York, but it's the only property that was in my mom's name," Veronica explained.
"Not quite what you had in New York? Did you live in an actual mansion?"
Kevin laughed, "Right?! Imagine thinking that this is lowballing it."
Amy was relieved that Veronica laughed along, and started to relax. She was led to an elevator and into the Lodge's apartment.
"Holy shit," she said, jaw dropping.
"So my room is over this way," Veronica started, giving her a quick tour on their way to the walk-in closet.
"Alright, so what are we thinking?" Kevin asked. "I know the whole black leather thing is your thing, but I doubt Ronnie has anything that fits that criteria."
Amy shrugged, "I mean, I'm fine with whatever, I guess? Nothing too outlandish, but I'm pretty sure Sweet Pea's old flannel isn't exactly Pembrooke-appropriate."
"Definitely not, especially around my parents," Veronica agreed, "I already pulled some items to start with and then depending on what you like—or don't like—we can figure something out."
True to her word, Veronica had laid out a few options, which Amy looked over critically.
"Wow, you really went all out," she said.
"We don't get to do this nearly enough," Kevin told her.
"He's right," Veronica nodded, "promise this won't be the only time we get to play dress up with you?"
"Depends on how you do," Amy shrugged.
Veronica laughed, a surprisingly genuine sound, and after a brief hesitation, Amy joined her. It was strange, she thought, having a girl friend. Of course she had Toni, who she could be completely free around, and she was friendly with Lottie and most of the other Serpent girls under thirty, but every moment with them had to be so calculated—scripted, even—and it was exhausting. Even sex had to be careful, she couldn't risk being vulnerable with anyone other than Toni, Fangs, and, of course, Sweet Pea. Seeing Veronica clam up, having clearly realized how unguarded she was being, Amy realized that she might have more in common with the rich girl than she could have ever imagined.
Kevin, who had been looking at the clothes, suddenly spoke, "I've got it!"
"Show me," Amy said, looking away from Veronica.
"Okay so I'm thinking; this skirt—" he held up a short black circle skirt— "this top—" he held up a lacy white bandeau—"and tie the flannel around your waist."
"Around my waist like I'm still wearing it or like it's hanging down?" Amy asked, considering the idea.
"Up to you."
"I think it would look great hanging down but Red might have a heart attack if I did," she laughed.
"Why's that?" Veronica asked.
"Well, you know…" Amy trailed off, slipping the flannel off of one shoulder so that they could see the trail of hickeys that disappeared under her bra.
"Damn girl," Kevin chuckled, "where did you get those?"
"A lady doesn't kiss and tell," she teased.
"Since when are you a lady?"
"Touché, Keller, touché. You know what, I really like this look. Let's give it a try."
Amy slid the skirt up under the flannel, glad that she had thought to wear shorts underneath, and replaced her bra with the bandeau, tying the flannel in a loose knot around her waist.
"So, how great do I look?" Amy asked, spinning in a circle for the Northsiders to assess.
"Magnifique," Veronica told her, "Kev, your style is perfect as ever."
"Of course it is. So, Amy, think you'll let us do this again?" He asked.
"Oh, absolutely. I'm not about to trade in my usual look to turn all Northsider, but exceptions can be made for special circumstances."
"Of course. You can't wear a ballgown to a biker bar, after all," Veronica agreed.
"Right, exactly. So anyways, when are the others supposed to be getting here?"
Kevin checked his watch. "Twenty to thirty minutes?"
"Anyone up for some Secrets and Sins while we wait?" Veronica asked.
"Is that some weird New York thing? I've literally never heard of it," Amy told her.
"It's something my mom and her friends used to play in high school, apparently. We played it at Jughead's birthday party last year too. I guess it's just a Northside thing. It's kind of like truth or dare but without the dares, just sharing deep secrets and revealing personal sins."
"So basically it's truth or dare without dares or questions?"
Kevin paused. "Yeah, pretty much. You can ask questions though," he said eventually.
"Well, cool, I'm in," she agreed, confident that neither knew her well enough to know if she was keeping things to herself.
"Well in that case, shall we relocate to the living room?"
Amy and Kevin followed her, claiming the two chairs facing each other, while Veronica settled on the chaise.
"Me first," Kevin declared. "Amy, where did you get those hickeys?"
"Oh, they go all the way down," she told him, deliberately evading his question. "If you must know, first floor storage closet at Southside High."
"You know that's not what I meant," he complained.
"I know." Amy smirked at him before turning to Veronica, "So, Holly Golightly. Who would you rather fuck, Sheriff Keller or Fred Andrews?"
"Oh that's a hard one. I think I have to go with Mr. Andrews, find out if Archiekins takes after him or just got lucky. Hopefully he takes after him or I might regret not choosing Sheriff Keller though…"
"Gross, Ronnie, that's my dad!"
"Yeah, and he's hot," Amy shrugged, "I mean, objectively at least, he's not really my type. If you take after your dad in looks though, you should be set for life." She chose not to mention that Fred was basically her dad, deciding that they really didn't need to know that.
Veronica clapped. "My question now! Kev, what's the wildest thing you and Joaquin ever tried in bed?"
Kevin blushed, looking away for a moment before answering. "We stole my dad's handcuffs a few times," he admitted.
"That kinky son of a bitch," Amy muttered fondly.
"Speaking of kinky sons of bitches, who did you get those hickeys from?" Kevin asked her.
"Sweet Pea," Amy told them easily. "He's a bit of a caveman but his mouth is—god—at least as good as Joaquin's. Different specialties though, so I can't really compare."
"Wait, hold on—" Veronica interrupted—"You and Joaquin?"
"Still my turn," Amy reminded her, "but what the hell. Yeah, me and Joaquin. Mostly making out. Anyways, Kev, obviously you and Joaquin got up to some kinky shit, but is he the only one you've tried that stuff with?"
"Full disclosure, I'd made out with guys before, but he's the first guy I actually slept with, so yeah, he is." Amy nodded easily, unsurprised but filing the information away nonetheless. "So Ronnie, would you ever have a threesome?"
"Yeah, definitely."
"Pro tip," Amy offered, "if a guy expects you to have a threesome with he and another girl, but won't even consider one with another boy, he almost definitely only cares about his own pleasure, not yours. Not to say that you should feel obligated to do one or the other, but from my experience, and what I've heard, that tends to be a red flag."
"Hold on- your experience? Who have you had threesomes with?"
"I guess it is your turn… Well let's see… Toni and Sweet Pea, Toni and Fangs, Fangs and Sweet Pea… Fangs and Joaquin once—now that was an interesting experience…" Amy trailed off, noticing the looks of shock on the Northsiders' faces. "Anyways… Veronica, what's the kinkiest fantasy you've had?"
"Dominatrix Betty," she replied immediately, before turning a deep red. "Can we—can we pretend I didn't answer that so quickly? Look, you guys didn't see Betty's black lace getup earlier this year, but it was something else. Kev, which one of you got handcuffed?"
"Me… every time. Joaquin likes being in charge." Amy nodded in agreement, regretting it when Kevin turned to her. "So, how old were you when you lost your virginity?"
"Does oral count?" She asked.
"How about both?"
"Fine. Thirteen for both—oral was when I was just barely thirteen, actual sex was when I was almost fourteen."
"Hold on, what?" A new voice interrupted.
"Red? When did you guys get here?" Amy asked nervously, eyes darting to Jughead.
"Just in time to hear Kev's last question. But really, thirteen? And where did you get those hickeys?" He added, as her collar slipped down slightly.
"Relax, Red—my body my business, remember? Anyways, how are you holding up with the latest shooting?"
Archie sighed loudly, sitting down beside Veronica. *"It's like nobody cares," he said, "dad keeps saying 'leave it to Sheriff Keller' and I'm like 'yeah, he did a great job of catching Jason's murderer,' oh. Wait, I'm sorry, that was us."*
"Maybe if every single person in this town wasn't trying to hide something to save face, he would have had an easier time of it," Amy countered.
"You're defending the cops?" Archie asked incredulously, all too familiar with Amy's hatred of the legal system, especially after the time she had been forced to spend in an orphanage since she 'didn't have a legal guardian and an eight year old can't be left alone.'
"I mean I'd appreciate it if he stopped arresting us as scapegoats all the time, or even if he'd stop shoving me into walls when he did, but even I can't blame him this time."
"That's an interesting way of looking at it," a deep voice said. Amy turned, clenching her fists when she saw that it was Hiram Lodge who had spoken.
"Daddy," Veronica greeted.
"We're just heading out for dinner, but I wanted to meet your friends, first."
"This is Kevin Keller, Betty Cooper," Veronica started, giving them a moment to shake hands, "and Jughead Jones."
"You know my dad," Jughead said, forgoing an actual greeting.
"I do. He's a good man, values family—"
"Even when his family doesn't value him," Amy interrupted, glaring at Jughead.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.
"Oh I don't know, that you decided you would rather live in the Drive-In or a school closet than live with FP?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"You want to fucking bet?" Amy demanded. "I would have given anything for him to be my father, and you threw him aside as soon as it was convenient, and only came crawling back when you needed something."
"Guys," Veronica cut in, "my parents don't need to miss their reservation because of Jughead's daddy issues. So dad, this is Ameth—"
"—Amy Adams," Amy corrected. "So you're the one hiring FP to do your dirty work and then letting him take the fall. Oh, and hiring thugs to trash Fred's equipment and assault a teenage boy."
"Excuse me?" Hiram asked.
"I visit FP daily, he's filled me in. I'd say the pleasure is mine but it really isn't."
"Right, anyways," Veronica laughed nervously, *"daddy, this is Archie Andrews."
"The boy who's captured my daughter's heart."
"Daddy," Veronica warned.
"Uh, it's nice to meet you, sir."
"Ah, please. Call me Hiram. I couldn't help but overhear your discussion and I, um, I understand your frustration with Sheriff Keller. As someone who's had his own share of run-ins with the law," he chuckled, "I can say that the police aren't always the solution. Sometimes we need to take matters into our own hands."*
"Wow, bold words from someone who was actually guilty," Amy scoffed. "As someone who has been arrested and been innocent, I say let him do his job and stop encouraging teenagers to become vigilantes."
*"We're going to lose our table," Hermione interrupted.
"Oh, yes, of course. Hey, it was nice to meet all of you. Oh, and Archie?"
"Yes?"
"Why don't you come over for dinner this week. I look forward to seeing what you come up with to save Riverdale."*
With that, Hiram and Hermione left, and Amy finally unclenched her fists; her grip had been so tight that her nails had broken skin, so she wiped the droplets of blood onto her skirt and hoped that no one had noticed.
"So, um, no one told me that he'd be here." Amy forced a laugh before taking a quick swig from the water bottle she had taken from her holster.
"Ames?" Archie asked, eyeing the bottle. He switched to sign language, hoping that she would be more honest if the others couldn't understand her, "what's in there?"
"Relax, Red, it's just water," she signed back, hoping that he wouldn't ask for a taste. Archie's heart swelled when she used her childhood nickname for him— signing "red" over her heart.
Archie looked doubtful, but decided not to ask. He would talk to Amy later, he told himself, knowing that if he pushed in public she would shut him out completely. While she was often more honest in ASL, he realized she might not want to draw attention to her hearing loss.
"So," Kevin spoke up, "Matchelorette?"
"Yes!" Veronica agreed quickly, "it should be starting in just a few minutes so I'll get the popcorn started."
"I can help," Amy offered, following Veronica into the kitchen.
"I'll get drinks," Kevin said, joining the two girls before anyone could object.
"I'm…" Amy sighed. "I'm sorry you two had to deal with that. My issues with Jughead shouldn't be your problem."
"It's fine," Veronica assured her, "but, the stuff you said about my dad? Is that true? Did he hire people to jump Moose?"
"I think so. FP told me that they were hired thugs from Montreal, so we all assume it was your dad's doing. From what FP's told me, your dad is pretty pissed that your mom gave Fred the contract, so it wouldn't surprise me if he was hoping to destroy the equipment so that she'd need to hire someone else, and Moose probably just happened to be in the way…"
As she spoke, Amy had poured kernels into the pot that Veronica offered her. She'd never had real, homemade popcorn before, but she'd been cooking since before she could read, so she claimed the stove as her territory and got to work.
"Hey Amy—" Kevin called from where he was digging through the fridge, "what do you want to drink?"
"I take it whiskey's not an option?"
"Probably not tonight," Veronica agreed.
"Fine… Coffee?"
"Now that I can do," Kevin told her. "What kind?"
"What do you mean?"
"Our machine can do just about anything," Veronica explained, "coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, americanos, and lots of flavours too."
"Vanilla cappuccino?" Amy asked.
"Coming right up," Kevin promised.
"Thanks! Veronica, can you grab bowls for me?"
"Here you go," Veronica said, handing her three bowls.
Amy divided the popcorn, adding salt and melted butter, balancing the three bowls while Kevin and Veronica handled drinks. When they returned to the living room, Jughead and Betty had taken Kevin's seat, and Veronica and Archie had the chaise, so Amy and Kevin wound up sharing the loveseat that Amy had been occupying before.
"Here you go," Kevin said, passing Amy her mug.
"Thanks." She took a sip, slowly relaxing into the soft cushions. Once the show started, she pulled out her phone, opening her chat with her partners.
Too Gay For This Shit: Northsiders are fucking wild jfc, the Lodge's coffee machine looks like rocket science
De(sin)gnated Driver: Do you really need more coffee, Doll?
Too Gay For This Shit: I mean if they expect me to stay awake for this… whatever the fuck this is
Gem: matchelorette not your thing?
Too Gay For This Shit: my name says it all tbh... at least Keller likes to make fun of everyone on the show even if VL is giving us dirty looks for it
And not the fun kind of dirty
De(sin)gnated Driver: save the horniness for us doll- you need a lift back?
Too Gay For This Shit: VL said she could get her chauffer to drive me home, don't want you guys getting tangled up with hiram, I'm 100% sure he's pure evil
De(sin)gnated Driver: you're probably right… want us to wait for you the Wyrm?
Too Gay For This Shit: Please 3
Amy made it through the rest of the show, whispering scathing comments with Kevin while they threw popcorn at each other. The episode wrapped up soon enough, although not soon enough for Amy's taste, and she stood.
"Alright, I should be heading home soon. Is there somewhere I should leave the clothes?"
Veronica looked at her, confused, "You can keep them!"
"Wait what?"
"Honestly I was never going to wear them, and you look great. Go impress your boy," she teased.
"My boy?" Amy asked, not needing to fake her confusion.
"The tall one from the hospital, calls you doll, gave you those hickeys?" Kevin explained.
"Sweet Pea? He's not—I mean, we're not—I mean… he's my boy but not like, my boy? You know?"
"So you aren't dating him?" Archie asked, having been listening in from the couch.
Amy stared at them blankly. "No? We're… We're ride or die," she explained finally.
"What does that mean?" Jughead asked, trying to seem less curious than he was.
"None of your business, Jones. Anyways, Holly Golightly, think your chauffer can get me back to the Wyrm?"
"Absolutely! I'll have him get the car ready now," Veronica agreed, using the landline to dial the lobby. "He should be ready in less than five minutes if you want to head down."
"Thanks! Bye Keller! Red, I'll try to stop by tomorrow, but text me if you need me."
"I will, Ames, love you."
"Love you too," she called over her shoulder, heading into the elevator.
She stayed silent in the car, unwilling to provide any information to someone on Hiram's payroll, and soon enough they reached the Wyrm. She exited the car with a polite thank you, before shoving the door open and heading straight to where Sweet Pea and Fangs were sitting at the bar, climbing into Sweet Pea's lap without hesitation.
"Do you want to leave now or hang around for a while?" He asked immediately, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"Leave. Please," she added, resting her head on his chest, "I need it to be just us for a bit."
"Of course, Doll," he agreed. "Fangs, can you grab Toni, I'm going to get Amy into the car."
Fangs nodded, already heading to the pool table where Toni and Lottie were just about to start another round.
Meanwhile, Sweet Pea stood carefully, adjusting his grip on Amy until he was carrying her, leaving the Wyrm and buckling her into the passenger seat of the Jeep. Their bikes were already tucked away, so that was one less thing to worry about, and he focused his attention on the exhausted girl in his car.
Fangs and Toni left the bar soon after, climbing into the backseat, and Sweet Pea took off before they had finished buckling their seatbelts.
"Doll? We're here," Sweet Pea said gently, parking the car in the shade of their usual tree.
Amy didn't move, having fallen asleep to the familiar hum of the Jeep, so Toni dressed her in her flannel pyjamas, and Sweet Pea carried her to the trunk after he and Fangs had finished setting up the mattress. He set her down carefully before climbing in, removing her hearing aids and putting them in their case before wrapping his arms around her.
Despite being the first one to fall asleep, Amy was also the last to wake up the next morning. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing the other three getting dressed—a difficult task in such a small space, made harder by the fact that none of them wanted to disturb the sleeping girl.
"Mornin'" she drawled, stretching her arms as best as she could in the limited space.
"Hey Doll, how are you feeling?" Sweet Pea asked, signing along before passing over her hearing aids.
The three Serpents had taught themselves sign language as soon as they found out about Amy's hearing loss, though they mostly used it when she wasn't wearing her hearing aids or when they didn't want anyone else to know what they were saying.
Amy stayed silent for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "Better," she said eventually, "Not great, but better. I really needed that sleep."
"How was the Northside party?" Fangs asked, having just stepped out of the trunk to slide up his pants.
"Exhausting. I mean, Keller and Veronica are surprisingly fun to be around, but god I'm so tired of Jones' bullshit. And Hiram fucking Lodge was there, so—"
"Hiram Lodge was there?" Toni cut in, "Did he try any shit?"
"Well I'm pretty sure he wants Archie to become some sort of teen vigilante, and kept talking about how we can't trust the cops which… I mean you guys know that I hate them, but Hiram is actually a criminal, so I'm pretty sure his opinion shouldn't count?"
"Are you for real?" Toni rolled her eyes, "What a fucking hypocrite, honestly."
"Oh god I know," Amy groaned, "but I think that Red is actually listening to him? Sweets, if he ever becomes a vigilante and starts fucking around on this side of town, feel free to kick his ass, just don't turn it into some fucking turf war."
"As you wish," he agreed.
"Can we watch Princess Bride tonight?" Amy asked, mostly directing the question to Fangs.
"Sure we can," he agreed easily. All four of them loved the movie, and it was their go-to when any of them was having a bad day.
"You're the best," she told him, sliding to the edge of the trunk to kiss him.
"Alright, break it up," Toni called, when the quick peck turned into a much deeper kiss, "Amy isn't even dressed."
"I'm not?" Amy looked down, realizing for the first time that she wasn't in the clothes she had been wearing when she got to the Wyrm. "When did that happen?"
"I changed you last night," Toni explained, "here you go." She tossed the shorter girl her outfit from the night before.
"We'll have to do laundry today," Amy decided as she changed.
"We should," Fangs agreed, "but you do have clean clothes at mine."
"Oh yeah… Forgot about that," Amy shrugged. "That works too though, less effort."
"Doll," Sweet Pea called, holding out her glasses case.
"Do I have to?"
"You don't have to, but you should. You fell asleep with your contacts in last night," he reminded her.
"I hate wearing my glasses around people," she complained.
He raised an eyebrow, watching her as she tried to decide whether to betray a weakness like needing glasses or whether to suffer from dry contacts. With a loud sigh, she started to remove her contacts, and accepted the black rimmed glasses.
"So, school?" Sweet Pea asked eventually.
"I mean we probably should. I want to see is Jones continues with his 'lone wolf' bullshit."
Toni and Fangs nodded in agreement, and the four rearranged the car quickly. As usual, Sweet Pea parked outside of the Wyrm so that they could take their bikes to school. They snuck in the side door, heading to the locker rooms for first period gym class. The boys grabbed their gym shorts and sneakers from Amy's duffle before they split off, and Amy passed Toni her favourite shorts and a black mesh tank top, digging through the bag for her sneakers, before she realized that she didn't have her own gym clothes. She wound up trading the bandeau for her usual black lace bra and pulled on one of Sweet Pea's spare shirts, eventually deciding to just wear the bike shorts that she had under her skirt, though the shirt was long enough to hide them. She did, thankfully, have her sneakers for cheer practice, so she laced those up before finally locking her bags away, meeting the boys in the gym.
Unlike most, the four were thrilled to have a circuit day, since it allowed them to take it easy and talk, unlike days where their teacher was sober enough to organize some sort of sport game. After an hour of half-hearted laps, pushups, and sit ups, they could finally get dressed in their usual clothes, making their way to English class.
Sweet Pea took his usual seat by the window, with Amy beside him, Toni and Fangs on her other side. When Jughead entered the room, he felt Amy stiffen from where she was leaning against his arm, and clenched his fists. He was okay, for a while, until class actually began. When he saw the way Jughead was sucking up to Mr. Phillips, the way he was eating it up and looking at the rest of them like they were scum—more so than usual, that is—he snapped. He stood abruptly, letting his chair hit the floor, and stormed out of the classroom.
"I've got this," Amy assured the other two, "We'll see you later, okay? Love you."
She stood as well, grabbing their bags and following Sweet Pea out of the classroom. She went straight for the maintenance door, knowing that Sweet Pea would be waiting for her by the bikes.
"Hey, Sweets," she greeted softly, passing him his bag. "Want to get out of here?"
He nodded, not quite trusting his voice, and the two kicked off and went straight to the Wyrm, not needing words to be on the same page about what was going to happen. They parked behind FP's trailer, as always, and climbed into the Jeep.
"Where do you want to go?" Sweet Pea asked at last.
"Anywhere. Doesn't matter as long as you're with me."
Sweet Pea smiled fondly at that, driving to the edge of town and then passed it. Eventually they pulled to a stop in a field, empty save for several trees. Sweet Pea parked in the shadiest part of the clearing, more out of habit than necessity, but he figured that it also couldn't hurt.
"Give me a hand," Amy ordered, as she started to turn the trunk into their usual sleeping set up.
"What are you doing?"
"You need cuddles," she told him simply. While many teenage boys would complain about the term 'cuddles' or find it emasculating, Sweet Pea could only chuckle and obey.
"Whatever you say."
Once the trunk was set up, Amy let Sweet Pea lift her by the waist and set her down on the edge so that she could remove her boots and swing her legs in. Once she was all the way in, he sat on the edge and did the same, complying when she immediately pulled him down to lie beside her.
Too Gay For This Shit: left town with Sweets for cuddles and sexy times, be safe, love you both
Amy tucked her head into the crook of his neck, curling against him as tightly as possible, making no objections when Sweet Pea manhandled her until she was lying half on top of him.
They stayed like that for over an hour; Sweet Pea playing with Amy's hair—which he had long since freed from its usual ponytail—while she drifted in and out of sleep, and by the time she woke up properly, Sweet Pea felt significantly calmer.
"Ready to go back?" He asked, seeing her watching him.
"Go back? Already?"
"I know you don't like missing school after being away for months," he said, trying to shrug—a task made impossible due to the small girl lying on him.
"Oh please," Amy scoffed, "I'm pretty caught up, and you matter more to me than school. Besides, I seem to recall a couple of promises that I made you, and the trunk is big enough for two."
"Just not four," Sweet Pea laughed. "Are you sure?"
"I promised, Sweets. Whatever you want."
"Still want to make you fall apart," he told her.
She sat up and straddled him, unbuttoning his dark flannel.
"Whatever you want," she promised.
She had just finished unbuttoning the shirt when Sweet Pea grabbed her hips and flipped them over. Amy reached up to slide the shirt and jacket as far down his arms as she could, but he pulled away to finish the task. She whined and gave a small pout. As soon as he was back leaning over her, biting his way down her neck, she wrapped one hand in his hair and splayed the other over his abs, content to feel it rise and fall with every breath.
"I love you," he whispered, letting himself be pulled up for a kiss.
"I love you too, Sweets. Ride or die."
"Ride or die," he agreed.
As Amy loosened her grip, Sweet Pea retraced his hickeys from the day before, unzipping her bandeau as he went. As his mouth left a collection of bite marks on her stomach, one hand slipped under her skirt, tugging at the waistband of her shorts. After a moment of trying, and failing, to gather the waistband of her knickers as well, he realized that she had gone without. A pool of heat grew first in his stomach, then lower. He tapped at Amy's hip with his free hand. The girl lifted them obediently, letting him pull the shorts off. Sweet Pea moaned, overwhelmed by her scent, and fought the desire to dive right in.
Instead, he looked up at her, meeting her eyes and waiting. She nodded. Sweet Pea finally abandoned the constellation of bite marks on her stomach, moving instead to kiss her thighs. Her skirt bunched up around her waist as she lifted her hips reflexively, but a large, warm hand pressed her firmly against the mattress. He continued to tease her, leaving kisses everywhere except for where she wanted his mouth. Finally, when she could no longer bite back her noises and her eyes fluttered shut, he stopped teasing.
Amy had always praised Sweet Pea's mouth, and this was no exception. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she was speaking, an incoherent stream of words flowing out of her mouth, but she had no idea what she was saying. She was only aware of the feelings of love and safety that she always associated with Sweet Pea, and of the almost unbearable heat pooling in her gut. If it were anyone other than Sweet Pea—or Toni or Fangs—she'd be afraid of losing herself. But with one hand on her waist, the other holding her hand, and his mouth pressed against her, she knew that Sweet Pea would always take care of her.
Amy saw white as she came, shudders racking through her body, as Sweet Pea coaxed her through it. She felt wetness pool on the bedding of the mattress, and was suddenly glad that they wouldn't need it that night. She let Sweet Pea guide her through the aftershocks of orgasm, eventually pulling him back up for a kiss.
"You good?" He asked her softly.
"So good," she agreed with a tired grin.
"Promised I'd make you fall apart." Sweet Pea smirked, chin glistening, and Amy couldn't help but kiss him again.
She lifted herself up onto her elbows, pushing at his chest until he was laying down. "Now I believe I promised you a ride?"
"You don't have to, Doll. I'm good."
"I know I don't have to, but I want to," she insisted, "I just might need some help." Sweet Pea lifted his hips, letting Amy slide his jeans and boxers down his thighs, and kicked them off. She moved to straddle him, lowering herself onto him and leaning back against his bent knees. Face flushed and heart ready to burst, she raised her hips slightly. He hurried to set his hands on her waist, helping her up and down.
"Ride or die," she whispered to him.
"Ride or die," he returned, and, despite everything, that affected her more strongly than anything else.
That's what sex had always been about for them: the promise that they were never alone, that it was them against the world. The familiar words, the promise they held, was what pushed Amy over the edge the second time, with Sweet Pea following soon behind. Only a couple of moments later, Amy collapsed completely, letting Sweet Pea guide her down until she was tucked against him.
She was still tucked against him when they both woke up, an hour later.
"Hey Doll," Sweet Pea murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Hey Sweets- time's it?"
"Two, I think?"
Amy sat up, and pulled out her phone to check, "yeah, two. Crap, Toni messaged me, one sec." She unlocked her phone and read the message quickly, before turning back to Sweet Pea. "Apparently Baby Jones is bringing back the school paper, and Toni wants me to get involved in it with her. I'm pretty sure she just wants me to have a platform if I do write that exposé on the Sisters, but FP did ask me to look out for him, so I might as well…"
"So I guess it's time to head back?" Sweet Pea asked, unable to hide his disappointment.
"Not yet," Amy reassured him, "we've probably got another hour before we need to go, then I can just stop in to talk to them before cheer."
"Sounds good," he agreed, his relief palpable. "Set an alarm for an hour from now."
Amy complied, already knowing where he was going with that, and set her phone to the side. Sweet Pea pulled her back to her previous position, on her side and pressed tightly against him, and went back to playing with her hair.
Sweet Pea knew that he wasn't a schemer, not like Toni and Amy, but he felt a rush of pride when he realized that Amy had fallen back asleep. As much as he needed the time away, he knew that she was in desperate need of sleep, and would never willingly take the time to rest. He hadn't been planning it when he left class, but he'd started thinking about it as soon as she mentioned cuddles.
Amy's alarm went off an hour later, jolting her awake.
"Time to go?" She asked.
"Time to go," he agreed, "get dressed."
There was a moment of awkward shuffling as they dug around for their various discarded garments, but soon Sweet Pea was buckling up his belt, and Amy was zipping up her bandeau.
"Have you seen my shorts?"
"I think I tossed them somewhere over—here they are!" Sweet Pea said triumphantly, finding them hidden underneath his flannel.
Once they were both dressed, they sat on the edge of the Jeep to put on their respective boots. Sweet Pea climbed out first, and then lifted Amy out.
Amy started towards the passenger door, but stopped suddenly. "Sweets, did you literally cover my stomach in a giant S?"
"Yep," he said, unrepentant.
Amy looked at him, then back down at her exposed stomach. "Is this because you didn't like everyone seeing me dressed like this?"
"Nope—it's your body, you should dress however you want. I didn't like the way people were looking at you, dressed like that."
Amy considered that for a moment, and shrugged. "Okay," she said finally, before opening her door. Sweet Pea lifted her in, overwhelmed by smug satisfaction when he saw the way she shifted in her seat, the way she only ever did after having his or Toni's mouths on her. He went around the car and took his seat, shifting the car into gear before reaching over and squeezing her thigh fondly.
"Thanks, Amy," he said.
"Always, Sweets," she promised. "Ride or die?"
"Ride or die," he agreed, and quickly pulled out of the clearing and onto the highway towards Riverdale.
He drove straight to school instead of stopping to grab their bikes. They were all dedicated to their biker aesthetic but he had a feeling that Amy wouldn't be up for riding hers quite yet. He followed her to the old Red and Black office, staying silent in the background when Jughead and Amy started to speak.
"Adams?" Jughead asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I invited her," Toni said, carrying a box into the room. Sweet Pea grabbed it from her out of habit, setting it down on the desk and ruffling her hair affectionately. It wasn't the right time for words, but he wanted her to know that he was okay.
"Why would you do that?"
"Because we're a package deal?" Amy retorted. "Look, we don't like each other, that's fine, but you need someone on this team who knows the Southside inside and out. Which stories need to be told and which will get you killed. Besides, I may not be a writer, but I've got shit to say."
Jughead thought about that for a moment, before deciding that fighting her would be more trouble than it was worth. "Fine."
"Good. Now that that's settled, I've got to get to practice. Toni, I'll tell the girls that something came up?"
"Thanks babe." She kissed Amy and Sweet Pea quickly, correctly assuming that the later would insist on accompanying her to the locker rooms.
Amy froze mid step, "oh shit."
"What's wrong?"
"We took the car, I won't have a way back to the Wyrm."
Sweet Pea relaxed visibly. "It's fine, Doll, I can watch your practice."
"You don't mind?"
"Not at all," he promised.
"Okay. Thanks, Sweets. Want to head into the gym while I change?"
He did so, pressing a soft kiss to her temple and accepting the offered hearing aids before leaving. Amy went to the locker rooms to get changed, as usual, and, while tying her hair into a ponytail, took a moment to just stare at herself in the mirror, admiring the collection of marks Sweet Pea had left. Hickeys and bite marks travelled from her neck all the way down her torso, and some even peaked out from the bottom of her skirt. Once her ponytail was perfect, she quickly reapplied her makeup, which had gotten messed up in the car, tossed her glasses into their case in her backpack, and finally entered the gym.
She lost herself in practice, relieved that they were learning choreo instead of running drills, and before she knew it, they were being dismissed and she went straight to Sweet Pea.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom, Doll. Meet in the hall when you're ready?"
"Absolutely," she agreed, "Fangs left with Toni, right?"
Sweet Pea nodded and showed her the messages saying just that. They split up, and Amy changed quickly, eager to leave.
Somehow she got out before Sweet Pea did, pacing the hall while she waited. It was on her second lap that she noticed a figure, curled up against the lockers in the next hallway. She squinted, sliding on her glasses, and could make out a familiar beanie.
"Jones?" She called.
Jughead looked up, and Amy immediately ran down the hall towards him. She crouched down beside him, and was surprisingly relieved to see that he wasn't beat up too badly, mostly just cuts and bruises. He had a black eye, and his breathing suggested that he might have a bruised rib or two, but overall he seemed okay. Amy wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him up, half dragging him back to the main hallway.
"There you are, Doll," Sweet Pea sighed.
"Yeah, there was a bit of a delay. The Ghoulies clearly got to Jones when he was leaving. Help me carry him to the car?"
Sweet Pea lifted Jughead into a fireman's carry, and Amy grabbed her phone, typing away as they headed for the parking lot.
Too Gay For This Shit: meet FP's- baby jones got beat up
She didn't wait for a reply, confident that Toni and Fangs would be there. She opened the back door of the Jeep, and helped Sweet Pea load Jughead into the car, before Sweet Pea lifted her in too. When they pulled into Sunnyside, Amy saw that Toni and Fangs' bikes weren't already parked, and figured that they must have gotten held up at the Wyrm.
She dug out her keys, opening the door for Sweet Pea, who was once again carrying Jughead. Sweet Pea had just dumped Jughead on the couch when Toni and Fangs strolled in.
"What happened?" Toni asked.
"Ghoulies," Jughead said, still only half conscious.
"Told you to wear the jacket," Amy said. "Do you know who?"
"Barely saw their faces, don't know their names."
"Fangs?"
"I'll find out," he told her.
"Good. Toni, Sweets, want to pick up a pizza?" She asked, handing Toni her –well, Mary's- Costco card.
"I don't know," Sweet Pea said.
"I'll be fine, Sweets," she promised, "The door locks, I'm armed, and even most Ghoulies wouldn't fuck with anyone on FP's property." He still looked unsure, so Amy pulled him away from the others. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him down until she could whisper in his ear. "I promise, Sweets. Baby Jones would be an idiot to fuck with me, and no one would think that I'd willingly be spending time with him. Please? For me?"
It was the last two words that broke his resolve. Sweet Pea had never been able to deny Amy anything, and clearly this wouldn't be the exception. He dug his car keys out of his pocket, heading to the Jeep with Toni while Fangs hopped on his bike to go ask around at the Wyrm.
"Why are you doing this?" Jughead asked, when the door closed behind them, "you hate me."
"I do," Amy agreed, "but you're FP's son and that means something around here; it means you're ours. We take care of our own, and I don't like when people mess with what's mine." And then—maybe out of habit, maybe to emphasize her point, or maybe just because that's who Amy was—she kissed him.
Jughead pushed her away immediately. "I have a girlfriend," he reminded her.
"And I'm asexual, what's your point? It doesn't mean anything."
Jughead raised an eyebrow, "No?"
"Nope. Hell, I lost my virginity at thirteen."
"What?" Jughead asked, confused by the change of subject.
"I mean I was like barely thirteen if you count oral, almost fourteen if you don't- both times with Toni and Sweets, and then including Fangs when we were all fourteen—" Realizing that she was getting off topic, she shook her head. "Point is, it doesn't have to mean anything. I mean, it can, depending on the situation and the person- or people- but in and of itself it doesn't have to. I've kissed all of my good looking friends and hell, I've slept with almost every Serpent under twenty one. It doesn't mean anything beyond a physical reminder that we're not alone. And neither are you. I might not like you very much, but your dad was our king, which makes you one of us. You're not alone anymore, and you never will be. And we take care of our own, I'll take care of the Ghoulies."
"But sex is-"
"Sex is two, or more, bodies seeking pleasure." Amy got a far off look in her eyes, and when she continued to speak it sounded more like a mantra than something that he was supposed to hear. "If sex doesn't mean anything, then nudity doesn't mean anything, then nudity isn't a vulnerability, then they've never seen me vulnerable. If sex doesn't—"
Unsure of how else to snap her out of it, Jughead leaned forward and kissed her quickly.
"So, do you think Archie is actually going to pursue a career in teen vigilantism?" he asked suddenly.
Amy blinked once, twice, then sighed. "I hope not, but honestly… If he thinks it'll protect people or something…"
"Then there's no stopping him," Jughead agreed.
"Mary's the only one who'd have a shot in hell of talking him out of it, but she's flying back to Chicago tonight, so—"
"So we're doomed?" Jughead asked.
Amy shrugged, "I would have said fucked, but you know, same difference."
Jughead laughed, and after a moment, so did Amy. And they were still laughing when the others got back, armed with pizza but no answers.
I hope you enjoyed! This chapter went in a completely different direction than I had expected, mostly because Sweet Pea and Amy just wouldn't do what they were supposed to, and 48 pages later, here we are! As always, I'm always very open to feedback and suggestions!