Alphabet ≫ Jarchie

Bonus One Shots Week #6

Unabashed— unembarrassed

☁︎☀︎☁︎

Archie and Jughead have been playing this game for years.

Jughead won every single round.

When they were little, Archie used to get teased a lot. It was probably because he was different. He had bright red hair and a ridiculous high pitched voice that made him sound like a little girl. It didn't help that he sort of dressed like one too. He was raised by a single father who, most of the time, picked out the first thing he saw on a Walmart rack that wasn't a skirt or a dress. That apparently didn't exclude most of the girls section.

He was easily embarrassed, which made him an even easier target. It was more uncommon to see the little boy without tears in his eyes.

Soon after, Jughead moved to town and he was even more different. He had a silly name and a silly hat complete with shark teeth when he smiled. Kids teased and teased him too but Jughead paid them no mind. He wasn't as easily embarrassed as Archie was, not even a quarter as much.

Archie found Jughead's quirk fascinating, and from then on it became a challenge to see how much Jughead could take before blushing or admitting he was humiliated.

They never grew out of the silly little game.

As Archie grew taller and more handsome, Jughead continued to be teased and unbothered. Even Archie's small attempts at embarrassing his best friend never earned him more than a disinterested laugh.

As middle school passed and high school came around, their friendship became dictated by the dumb challenge. It almost felt like Archie was Jughead's bully, or at least that's what everyone in school assumed.

With no sign of giving in, Archie's pranks and attempts increased in ruthlessness. One day Jughead's clothes went missing in the locker room. A few weeks after that, somebody sent an article into the newspaper about the pros/cons of incest and said it was written by Jughead.

It was the second month of senior year when Archie went too far.

Jughead foolishly left his laptop open at school unattended. He was studying for a test in the library and stood up to ask the librarian, his only friend, a question.

Archie strolled past, not really paying attention to the laptop too much until something on the screen caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks and leaned forward to get a closer look. A wicked smile grew upon his face as he skimmed the webpage with amusement in his eyes. He quickly took out his phone and snapped a picture of the evidence before scurrying away at the sound of Jughead's voice getting closer.

Finally, it was his turn to win.

At home, after Archie had all he needed for his most conniving prank yet, he took a step back and thought it through. He knew, in the back of his small mind, that he was crossing a line. This wasn't as silly as stealing someone's clothes. This was much bigger. This was potentially life ruining. This wasn't something he could apologize for or take back. This was... this was it for Jughead.

Archie scrambled towards his laptop, his last brain cell screaming away in protest, and pressed the send button on an email he composed. There wasn't any going back now.