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You'd be lying if you said there wasn't a lot to clean in PJ's trailer.
There was remains of alcohol everywhere, molded food left out or in the fridge, expired cans in the cabinets-you name it, you had to clean it.
You were fairly surprised when PJ actually agreed to help clean up his house with you at 10 at night, ordering takeout to come well after both of you began. Though the task was grueling, you enjoyed spending time with FP-it felt like the good old days again.
All that was missing was Jughead.
It was half past midnight when you two finished and sat down to eat your warmed up food, the leftovers of laughter in the air lightening the task. You both sat across from each other on the floor, using his coffee table as a resting place.
A clink of glass made you look up, and you saw PJ bring over a bottle of beer. You raised an eyebrow and he shrugged, opening it. He barely had time to bring it to his lips before you scolded him.
"PJ," you warned, and he sighed, placing the bottle down.
"Yes Squirt?"
You rolled your eyes at the nickname he's given you since you two knew each other, gesturing towards the bottle. "No beer."
"I deserve it kid."
You scoffed, swiping the brown bottle from his hands. "Fine, if you can have beer, then I guess so can I-"
He took the bottle back almost immediately, sighing in defeat before putting it on the table. "Go get one of your juice boxes from the fridge Squirt."
You smiled innocently and grabbed the beer bottle before making your way into the kitchen, grabbing some Caprisun pouches, and when PJ wasn't looking, you threw the beer down the drain and filled the bottle with something of your own.
When you handed it back to him, PJ took a quick sip before spitting it out with a look of disgust present on his face. "What's in here?!"
"Water," you giggled, putting your own pouch to your mouth while he gave you a rueful smile.
When you both settled down, you caught him staring at you funny. "What?"
"Thank you," he answered quietly, his eyes shining with slight emotion. He ran his hands over his beard while looking down at the ground with something akin to shame. "For not giving up on me yet, for taking care of me when no one asked you to. You're just a kid, ya know? And here you're making sure a grown ass man like me is livin' right and-" he paused, trying to gather his thoughts before looking up at you. "I just want to say thank you, I don't know how I could repay you."
You gave PJ a smile, leaning forward. "You don't have to thank me. You're like a father to me PJ, I'd do this again for you in a heart beat. No one should be kicked when they're down, and I'm gonna make sure you can get back up."
