a/n: it's been a lil while since part one of this went up so i would recommend re-reading it if you're down cuz i definitely had to lol
after working on their project through awkward tension for about an hour and a half, jughead decided that it would be best if he started walking home. archie offered to give him a ride, but jughead kindly rejected. he wanted to be alone so he could think and process some things. once they had shared their awkward goodbyes and jughead was on his way home, the two of them were left with a billion thoughts swarming through their heads.
archie laid on his bed, reliving the moment that happened there about an hour ago. contemplating the feelings he felt when he was that close to jughead. 'did i wanna kiss him?' archie asks himself but quickly shakes the question off, diminishing it with the fact that he would never wanna kiss jughead because he hates him. right? he hates jughead and that's why he's so mean to him. right. but today, today archie felt something different than hate for jughead. he felt something new, like he cared and felt guilty for the way him and his friends treat jughead. he realized he had a soft spot for jughead. but he would never admit that to anyone, because he didn't want it to be true.
he didn't want to come to terms with the idea of himself having feelings for a boy. when he was a kid he was taught that being gay was wrong and has grown up feeling that way up until he met jughead. the first time archie saw jughead was when he caught jughead making out with his now ex boyfriend behind one of their schools buildings. archie thought what he saw was absolutely repulsive and decided to hate jughead ever since. but he didn't really hate jughead, not for being gay anyway. he hated jughead because of the way he felt after witnessing the boys kiss. he felt weird, aroused even. and he hated that. he hated that jughead could be with a boy without his dad disowning him. jughead's dad and friends are very supportive but archie's on the other hand, they would have a conniption fit if they ever found out archie liked a guy. which depresses archie, because he thinks he does like boys and that frustrates him.
the reason why archie takes all of his anger out on jughead is because he's jealous of him. so, so jealous that he gets to be his true self without the fear of being disowned. archie has planned to stop being mean to jughead several times but every time he sees him, the sudden urge to kiss him comes over him. but he can't do that, so he resorts to bullying him instead which is a decently unfair compromise.
"maybe i should just tell him all this." archie thinks out loud.
"no, no. i can't. that's terrifying." archie continues thinking out loud while pacing back and forth. he was mid pace when a notification went off on his phone. he picked up his phone from its place on his bed and checked the notification. it was a text that read:
'hey sorry to bug you, but did my wallet happen to slip out of my pocket somewhere in your room?'
archie looked around and sure enough, there was jughead's wallet on the floor near the foot of archie's bed.
'you're not bugging me, and yea i found it. want me to bring it to you?'
'we can meet half way, there's that park that's not too far from either of us.' jughead texts back.
'ok yea, that works. i'll be there in five.' archie replies.
archie decided to walk to the park since it wasn't too far away and driving would be a waste of gas. on his way there, his brain was buzzing with ideas of how he would come clean to jughead about why he's been rude to him for so long. as archie approached the park he noticed jughead was already there sitting on one of the benches.
"oh finally, it's kind of dark out here. i was getting nervous." jughead chuckles as he sees archie.
"oh sorry, i guess i could've walked faster." archie laughs.
"no, you're fine. no worries. so uhh, the wallet?"
"oh, right. here you go." archie says and hands jughead his wallet.
"thank you so much. well goodnight archie, see you at school tomorrow." jughead says before turning and walking away.
archie almost let him leave but was overwhelmed by the gut feeling that he needed to confess right then and there.
"wait, jughead." archie says, stopping the other boy in his tracks.
"i umm, i need to apologize. for the way i've been treating you. there truly is no reasonable justification for why i've been treating you the way i have been, but i-i just see you and i watch you be yourself and i, i envy that. you get to be out and proud and no one really cares and i'm so jealous of that."
"archie, what are you saying?" jughead questions.
"i'm saying that the stupid reason why i've been such a shitty person to you is because i like you, and i'm scared to like you. and i'm jealous of you. you like boys and everyone just accepts that. but for me? it's not the same. i'm put in this straight boy, jock, player spotlight that i feel like i'm trapped in. if anyone knew who i really am, if they knew that i like guys, they would all change on me. and that's my biggest fear." archie sighs, emotion laced through his voice. jughead could tell he was fighting back tears.
"archie, look. i know it's hard being someone who is the complete opposite of what people envision you as but is that the way you want to live your life? hiding and pretending to be someone you're not? surrounded by fake people who you can't trust to be yourself around? and i get where you're coming from when you say you're jealous of how out and proud i am, but just because i have a supportive dad and group of friends doesn't mean everyone is. i still get hate and bullied for it, you above all people should know that since you're one of my bullies. but it's something you learn to live with, and grow from. this is all scary and different for you, i know. but i can tell that you're strong and can get through anything if you put your mind to it. even, if it's a slow process, i can and i will help you." jughead says not losing eye contact with the boy in front of him.
archie was so touched by jughead's kind words and was so overwhelmed with emotion that what happened next shocked them both, even though he was the one who initiated it. he found himself absentmindedly leaning into jughead and taking his lips into a soft kiss. the kiss was everything archie imagined it to be, and that's why he hated it so much.
"no! stop! i don't, i can't. no, i don't need your help. this is wrong, and weird. i can't!" archie exclaims, harshly shoving jughead away causing him to fall on the ground.
"hurting me and suppressing your feelings is not going to change who you are archie!" jughead yells to the boy who was now running away.
"yea? well fuck you!" is the only response archie could muster through the tears that were uncontrollably streaming down his face. he felt embarrassed, confused, guilty, upset, sad, angry, he felt everything and it was too much. in that moment, all he wanted to do was disappear.
a/n: finally a part 2 for this, i'm sorry it took so long. i really just couldn't figure out which direction i wanted to take this in but i think it worked out fairly decently but idk, let me know what you guys think.
