He's been drifting in and out of sleep, for how long he doesn't know. He's vaguely aware of Betty sitting on the bed beside him, mopping his brow with a cloth. His skin burns, and he's covered in sweat.

His eyes flutter open, and Betty looks down on him, concern etched across her face.

"Hey," she whispers. "Did you get some sleep?"

"A little. It wasn't very restful."

He tries to move, wincing at the pain in his side. Betty's eyes trail down his bare chest and settle on his bandaged wound. She moves the cloth from his forehead, running it down his chest. He shivers.

"Does it hurt?" Betty asks. She trails her fingers close to his wound. Goosebumps erupt throughout his skin.

"Yeah."

Betty's fingertips still linger on his skin. It's been a while since he's been touched as intimately as this. And a quickie with Veronica in a dirty locker room doesn't exactly count. His body reacts to Betty's gentle touch of its own accord, and his thoughts quickly follow. Blood rushes to his groin and his cock twitches.

"Betty—"

He meets her eyes. He doesn't want her to stop touching him. He needs the physical contact, from someone who's known him so long, someone he trusts and who cares about him. But he also doesn't want her to know what her touch is doing to him.

"It must have been lonely in there," Betty says quietly. Her fingers trace the lines in his abs. Archie can't help but wonder if she already knows exactly what she's doing.

"It was," he says hoarsely.

"And stressful. I bet you haven't really relaxed since before you were arrested."

"I guess not," he swallows.

Her hand dips lower, grazing the waistband of his pants. The action makes his stomach swoop and his cock throb. He's hard now. It hadn't taken much. He glances down, making sure his erection isn't visible under the blanket. It's not, but Betty isn't stupid, and her eyes follow his, and then she's lifting the blanket off him, revealing the bulge in his pants.

She meets his eyes again, and he opens his mouth to say something, apologise or explain, but no words come.

"Did I do that?" she asks. Archie nods. Betty bites her lip. Archie finds himself wishing he could bite it too. "Arch—" Betty starts. Her fingers find their way to his chest, tracing circles over his hard muscles. "Will you let me make you feel good?"

Archie doesn't have to ask what she means. It feels like there's something lodged in his throat, preventing him from saying no. But Veronica, his mind whispers. But the truth is, he's already planned what he's going to say to Veronica when he breaks up with her. And he might not ever see Betty again. And wouldn't this be one hell of a way to say goodbye?

But then—"What about Jughead?"

Betty shrugs. "If he finds out somehow, I'll just tell him it was part of the game."

It's still wrong, Archie knows that. But then he finds himself saying, "Okay."

Betty smiles at him, almost relieved, and Archie can't help but smile back.

"Don't move," Betty says. "I'll do everything. I don't want to hurt you."

Archie nods. Betty cautiously lowers his pants, a look of anticipation on her face. Archie wonders if this is a spur of the moment idea or if she's been planning this for a while.

She pulls his pants and underwear down just enough to let his cock spring free. Archie feels like he's having an out of body experience. Is this really happening? Is his best friend, Betty Cooper, really about to suck his cock?

She just looks at it for a moment, and Archie can't make out her expression. Is she disappointed? Disgusted? Has she changed her mind? But then she lifts her finger and circles it around the tip of his cock, using the precum leaking out as lubrication. She then moves her finger to the base and Archie's breath hitches as she drags her finger along the underside of his erection.

Her eyes flit to his, and she maintains eye contact as she lowers her head to his cock, kissing the tip, then circling the head with her tongue. As much as Archie wants to watch her do it, he can't help closing his eyes, letting the pleasure of her tongue on his cock take over. They've got time. He can let himself really enjoy it.

Betty teases him with her tongue, alternating between licking his balls, running her tongue up his shaft, and circling the tip. Every motion makes his balls tighter, his cock throb harder.

"It feels so good, Betty," Archie moans. She responds by taking him into her mouth, further, further until his cock hits the back of her throat and she gags. Archie groans.

Betty bobs up and down on his cock, he can feel her soft lips, her wet tongue, bringing him closer and closer to orgasm. In some ways, he wants this to go on forever, lost in this bliss, the feel of her mouth on his cock the only thing that matters. But he's also desperate to come, he craves release, and he knows he won't last much longer.

"Betty, Betty," he moans. He doesn't even really know what he's saying, only that he needs her, and that he doesn't want her to stop. "I'm going to come," he pants, and she hums against him, letting him know she's heard him. He reaches for her, grasping for her hand. His fingers make contact with hers and she laces them together. She squeezes his hand as he comes inside her mouth, his body spasming, his pain forgotten as he reaches his climax.

Betty swallows his come as Archie comes down from his high, breathing heavy. She lifts her head, letting his now soft cock fall from her mouth.

"Thank you," Archie says, and it sounds lame, but it's all he can say. Betty just nods, as if it's nothing. But it's not nothing to him. "Betty, really," he says. He has to make her understand how much it means to him, not just this, but everything she's done for him. The amount she cares about him. "Betty, you mean so much to me," he says. "I want you to know that. I want you to know—"

"Don't, Arch," she whispers. It's then that he notices the tears welling in her eyes.

"Hey, hey," he says, concerned. He wants to sit up and comfort her, but his injury prevents him. "What is it?"

"I know what you're thinking. I know why you're saying this."

"What—"

"I'm not going to ask you not to go, because I know you've already made up your mind. But let's not do the goodbye thing, okay? Because I'm going to see you again really soon. When this is all over, and your name has been cleared, and Hiram Lodge is in jail. You'll come back. So this isn't goodbye."

Archie swallows. He wants to disagree, to tell her there is no way she can know that. But she's so adamant, so sure, that he can't bear to tell her any different. So he just nods.

"Okay."

"Okay."

Betty nods firmly. She wipes the tears from her eyes. She pulls his underwear and pants back up, and then it's like it never happened.

He wants to tell her he loves her. He's still not sure of the ways he loves her. More than one maybe. He doesn't have time to figure it out. But god, he hopes she's right, and that they'll see each other again someday.