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Sweet Pea was the only one in The Upside Down Tattoo Studio, cleaning up after getting done with one of his regular clients. They’d been working on a big leg piece for months and he still had a few sittings left. He loved his job, he really did. He was one of the lucky few who could say that with complete honesty.
Jughead and Sweet Pea had been talking about opening up their own studio since they were teenagers, and a few years back they’d finally saved and made enough wise choices to get their own business up and running.
Everything had fallen into place. They both knew they wanted to be tattoo artists early on and had gotten internships with some well respected older guys. It helped that they were both talented and had unique styles, never short on bookings. They’d even been published a few times, which definitely brought in more business. They’d had people visit Riverdale strictly to get pieces done by them.
In fact this was probably the quietest the studio had been since it opened. Jughead and Betty were off on their honeymoon for a few weeks so he was the only one working, coming in only when he had clients booked.
He was just about to sit down and check on his schedule for tomorrow, maybe get some sketches made up, when he heard the back door. Curious, he checked it out.
“Hi, you,” Jellybean smiled as bright as she always did.
He always had such mixed emotions when he saw her now. The two of them had always gotten along, but since there was such a big age gap between her and Jughead she’d never been part of their friend group or on his radar much.
When they opened up the studio she had asked if she could design the aesthetic of the shop. She was in school for art and she could use it as part of her portfolio. Jughead trusted her so Sweet Pea did too.
It had turned out incredible. They even named it after her design. In The Upside Down Tattoo Studio everything that could possibly be upside down was. This also helped in drawing attention to it, so really they had her to thank just as much as their own drive and talent.
Jellybean also worked part-time at the shop, helping out on weekends when she didn’t have classes and taking care of the phone and paperwork, cleaning up, and just general upkeep.
She was a beautiful young woman, as much as he didn’t want to notice, with the most carefree and loveable spirit.
She didn’t keep her interest in him a secret. And while he was interested too, he knew it would never fly with Jughead. Not only was she ten years younger than them, but also Jughead’s kid sister. There was nothing wrong with it legally, but there probably would be in the friendship department.
“What are you doing here?” he asked with a smile, watching as she came closer and didn’t hesitate in wrapping her arms around his waist, snuggling into his chest.
God, he was so in love with her. Her touch, her smell, her voice, the way she looked at everything, including him, with such kindness. There wasn’t anything not to love. Jellybean was everything good wrapped into a stunning creature.
“I came because I thought…” she pulled away so she could look up at him with those pretty eyes. “I don’t know,” she giggled.
It made him smile more, stepping his feet wider apart so they could be a little more level with each other, his hands moving over the top curve of her lovely ass.
“Not that silly,” she breathed against his lips, still giving into his kiss, hot, sweet, and a little forbidden.
He smirked at the way her body still melted into him. She was the one to start this, she was the one that tried and tried with him, until there was no other option but to give in.
He remembered the first time she asked him out to eat, he had been so caught off guard and rigid that she’d rolled her eyes and told him it was only food. But they both knew it wasn’t.
Even though they went to the next town over, to a restaurant he knew Jughead didn’t go to, he was still on edge that any minute Jughead would find them and demand an explanation as to why he was with his sister. What business did they have eating together, alone? Sweet Pea didn’t have any siblings but he knew sisters were out of the question when it came to friends.
He wasn’t ready to tell Jughead yet and risk putting a strain on their friendship and partnership, but the more serious things got with Jellybean, he knew he’d have to. She was important to him now, not someone he could ever imagine living without.
“Okay, if you didn’t come here, looking as good as you do, for me, then what did you come for?” he asked, looking down at her and smirking lazily.
She bit her lip and brought her hands to his chest. “I was thinking maybe… you’d finally give me my first tattoo,” she asked hopefully.
His smirk fell away, replaced by a frown. “Jughead will kill me,”
She sighed. “He won’t kill you. If he does I’ll kill him. And you know I can kick his ass,”
He smiled at the thought. Sure, Jughead wasn’t as built as Sweet Pea, but he wasn’t weak. Jellybean on the other hand was a tiny little thing he could throw over his shoulder easily, and did on a few occasions. She was like a little puppy with the spirit of a big dog.
“Come on, Pea,” she pleaded when he didn’t say anything. “You being afraid of my brother is starting to get boring,”
The two stepped away from each other and he ran a hand through his hair.
“You and I have been hanging out for almost six months now and we’re both adults… Besides, I think you’re underestimating Jug. Wouldn’t he rather see me with someone he can trust,”
He scuffed. Jughead trusting him wasn’t the issue. “I think it’s more than a trust thing,”
She placed her hands on her hips and frowned. He smirked as he looked down at her sexy body. “It’s more of a… I get to see you naked thing, and do things he’d rather no one do to his sister,”
She rolled her eyes but a smile tugged at her delicious lips. Yeah, she knew he was great.
“Okay,” she gave in, “but us being together has nothing to do with me getting a tattoo,”
“Don’t you think your brother would rather he give you your first one?” Jughead knew it was her body and she could do as she wanted, but he just didn’t want to give Jughead anymore reason to hate him once they actually broke the news about them dating.
“Come on, baby,” her voice softened more, the way it did when she was about to get her way. “The spot I want it in… my brother will never see,”
That had him intrigued, raising his eyebrows at her as she stepped closer again.
.
Not even a half hour later she was laying on his table, the outline of the flower on her skin, ready for him to ink permanently.
When she told him she wanted a Sweet Pea flower, he tried his best to contain his emotions. He wanted to tell her to think about this, what if she didn’t feel the same about him a year from now, but he didn’t, because he knew that they both knew this wasn’t fleeting.
“Ready?” he asked.
She gave him a nod, smile still in place, and the calming buzz of his needle filled the small space. She had chosen her hip bone, a part of her that was usually covered by her panties.
When the needle touched her skin he asked if she was okay.
“I’m great,” she answered, and for the next little while he worked, worked on the most precious canvas he’d ever had the privilege of touching.
When he was done and she was standing in front of the mirror, checking out her new piece, he watched her in awe.
Even though he was terrified of how Jughead would react, he was finally going to do as Jellybean wanted and tell him they were dating. He didn’t want to hide anymore, he couldn’t. And maybe Jughead would be so blissout from his honeymoon that he’d go easy on him.
Although he doubted it.
When Jellybean made a cute squeaking sound and turned to wrap her arms around him, he forgot about Jughead and laughed, loving that he could make her so happy with a single tattoo.
“I love it, baby, thank you so much,”
He kissed her lips. “Anything for you… if you’re persistent enough,”
She giggled and pulled away long enough for him to clean the fresh wound and cover it up.
“When we get back to my place we’ll take this off,” he told her.
She nodded. “I’ll help you clean up.
.
A couple of hours later they were laying naked in his bed, his tabby cat, Sweetheart, curled up at their feet, as his fingers traced a delicate circle around the tattoo.
The skin was a little red now, slightly shiney with the ointment he’d rubbed on it after they’d cleaned it again once getting home.
Jellybean was quiet, looking as content as he felt.
He had literally everything anyone could need to be happy, and although he had been happy before the two of them got together, he could have never imagined how much happier he was now.
Life was far from perfect, but what mattered most, the people who were there, he had that.
Looking over her tanned skin, his fingers moving up the side of her waist, he slowly changed the direction as his palm flattened over her ribs, feeling the warmth of her skin, the connection he had like he’d had with no other.
“I’m going to tell Jug, I promise,” he told her.
She just smiled kindly, letting the silence sit between them for a moment. He leaned in and kissed her shoulder.
“Thank you, baby,” she whispered.
His heart swelled with love. He could feel it, how much it meant to her that he was finally ready to be public about their relationship.
“I love you,”