one-shots || bughead + sprousehart

"I-I can't keep d-doing this." - bughead

She cried as she slipped out of the window, the bruises on her arms burning like the sun. She jumped to the ground, her feet tingling from the hard landing.

With tears across her face and red-rimmed eyes, she started running, running to the only place she'd feel safe. Her nails dug into her palms as she ran, blood spilling free from the crescent wounds.

This relationship was killing her.

Her feet hurried through the streets, not stopping until she was in front of that one trailer she'd recognize out of thousands.

She knocked and knocked and knocked, her hands impatiently slamming on the door until it was opened.

His familiar scent came all around her, her eyes letting more tears through as she saw him standing in front of her. His eyes widened in utter surprise and he took her in his arms without a word, simply knowing something was definitely wrong.

He saw blood running down her arms, coming from the creases in her hands.

His finger rubbed her back, his lips touched her hair. "Calm down." He soothed, pressing her tighter against him.

"I-I can't keep d-doing this." She hiccuped, falling onto his couch once they had released the embrace. She hugged one of his pillows close to her chest. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes were thick and red.

"He keeps hurting me, a-and touching me." She stammered, crashing herself down in Jughead's chest once again. The cushion was thrown on the ground. His eyes widened in disbelief and anger.

"It's okay sweetheart, it's okay." He closed his eyes as he took her in another warm hug. Blood came into his shirt, he couldn't care less.

"I know w-we haven't s-spoken in t-two years, but y-you make me feel s-safe." Jughead could barely understand the words, her voice was so extremely quivery and thick from her panic. "He could b-be behind m-me."

"He's not, I promise." Jughead was shocked, although it wasn't completely unexpected. She was dating Chuck Clayton after all. He felt her fingers only clench tighter into her hands. His hands reached over to hers and carefully uncurled them. "Don't."

"Just hold me, please." She begged, her voice on the edge of breaking. Jughead enclosed his arms tighter around her.

"Close your eyes, love." His voice was soft and sweet, "Let everything go, you're safe now." His fingers traced circles on her back, calming her.

Her sobs slowly died down and turned into deep, quivery breaths. "Go to sleep." He soothed, kissing her shoulder blade in the process.

Her quivery breaths turned to long ones, and Jughead didn't let the delicate girl go until he was sure she was asleep. Carefully he lifted her out of his arms and carried her to his bed.

First, he lightly wiped the blood away from her hands and arms and then wrapped a bandage around her palms.

He placed her down on the mattress, tucking the sheets around her and kissing her forehead. Sitting down in a chair beside the bed, he watched her chest rise and fall and watched her snuggled into the blanket.

"I love you." He whispered, feeling mixed feelings.

Angry for m the fact that she had been getting abused for a long time and nobody had done anything about it. But happy for the fact that she came to him, because he made her feel safe.

His eyes went over her arms and face, noticing the bruises and slight cuts over them. His heart crumbled just seeing her like this.

—