Pairing: Jughead Jones x Reader
Description: Y/N finds herself at Riverdale's newest crime scene along side her very own crush, Jughead Jones.
Warnings: None I can think of
Word count: 1290
Her desk is full of freshman-year papers reminding her of all the research and writing she will have to do that year There are books screaming to be read, extra curricular work to make her college applications shine, and a week worth of homework waiting to be done. Being a sophomore honer student isn't that great.
She can't focus on her own thoughts, staring at everything motionless for way too long. She stands up from her chair, grabs a jacket and leaves her house through her bedroom window, making the least amount of noise possible not to wake her parents.
She finds herself at Sweet Water River, the usual place she goes on restless nights, before she realizes it's been stained by blood. She remembers the commotion after the Back-to-School semi-formal (which she didn't attend) when Kevin, the Sheriff's son, found a lifeless Jason Blossom with a gunshot wound to his forehead, instead of the assumed drowning on July 4th. Chills take over her body as if she were witnessing the murder.
It's no longer a comforting place and she quickly realizes she's not safe there when she hears footsteps coming towards her. Instead of running or screaming, she just freezes, focusing her eyes on the foggy silhouette of the person heading her way. Thankfully, she recognizes Jughead Jones, the beanie-clad boy she watches sitting alone, writing late at night on a Pop's booth. She's no longer scared. Another feeling takes place, a kind of edginess, since he's not a threat, but an interest. There's also some frustration, because every time she wanted to get close to him and start a conversation, something stopped her. She couldn't quite put her hands on it.
He slouches down. She knows what he's doing, and that it's a waste of time. "You're not gonna find anything.", she says, knowing only then she should've approached him before speaking as his flashlight shines on her face. "Y/N. What the hell? You almost scared me to death." She wants to apologize and say she's just nervous around him, that she always thought they could be good friends. "Sorry, Jughead. Should've removed my invisibility cloak before you walked right past me. We don't need another body in the morgue.", she says, cursing herself inside.
"What are you doing here?", he asked her abruptly. "Crap, I wanted us to be friends, but the first time I get the chance to talk to him, I'm a jerk, and now he's gonna know how weird I am." She crosses her arms. "I'm not morbid or anything.", she tries to explain she's not that creepy. "I come here whenever I can't sleep. The river is soothing." She remembers all the nights she spent throwing rocks at the water when schoolwork was too heavy. He chuckles. "Yeah, there's something serene about the waters in which a teenager was found shot " She's now sure he thinks she's a freak.
"Aren't you gonna ask me why I'm here?", he asks softly. She looks at him straight in the eyes and her feet guide her closer to where he stands. She can't even fight it - his green eyes are like magnets. "I know why you're here, sleuthing. For your novel." She's a few inches from his face, noticing his freckles. "How do you know?" She considers saying someone told her not to admit she pays a little too much attention to him. "I see you at Pop's.", she confesses.
Jughead becomes silent for a while, more than she's comfortable with. Her heart starts beating faster. "You won't find anything here." She tries to change the subject back to Jason, so he won't have enough time to consider her last sentence. "Why not?", he asks showing a lot of suspicion in his words. "He wasn't killed here.", she states what she thinks is obvious. "What makes you so sur..." She doesn't wait for him to finish his question. "His body was preserved, Week old wounds looked fresh. It was dropped here." Another deep silence falls between them. "Now he DEFINITELY thinks I'm a psychopath."
When he suggests going to Pop's, her first instinct is to accept the idea. It's exactly what she's always wanted, after all. Getting to know him for real, not just assuming things from afar. On second thought, maybe his not on the same page. "Everyone is a suspect. He just wants to interrogate me." She finally agrees, having nothing to lose, as she didn't kill Jason Blossom.
They order their usual. "Chocolate milkshake and fries, please." She blushes lightly as they speak it in unison. Her body started forming a smile, but her mind wouldn't let it happen. She slides in front of Jughead on his regular booth for the first time. "Why should I trust the autopsy of a 16-year-old?", he takes her aback. With a scowl, she shows all her disgust. Y/N doesn't like the doubt in his eyes, although she also has her own. "Why should I trust the detecting skills of a 15-year-old?" She hits back."Now he's gonna think I'm obsessed with him to know he's younger than me. And he's probably right." It's definitely been an educational night. "Fair enough."
Their food arrives and she smiles back at Pop, thanking him. Going to a crime scene in the middle of the night totally payed off now that she was sharing a meal with the one person she wanted to. "The real question is not where he died, but why." All they can her for a moment is their chewing. "Why then?" He'll have to find out by himself, for she's very good at asking questions, not answering them. "I don't know. That's why you're here too, isn't it?" She notices his face getting less skeptical.
"You're suggesting we work together?" She hadn't considered that until then. "Yeah, maybe it's for the best. We'll get answers faster." They could find peace from knowing what happened and she would be able to spend time with someone, even better, with him. "How do I know you didn't do it and you're just trying to lead me the other way?" She sips the last drops from her milkshake before answering. "You don't." She's not mad at him for asking. It would unquestionably be absolutely terrific if he hadn't put her into that position, but she feels uncommonly understanding, specially with the latest events and everything proving to be untrustworthy. "I should go." She doesn't want this moment to end, but when she looks at the clock, she can't pretend she doesn't have school in the morning.
"I'll walk you." She smiles at his eagerness to take her home. "There's a killer on the loose" He adds, making her wonder if his only reason was preventing her to die too. She likes it anyways. Her short walks home from Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe were usually quiet and lifeless. That night, she had stimulating conversations, not only about Jason but their common interests. "See you tomorrow, Jughead?", she asks as they arrive at her doorstep. "Tomorrow, Y/N." He replies with a smirk before taking his path home.
She gets dressed for bed. She can't help but grinning while she remembers the last few hours. She not only managed to speak to Jughead, she also sat with him at Pop's and made sure more hang-outs would take place as they investigate a murder. With that in mind, she falls asleep, leaving homework undone for the first time.
