Jughead was relaxing in his backyard hammock when Hot Dog raced past him to the side of the yard, barking joyfully. With a smile, Jughead sat up; Hot Dog's antics were the signal of Kevin's arrival, who was stopping by for a visit after he finished his swim meet.
Sure enough, Kevin strode into the yard, his golden blond hair gleaming in last few rays of the dimming evening sun, its light scattered and fragmented to the filter of the surrounding trees. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt for the Riverdale swim team which bore the motto, "If we don't beat you in the pool, we'll beat you in the parking lot." The clothing highlighted his slim, leanly muscled form.
"How was your meet?" Jughead called.
"Successful," Kevin replied good-naturedly as he approached. "But I'd much rather be here."
Grinning, Jughead extended a hand to him. "Then c'mere."
Kevin placed his hand in his boyfriend's, and Jughead pulled him down into the hammock with him. While he often complained about the style of hammock to his parents ("The ropes don't give me any back support! It's not ideal for taking naps, and I get tangled up too easily!"), he found he definitely didn't mind get tangled up with Kevin.
While there was a steady breeze, the evening had so far remained warm, and Kevin's skin, still chilled from the water, was cool and refreshing against Jughead's own. He found himself reveling in the contact. Drawing Kevin in to lie alongside him, he let out a sigh of contentment as Kevin curled up next to him, resting his head on his chest. Jughead reached out to gently run his fingers through his golden hair. They settled in to watch the sun descend, leaving a blazing trail of light and color in its wake.
This was everything Jughead wanted from a relationship. Quiet companionship. Simple peace. Nothing complicated, just enjoying the basic pleasures of life with someone else.
As the sun went under, the hum of the cicadas rose to a constant buzz, and fireflies began to appear, their tiny lights glinting in the nighttime shadows
"Look over there," Kevin said, pointing, and Jughead followed his gaze to a hibiscus bush that was positively laden with the bugs, their glow flickering on and off. There were so many of them that it looked like the shrub was wreathed in Christmas lights.
"There's usually more in the front yard," Jughead told him. "Want to go look?"
"Let's go," Kevin said happily, rolling out of the hammock and springing to his feet. Jughead followed much less gracefully, tumbling out and nearly falling on his face, saved only by Kevin quickly grabbing him by the bicep and pulling him back up.
Hand in hand, the two of them strolled through the side yard and into the front, admiring the fireflies and the emerging stars. Jughead's house sat on a slope, so when he and Kevin stood at the corner of the front lawn, they could see hundreds of fireflies, all glimmering in the dark, from their vantage point at the top of the hill.
Sitting down on the steps of the front porch, Jughead and Kevin lounged back, leaning against the stairs so they could see the sky. For several minutes, they just relaxed together, enjoying each other's company, until a faint thumping on the screen door caught their attention. They turned to find Jellybean, Jughead's younger sister, peering out at them through the glass.
"Mind if I bring her out to sit with us?" Kevin asked Jughead.
"Feel free," Jughead said, tossing a smile over his shoulder at the toddler, who was eyeing them impatiently.
Climbing up the steps, Kevin carefully opening the door and scooped up the little girl, who let out a squeal of delight as she was carried down to join her older brother and his boyfriend. As Kevin resettled beside Jughead, Jellybean in his lap, Hot Dog ambled out from the backyard to join them as well, flopping down at their feet with a huff.
"Bwugs!" Jellybean exclaimed enthusiastically, looking around at the fireflies in wonder.
"There certainly are," Kevin agreed, cuddling the toddler close before passing her to Jughead. "Hold her for a moment, won't you?"
Standing, he walked several paces away from the porch to the hydrangeas by the front walkway, which were alight with fireflies. Holding his hands together, he waited for several moments for a firefly to drift into his open palms, and then instantly cupped his hands one over the other, forming a temporary cage. Carefully, he brought the bug over to Jellybean.
"Now, be very gentle," Kevin instructed.
Laying Jellybean's palms flat, Jughead held her fingers open as Kevin loosened his, very gently nudging the insect to leave his hands and go to Jellybean's. When it did, Jellybean giggled happily, moving to clap her hands, but Jughead quickly stopped her.
"Keep your hands still, Jellybean," Jughead reminded her. "You don't want to hurt Mister Bug, do you?"
The firefly began crawling up Jellybean's arm, much to her amusement, and when it spread its wings and flew off, she reached after it, grabbing at the empty air.
"Say goodbye to your friend, Jellybean," Kevin said, waving at the departing firefly. Jellybean saw the motion and mimicked him.
"That was a good idea, to bring the firefly to her," Jughead said fondly, handing Jellybean back to him, and then leaning in to give him a kiss.
Kevin smiled, snuggling close to him. "I used to do that for Patty, too, when she was Jellybean's age," he said, referring to his youngest sister. "Of course, since I was still a kid then, too, and neither of us were as careful as we should have been, some of those poor fireflies met their end at either my hands or Patty's," he added ruefully.
Jughead laughed just as the screen door opened again behind them, his parents emerging this time.
"Hello, Mr. Jones and Mrs. Jones," Kevin said respectfully.
"Hello Kevin," Jughead's father replied cheerfully.
"Good to see you," Mrs. Jones added, looking at Kevin approvingly.
Jughead smirked as he watched his parents greet his boyfriend. Both of them thought very highly of Kevin, not just because he was an overachiever in academics, sports, and clubs and hoped his involvement would encourage Jughead to join more activities, but also because he always was polite to them and doted upon Jellybean.
"Beautiful evening, isn't it?" Kevin asked conversationally. "Just the right temperature."
"Well, it's very nice but just a bit chilly," Mrs. Jones replied. "I actually wouldn't mind a campfire on a night like this."
Her comment sparked an idea in Jughead's mind. "Why don't we get out Dad's old grill and roast marshmallows?" He suggested. "I just cleaned it out earlier today and bought more charcoal for our trip to the lake this weekend."
"I don't know. Jellybean should be going to bed soon—" Mr. Jones began, but Mrs. Jones interrupted him.
"Why not, FP? There aren't going to be many more summer nights like this," she pointed out. "Before we know it, fall will be here again."
"And I can set up the grill in no time flat," Kevin added. "My dad and I always grill together."
"Well . . ." Mr. Jones shrugged. "If you boys are willing to set up and clean up, I don't see why not."
"Terrific." Jughead grinned, turning to Kevin. "C'mon. I have the grill and charcoal on the back deck."
A short while later, Jughead and Kevin were side by side once more as they held their marshmallows over the grill. Jughead put his arm around Kevin's shoulders, pulling him close. Now that the night had fallen, the wind had picked up, and the waves of cool air brought his skin to prickle with goosebumps. But with Kevin leaning his head on his shoulder, Jughead found he didn't mind at all. He had food, he had his family, and he had his boyfriend—there was nothing to complain about.
He wished he could bottle this moment, encapsule the serenity at the core of his being, so he could never forget the unadulterated contentment of being in Kevin's presence during the night, underneath the moon and stars.
But since Jughead knew he couldn't stop time, he didn't waste too much effort wishing, instead just settling for enjoying both the warmth from the glowing coals as well as Kevin's smile.