the other boys ⇨ jarchie

10

jughead.

i trudge along the sidewalk through the thin layer of snow, sunshine blinding me as i go. my hands are stuffed into my pockets and 'sports' by beach bunny hums through my headphones. one more week and then we're off for winter break. it's monday morning and i'm on my way to archie's, for our ritual walk to school.

i approach his front door with a slight smile. i gently knock, and fred andrews answers the door.

"oh! hey jughead," he says, grinning, "archie's gonna be down in a sec. you can go up to his room if you want, he's just getting ready."

i nod my head gratefully. "thanks mr andrews."

he tips his head back in a laugh. "jug, please! we've known each other for years. call me fred."

i slowly walk up to archie's room, gently open the door, just loud enough so that he can hear the hinges creak.

"j-jughead!" he stammers, his jeans unbuttoned, calvin klein briefs showing underneath. he has no shirt on.

wow.

"oh, shit, sorry! i can leave if you want—"

archie turns around, sunlight streaming in and lighting up his body in all the right places. he looks like an angel - a god, almost - and his hair is sticking up cutely in all directions. his hands are the colour of gold from the sun and his jawline and cheekbones are outlined, like a michael angelo sculpture.

"it's fine, jug. you can stay. all i need to do is get a shirt on," he laughs, his little dimples showing.

we're both blushing.

"okay then," i reply, standing opposite him. his t-shirt hangs loosely in his hands, and i glance down at his abs: man, archie is ripped.

i trail my finger from his abs, up his chest and it hooks his chin. we look in each other's eyes and for once i feel comfortable. you know, it's nice to live in the moment. his toned arms wrap around my waist and he pulls me closer.

holy shit. this might happen.

i gently press my lips against his, closing my eyes. i'm surprised to find that he kisses back, more passion flowing through it. my hands go from his chin to the back of his neck.

archie pulls away. "i-i'm sorry jug, we're gonna be late for school," he giggles lightly. he puts his shirt on and tucks it into his blue jeans.

i look down at my feet, smiling. "it's okay."

"come on, let's head downstairs."

—

archie.

—

when jughead and i get to school, veronica and betty are waiting for us at their lockers. betty is holding her textbooks and babbling away about something, while veronica delicately holds a compact mirror, applying some lipgloss.

we walk down the hall, me in the lead. "hey guys," betty says with a grin, "i just want to say that i'm sorry for my tantrum that i had. i've just got a lot going on at the moment, and i'm sorry i said those things to you. can we put it behind us?"