Later that evening, Archie called him with bad news. "You know that fishing trip we were planning on taking?"
"The fishing trip we're going on this weekend because it's the first warm weekend we've had all year?" Jughead accepted the stack of Legos his younger sister, Jellybean, was offering him. He was watching her while their parents were out. He broke the stack back into individual blocks, handing them back to the toddler. "Don't tell me: you can't go?"
Archie sighed. "Yes. Because—"
"You already had something scheduled but you forgot and made plans anyway, so now you have to back out on one of them?" Jughead guessed.
"Not quite. I kept promising my mom I would clean out the garage, but I needed to put it off while I earned money for Valerie's Valentine's present." Dismay was evident in Archie's voice. "So now Mom and Dad tell me I have to do it this weekend, and since I work on Sunday—"
"That leaves only Saturday and takes away our fishing trip." Jughead couldn't contain his disappointment. After all the drama with Nick and Kevin, he was really hoping to get away from it all, even just for a few hours, especially now that Kevin seemed to be avoiding him.
"I'm really sorry, Jug," Archie said. To his credit, his tone was very guilty.
"It's okay," Jughead told him. "There'll be other fishing trips." The chime of the doorbell rang from the front door. "Someone's at the door. I gotta go. Seriously, Arch, don't feel bad."
Quickly stowing Jellybean in her playpen, Jughead went to the door and found Kevin, soaking wet from the pouring rain, waiting for him.
"Did swim team decide you needed practice on land as well as water?" Jughead asked. Granted, it wasn't the best witticism he had ever come up with, but Kevin's sudden appearance took him by surprise.
Kevin looked embarrassed. "Sorry. Nick ditched me at the restaurant after I broke up with him. My phone is dead, and since neither of my sisters can drive yet—"
"You walked here?" Jughead blinked. "Sorry, I didn't realize. C'mon, get out of the cold."
"Thanks." When Kevin crossed the threshold into the well-lit hallway, it became apparent that dark bruises were forming around his left eye.
"Did Nick do that?" Jughead asked sharply.
"No. Yes. Well, he threw a Coke bottle at me, one of those twenty ounce ones. It caught me right in the face." Kevin shrugged. "I don't think it was intentional. But even if it was, we're done for now. He's being shipped off to military school."
"Come with me." Jughead walked into the kitchen, Kevin trailing behind him. He put the kettle on the stove and then rummaged in the freezer for a few moments, before extracting a bag of peas.
"Here you go." He offered them to Kevin. "Put these on your eye. And I'll get you something hot to drink once the water boils."
"Thanks." Even dripping water, Kevin gave him a gracious smile that sent warmth coursing through Jughead's entire body.
"I'm sorry," Jughead told him sincerely. "About you and Nick." He was sorry, sorry that Kevin had ever wasted time on that guy, and sorry for whatever pain Kevin went through with him.
"It's okay." Kevin looked down at the table, studying the wooden surface as if it were the most interesting substance he had ever encountered.
Just as Jughead opened his mouth to speak again, Kevin continued.
"I think that one of the reasons I go for guys like Nick is that I know it will never last." A humorless laugh emitted from his lips. "And as awful as I feel during the inevitable breakup, I always feel relieved, like I just escaped from being trapped somewhere."
Again, Jughead found himself at a loss for words and struggling with how to comfort Kevin. His deliberately limited experience where romance was concerned now left him out of his depth. Luckily, the whistle of the kettle prevented him from looking like an idiot, and he leapt up to fix Kevin's drink.
"Hot chocolate or tea?" He asked as he pulled out a mug.
"Tea, please."
"Any particular flavor?" Jughead scanned the various boxes.
"Green is fine."
Moving swiftly, Jughead poured the hot water and added the tea bag, bringing the steaming beverage over to Kevin. To compensate for his wordlessness earlier, he gave Kevin's shoulder a tight squeeze as he set down the mug in front of him. That was when he noticed the pool of water that formed around the arm Kevin was resting on the table.
"Oh, jeez. I'm sorry, I should have offered you a towel," Jughead apologized.
"You don't need to offer me anything. I'm already intruding," Kevin hurried to respond.
"You're not intruding," Jughead told him firmly. "How about this: you go upstairs and take a shower. I'll get you some dry clothes, put your wet ones in the wash, and plug your phone in to charge. You okay with that?"
Kevin hesitated, glancing at his watch. "I hate to trouble you further—"
"You're not," Jughead insisted.
"—but could you call Reggie and ask him to pick me up in a half hour? We have a community service club meeting at my house at six," Kevin explained.
Jughead chortled. "Since when is Reggie involved in community service?"
"Since I shanghaied him into labor," Kevin replied with a smirk.
"Sure, I can. Don't worry, it's fine." Jughead led Kevin upstairs. "The shower's just down the hall. My parents aren't home, so feel free to use as much hot water as you want." Sorting through the folded laundry on his dresser, Jughead found an acceptable pair of jeans and nice enough shirt and sweatshirt for Kevin to wear. "Here you are."
"Thank you. For everything, I mean." Some of the weariness seemed to have left Kevin's face, a change Jughead was grateful to see.
"No problem." Jughead held out a hand. "I'll plug in your phone for you in my room, if you like."
As Kevin showered, Jughead exchanged a few quick texts with Reggie, confirming Kevin's ride and telling to forgo formalities and just walk in the door because of the rain. When Kevin returned downstairs, Jughead was feeding Jellybean her dinner.
"I feel so much better," Kevin said as he walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Jellybean. How ya doing?" He tickled the toddler beneath her chin, and she let out a squeal of laughter.
He certainly looked better, as if he had been refreshed and reenergized. Gone was his look of defeat from earlier, as. The clothes Jughead lent him fit well; while Jughead was slightly taller, they had similar lean builds. A fluttering sensation flickered through Jughead as he realized he liked seeing Kevin this way, relaxed and shower fresh with damp hair, wearing his clothes, and could definitely get used to the sight.
"You deserve to," Jughead said. "Feel better, I mean." He intended to keep his tone light, but some of his conviction slipped into his voice anyway.
Kevin's eyebrows rose ever so slightly, and just as he seemed about to reply, Reggie strode through the front door.
"Hey, y'all," he drawled, closing the door behind with his foot and rapid-fire texting on his phone. "What's happening?" He glanced up at them and did a double-take, a stunned expression shifting onto his face. "Oh, wow ."
For a second, Jughead wondered why, and then he realized Kevin was wearing his infamous "S" sweatshirt, the one all of their friends knew belonged to Jughead. The implication dawned on him, so he tossed a warning look Reggie's way, though he needn't have bothered. Reggie seemed rendered speechless with amazement.
Kevin laughed self-consciously, gingerly touching his eye. "I know, right? Nick threw a soda bottle at me when we broke up. I guess I'll just have to tell people I joined a fight club, too." He turned to Jughead. "I'm going to get my phone from your room, okay?"
"Stellar," Jughead replied, still glaring warningly at Reggie.
As Kevin's footsteps ascended the stairs, Reggie seemed to regain the ability to speak, and his opening line was snark—as if it would be anything else.
"Nice of you to bang him the night he breaks up with his boyfriend," Reggie hissed at him. "I always knew you were a barbarian when it came to social graces, but seriously ? That is low ."
"Look who's talking," Jughead snapped back. "And just so you know, he walked to my house after Nick ditched when they broke up. He was soaking wet, so I let him shower here and wear some of my clothes. And that is all that happened."
"Hmph." Reggie crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I believe you, but only because I don't think you could ever land so much as hookup with someone as far out of your league as Kevin."
Jughead scowled, but Kevin rejoined them before he could give an adequately scathing riposte.
"We'd better get going," Reggie said, glancing at his Rolex.
"Thanks again for everything," Kevin said warmly to Jughead.
Jughead waved a hand. "Don't mention it." An idea popped into his head. "Kev, you wouldn't be up for a fishing trip on Saturday, would you? The weather is supposed to be really nice."
Shaking his head, Kevin sent him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. As nice as it would be to get out of the house, I have to take Denise shopping for a new dress, Patty has a soccer game, and all of us have to clean the house before Mom and Dad get back on Sunday. They're going to be home for the first time since New Year's." He nodded in farewell and exited. "See you."
Reggie gave Jughead a consoling, if condescending, pat on the shoulder before heading out the door. "Better luck next time, champ."