Chapter Text
"It's such a joke," Toni hisses, viciously pouring out the drink orders and sending them sliding down the greasy bar. "What's shipping us up to Riverdale High gonna do? The people there won't give us the time of day."
Fangs shrugs, cramming another mouthful of peanuts down his throat. "At least there'll be better facilities. Imagine not having to sneak in knives just to make sure you don't get mugged in the bathrooms."
Sweet Pea doesn't chime in. He doesn't care. Not really. School is school, it doesn't matter where they go. And they're Serpents. They've got each other's backs and no one will mess with them. Not that anyone at Riverdale High could if they wanted to. The kids up there are soft and vulnerable; easy to rough up if they have to. He thinks Toni's giving them too much credit. The Northside is all bark and no bite. The Southside's got the teeth; sharp, vicious canines that go right for the jugular. Whatever happens, it's just gonna be more classes and more assignments. Sure, it's a bit more of a journey to school, but other than that, it's not worth noting. And it's not like he's walking there, he has his bike.
He might miss his locker though. Memories and shit.
The White Wyrm is crowded tonight, but it always is on a Friday. Serpents are splayed out everywhere, and the scent of liquor and cigarettes is floating through the air. Fangs and Sweet Pea have been waiting for a pool table to open up for a while now, but Mustang is playing a very long, very boring game. Sweet Pea's considering bouncing. He wants to go home to his trailer and crash with Hot Dog, and maybe try another song on his guitar. A few chords have been strumming around his head all day. He's decided on it, and just pushed himself off the sticky, threadbare coating on the barstools, when his name is yelled across the bar.
"Sweet Pea! C'm here."
He swallows thickly, his eyes go wide and he knows a few other heads have swivelled to look at him. He just got called out- by name- by the King. He straightens his back and turns slowly. As he does so, Toni meets his eyes. She looks worried and a little bit jealous, and Fangs just looks confused. He turns to see FP Jones at the doorway. He's clearly just walked in and he's framed by the night outside. A number of Serpents have stood up in respectful greeting, and they fall back as FP stares expectantly at Sweet Pea. He's not coming inside, so he's clearly waiting for Sweet Pea to come to him. The younger Serpent trips over his feet a little, stumbling in his haste, and manages to pat Fangs on the back as he heads for the door. "Hey," he says, a little nervous, once he's within reach.
FP nods, eyes flickering up and down his body like he's sizing him up. Sweet Pea stands a little taller, puffs up his chest a little too, and raises his chin. He wants to be worthy for whatever task and he wants to prove himself. He's been hand-picked by the King and that's something to be proud of. "Outside with me," FP murmurs, and he turns and walks out into the darkness. Sweet Pea swallows the lump in his throat, and follows him outside.
FP is an intimidating man. He's tall and broad and there's a hardness in his eyes that says he's been through some shit. He's one of the few people that Sweet Pea respects and he knows it's the same for all the Serpents. FP is a good leader. The best leader. He's given up everything for the Serpents, they're his life, and he puts nothing before them. He would do anything for them, and he's done a great deal. He's already served time and taken the hits, and anyone who dares ever show a flicker of disloyalty for him is stripped of their jacket and sent on their way. Sweet Pea's a little bit honoured to be in his presence.
It's cold outside as they crunch onto the gravel. Sweet Pea wishes he had his jacket on, but it's back home. He's in a vest and a sleeveless overlay, and his tattoo shines in the moonlight on his arm. FP is still sizing him up, but is nodding a little now. Like whatever he has in mind- he thinks Sweet Pea can do it. Sweet Pea's glad. He works out, he's tough, he's tall and he's strong. He's valuable. "You're all moving to Riverdale High next week, that right?" FP murmurs. His voice is rough, and it's not really a question.
Sweet Pea answers like it is. "Yeah. Monday." He resists the urge to tack on a sir to the end.
FP nods again, rubbing the stubble on his cheek and Sweet Pea's a little jealous. He wishes he could grow stubble. "My boy's up there."
Sweet Pea frowns, blinking in confusion.
"At Riverdale High. Always has been. His name is Jughead. At least, I think that's what he still goes by. Pop says it is."
Oh shit. Oh shit. Sweet Pea is reeling. Jughead Jones has been in Riverdale all this time? The son of the Serpent King has been in Riverdale all this time? But-but- why hadn't he gone with FP's wife and daughter? Why was Jughead still here? And more pressingly, why was Jughead still here and not part of the Serpents? Why was he going to Riverdale High and not Southside High? Why wasn't he living here at the trailer park? Where was he living? The questions are all racing through his head and he wonders how many people are actually privy to this information. He's guessing not a lot by the fact that they're out here in the darkness, and he's not surprised why. If the ghoulies knew that FP Jones had a son...Jughead would have been dead long before now.
"He's your age," FP continues, as if unaware to the gigantic bomb he's dropped. "He'll be in your year. Some of your classes."
He's suddenly not sure what's supposed to be happening here. What is Sweet Pea supposed to do? Is he supposed to...to hurt Jughead Jones? Is that why they don't live together? Does FP hate his son? It wouldn't be the first time he's been tasked with hurting someone- though it will be the first time he's been given that task directly by FP.
"I want you to look out for him."
It seems he won't stop being surprised tonight. He stares up at FP in shock. FP doesn't look like he's joking though. He looks deadly serious. More serious that Sweet Pea's ever seen.
"He won't want your help, but he needs it. You don't tell him it came from me- he'll push you away if he finds out, hell, that boy will try to push you away anyway. He's stubborn as hell and thinks he can make it through everything on his own," FP sounds...FP sounds fond. Fond and pleased in a way that Sweet Pea's never heard before. "You don't tell anyone who he is, okay, not even your little friends in there. This is your mission, Sweet Pea."
He nods, still trying to wrap his brain around it all. "But- protect him from who?" He asks. What do Northsiders even have to be afraid of?
"Everyone. Anyone. Himself." FP offers, which isn't particularly helpful at all. "And you tell me how he's doing. You report back to me. I don't know...I don't know how he's getting by. I used to be able to keep tabs all over town and now the Drive-In's been closed down and I don't know." His voice cracks a little bit and Sweet Pea realises something else. He's not talking to the King. He's talking to a father.
Sweet Pea doesn't have parents. Well, he must do, biologically, though he's never fucking met them. He was left here on the Southside and they probably skipped town. He's been raised communally by the Serpents, just like Fangs. Toni kinda, but she's had her grandfather. But this...Sweet Pea likes to think that maybe, somewhere, his dad cares about him the way that FP seems to care about his son now. They clearly have a very fractured relationship, but FP's trying. "Okay," he says, because he can't say no, but also because he wants to say yes.
FP nods, like he expected nothing less. He prods Sweet Pea's chest, and his eyes are blazing green with earnestness. "You come to me if you have any problems, you come straight to me, okay?"
He nods again, unable to find words, and he watches as FP turns and walks into the night and disappears.
Riverdale High is something out of a movie.
Annoyingly bright and chipper and fucking perfect in a way that makes Sweet Pea hunch into his jacket and glare at everyone who smiles brightly at him. A few people give him looks, sneery looks like they're better than him and he glares right back because this place doesn't have metal detectors and he can have a dagger to the throat of anyone who looks at him the wrong way if he wanted to. On the plus side, the facilities are good and he's given a new locker that doesn't have rusted hinges and peeling paint. Even Toni looks reluctantly impressed, and she clutches her books to her chest with her ripped jeans and stands in the entry way of the cafeteria and looks out with wide eyes. Fangs too, is a bundle of excitement beside him.
There's two tables on the right that have been claimed by the Serpents, and that's where they're supposed to go to, but as they head over, Sweet Pea catches a glimpse of a blue beanie and he stops.
FP had given him a little more detail over the weekend. Not a lot, but enough. And sure enough, there's a skinny figure sitting alone at a large table, wearing exactly the type of blue hand-knitted crown shaped beanie that FP had described. That's him. Jughead Jones. The Jughead Jones who has no sort of online presence at all, so Sweet Pea hadn't managed to do any cyber-stalking. He shoves Toni and Fangs over to the Serpents table and mumbles under his breath about having business to do. Toni narrows her eyes at him, but doesn't say anything because she's smarter than that. Fangs waves cheerily.
Sweet Pea carries his tray of food- and it's decent food, actually, not the sludge that was served back in Southside, at least he can see where all the money in Riverdale is going- and he heads towards the empty table. He wonders why it's empty. Is Jughead Jones a pariah? A loser? A friendless creep? As he gets closer, he can make out the narrow frame and the oversized green plaid. He seems normal enough. He moves around the front of the table and dumps his tray with a clatter, watching with satisfaction and amusement as the skinny boy jumps and looks up.
That amused satisfaction quickly dissipates. Because looking up at him is...is...is the biggest pair of green eyes he's ever seen. The palest skin and the darkest hair that peeks out from under that beanie. There are pink, pink lips and a small nose and a sharp jaw and he's struck by the fact that anyone can actually look like that in real life. Like a fucking disney character. This boy is Bambi and Eric all wrapped up in one. But there's something else to his appearance too. He suddenly pictures Jughead out of those clothes and is winded by how ethereal this boy seems. The eyes, those green eyes though, are FP's eyes. He's found who he's looking for. Jughead's eyebrows knit together and he frowns up at him. "Can I help you?" He says, in a tone that's mostly neutral but erring on the side of unfriendly.
Sweet Pea curses his own libido and plops himself down opposite. "I'm sitting here," he says matter-of-factly, and reaches for one of his fries. Confidence is key after all. Jughead stares at him, and his eyes flicker to the supple black leather of his jacket. He makes a face. Interesting, Sweet Pea thinks, that's interesting. Jughead Jones grimaces at the sight of Serpent jackets. Does that have something to do with why he's not living at home?
"Would you like me to move?" Jughead says finally, a sigh in his voice. Oh god. He understands FP's wish for someone to look out for this boy now. He's clearly been pushed around. He's so fucking skinny. He's all fluffy hair and big eyes.
Sweet Pea scoffs before he can help himself. Who the hell is this kid? He doesn't seem like the son of a King. "No, you're alright. You sit there." He says, and wants to roll his eyes as Jughead obediently stops shuffling and stays seated. "I'm Sweet Pea." He offers out his hand.
Jughead stares at him like he's crazy. He reaches out to take his hand and they shake it slowly before Jughead withdraws. He looks very confused. It's a good look on him. "I'm...thoroughly disturbed." He murmurs, but goes back to eating his lunch, albeit, more hesitantly than before. His eyes keep darting up to Sweet Pea's face and then back down at his food. It's funny. Like watching a squirrel size up a dog. "Sweet Pea?" Jughead says, testing the name on his tongue after he's apparently processed their introduction. "That's weird."
He can fucking talk. What the hell kind of name is Jughead? Sweet Pea doesn't say that though. He's got a little more tact. "You got something better?" He quips, finishing off his fries.
It's exactly the right thing to say. Jughead seems to soften a little bit, and his mouth twists into an unintentional lazy half-smile that has Sweet Pea's heart quickening ever so slightly. "Not really. Burdened with Jughead over here." He says self-deprecatingly. He clearly doesn't know what he looks like. Doesn't know how his face lights up when he smiles.
Sweet Pea snorts like it's the first time he's hearing the name. "And you were giving me stick."
"It's a defence mechanism," Jughead teases, and then looks surprised at himself for doing so. He turns to look at the table of Serpents and then back at Sweet Pea. He's struck, suddenly, by the intelligence suddenly glinting in Jughead's eyes. He looks dangerously smart. "I'd be sitting with them, if I were you. This is the social pariah table. I'm the president and I'm here all the time, but we get some guests staying too, sometimes. Like Veronica," he turns to look over at a raven-haired girl with an expensive dress on. "She's over here sometimes. Or Dilton," he looks at a boy in a cubs scout uniform. "But you should be over with your crew. It's less hassle that way."
Is he...is he trying to protect Sweet Pea? Oh, there's something cute about that. This boy is probably the most fragile thing Sweet Pea has ever seen in his whole life. "I think I can handle it," he smirks, and notices the way Jughead's eyes linger on his mouth. Okay. Something to explore there. "Maybe you need a Co-President. Or a body guard. I can take whoever's tossing shit at you."
Jughead's eyes narrow. He looks suspicious in ways that Sweet Pea thinks is probably not good. "And what would you want out of that deal?"
He shrugs, going for nonchalance but not totally convinced he pulled it off. Maybe he should have come in with a plan. Instead, he works with what he's got and leans over to steal one of Jughead's fries now that he's finished his own. Jughead scowls and smacks his hand away, tugging his tray closer to him possessively. "I don't know yet." He says honestly, rather than trying to think of an impromptu lie. "I'll let you know when I've come up with it."
Jughead frowns, but his eyes seem to be a little fixated on the bulge of Sweet Pea's arms through the leather, so as he flexes, he counts it as a win.