Alphabet ≫ Jarchie

Nadir II

Nadir— the one where Archie refuses to go back to a life of addiction and abuse with the help of an old friend

☀︎☁︎☀︎

Jughead lived in a cute little town called Cadmium, a few hours west from where they went to university. He lived in fairy tale land, as Archie liked to call it. It had towering brownstones, twinkling cafes that carried the smell of coffee through crisp, hopeful air, sidewalks that hugged narrow well lit streets, and families that held hands on walks as the sun kissed them lovingly.

Archie had always wanted to live in a place like this, to live in a town that reminded him of Main Street, a cozy little city. But he could never afford to, especially not now. He also didn't fit in now either, with his slumped shoulders and battered down soul.

The sunny part of Archie had left him once the drugs did, once he battled through withdrawals to be met with even more cold walls and unanswered calls. The hopeful part of Archie had left even before that though, a few years back when he was hospitalized for "jumping" out of a car he was pushed out of, and left to face the blinding lights of an SUV in the middle of the road on a dark Tuesday night.

This Archie, with his cloudy eyes, sad smile, and broken spirit, didn't belong in Cadmium.

Nevertheless, he forced himself out of his beat up Toyota Camry and took a deep breath. The air tasted of new beginnings, fate, and blessings he didn't believe in. The trees rustled as his feet carried him around to the back of his car, swaying the universe in his favor. He grabbed his things and shut the trunk with a bang that sent a few birds fluttering away.

The door to Jughead's place opened before Archie even stepped foot on the sidewalk. He did a crappy job parallel parking but he figured he'd only make things worse by trying to fix it. That's usually how things went, after all.

"Archie?" Jughead's voice called out. It was only a few seconds before he appeared at the top of stairs looking just as nervous as Archie felt.

Jughead's brownstone was different from the rest. Fairy lights decked the railings and his front door was a bright yellow that complimented the flowers lining the stairs. It was a sea of color; neon pink, blinding white, and vibrant red petals contrasting against an array of reliable and sturdy browns.

"Jughead," Archie said back, but it was more to himself. He willed himself to move toward him and, after a moment, his feet decided to obey. His steps were tiny and shaky, whereas Jughead's stride was fast and poignant as he rushed down the steps to meet him.

The green-eyed man, looking older but still as handsome as ever, moved to pull Archie into a hug, but Archie flinched at the gesture and took a careful step back.

"I'm sorry," Archie rushed out, eyes widening at his own actions. He knew he should be grateful that Jughead was willing to take him in. The least he could've done was hug him, but he couldn't even bring himself to do that.

But Jughead just smiled at him, flashing his pretty white teeth. "No need to apologize. I should've asked before I bombarded you like that," he assured him, seeming sincere. "It's just... wow, it's just really nice to see you."

Archie nodded, trying to maintain eye contact with him even though it was hard. He had a habit of looking down at the ground, trying to go unnoticed, and Jughead just shined so brightly. "You look good," he said, clearing his throat.

Jughead looked better than good. He got better with age. His pretty black curls were longer, framing his face like a work of art, finally having ditched his raggedy old hat. He gained a little bit of muscle in the arms too, Archie could tell even through the worn black hoodie he was wearing.