Last December

Chapter 15: What about us?

December 29th, 2023, 5:01am.

I know we had our fair share
of breaking up and making up.
I promise you we'll get there,
so don't give up.
If we can make it through December,
maybe we'll make it through forever.
'Cause all I want for Christmas
is you and me to fix this.

"All I want (for Christmas)"
by Liam Payne.

Jughead fell asleep before Archie had returned with the tissues to clean them up. He sat down on the edge of the bed, caressing his cheek with one hand and sighing softly.

He came to talk.

What happened to that?

Now they had slept with another, again.

He had promised Betty to fix this.

Archie headed out to get some breakfast (mainly because he wanted to have something to eat for them and partly because he couldn't just sit still anymore). There was no thinking of sleep anyways.

Archie had sat down on the chair at the table afterwards. He didn't want to intrude Jughead's privacy. Besides, this was a save distance for them. Not much could happen when Jughead was on the bed and Archie at the table.

"Archie...?" Jughead groaned, rolling on his side before sitting up. Archie hummed, not moving though. He rubbed his eyes before looking at him.

My God, he was cute.

"I got breakfast" Archie said, gesturing to the table. Jughead turned to look at it and smiled softly, thanking him. In boxers, he walked over to the table and sat down on the chair next to him, starting to eat in silence.

"I thought that we would talk" Archie blurted out "about us, because... you know, you texted me to explain myself and then... none of that explaining actually happened..."

Why couldn't he just be honest about it all?

Jughead stilled, turning to look at him.

"Jughead, you're the most..." He rearranged his words, rocking closer "I've never wanted someone as much as I wanted you, and not just in a sexual way. I don't want us to mess this up" Jughead already opened his mouth, though Archie didn't give him a chance to protest, not before everything that his brain could come up with was said.

"And I know that I hurt you. I know that. I know that it was wrong of me to sleep with you while I was in a relationship. That was wrong and it was my mistake, I've realized that. I don't intend to do that ever again, I promise"

"You and her are done, yes?" Jughead asked, looking away again.

"Yes. I broke up with her right after I came back last year, I told you. I haven't even talked to her and I don't plan on doing so either. I don't want anything to do with her. All that I want, what I've been wanting for a year, is you" Jughead paused.

"My God, that was cheesy" Jughead mumbled, chuckling.

"Do you accept my apology?"

"Depends"

"On?"

"On the fact if you stay here with me, so that we can try and fix this or not"

"Oh, alright, I've got time"

December 31st, 2023, 10:55pm.

What about us,
isn't it enough?
No, we're not in paradise.
This is who we are,
this is what we've got.
No, it's not a paradise
but it's all we want
and it's all that we're fighting for.

"Paradise (What about us?)"
by Within Temptation & Tarja.

And that's what happened in the end.

Archie and Jughead stayed at the motel for the next three days, mostly to talk, partly to do other things because it had become a habit to solve everything in bed.

"Want to get out of here? I heard that they would have a firework downtown" Jughead suggested, still laying in bed. There wasn't really a reason to go outside except if they needed some food, which they mostly ordered but sometimes there was a need for simple cereal.

"Sounds like a plan" Archie got up and went to fetch some clothes for them. Jughead pulled a hoodie over his sweater and got into jeans. Meanwhile Archie just got into sweatpants and a hoodie. He was warm enough in that and his coat. Jughead topped his head with his beanie and pulled on his gloves while Archie already stepped outside. After Jughead locked the door to the motel room behind them, the two took the brisk walk next to the main street, in order to get downtown into the city. Twenty minutes later, buildings and shops started to appear and they went into some of them. In a café, they got a coffee in order to keep warm, trying their best to ignore the taste of water with a little bit of something else.

When the clock stroke midnight, Jughead lifted Archie's hand and kissed it softly before the two turned to watch the firework. It wasn't as big as the one at Shadow Lake but they didn't care, it still looked beautiful and Archie pecked him on the cheek.

When it was over, ten minutes later, the two walked back to the motel. Jughead held onto Archie's hand, though they both wore gloves, so it wasn't necessarily counting as holding hands, right? They spend it in silence, just looking up at the sky or the road in front of them.

It was already 1am, when they were done with showering and just laid in bed, still silent.

"What will we do after today?" Archie whispered into the dark. Jughead turned around to face him.

"I'm on a flight to Africa, and you go back to Riverdale, right?"

"Yes, but what about us?"

"'Us'?"

"Yes, what will happen to us?" Jughead sighed.

"I don't know"

"I don't want us to be a Christmas thing, Jug. I spend a year being miserable and missing you, I can't do that again"

"Me neither"

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Just a short chapter for today