#Veronical Lodge | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

clnriswood · 4 years

Photo

ARCHIE ANDREWS X READER

Big Little Town: Part Two

a/n: hello! very long chapter incoming! this one is kind of world build-y but i promise after this it’s angst galore. lmk if you want to be on a tag list, love you all and can’t wait to keep writing!

There hadn’t been much unpacking progress that afternoon. The girl had been in a pretty much constant state of fear and mingled excitement, so the only thing she’d managed was making her oak framed bed up with thick patterned quilts, and her window with a wispy white curtain. Archie saw her bring it upstairs and hang it up, of course. She’d noticed him eyeing her discreetly from his desk, but he was polite enough to pretend not to see what she was doing. After that the drapes had stayed closed. Now, the girl was heaving other objects into her room as a last minute distraction, the current item in question being a large gold framed mirror that she leaned decoratively against the wall opposite her bed. Her mother had helped her bring it up, and now they both stood in front of the mirror, staring at themselves in the vast reflection.

“What do you think?” her mother smiled.

She looked at herself, thinking. She hadn’t changed since earlier, but there was now a visible panic sweat building on her brow.

“I think I’m going to piss myself,” she concluded.

“Oh!?” her mother gaped wih surprise, giving her a light slap.

“Sorry,” she grumbled, turning away and sitting defeatedly on the edge of her bed.

“Don’t say that. It’s a blessing, really,” said her mother, sinking down beside her and placing a hand to her knee. “You have people coming right to you to try and be your friend!”

“How is that a blessing?” she replied dumbly with a furrow of her brows.

“Well,” she tried gently, “you aren’t so good at approaching other people first.”

The girl shot her mother one of those daggered glares she’d gotten so good at.

“Nevermind,” her mother dropped it with a scoff.

The girl stared down at her scuffed up sneakers, tapping them together uneasily.

“She’ll be here soon.”

“She?”

“Betty,” the girl explained. “She’s picking me up to take me to Pop’s.”

“I thought Fred Andrew's boy was doing that?” her mother said with surprise. “Doesn’t that make more sense? He lives right ther-”

“No,” the girl said. “Betty offered first.”

Lie. Immediately after receiving Archie’s invitation he’d asked to take her over but she made something up about Betty taking her and then had to frantically text Betty and lie to her that Archie couldn’t take her and then had to ask her to bring her instead and then-

“You really are bad at this lying thing,” her mother concluded her thought for her.

The girl gaped in mock hurt, but then dropped the expression, too lazy to even try pretending her lie wasn’t, well, a lie.

Then there was a ring at the doorbell. It was distant, but still, struck a fearful cord that sure sounded loud in the girl’s ears. She stood up slowly, tucking her phone into her jean’s tight back pocket and attempting to suck in a confident breath.

“Shame,” her mother’s cheeky words followed her out the room, “I wanted to see how much that Archie boy had grown.”

Thank goodness her back was to her mother as she descended the creaky stairs or she would’ve been in for a whirlwind of questions concerning the absolute red that seeped into her daughter’s cheeks.

. . .

Betty drove a little blue car that was, honestly, a little messy. Not that she was judging, it was just unexpected to see the neat blonde with a book scattered and paper strewn backseat. There was even a bundle of red yarn, like she was going crime solving or something. The thought made the girl laugh to herself. Yeah right.

The car was pretty quiet, (Y/N) thinking of her mother’s remark at her inability to approach people first, one which seemed very relevant at the moment.

“So, what sort of things are you looking forward to at school?” Betty finally broke the silence with some easy conversation.

The girl’s eyes flickered as she watched the flare of passing headlights, responding, “I hear you guys have a good music program?”

“Oh yeah,” Betty flashed her straight white teeth. “I’m awful at that stuff. Archie is great though!”

“Yeah I-” the girl shook her head and wrinkled her nose with embarrassment, “I know I… I used to know Archie. And you, kind of.”

Betty tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, not wanting to be rude but having no indication of who the girl was in her memory.

“I’m (Y/N),” she said, “which you know already. But my full name is (Y/N/) (Y/L/N).”

Betty repeated her full name slowly, trying to see if it rang any bells. She tried again but nothing stirred. She repeated it once more, and it took a second for it to actually hit her.

“OH MY GOD!” she hit the brakes with surprise, her blonde pony swinging.

She turned to get a look at the girl, a good look this time. Her perfect pink lips dropped open.

“You’re-” she shook her head, searching for the right words. Then she settled on gorgeous. “Not that you weren’t before,” she explained quickly, her lashes fluttering, “you’ve just changed a lot.”

Betty turned her big blue eyes slowly back to the road and started driving again with a short little laugh.

“Thanks,” the girl said bashfully, unsure of how else to reply. “You haven’t. Changed, I mean. You were always really cute.”

Betty let out an ugly snort, making the girl’s lips stretch wide into a smile.

“What?!”

“Please,” Betty scoffed. “I was not cute. I was embarrassing. I thought I was going to grow up to be either a princess, the president, or both simultaneously.”

“Are you kidding? That’s still my dream,” she joked, making Betty release a sweet airy laugh.

Sure enough, the girl found herself warming quickly to Betty Cooper.

“I was actually jealous of you, y’know?” Betty said as she turned her head to look at the girl with a grin.

“What? Me!?” she chortled. “Me, the weirdo with no friends?”

Betty shook her head, eyes back on the road now, “one friend.”

And just like that, the panic sweat was back.

“Archie?” she said nervously.

“Yeah, little Archie,” Betty rolled her eyes, “I had the biggest crush on him when we were kids.”

The girl gave a nod, twirling a piece of hair nervously around her index finger. Huh, looks like there was competition for her childhood crush. She couldn’t blame Betty for liking him. Any little girl with two eyes would’ve. Not wanting to sound too obvious, she asked, “do you still?”

Betty ugly snorted again, and then scolded herself for the reaction.

“Don’t tell Archie I laughed at him for that.”

“Believe me I won’t,” the girl chuckled.

“I’ll always love that boy but we’re very different people,” Betty explained, pulling up to the diner. “Plus I’ve got Jughead, and he’s got Ronnie.”

The girl was so busy absorbing the flickering neon lights of Pop’s famous (in her mind) Diner, that it took her a second to process what was just said or what it meant at all.

“What’s a Jughead?” she said stupidly to herself.

Betty just smiled and opened her door, the girl blindly following after her. It had been so long since she’d been to the diner, but not much had changed, other than it looked like it’d had a fresh coat of paint and someone had finally fixed that dreadful buzzing light in the “n” of the sign. The girl tripped nervously behind Betty into the diner, the door letting loose a little jingle as they stepped in. Unlike the cool night air they’d just briefly been exposed to, Pop’s was filled with a warmth and delicious sugary smell that made the girl salivate at once. A feeling of absolute nostalgia swept over her, one so strong Betty had to shake her out of it.

“(Y/N), hey, they’re over here.”

She snapped out of it, hair whirling around her shoulders as she turned to her left, eyes landing on a nearby booth where three people sat. One was a black haired boy in a beanie who sat with his legs up against the table but shifted upwards with a smile when he saw Betty. That must be the boy she’d just referred to as an it, she thought to herself. Then there was a raven haired girl in a sleek black dress who sat about as prim and properly as a person could in a plastic-y diner booth. Ronnie, she presumed. And then there was Archie Andrews. Archie Andrews with the beautiful brown eyes that were glued indiscreetly to her. Archie Andrews with his arm around the stunning girl beside him.

“Fuck,” the girl began to whisper, but then, catching their eye, let the word buzz out into nothingness as she gave them all a big fake smile hello.

“Jug, Veronica, this is (Y/N),” Betty introduced the girl politely.

“Pleasure,” Veronica offered a hand, Jughead giving her a nod of acknowledgement.

She took her hand awkwardly as Betty pulled her up a chair to sit at the end of the table.

Oh good, like she could fifth wheel any harder.

“And Archie, you know (Y/N)!?” Betty beamed.

Archie’s eyes sparkled with knowing as he gave a nod, one the girl barely caught as she looked away quite quickly. Up close he was even more terrifying. And by terrifying she meant handsome. And by handsome she meant terrifying. A loose red strand of hair fell in front of Archie’s enthralled stare, and he was too dumbfounded to do anything about it, so Veronica fixed it up for him, making him snap out of his short lived trance. He moved his eyes over to his girlfriend, giving her a half smile.

“What’ll we be having?” a kind voice interrupted them.

The girl looked up into the eyes of none other than Pop himself. He wore the same old Pop’s uniform and the same old smile. He had that glorious Santa Clause twinkle in his eyes, and just the jolly Santa Clause laugh to go with it.

“My my, if it isn’t (Y/N),” he shook his head.

“You remember me?!” she said with both surprise and flattery.

Pop gave her a pat on the shoulder, addressing the group, “this girl used to come in every afternoon, sit right up on those stools that were too tall for her little legs, and order an extra-chocolate chocolate milkshake,” he smiled. Then, looking down, he chuckled, “how could I forget?”

She looked up at him with a huge grin, “you never did tell me your secret.”

“Ah, you’re old enough now,” he shrugged, “it was an extra brownie.”

“What?!” her mouth fell open, “that was it!? But you’d go back there and make it seem like you were doing this big magical thing-”

“Extra brownie,” he cut her off with a proud little wheeze, to which she shook her head. “I presume it’ll be the same for tonight, right?”

She scoffed, crossing her legs in her chair and sitting up a little better, “right.”

Pop nodded, “good to have you back, kiddo.”

The girl turned back slowly to face the others, who of course were all staring at her. There was a shared expression amongst them that she couldn’t place. They didn’t speak for a few seconds. Then it was Jughead who finally said what they were all thinking.

“You’ll let us try that thing, right?”

She let out a sigh of relief, and then a laugh and a shake of her head, “of course.”

. . .

Once they’d all passed the milkshake around the table once, every person had come to the same conclusion: this girl had taste. Then they’d all ordered themselves a round of her extra-chocolate chocolate milkshakes, even Archie. As she took sips of the delicious sugary goodness, it felt like social fuel being pumped into her lungs. She bonded with Jughead over their interest in fiction, Veronica over their interest in fashion, Betty with everything, and Archie with nothing, since she didn’t really speak to him. The neon lights of the diner sent a warm pink glow over the group, flushing their skin with the retro aura that made Riverdale what it was.

“A cracktown in the middle of the forest,” Jughead had decided to call it.

“Jug,” Betty hit her hand to her forehead with a laugh.

“No, seriously (Y/N) you wouldn’t believe the crap that happens here,” Jughead said, tossing a brownie chunk in his mouth.

“Relax, Jones,” Veronica said. “Don’t go scaring off our new girl so soon.”

The girl smiled a confused smile, unaware of what subtext she was missing out on.

Changing topic, Veronica asked what she might be looking forward to at school.

“Oh, um, the music,” she responded for the second time that night, averting Archie’s eyes as she did so. “I play guitar.”

“Do you now?” Veronica arched a sharp brow. “So does this ginger stallion beside me.”

Veronica grabbed Archie’s large arm and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

He nodded, and she made direct eye contact with him for only the second time that evening. His eyes softened when he caught her looking, making her stomach turn. Not that either would say it, but she was the one who had taught him to play, something they both recalled. He cracked the tiniest of smiles for her, making her forget how to breathe as she found herself suddenly very interested in the bottom of her milkshake glass. An awkward silence, the first and only of the night, ensued.

Veronica, feeling responsible for it, said, “well it’s late. I should be heading home before daddy worries.”

The girl had to pinch herself under the table to keep herself from laughing at whatever the hell had just been said. She raised her jaw to give Veronica a smile, the group rumbling with mutual chatter and goodbye’s as she parted without Archie, who she apparently called Archiekins.

“Me too,” Jughead said, “not because of my daddy issues,” he clarified. “I have a paper to write.”

“I’ll take you back,” Betty said, helping her boyfriend out of the seat after her. He leaned up and planted a kiss to her cheek as he stood, wrapping an arm around her.

It was kind of a funny sight to see the pink clad blonde girl with the black clad emo boy, but they did seem a good pair. The two stared at her.

“(Y/N), you coming?” Betty smiled.

The girl was far too nervous to even acknowledge Archie for a goodbye as she stood, making a clamor and hitting her knees on the table, “yeah.”

She barely got a step away before Archie cut the group off.

“Actually-” he started

They all turned to look at him.

His eyes were now fixated right on the girl, and confidently. Not that they weren't before, just that he seemed a little unsure of how to act around her up until the given moment, for whatever reason. He had his legs spread apart now, shoulders comfortably back against the crimson backside of the booth.

“I’ll take you,” he said.

“Well-” she protested.

But he wasn’t having it this time.

He did this incredibly frustrating blink smile thing at her that made her heart do somersaults.

“I’ll take her,” he said again, firmly, and to the others this time.

Feeling trapped, the girl turned to Betty for guidance. But Betty, being Betty, just smiled.

“Have fun you two.”

She felt like she was being abandoned by her new sister and her sister’s edgy boyfriend, helpless as they walked hand and hand away from her. She kept her back to Archie long after they left, too scared to turn. Her heels were glued together, and she raised her chin up to stare into the blazing lights above in a failed attempt to make the nightmare end. Then, slowly, she tilted her head, enough to address him without looking properly.

“After you.”

. . .

Archie drove an old truck that made strange noises when it ran but felt homey nonetheless. The seats were faded and it smelt of must and what she presumed to be his own scent, which was a kind of mingled sweat and dark cologne mixture that she strangely liked. An old CD was crammed into the car’s disk drive, and it hummed out low rock music that soothed the girl’s nerves. For a while, neither of them spoke, but it was he who finally broke the silence.

“Sorry,” Archie huffed lightly as the girl studied her void surroundings.

It was pitch black on the roads, and she had her head pressed to the cool glass as she stared into the inky black of the night. Archie had rolled his window down so that an icy breeze rolled up onto her skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps.

“For what?” she spoke softly into the surface of the glass, her knees against the door.

“Oh, I know it’s not much,” the red haired boy said, moving his eyes between the road and the girl beside him.

“I like it,” she smiled, tilting her head to look at him and flashing her teeth.

Archie’s lips curled upwards, “yeah?”

He stared at her, his own teeth bright white against the darkness of his car.

“You think I wouldn’t?” she said, moving her knees from the door to facing forwards.

“Well,” he shrugged, “some people in this town have very expensive tastes.”

“Mmm?” she challenged, wiggling a brow at him. “And you think that includes me, Archiekins?”

She’d said the last word with the best Veronica impersonation she could manage; it was awful.

Archie let out a short loud laugh that he then stifled with his free hand. He leaned back further against his seat, relaxing his shoulders and keeping one hand lazily planted to the steering wheel as he shook his gorgeous red hair with amusement.

“I don’t know,” he laughed, his large eyes glimmering as the passing car lights shone in them. “You could’ve changed.”

“Yeah right,” the girl said, easing up and turning so that her back was now fully against the passenger door and her front was pointed directly at the boy.

Archie’s face flashed with some expression she couldn’t make out.

“What?” she prodded him.

“I don’t know, is it so hard to believe?” he shrugged, tilting his head to look briefly down at her.

She averted his eyes instantly. So apparently she wasn’t fully accustomed to him quite yet.

“What do you mean?” she asked the road.

“I mean-” he started, squinting his eyes and swaying his head as he selected his next words, “you’ve definitely changed.”

“Hm?” she said with mild surprise, turning back to look at him and feeling her heart skip a beat when she saw that he was still right there, staring back at her where she’d left him.

Archie didn’t know how to explain verbally, so he just kind of lingered his eyes very curiously on her before moving them slowly back to the road. He suppressed a smile with a bite of his cheek, making her frustrated.

“What?” she snapped.

“There’s not a very gentlemanly way of putting it,” he rolled his head attractively to look back down at her, smirking.

Her raised brows very slowly settled as she realized what he meant, her face burning with embarrassment as she turned it back to the outdoors and prayed he couldn’t make out her expression. So what, he just pointed out that she looked different. But what was that supposed to mean? She had to pinch her thighs to gather herself.

“So then who's to say you haven’t completely changed?” she finally responded in a cool tone.

“If it isn’t obvious by the dump on wheels that I drive,” he laughed, “me.”

“Really?” she taunted, mimicking his seductive head roll and blinking sweetly up at him, “I think you’ve definitely changed.”

Archie snorted and crinkled his nose adorably, tapping the girl off with his shoulders playfully, “hey.”

He wore this inquisitive smile as he turned quickly to look at her. He wanted her to elaborate on what she’d meant, but she just left him hanging like he’d done to her.

“Well,” he decided with a slow exhale, “I’m kind of relieved, to be honest.”

“Why?” she asked, taking his focus on the road as time to study the perfect curvatures of his cheeks, jaws, and lips.

“I’m glad you’re still, you know, you,” he said. “Sweet. Sassy. Kind of scary.”

She knocked his elbow with her own, “shut it Andrews.”

He opened his lips just wide enough to flash the edges of his jutted canines, “there she is.”

She couldn’t help but giggle, moving her legs and folding them to sit crossed legged in his seat. Archie didn’t seem remotely surprised.

“Yeah well, are you still the Archie Andrews I know?” she asked.

“Mmph,” Archie puffed lowly, “you could say that.”

“Elaborate,” she said.

“A lot has happened since you left. So, no. But, also yes? I’m still me underneath everything, I just think that a lot of people forget that... including me,” he explained somberly.

“Oh,” she frowned, “troubled past?”

He laughed bitterly, “like you wouldn’t believe.”

“I might,” she said, squishing her lips together with curiosity.

Archie shook his head with concealed hurt, not knowing where to start. He took a minute to himself before replying, during which he pulled up to their street and into his driveway.

“My dad passed away this year,” he decided.

“Oh,” the girl’s heart dropped.

She used to see Fred all the time when he and Mrs. Andrews would get Archie from school. She’d even written him the personalized essay on why he should get Archie his first guitar, and it had worked. Hurt but not knowing how to reply, she just stared at him, but he wasn’t looking back.

“I’m sorry,” she settled lamely.

“Me too,” Archie turned finally, resting his upset eyes on her, “about your dad.”

“Oh?” she said, taken aback.

“I mean,” he explained, “I knew back then, obviously. But I never said anything about it. I didn’t want you to think I judged you for it.”

“Honestly it’s fine,” she shook her head.

“No,” he cut her off, “because now I know what it feels like. To be the kid with the dad who died. Everyone treats you differently, like you’re, I don’t know, a victim. So nobody talks about it, it’s like they think I’ll self-destruct if they do,” his eyes settled in his lap. “And I don’t want that. I just want my dad.”

Her shoulders slumped with sadness, brows knitting as she leaned forward for his hand. She stopped though, not sure of if that was okay, so she asked.

“Can I?” she half whispered, tapping her fingers against Archie’s hand, which was still clutched tightly to his gear shift.

He just gave a little nod yes.

His hand was shaking a little when she reached for it, so she reassuringly wrapped her fingers around it, like in one of those friend hand holds where you don’t lock fingers. Archie wordlessly stopped her, nudging her fingers aside so he could lace his long fingers through her own. It took her aback, but there was no denying she preferred it. Kind of enthralled at the sight, she just looked at their hands together, hers much smaller and colder, feeling safe entangled in his. And his hands felt good. Rough. Warm. Familiar. Realizing it’d been the first time they’d actually touched in years, she felt her throat go hard. Archie seemed to pick up on it too, because when she lifted her gaze he was looking at her, kind of flickering his eyes back and forth between her own. She felt her heart pick up, thumping loudly in her ears, her blood filled with a faint electricity. But this time she didn’t look away. It felt too good to. So she let Archie do it, though he looked reluctant to do so. He retracted his hand timidly, making her instantly go cold without it.

“Hey,” he started softly, “are we okay?”

She stared at him with a slightly tilted head, “of course, why?”

“Well,” he said nervously, “You kind of shut me out with those curtains before. And then I got a text from Betty saying she was taking you to Pop’s at the last minute, which was weird because I’d already offered. And, well, you didn’t speak to me at all until ten minutes ago.”

He said it all to his knees instead of to her face, his lips curled into a frown.

The girl closed her eyes in embarrassment, shaking her head, “I’m sorry. It’s not what you think.”

When she opened them again he was looking at her, awaiting her next words.

She gulped nervously. It wasn’t exactly like she could admit she’d been hit full force with a suppressed wave of years of her own pent up frustration and feelings when she saw him.

“I just,” she sighed, rubbing a thumb nervously over her wrist “I was afraid.”

“Of what?” he replied with surprise.

“You,” she admitted, settling for the partial truth. “I hadn’t seen you in so long and I didn’t know how much had changed or if you’d-” she shook her head, pausing, “if new Archie would still like me.”

He released an airy laugh, “are you kidding (Y/N)(Y/L/N)?”

That threw her off guard. Back in the day he had often called her by her full name. Whether sweet or stupid, she had never decided. But this time it definitely felt sweet.

“No I’m not, Archie Andrews,” she said slowly back, drawing her gaze away.

That made him grin that damn grin that drove her insane.

“I could never stop liking you,” he promised with enough sincerity to make her look up again. “Promise.”

She smiled timidly, “how am I supposed to get that when I’m being dragged into a new friend group the very night I’m moving back into town?” she said. “I mean, they’re lovely of course,” she defended, “but you can’t blame me for being nervous.”

Archie squinted his eyes, taking in her words before deciding, “you're right.”

“I am?” she said with a confused laugh.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I know you, and I should’ve known better than to think that was your thing.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“And I promise,” he added, “next time it’ll be just us.”

She blinked at the fiery redhead with mingled hope and nervousness, “yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said, tilting his head forward with an encouraging smile. “Tomorrow I’ll come over and help you unpack. And then after we can do whatever you want, and you can catch me up on everything I missed,” he beamed.

Seeing him get so excited to spend time with her practically sent her off the deep end, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed out by Archie himself. She beamed back at him, making him smile, if possible, even wider.

“Wait,” she realized, feeling upset wash over her, “aren’t you supposed to see Veronica tomorrow?”

“Oh,” Archie said, knitting his brows, “it’s alright. I’m sure she’ll understand me helping out an old friend.”

Ouch. It was sweet, but still, she couldn’t help the sting that came with “old friend.”

“Really?” the girl asked.

“Of course,” he reassured.

She nodded nervously, feeling incredibly grateful to have him back. So she told him.

“I’m really happy to have you back.”

He let his lips fall into a content close, his chocolate eyes twinkling, “I’m happy to have you back too.”

The two stared at each other, an awkward quiet ensuing, neither sure of what to say next. Both luckily and unluckily, the girl’s front porch light snapped on, making both of them jump. The girl’s mother was by the door, and she was waving down Archie’s truck.

“Oh my god,” the girl said with horror, “Archie run.”

But he wasn’t listening. In fact, he was halfway out the truck.

“No way, Mrs. (Y/L/N)!?” he said cheerfully, extending his hand as he walked out to meet her halfway.

The girl cursed under her breath as she climbed out the vehicle, so appalled she could barely look.

“Archie!” her mom said, hobbling over in her pink robe.

She shook the boy’s hand, marvelling at what a handsome young man he was.

The girl’s sneakers crunched over the grass and leaves as she stood beside them, her eyes darting between the exchange and the ground but unsure of where to stay.

“Last time I saw you you were just a tiny little thing with a football twice the size of your head!” she chortled.

“And last time I saw you you looked just as youthful Mrs. (Y/L/N),” Archie replied.

Damn that boy was smooth.

Her mother clearly enjoyed it, voicing, “always an angel, Archie.”

The porch and moon’s light combined sent shadows over their faces, crickets chirping obnoxiously as her mother patted Archie off with a laugh. They made small talk that was frankly too unbearable for the girl, so she wordlessly slipped off and into the house before they could say anything. As soon as she got in she bolted up the stairs, hands running through her hair nervously and back hitting the door of her room once she was safe inside. She sucked in a few breaths, eyes fluttering as she processed the catastrophe occuring downstairs, and just generally in her life. A minute later she heard the front door close, and her mother yelled up something that sounded like an indistinct “well gosh I get what you mean now!” That only embarrassed the girl further, making her slide down against her door with a groan. Thank God her drapes were closed so Archie didn’t see it all happening. Well, speaking of…

The girl slowly opened her eyes, lifting her body from the ground with a sigh. She stood, staring at her curtains. She could see light flooding in from the other side, meaning Archie was now in his room. Sucking in a slow breath, she tucked her long hair behind her ears and approached her curtains slowly. Her face was expressionless as she felt for the fabric, her heart just a little too fast as she timidly pulled it aside.

There was Archie, breathtaking as ever. He sat on the edge of his bed, phone resting in his hands like he was contemplating using it. But then, feeling her bedroom light flood over to his side of the divide, Archie looked up with knowing. She still had one hand holding the drapes, the other loosely by her side, clutching her own phone. Archie stared at her with a happily taken aback expression, his chest heaving lightly against his white tee, his hands steady as they unlocked his phone. The auburn haired boy looked at her for a second, then down at his phone as he typed away a message. Then he looked back up. Her phone screen lit up at once.

No goodbye?

She chuckled, looking up in time to catch him smile with a tilt of his brows.

The girl typed back.

Sorry. Too rough down there, had to get out.

This time Archie laughed.

Goodnight, (Y/N) (Y/L/N).

She smiled.

Goodnight, Archie Andrews.

He didn’t text back after that, he just stepped forward and reached for his own blinds, tilting his head at her in a wordless goodbye. Neither wanted to be the first to shut the other out, so instead they just closed their blinds together, the last thing she caught being the ever so faint twitch of Archie’s content lips.

#archie andrews x reader #archie x reader #archie andrews imagine #riverdale fanfiction #riverdale #riverdale fanfic #riverdale self insert #riverdale x reader #archie andrews fanfic #archie andrews fic #archie andrews gif #kj apa x reader #fanfiction #betty cooper x reader #jughead jones #veronic lodge #archie andrews x y/n #writing

126 notes · View notes

staliasjeronica · 6 years

Text

In Cold Blood - Partners in Crime Jeronica AU

A/N: Day four of @everything-jeronica‘s Jeronica week, and the prompt is Partners in Crime, and I am very excited for this one because I have been wanting to do something like this but since many have already done I didn’t want to be criticized for it... so now I have an official reason to do it!

“Where the hell is Reggie?” Jughead’s angry, booming voice was heard throughout the Whyte Wyrm’s entire building, even though it was filled with chatter from the gang members, the South Side Serpents. Veronica sat on one of the stools, twirling her finger in the sunset red and orange cosmopolitan drink that Toni had made for her. She was bored, and was dying for action. The door to Jughead’s office was thrown open, his jaw clenched as he glanced around the hangout, knowing one of their runners was definitely hanging around someplace nearby. “Pea, do you know where that son of a bitch is?”

“Last I heard of him, he was fixing something up with the North Siders,” Sweet Pea crossed his arms, tongue wetting his lips. “Do I finally get to fuck that shit head up for almost killing my boyfriend?

“Mmhm... not yet,” Jughead spoke, narrowing his eyes as he though about what he was going to do next, what this plan was for the Mantle boy. “I heard he was checking out one of our girls here, wouldn’t leave them alone. Since you and him have some business to work on, you can help me fuck up his face until he begs for mercy.”

“One of our girls?” Cheryl’s high heels clacked on the floor as she approached the three men, Fangs silently standing beside Sweet Pea like he normally did. “You didn’t know that he was eyeing Veronica? I don’t think he’s dealing with the North Siders, I think he’s running away.”

“He... what?” Jughead turned his head to meet Veronica’s gaze, storming up to her at the bar, already knowing that Fangs and Sweet Pea were following suit. It wasn’t a command that he had to give out, because it was automatically a given since he was the leader of the South Side Serpents. “Ronnie, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Everyone is making it such a big deal,” Veronica rolled her eyes, sipping at her Cosmopolitan. She then smacked her lips a couple of times before placing the drink onto the bar and hopping down to meet Jughead face to face. Despite being shorter than him, her aura screamed that she was a force to be reckoned with, and currently she was oozing with intimidation, authority. She ran this place just as much as Jughead, maybe even a bit more since he always tried to make her stay behind and, thus, safe. “He accidentally ran into me and when we fell, our lips touched. It’s not like he held me down to the ground and kissed me. If he is running, it’s because Jughead doesn’t know how not to be a controlling dickhead.”

“I believe you’ve had too much to drink, Veronica,” Jughead sighed, placing his hands over hers, knowing she was upset. She always did when he went overboard, which considering how protective he was, was a constant battle between them. “Toni, please give her some water and Excedrin. We have a heist tonight, thanks to my beautiful, wonderful, incredible girlfriend.”

“Flattery will not make up for you being a possessive, controlling douche-bag, Jones,” Veronica scolded him, pointing her finger at his face. “Remember that time when I had to kiss Sweet Pea because we were playing spin the bottle? You attempted to beat him up, even though he was, and still is, dating Fangs.”

“To be honest, though, it was kind of hot,” Fangs whistled innocently, rocking back and forth on his heels as he avoided looking at Jughead. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. I was incredibly horny when we played the game, and you always had Sweet Pea off doing something, so I was lonely.”

“Then buck up and fuck your boyfriend on the bar for all I care,” Jughead teased, lifting a corner of his lips into a tiny smirk. “You do know you can come to me about anything, or even Veronica, right?”

“Yes, i’m going to ask our boss if I can keep his number-two behind to fuck him,” Fangs shot back, crossing his arms as he knew Jughead would probably have said no. “You’re only bullshitting because Veronica will call you out on it.”

“He’s right,” Veronica sang, smiling as she pinched his cheeks in a playful manner. “Still, Reggie better not come back with a black eye, or a broken nose, you hear me? We need him whether you like it or not.”

“What about Fangs and Sweet Pea’s revenge?” Jughead countered, cocking an eyebrow. When Veronica remained with her arms crossed and narrowed eyes, the gang leader knew he wasn’t going to win. “Fine. Some other time, when we don’t need him to help break into your house and steal your parent’s shit.”

“Good. Now, in an hour, I want all of you at the club. We’re going to go over our plan one more time to make sure everything is in order,” Veronica demanded, looking at each and every one of the Serpents who were currently involved in the heist. “If you fail to be there on time, you’ll have to earn your place back into our group by working at the club, or some other activity. Got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Reggie, glad you’re back,” Veronica started off, noting that everyone, indeed, was on time to the meeting. “You have nothing to fear, I smoothed everything over with Jughead about you bumping into me. You might want to get into Cheryl’s good graces, because she could have ended you with one wrong-worded story. In other words, man up, Mantle.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Reggie nodded, meeting Jughead’s gaze as he began to speak.

“Okay, so far, we know that Reggie is the distraction if the Lodge’s are home. If not, he keeps watch with Dilton. The rest of us will sneak in through the back. Since Veronica used to live there before her father cast her out, she knows all of the ins and outs when she would sneak away to meet with me,” Jughead winked teasingly before continuing. “Therefore, nobody makes a goddamn step that Veronica doesn’t. If we alert the Pembrooke’s residents to our presence, our heist will be cut short, and anything you don’t get is what you’re going to owe us. And, knowing how rich they are, you’ll quickly want to throw yourselves to the Ghoulies as a human sacrifice.”

“I know an old woman who’s agreed to let us set up our stuff in her room. She owes me after I saw her steal some shit from my parents and I didn’t rat her out,” Veronica smacked her lips, smirking as the memory passed by her thoughts. “If someone gets caught, we can seek refuge with her. I promised her that we would save a couple of items for her, so she’s more than willing to let us ride out the heat on us after my parents find out. You know, if we’re still there when they’re looking for us.”

Jughead watched Veronica with admiration. When Veronica first joined the Serpents, and ultimately Jughead’s entire corporation, she was only supposed to be a dancer in their club. However, after a few months, Jughead and Veronica pursued a relationship, and she quickly proved herself and rose up the ranks. She brought a certain rational quality to the group, and made them much harder to catch, much more wanted by the cops than then used to be. Because, with Veronica in the group, they were sneakier. Unlike Jughead, she always came up with back up plans to make sure that nothing could go wrong. Now, it was rare to have a Serpent being caught by the police, unless they decided not to listen to her. It was their dynamic, and all of them were happy that Veronica was a part of this. She calmed Jughead down, kept him in line and stopped him from doing anything stupid because of his impulsiveness. And in turn, he brought out her inner criminal, never doing anything without consulting her.

“Do we all know what to do?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the group nodded.

“Okay, guys, we leave in an hour, make sure you stay on your toes.”

“Stay on your toes? What... the hell?” Veronica nudged Jughead, who groaned as she she grinned. “I know, you’re attempting to sound relatable, but that’s my job.”

“Okay... let me have some moments, okay? It’s not fair that I started all of this and you’re their favorite.”

#Riverdale #Jeronica #Vughead #Day 4 Partners in Crime #Partners in Crime #Jughead Jones #Veronica Lodge #Jughead x Veronica #Jughead and Veronica #jughead/veronic #jeronicaweek #everythingjeronica #Jeronica Prompt

32 notes · View notes