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As he stared down at the box, a flush spread across his cheeks. "You got me a Christmas present?"
Sweet Pea couldn’t believe it. Veronica Lodge has just handed him a Christmas present. The small square box fit right into the palm of his large hand, the green wrapping paper looked shiny and the thin red bow keeping it together screamed Christmas but in a subtle way.
As a serpent, Sweet Pea wasn’t used to getting gifts. The closest he ever really got was wrapping gifts for Toys for Tots every year as a way to give back to the southside, but now things were different. The ghoulies had the southside and the Serpents has been given refuge on the northside: in tent city.
Sweet Pea took a deep breath and licked his lips, his dark eyes moving up to Veronica’s, as she patiently stared back at him, a hint of amusement in her eyes. There was a slight smirk on her features, one eyebrow slightly raised up at him as he studied her face. As the silent moments passed, Veronica tilted her head slightly and took a small step forward, until the pair were inches apart, practically sharing a breath between them.
Sweet Pea prided himself on being a tough guy, but in that moment, that small step forward, Veronica’s scent invaded his whole being, the hint of vanilla mixed with the musk from the low lighting and packed room of the speakeasy. There was a touch of gingerbread and cinnamon because according to Betty no holiday party was complete without gingerbread house making, and Sweet Pea has thoroughly enjoyed the bottomless eggnogs that had been passed around all night.
The holiday party had been a way to unwind from all the drama and death that seemed to follow the citizens of Riverdale since Gryphons & Gargoyles took over the town. Cheryl and Toni had thrown themselves into the planning with help from Kevin, decking the halls truly red and Serpent green, while Veronica offered up the speakeasy to host, Betty volunteering to bring all the gingerbread supplies, Jughead promising to eat it all himself, and Reggie taking it upon himself to find the most obscure holiday beer flavors in the tri-state area.
Now here was has, dressed in his jeans and the nicest button-up shirt he owned, his Serpent jacket over his shoulder due to the consistently dropping temperatures outside. There was fake frost along the back windows and a light projector making the illusion that it was snowing inside the establishment, but the heat was definitely not on. Veronica for her part had pulled out all the stops, allowing her club to be dressed to the nines with garland, tinsel, and a fabulous ten-foot-tall fir tree with white, gold and red decorations.
He didn’t miss the apple red evening gown she had donned either, the floor length halter top dress hugging her curves in all the right places. Her signature pearls were in place at her neck, with white icicle earrings dangling from her lobes. Her bold red lip stood out even in the dim lighting, and it looked more inviting than the eggnog Sweet Pea has just finished. Even her heels matched her dress, the fabric tied around her ankles like bows to keep her from wobbling on the stilettos, which gave her 5’2’’ frame enough height that they were practically eye to eye.
“Sweet Pea?” He heard him named being called softly, only to be jolted from his thoughts as he felt a warm hand on his left wrist. Blinking rapidly a few times, Sweet Pea’s eyes quickly darted from Veronica’s onyx orbs to her perfectly manicured blood red nails now resting on his arm. He swallowed thickly, before running his right hand through his dark hair and looking back at her. Her playful gaze has softened into a more neutral look, laced with concern at his lack of response.
“Uh…thanks, Veronica,” Sweet Pea muttered lowly, maintaining eye contact briefly before glancing down at the small box still in his left hand. After a beat, he managed a genuine smile, not wanting her to think he was ungrateful, just completely stunned by the gesture. He hadn’t even thought to get her something, gift giving wasn’t a usual occurrence for him.
He glanced up to her just in time for her to fully grip his wrist in her fingers gently. He watched as she pressed her lips together thinly and swallowed, looking down at the box in his hands. “Aren’t you going to open it?” she asked in a small voice, quite unlike her. The confidence he’d seen in her eyes was absent from her voice, and Sweet Pea could’ve sworn she was a nervous as he felt.
He cleared his throat and settled his fingers around the box in a firm grip. “Of course, Princess,” Sweet Pea answered in a soft voice. “But I didn’t get you anything,” he continued, deciding that voicing his feelings might help the situation from getting awkward. At his words, Veronica glanced back up, the hope evident on her face as her eyes took in his soft and grateful expression. He couldn’t help the slight warmth he felt bloom inside his chest as he watched the smile grow on her lips.
“It’s okay, Sweet Pea,” she replies easily. “Christmas is a season of giving after all.” As she finished, she thrust her chin up, displaying her legendary Lodge confidence, all nervousness forgotten. Her dainty fingers began to caress his arm, and Sweet Pea fought to suppress the smirk that threatened to spill over his lips, determined to keep her in the dark over how her touch was affecting him.
He managed to suppress an eye roll as her cheesiness as well, focusing all of his attention on the small box in his hands. He slowly used his fingers to unravel to small red ribbon securing the box together, allowing it to fall away and then tucking it into the front pocket of his jeans. Veronica kept her eyes steadily on him, analyzing his reactions as he swiftly removed the top of the green box.
There, on a small cloud of cotton balls, was a tiny, white, square piece of paper with the words LOOK UP in big, block letters. Sweet Pea blinked, his brow furrowing at the words. Of all the things he expected to be in the box, and over the past few minutes his mind has run the gambit of all the possibilities, this wasn’t anywhere near anything he had thought of. His eyes flew up to Veronica’s and he noticed she looked back at him rather innocently. Too innocently. After a beat of silence, she tilted her head down a bit, and batted her eyelashes at him rather obviously, a brilliant grin on her lips. Sweet Pea’s eyes narrowed at her reaction, and he warily looked up, following the instruction in his gift. Then his jaw visibly dropped.
There, a foot above his head, attached to one of the many strands of garland hanging across the ceiling, was a familiar looking plant: mistletoe. In that moment, Sweet Pea’s mind went blank. He didn’t care that his mouth was open, or that he knew he looked visibly stunned, or even that Veronica had a smug grin on her lips. That warmth he had felt earlier in his chest was now a burning fire, rushing through his veins and he had never felt more alive around a woman.
Slowly, Sweet Pea lowered his now heated gaze back to the headstrong brunette in front of him and was pleased to see not a smug grin, but more an expectant smirk on her lips. They just stood there for a moment. Two people lost in their own moment in a crowded room full of their friends just weeks before Christmas. Staring into Veronica’s eyes Sweet Pea saw happiness, amusement, patience, and hope. He could feel those same emotions in his body and knew they were reflected in his eyes as well.
Veronica’s hand suddenly moved from his wrist up to his chest, pressing the tips of her fingers into his dress shirt, right over his heart. He felt her move closer to him, the air evaporating between their bodies, their lips inches apart. Sweet Pea moved his hands to Veronica’s lower back, caressing the exposed skin there lightly, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise when he felt her shiver a bit and move even closer. It was like a spark had ignited the moment they touched. Her hand on his wrist has started a slow burn, but his touch to her skin had lit a match that spread like wildfire.
Sweet Pea couldn’t be sure who moved first, but the next thing he knew his lips were on Veronica’s and the world stopped. Her lips were soft and warm against his, molding together like they were meant to be, no hesitation and no fear. Just a mutual desire to keep that blaze alive and growing between them. The kiss was strong and steady, both of them fighting for dominance, Veronica biting his lip quickly evoking a sharp exhale from the Serpent, while her eyes danced with mirth.
Sweet Pea took a breath as Veronica tilted her face back a bit to gauge his reaction, her hands sliding up to cup his cheeks. Sweet Pea hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath, but the spark between them had surprised him in the best possible way. He swiftly ran a hand up her back to hold her firmly behind the neck and pull her back to him, not that she resisted.
A moment later their lips were locked together again, Sweet Pea bending forward and tilting his head to deepen the kiss, a low moan escaping from Veronica’s throat at his dominance. Sweet Pea didn’t hesitate. He slowly licked his tongue over Veronica’s lips until they parted and that was the moment Sweet Pea realized he was wrong. Kissing Veronica Lodge wasn’t the best surprise of the night. Having his tongue down Veronica’s throat was. She was clinging to him like he was the air she needed to survive, and he was clutching her hair just as tight, not a millimeter of space between them. They continued like that for a while. It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. He could’ve gotten shot in that moment and he still wouldn’t have let her go. All Sweet Pea knew was that the fiercest woman he had ever laid eyes on was in his arms and kissing him like he was the sweetest thing on the planet. He never could have imagined that the courageous brunette northsider who laid down the rules for his rumble with Andrews last year would be giving him the time of day, let alone the kiss of his life.
Finally, when the need for real air became too much, he pulled back a bit, and to his delight opened his eyes to see Veronica’s lips chasing his, the desire clear on her face. They took a breath and just looked at each other for a moment, their eyes lingering on each others' still parted lips.
“Merry Christmas, Sweet Pea,” Veronica said in a fond voice, her eyes shining with glee and something Sweet Pea realized was contentment. She was still clutching his neck, with clearly no intention of letting him get farther away, and Sweet Pea would be damned before he let her.
Flashing her a truly genuine and happy smile, Sweet Pea answered in an equally soft voice,” Merry Christmas, Veronica.” They stayed that way for another moment, sharing matching smiles of happiness, the contentment and joy in their eyes just radiating between them, like wavelengths running on the same frequency, perfectly aligned in every way.
Around them, the holiday party was continuing. Fangs was doing shots of peppermint schnapps at the bar in a race against Kevin, Betty and Jughead were dancing to music only they could hear and Toni and Cheryl were eyeing him and Veronica with impressed smirks, but Sweet Pea didn’t care. He had never had a happy holiday season, but maybe, just maybe the stunning brunette still wrapped in his arms would change that.
Basically reading his mind, Veronica leaned back up and closed the distance between them, locking their lips together in a sweet kiss. There they stayed for the remainder of the party, lost in their own world as they made out, teasing each other occasionally and basking in the new found spark that had been ignited between them, the spark that nothing, not role-playing games, or dead bodies or even Hiram Lodge could ruin.
It wouldn’t be until much later, after the pair had departed the party, after cleaning up of course since Veronica had graciously hosted, that Sweet Pea would drive Veronica back to the Serpents compound on the back of his bike and they would continue to get to know each other. And it wouldn’t be until even later, after countless kisses and laughs and a silent promise to see each other tomorrow even as dawn broke over the horizon, after dropping Veronica off at home, that Sweet Pea would remember the tiny red ribbon still tucked tightly in his pocket. And the comment Veronica had made as they were leaving the speakeasy hand in hand that his gift to her had been worth every moment. His eyes snapped open as he lay on his cot staring at the ribbon in yet another moment of complete shock. He realized that she had planned the whole thing. That little minx.