Kevin sighs, clearly exhausted. Joaquin doesn't blame him. It's been a long day.
They've been traveling to see Betty and Archie's new baby, Freddie, in Riverdale. Betty is still very weak; there were several complications with her pregnancy.
Kevin was concerned about her, so they'd chosen this weekend to drive up from Virginia, where Kevin is the mayor of Williamsburg. After their long, tiring day, Betty and Archie had begged them to stay the night, but Kevin has work tomorrow that he can't miss.
So, they had set off close to eight in the evening. It's now eleven at night, and they're still kind of far away from home.
Kevin is sleepy, his eyes half-lidded, and not in the desirable way. Joaquin intertwines their fingers where their hands overlap on the center console.
Kevin leans into the touch, suddenly more at ease.
Maybe that - despite his fear - is what prompts Joaquin to say it. "Pull over. Let me drive for a while."
Kevin turns to him. "No, it'll be fine, Joaquin. I promise. We're getting close. And I can stop if we need to."
Joaquin smiles at his husband's compassion.
Kevin knows that Joaquin hasn't driven a car since the terrible car crash that killed his parents twenty years ago.
It scares Joaquin. Kevin understands.
"I'm serious, Kevin. You're tired. And you have to work tomorrow. Pull over." Joaquin caresses Kevin's cheek gently, careful not to make him flinch while he's driving.
Kevin is clearly trying to resist, but he eventually gives in. "Okay."
He pulls the car to the side of the road and gets out of the driver's seat to switch places with Joaquin.
Joaquin climbs into the driver's seat, adjusting the mirrors for his lower height and breathing out deeply, bracing his hands against the steering wheel.
"Wake me if you need anything. And I mean anything." Kevin implores, and it's funny to see Kevin so sleepy and trying to be serious.
"I promise, Preppy." Joaquin assures his husband.
Kevin drifts off.
When Kevin opens his eyes, the light is just beginning to rise, and the garage door is closing quietly. He's in his husband's arms as Joaquin carries him into the house and up the stairs, the lines of exhaustion clear on his husband's face.
"Thank you, darling." Kevin settles into the bed, cuddling into the pillow and twisting the blankets around his body.
Joaquin only chuckles before heading into the bathroom.
Note: This is the first in a collection of drabbles/stories responding to the "One Hundred Ways to Say 'I Love You'" prompts by p0ck3tf0x. Thank you for reading! Also, I have no preference for either Barchie or Bughead; I used Barchie here because it was easier.
This exists in a universe similar to the comics, in which Kevin is a politician (a mayor), and he and Joaquin are married (without children).
Prompt: "Pull over. Let me drive for a while."