Our trio's down to two.
Pop's Diner. Ten pm.
Jughead did not even look up from the screen when Archie slid into the booth across from him. His fingers continued to move across the keyboard steadily. The only break he took was to drain the dregs of his coffee cup and then continue working.
"So," Archie said finally. "You and Betty."
Jughead allowed his eyes to flicker across at the redhead before turning back to the screen.
"So that's weird." Archie finished, huffing a little in amusement.
Jughead stopped typing.
"Not like... bad weird. Wow, okay, so that sounded rude. That's not what I meant it's just- you know, you? And Betty? She's, you know... and you're so... yeah." Archie trailed off. Rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. Sighed.
Jughead began typing again.
After a moment, Archie got up. Jughead did not watch him go, but when Archie returned with a soda and a refill of coffee he accepted the cup with a nod of thanks.
"I didn't think you even liked girls," Archie said finally, playing with his paper straw wrapper.
"I don't." Jughead answered, eyes meeting Archie across the lip of his mug.
"You don't?" Archie asked, a tiny bit of hopefulness creeping into his voice.
"I just like Betty."
Jughead put the cup down and closed the lid of his laptop. The two boys, best friends, maybe rivals, looked at each other for a moment then. Archie broke first. Jughead knew he would.
"It was always me and you and me and her. So this feels..."
"Unacceptable?" Jughead asked dryly.
"Unexpected." Archie corrected. "Should it be? Unexpected, I mean."
"For you, sure."
"But not for you two?"
"I can't speak for her."
"So speak for you."
Pops came by then and dropped two plates- deluxe burgers, cheese fries. Jughead's stiff posture softened slightly at the sight of the food- a peace offering. He picked up a fry. Archie let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Your whole life, Archie, you've had this story. You and Betty, girl next door. Perfect. Sweet and thoughtful and gorgeous. You know everything about her- you know where she got that scar above her left elbow. You know what she looks like with chicken pox. You've seen her naked- though not since you were like six. Probably one day you're gonna marry her."
Archie jerked in his seat a little- hands holding the burger stilled even as the onion and tomato slipped from the bun and onto the plate. He seemed almost hypnotized.
"But today is not that day." Jughead pauses to stir his coffee and Archie knows in the back of his mind that this is for dramatic effect but he can't help being swept along.
Jughead's a hell of a writer.
"You're in high school. Who wants to live their whole life with the girl next door? You want adventure. You want to meet and woo and love enough women so that when you and Betty come together? You're ready to make it stick. No one wants to break up with a girl like Betty."
Archie started to speak but Jughead jabbed his fry in the air, cutting him off.
"Here's the problem, Arch." Jughead smiled a little, sardonically.
"I know she got that scar jumping into the lake on a dare and cutting her arm on a piece of metal because she did it so I wouldn't have to. I was scared of the water and Reggie was being a dick. I remember how red and swollen and chipmunk faced she got in second grade- because I gave her the chicken pox. We could only hang out with each other for a week because everyone else was afraid of getting infected. Which is also when we shared an oatmeal bath." Jughead raises an eyebrow and the joke is so foreign- girls, and baths, and Jughead- that it doesn't even register that Archie should smile or react in some way.
"And you'd marry her." Archie said. His voice was flatter than he'd intended.
"Probably." Jughead conceded, picking up his burger now that his fries were gone.
"Have you always-?" Archie asked, pushing his half eaten food aside.
"Mm." Jughead murmured thoughtfully around a mouthful. "More or less. But I figured- Archie and Betty. Endgame? No chance."
Archie shook his head, but more out of confusion than denial.
"I kissed her," Jughead said abruptly.
Archie gave a shaky laugh. "Okay, that was rude, but I seriously can't picture you kissing anybody."
Jughead grinned despite himself. "It's all very 80's teen comedy. Social outcast after the golden girl cheerleader."
"Betty isn't like that. She doesn't think like that." Archie said, no longer laughing.
"Then maybe- just me. Just she won't want me. Maybe me knowing her enough to fall for her was enough for her to see what's wrong with me and that she should just stay away. I'm not really a part of this-" Jughead gestured faintly around.
"Jughead-" Archie began.
"No, I know. I already know what you're going to say. You said it with the burger." Jughead smiled a bit and pushed away his empty plate.
"So what now?" Archie asked, pushing the rest of his plate towards his friend. Jughead picked up the other half.
"Whatever she wants," he said, adding ketchup to the burger.
"You'd be, what, her boyfriend? Walk her to her locker? School dances?" Archie looked skeptical but Jughead gave him a look and even around the food it said for Betty? For Betty, participate in this pointless social posturing?
But he'd been sitting at their lunch table.
He'd been writing for the newspaper.
He'd been coming to class regularly, and on time.
He was changing.
Everything was.
"And what if she wants to be friends?" Archie asked. And this time his voice held concern- warm concern- for the someone who hadn't his heart broken. And his eyes when they looked over Jughead seemed to say I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to feel how I made her feel.
"Whatever she wants," Jughead said, but his voice dropped a little.
And they both understood without saying it.
Best friends do.
Oh look another fandom cause I don't have like five ongoings or anything