What You've Done
By: AndiKaneUnderwood
I'd stop doing this, but then I wouldn't be as good of a writer as I am and no one would read my stories. So, as my heart is aching for two boys I only met Saturday and have already falling in love with, here's a tag to S.1 E.12 "Chapter Twelve: Anatomy of Murder".
Archie stepped back as the door closed behind his best friend.
His heard burned with anger for the boy from the South side.
He turned and looked at his father, the source of Jughead's leaving.
He pointed at the door, the hurting boy who'd just walked out with intention of sleeping in the too-cold garage.
"That was bullshit." Archie said softly, barely a whisper passing his lips.
"Archie-"
The redhead cut his father off. "No! That was bullshit! Jughead is my friend, Dad. Jughead is the best friend I could possibly have, and the best person in this whole hellhole of a fucking town!" Archie was yelling now, angry and hurt and wanting his father to feel what Archie was feeling because Archie's best friend had just walked out the door after the fucked up day he'd had and that was unacceptable.
"Archie, listen-"
Archie cut his Dad off again. "No!" He snapped, teeth bared, ready to protect his brother with everything he had. "Dad, you welcomed Jughead into this house after what happened when he was arrested. You always welcomed him into this house, even after I turned on him earlier this year. Jughead's been through so much shit in his life that this is practically the rotten fucking cherry on top of a pile of fucked up days and cold nights and running from the shit that's been thrown at him from all sides.
"He's my friend Dad! He's not trouble, alright? There's no fucking... fucking curse that follows the Joneses around. There's nothing wrong with Jughead and kicking him out of school after what Cheryl fucking Blossom did is fucking bullshit. So, no! I'm not moving to Chicago and I'm not letting Jughead finish his school year up from home unless it's what he honest to fucking God wants. Cause you know who just walked out the door?" Archie had gotten closer to his father until they stood nose to nose.
"You know who just walked out that door, Dad?" Archie asked, voice quieter but with no less fire beneath the surface. "My brother just walked out that door. Jughead's my brother. And my brother sure as Hell isn't going to sleep anywhere but on that mattress in my room. No matter what his father has or hasn't done."
And with that, Archie spun around and started towards the door.
He was met with no resistance.
The redhead wrenched open the door and slammed in closed behind him. He ran towards the garage and hoped Jughead was there.
Riverdale~Riverdale~Riverdale
Archie pushed open the garage door and stepped in to the freezing garage. "Jughead?" he called as he stepped further inside.
Archie heard a soft sniffle and turned towards it. "You in here?" he called again.
Archie didn't hear a thing, but he knew Jughead was in the garage. When it came to Jughead Jones, Archie always knew.
He was a pretty shitty friend and he'd been slacking on his duties, but he was trying to get better and he hoped that he could prove it.
"Jughead, I know you're in here. You always sucked at hide and seek." Archie teased with no humor.
"Did you mean it?" asked a soft voice from somewhere to his left.
Archie stepped towards it. "Mean what, Jug?" he asked.
"What you said to your Dad." Jughead replied.
Archie finally found his brother hidden under a window and curled up, his face in his knees. "Yeah, I did. Of course, I did."
Jughead looked up and the light hit him, making him seem almost translucent. His blue eyes glowed and the tears on his face where glaringly obvious. "I tried to apologize to here, Archie." He murmured.
Archie fell to his knees across from Jughead and put a hand on his shoulder, looking into blue eyes filled with tears that had no place there. "I know you did. You don't deserve the beating. My Dad's wrong about this, just like he's wrong about your Dad killing Jason. We're gonna prove that, Juggy."
Jughead nodded, and more tears spilled down his cheeks.
Archie pulled Jughead in and prayed hard for Jughead and his family, though he was hardly the religious type.
Jughead broke down completely and Archie got the change to glimpse the person Jughead had become over the summer, after he'd fucked up.
"We're gonna fix this." he murmured as Jughead cried. "It'll all be alright."
Archie stayed there until Jughead had cried himself out and fallen asleep.
For a few minutes, Archie didn't move, listening. He'd been sleeping beside this boy since they were kids and Archie knew all the tricks Jughead sometimes pulled.
After he was sure Jughead was asleep, Archie grunted, putting an arm around the younger's shoulders and the other under his knees.
He stood, sparring brief thought to Jughead needing to eat more, and carried his brother back into the house.
The door opened as Archie his the steps and Fred Andrews stepped out.
"Think about what you're doing, son." Fred begged.
"He isn't his father, Dad." Archie replied. "Now get out of my way."
Fred sighed and stepped aside, letting Archie bring Jughead into the house.
Archie took Jughead upstairs and gently laid him down on the mattress. He stripped Jughead of his combat boots, jacket, and flannel that was always tied around his waist. Archie placed the boots by the closet and threw the jacket and flannel on the chair. Archie took far more care with the beanie Jughead wore. Archie remembered when Jughead got the beanie (1), Archie had bought it for him for his ninth birthday. Jughead had worn it ever since.
Archie set the beanie down on his window seal with great care, then pulled the blanket over Jughead and stood.
He turned and his father stood at the door. "You sure you wanna do this, Archie?" Fred asked.
Archie glared at his father and stepped in front of Jughead, silently daring his father to try and take Archie's brother from him.
Fred was reminded of himself as a kid, standing in front of another boy from the wrong side of the tracks. The same glare was leveled at him now, the same stance, the same protectiveness was looking right back at him. Fred sighed, surrendered and backed down the hall.
Archie shut the door and began getting ready for bed, carefully stepping over Jughead as he climbed under the covers.
Archie sat against the headboard for a moment and thought.
Jughead would probably have a headache and an angry streak when he woke up, but Archie would be there to help with all of it.
Archie knows his brother better than the redhead knows himself and Jughead will need all the help he can get if they're going to get FP out of prison.
Archie settles in and turns so he can hear if Jughead wakes before him.
As he closes his eyes and slips into sleep, a single thought comes to mind.
This is what you've done, you've saved a boy who you don't deserve.
Archie smiles as he falls asleep and replies to himself.
Don't worry. I'll take care of him.
(1) I've only seen the first twelve episodes so I'm sorry if I got this wrong.