More self-indulgent sirdust lightly inspired from @totalcollapse’s latest chapter in A Wide Collar and Short Leash. I swear these two are going to kill me.
“Jug!” Betty had been reaching over her bed to pick up her purse when Jughead had showed up at her door, having already passed the third degree from Alice Cooper downstairs as Betty got ready to go, “You can’t wear that!”
Jughead looked startled as he glanced down his typical outfit of jeans, plaid and sherpa jacket, “Why?”
There was a tinge of laughter to her voice when she answered, “It’s snowing outside, Jughead.”
Immediately, he relaxed, and looked over at her with a look that was both affectionate and indignant, “Betts, this is fine. I wear this all the time.”
That was certainly true, but he wasn’t usually headed out to watch a football game from the bleachers for three hours. “You’re going to freeze.”
Jughead just shrugged, “I’m not going to walk all the way home now that I’m here. I’ll manage.”
Betty scrunched her nose in thought, unsatisfied. She paced slightly thinking of their options. They could grab something from Archie’s-
Jughead interrupted her thoughts, already guessing her train of thought, “Before you say anything, we are not breaking into Archie’s house. Fred already left, I saw him drive off.”
Betty glowered at him before another thought occurred to her. In one steady motion, she headed straight for her closet, opened the door and knelt down to reach for a box in the corner.
“Your clothes are not going to fit me,” he said, impatiently. She could hear him take a few steps toward her, and saw a shadow crossing over her as he leaned to look over her shoulder.
It was true that most of her clothes wouldn’t fit him, but she had stowed away a comfortable, oversized sweater she had bought for herself last winter. She had intended to wear it around the house with leggings, but had quickly learned that it wasn’t worth her mother’s criticism. Alice Cooper was staunchly against clothes that didn’t compliment her figure.
Betty found the sweater underneath a collection of scarves and hats she rarely wore. It was soft to the touch, and just as she remembered, long enough to fit Jughead. It was also a nice, dusty pink.
Jughead gave her an amused huff, as she turned around with the sweater in her arms. He met her eyes with one eyebrow raised, “This is really that important to you?”
“Jughead, you are going to be miserable,” she said, stubbornly.
“Okay,” he conceded, and with a shrug, pulled off his sherpa jacket.
As he pulled her sweater over his head, he said, voice muffled, “It smells like you.”
Betty winced, not entirely sure she had washed it before stowing it away, and suddenly certain she had made a mortifying mistake.
As soon as his head was through the sweater, he noticed her expression, “I mean,” he stuttered, “I didn’t mean that in a bad way.” Red was starting to bloom across his cheeks, as he put all of his attention on pulling the sleeves up his arms. Betty could feel her own cheeks heating up.
“Anyway,” he said, clearly trying to change the subject, “Now that you know I won’t freeze to death, are we ready?” He pulled his jacket back on, and glanced up at her.
Betty felt her blood thrumming throughout her body. The sweater still looked soft to the touch, and there was something about the way he was looking at her now that felt…defenseless. He looked cute.
“I like that sweater on you,” she said, without even fully processing it. He responded with a look that made it clear that he thought she was teasing him.
“I mean it,” she insisted. “It’s a nice color on you.”
“Oh,” was his simple response. He ducked his head down, a smile teasing at his lips but not quite fully forming. He was always a bit awkward when she tried to compliment him. Her heart was practically blooming in her chest, overflowing with affection, so she reached for him, looping her arms around him and burrowing her head against his chest, into the soft fabric.
It was a beat before Jughead broke the moment, sounding a bit bemused, “Fine, I guess I can wear sweaters more often.”
Betty laughed into his chest, and then leaned up to kiss him lightly on the chin, “You’ll thank me by half-time.”
He smiled, and responded with a quick kiss to her head.
Ice cream with JJ? something sweet for a sweet boi
okay here you go! threw some Chase in there. hope you like it!
“Why are you crying?”
He’s already wiping tears off hisface. “I’m not,” he signs, curling back up into his corner of thebedroom, his knees tucked up to his chest.
Chase has always been gentle, inclinedto warmth and affection by nature. With JJ, he is the softest brotherin the world. He tries to smile soft and comes to kneel a couple feetaway from Jameson, his hands slack and unthreatening on the carpet.
“We don’t have to talk about it ifyou don’t want,” he says. “But I got you some stuff from thestore and I thought you’d want to come try it.”
Jamie frowns at him. He’s not sure yetif he likes surprises.
“Don’t look at me like that,”Chase laughs. “Come on. You said you wanted to try new things,right? I bought a bunch of snacks and treats and shit. It’ all tastystuff, I promise. Come on.”
He gets to his feet and moves towardsthe kitchen. He trusts JJ to follow. He trusts JJ with a great manythings.
It hasn’t taken him long to decide heloves this little brother as he loves all of his family and friends.And Chase, when in love, is one of the most unstoppable forces in theuniverse.
JJ follows. He isn’t sure yet if heloves Chase – he’s still sorting out what exactly love is – buthe thinks he does. He likes him, anyway. Likes his friendliness andhis comfort and the way he takes care of Henrik and Jackie and talksabout his kids with wide, delighted eyes. Likes his food and hiscooking.
“Chase,” he says.
He spells it out. He hasn’t named himyet.
“Chase, this is a lot of food.”
“Yes,” says his brother, puffingup proudly. “It sure is. Let’s take a look at the selection, shallwe, little man?”
Jamie sits down at the counter,grinning at the fat bags of food placed before him.
“Doritos and potato chips,” Chasesays, slapping the two bags he picked up. “Snickers, peanut butterM&Ms, a bunch of fucking British candy I just picked up atrandom. Some fancy fruit you probably haven’t had. Raspberries? Haveyou had raspberries? Ice cream, a little box of cake and a coupledifferent pies. Soda and this fancy wine I’ve really wanted to try.Don’t tell Jackie I’m letting you drink. What do you want first?”
JJ’s hands come up and hesitate.
“Everything?” he signs.
“Everything,” Chase agrees,grinning at him, and pops open the box of apple pie.
Both pies are sweet and tasty.Raspberries go down just as pleasant as the candy and fill his mouthwith red juice. Neither of them know what the hell Squashies are, butthey’re pretty sure they like them. Jamie eats about fifty peanut butter M&Ms beforeChase, laughing, makes him stop. And Jamie, pausing just to realize,finds that he is laughing too.
“Fuck,” says Chase, and readjustshis hat, putting his elbows down on the corner and sighing.
“What? Fuck?”
“Hey! Don’t swear. Schneep will killus if he sees that.”
“If he sees ‘fuck?‘”
“Now you’re teasing me. I’m about tocome over there and beat your ass. I mean – dammit!”
JJ laughs until his chest shakes. “Tryit, fucker!”
Spitting out curses between laughter,Chase circles the table and grabs him around the waist, dragging himoff the stool and wrestling him onto the ground, digging his fingersinto his brother’s stomach and ribs until JJ, with tears streamingdown his face, taps out against the wood floor of the kitchen.
For a long time, they sit against thewall, and JJ, with a smile on his face and Chase’s arm wrapped around his shoulders, thinks he does, in fact, love Chase. He puts his head on his brother’s shoulder.
Chase just breathes deep and thanks whatever force in the universe hasbrought his brother home safe to him.
“Why did you say ‘fuck,’ though?”JJ asks.
“Oh.” Chase shrugs and tightenshis hold around his shoulder, putting his head down on Jamie’s. “Iwas just happy to see you smile.”
And JJ, who had managed to bury his heart under a layer of sugar, grips Chase’s shirt and begins to cryall over again.
“J, what’s wrong?” Chasemurmurs, rubbing his back. “Tell me what’s wrong, okay? We’re goingto make it right.”
“It’s just everything,” cry his trembling hands. “It’s just everything, it’s just everyone, and all these oldmemories. Sometimes I feel like I don’t even know what’s true.Sometimes I feel like I don’t even know what’s real. The world is toobig and there’s always too much happening. I was his for so long. Forforever. How am I supposed to figure this all out? I’m just lost andI always have been. I always have been lost.”
Outside the windows of the house,early stars are flickering on in the evening sky. The sun highlightsblack trees and buildings in pink and orange and yellow. It’s anenormous world, and the sun is always turning, and if every day is anew and more difficult challenge, well, Chase will be there throughevery single one.
“Here, we’ve got just the thing forthis,” Chase murmurs, and he gets to his feet, snags a pair ofspoons out of the drawer, and returns to JJ’s side with the littlecarton of Chunky Monkey.
“Come on, have some,” he promptshis brother, handing him a spoon.
“What is it?” asks JJ, sniffing.
“Ice cream with chocolate andcaramel. It’s like milk and sugar and stuff. It’s good. I used to eatlike way too much of this. It’s a comfort food, man. Try some, goon.”
Jameson looks up at Chase. It’s just aflat surface of white and brown, like someone poured a bucket ofcaramel over the snow. It doesn’t taste like snow, though. It’s sweetand creamy and really, really tasty.
“You like it, huh?”
Jamie shivers and chews a chunk ofchocolate, blinking fast. “Yeah,” he signs. It’s cold, but thetaste is warm as chocolate.
“Really good?”
“Really, really good, yeah.”
Chase’s free hand still rubs gently athis brother’s shoulder.
“Listen,” he says. “Everything’s going to be okay, J. I’m sorry. I’m sorry itdoesn’t feel true right now. But really, truly, for certain, everything’s going to be okay.”
Jamie swipes at the tears on hischeeks and curls up against Chase’s chest, swallowing anothermouthful of Chunky Monkey. It’s good. It’s okay. Everything’s okay.Everything will be okay.
“You promise?” he asks, freeing his hands by leaving the spoon sticking out of his mouth.
Chase smiles and laughs, turning tolook at him and squeezing his shoulders as tight as he can. “Yes,”he says. He sits up and grabs the ice cream carton, lifting itceremoniously into the air. “I swear on this pint of Chunky Monkey– !”
JJ laughs silently, covering his handswith his mouth. Chase puts the ice cream down and meets his eyes,with love and with earnesty, as he always has.
“You are important and I swear thatone day you will know it. I swear that everything will be okay, andhappiness will follow you everywhere, and even when you’re sad orupset, I swear that I will be right here. Right here at your side.”
Chase scoops up a mouthful of icecream and savors its taste. “Okay?” he says, holding out hisspoon.
Smiling, warm, and teary-eyed, Jamiereaches out and clinks their spoons together. “Okay,” he signs,and hugs Chase tight, and eats sugar, chocolate, and cream until hisbelly is full and the world, for once, becomes a little sweeter.
