IF ONLY- Jughead Jones x OC

F.I.N.E

Jughead Jones

THE STUDY DOOR OF THE PEMBROOKE SWUNG OPEN AND CLARYS VOICE

echoed through the room. "Polly's finally asleep."

I turned to face her. "What a mess," she said, approaching me cautiously. My throat tightened as she drew nearer. "I should've told you about my dad when I had the chance."

"So, why didn't you?" Clary's hair bounced with each word she spoke.

"I was ashamed," I confessed. A smile spread across her face as she stepped forward, taking my hand in hers. "Jughead, if we're going to be together, I want to know who you are," she said, placing her other hand on top of mine. "All of it."

"Okay," I agreed with a nod.

"Okay, but Juggy, we should talk to your dad. He might know something about Jason." I nodded in agreement, and together we left the room, my arm draped around her shoulders.

We arrived at my dad's trailer, and I opened the door.

"Jughead!" Dad exclaimed upon seeing us.

"Dad, you remember Clary,"  I said.

"Hi, Mr. Jones, nice to see you again," Clary greeted him politely, shaking his hand.

"And you, and you. Um... Why don't you guys sit down?"Dad hurriedly cleared off the chairs.

"This isn't really a social call," I stated, with Clary standing slightly behind me, looking around at my childhood.

"No, I didn't expect it would be after Archie showed up at the bar," Dad replied, taking a seat on the couch.

"We know the Serpents had some kind of drug operation involving Jason Blossom,"I explained, and my dad squinted at us. "What? Where'd you hear that?"

"Jason's girlfriend," I clarified, and Clary added, "My sister."

My dad sighed heavily. "The kid needed some money to get away. A clean-cut kid like that, no one's gonna suspect him of running, so we helped him, he helped us."

"Jeez, Dad. Did you tell the cops that?" I asked, moving further into the living room.

"What do you think?" Dad retorted.

"Well, they know now. Polly told them. So if they haven't been by yet, they will be," I warned, then turned to Clary. "Did you ever talk to Jason personally?"

"My guys gave him some product. When it wasn't delivered, we figured he'd taken off with our stash, until..." Dad's voice trailed off, and Clary finished his sentence, "Until Jason's body was found at Sweetwater River." She glanced at me, and I turned to my dad, staring intently.

"Anything else you wanna ask?" Dad prompted, and I took a deep breath.

"Did you have anything to do with Jason Blossom's death?" I asked bluntly.

"You really think I could do that?" Dad's voice carried a hint of hurt.

"It's the dark ages, Dad. I don't really know what to think anymore," I explained, my tone conflicted.

"I'm not a perfect father, Jughead, not getting around that, but..." Dad hesitated. "I'm no killer."

We left the trailer and headed back towards Clary's car. Just as we reached it, Clary stopped abruptly and turned to face me.

"Do you believe him?" she asked, her expression searching.

"I do," I affirmed, nodding solemnly. Then, I posed the crucial question, "Do you?"

Clary sighed, her hand gently cupping my face. "I believe you, Jughead."

I looked into her eyes, overwhelmed with relief and gratitude. Without a word, I reached up and cupped her face in return, pulling her close. Our lips met in a passionate kiss, a moment of reassurance and connection amidst the turmoil.

I returned home to the Andrews house and sank down on the bed while Archie strummed his guitar nearby.

"I should've trusted you," I admitted quietly. Archie set his guitar aside and turned to me.

"There's no excuse. I was scared that the Serpents and my dad were involved in all that messed up stuff. I didn't want to believe it could be true. I mean..." I sighed heavily. "He's my dad, Archie."

"I get it. I really do. But, Jughead, you can always talk to me about anything," Archie said, his voice sincere. "You're like... You're like my brother."

I chuckled softly. "Nice bro-whisper, Archie. You are my brother. And I'm here for you and your dad. So what can I do?"

"Pray for a miracle," Archie replied with a hint of resignation in his voice.