Chapter Text
Jughead Jones couldn't help smiling to himself as he shut the screen-door of his father’s trailer. He leaned against the wall, letting his fingers tenderly brush across his lips where Betty Cooper's’ had been minutes earlier. He could still taste her cherry lip-balm, smell her intoxicating perfume still sticking to his jacket.
Jughead let out a shaky breath, which may have been a laugh, before straightening up and dragging a hand through his tousled brown hair. He was still grinning when he walked into the tiny lounge that he and his father shared, Jughead wandered over to the refrigerator and yanked it open, wincing when he was momentarily blinded by the bright yellow light emitting from within.
Usually the fridge was dominantly occupied by FPs beer but Jughead had managed to cram in some pizzas, burgers - basically anything edible that wasn’t salad leaves. Jughead had had his fair share of fruit and vegetables when he stayed for dinner at Betty’s; Alice Cooper just loved to pile his plate with the greens - which was great at first but after the fifth consecutive potato salad; he was craving something hot and greasy. Something heart attack worthy. Pops was shut for maintenance so Jughead had to get his daily burger in the form of cheap supermarket shit.
Fortunately, there was a box of frozen burgers neatly stuffed behind the chocolate ice-cream that Jughead hoped hadn’t gone mouldy. He’d bought that sometime last year after going on a bike ride with Archie and buying way too much to the stuff.
Jughead reached in and grabbed the box before straightening up and dumping it on the counter. FP was away for the week, leaving him in charge of The Serpents which wasn’t as hard as hard as he had originally thought. He liked to wear the jacket and boss the South Side kids around, and occasionally be the one to initiate a deal with another gang but that’s all he did; he had promised his friends that.
Jughead had just returned from a movie night at Archie’s which had mostly been him and Betty curled up on the Andrews couch, their legs entwined as they shared popcorn. Pausing once in a while, gagging when Archie and Veronica disappeared under the covers of the couch they were sprawled on.
Every time they hung out, Archie and Veronica ended up either almost having sex or abandoning Betty and Jughead to give in to their raging teenage hormones. Jughead internally noted to remind Archie to always carry a condom.
Not that Jughead could blame his best friends, what with Betty sprawled across him, her blonde hair tickling his face, her lips stretched into a grin as she laughed at Veronica’s bad impersonations of the campy horror film on Archie’s flat-screen… he really was lucky to have the friends he had and the girlfriend he treasured. Sometimes, despite the lows, Jughead genuinely thought he was the luckiest kid on the South Side.
Jughead found the essential accompanies for the perfect burger, some day-old lettuce, tomatoes, and a pack of cheese slices. He stuck the burgers in the oven, not bothering to pre-heat the instrument, and twirled the dial to full-heat before he stripped off his jacket; pulling his phone from his pocket. Oblivious to the fact that the screen was alight with a varied range of new notifications. Jughead went about his business, tidying away old beer cans and stuffing them into a trash bag; attempting to make the lounge look more homey and less like a rubbish tip. Once the lounge was inhabitable again, he grabbed a root beer from the fridge and sat on the couch; finally looking at his texts. He yawned and his stomach grumbled, a repercussion of not eating since lunch-time; Jughead anticipated his burgers with a pout. Lunch hadn’t even been a proper meal; he’d just stolen handfuls of Archie’s fries and had a sneaky bite of Veronica’s croissant when she wasn’t looking. Alice Cooper’s “potato salad” had put him off food for the day, until now, that was. Jughead took a sip of root beer, revelling in the taste as it ran down his throat. Cool and refreshing.
10:45PM: Betty: Mom could definitely tell you didn’t like dinner. Pops tomorrow? my treat? Arch and Ron can come too but we can have some time alone after. How’s that sound? x
Jughead smiled to himself, typing out a reply; Sounds good! Yeah, I think my face said it all x
Jughead’s gaze skimmed down his notifications until he caught one from Archie, wedged in between emails from school and film subscription websites. He was expecting a text from the redhead which was either going to be a detailed description of his and Veronica's night or chastising him for eating all the snacks. Jughead chuckled when he read the text.
11:15pm: Archie: Did you eat all the marshmallows? Jug, They’re my dad’s favourite!
Jughead turned his head to check the burgers, sizzling in an orangeade glow. He could smell them now and his mouth watered. He looked back at his phone, his lip curving into a smile. Jughead could practically picture Archie’s frown; his brown eyes crinkled with annoyance. Veronica would be leaning over him, her chin on his shoulder. ‘ Come back to bed, Archie,’ she’d say and he’d let out one of his famous Archie Andrews groans before stabbing SEND and crawling back under the sheets.
Jughead shivered. Maybe it was because of his and Betty’s lack of intimacy that made him think about his two other friends. He knew Betty was up for it and sure, he was too (and maybe a little scared, but who wasn’t); it was Alice Cooper who he was starting to consider calling a Cockblock.
Jughead was almost positive she was doing it on purpose; forcing Betty to keep her door open at all times. It wasn’t like he was in a rush but still… he fantasised like every other sixteen year old boy.
Jughead sighed, leaning back into the old ratty cushions on the couch. Damn his over-hormonal mind. He wanted Betty with him, curled up on his lap with her wide smile and sweet kisses pressing against his neck. He started to get flustered, his cheeks flaming when he realised he definitely had a hard-on. Jughead quickly navigated his gaze to his phone, ignoring the temptation which had washed over him.
After a while of just sitting there, fiddling with his phone, clicking the home button repeatedly and smudging his fingers across the screen, he remembered Archie’s text.
Perfect. Something to take his mind off- off... Betty.
God, he was a total hypocrite. He complained about Archie and Veronica’s constant animal urges but there he was, resisting the urge to pleasure himself and think of Betty Cooper. Teenagers were dumb, he decided.
He tapped out his message to Archie before jumping up and checking on his food; peering in through the oven glass. They needed a little more; as hungry as he was, he didn’t want to risk food poisoning… Especially when he had plans with Betty and the others.
Relax, I’ll buy him some more, chill. And then after feeling a little guilty, he sighed and tapped out; Sorry Arch. Haven’t eaten all day. Your fries at lunch were p much my meal.
To Jughead’s surprise, Archie saw the message straight away.
Huh. Maybe Veronica had gone home or, more likely, she was asleep. Jughead watched the little white dots appear as Archie typed out a reply; Jug, you should have told me. I would have bought you dinner, you idiot. Though Archie wasn’t a vague texter; he added a string of emoji’s which made Jughead smile.
Jughead ended up thumbing his way through different apps on his phone as he leaned against the counter, waiting for the burgers. It was a cool night for October and he could just about scope out the moon hanging in the sky through the dirty windows. He made a mental note to clean them before he even thought about inviting Betty over; Archie wouldn’t mind. Hell, he’d known the boy his whole life.
Archie had probably caused the stains on his windows when he was a little kid, throwing mud-pies at the glass to try and attract his attention.
That was how long it had been since the damn things had been cleaned.
Jughead ended up on YouTube, watching a side-by-side comparison of old 80’s horror films and their modern counterparts. It wasn’t exactly the most interesting video in the world but it kept him entertained. It wasn’t until he was letting his gaze skim across the dimly lit lounge that something caught his eye, Jughead frowned, squinting; surely he was seeing things. He was very tired; it had been a long day… But when he blinked a few times, expecting the apparition to disappear; it didn’t. Before he knew what he was doing, he was abandoning the burgers and wandering over to the small coffee table in front of the television where a small golden box sat. Hadn’t he noticed it when he was sat down? Was he that tired?
Jughead picked up the box and studied it, turning it around in his hands. There were strange markings engraved into what looked like a solid golden surface. The box looked like it could be opened but after a few attempts - and various frustrated whacks, it became evident that it wasn’t going to be so easy; much to his chagrin as a sudden curiosity came over him. He had to know what was in it. More importantly; he had to know who had sent it. Had someone just… left it? He grabbed his phone off the counter top and sniffed, wrinkling his nose; the burgers were burning but now that his attention was grabbed, he wasn’t that hungry anymore. Jughead played with the box, flipping it up and down as he dialled a girl from school; a Serpent in his year. Toni Topaz; she was one of few Serpents he actually got along with. The rest- or at least the older ones, thought he was a stupid kid. Toni answered on the first ring which didn’t surprise him. Jughead found himself gazing at the box, practically entranced by the weird scribings covering the exterior. He cocked his head. Were they instructions? Latin? Hieroglyphics? The more he squinted, trying to make sense of them, the more his head hurt.
‘Hello?’ Toni sounded surprised before her voice turned sultry. He rolled his eyes. ‘Had enough of Betty?’ She teased making Jughead snort. He knew she was messing around; the girl teased him relentlessly about his infatuation with the North-side golden girl, Betty Cooper. Not that Betty had anything to worry about; Toni was as straight as a curly fry.
‘Funny,’ he smirked. ‘Toni, what’s with the box?’
‘What box?’ There was a pause before she cleared her throat. ‘You’re going to have to be more specific, Jones.’
‘I mean,’ he set the box down on the counter and bent over it with a frown, ‘someone left a box in my trailer, and it’s...’ he trailed off, chuckling a little. ‘It looks like something from ancient times, like it was just dug up.’ He picked it up again, surveying it. ‘It’s completely spotless though,’ he murmured, more to himself than Toni. ‘Looks like it just came out of a Museum.’ Toni sighed.
‘Alright, Jones. You’ve intrigued me. I’ll be there in five.’ She paused again. ‘Is there anything on it?’ Jughead hummed.
‘Yeah. Like...markings?’ He shrugged. ‘I can’t read them though. I think they’re hieroglyphics… but I can’t be sure.’ Jughead wandered over to his bag and pulled out his laptop. ‘I’ll do some research,’ he muttered. ‘See you in five.’ Before Toni could reply, he was ending the call and opening up his Macbook; going straight to Google. He placed the box down next to him before typing various phrases into the search engine, attempting to find results that weren’t fictional. The burgers were definitely burning, he could smell the rich scent hanging in the air but he was too focused on the box to do anything about it. Funny. It was like the damn thing was starting to take over his thoughts. Jughead got more and more aggressive as his Google searches came up with nothing. In the end he just typed; CREEPY GOLD BOX.
Of course; that brought up nothing. He jumped when his phone illuminated with another text, and glanced at the screen. It was Archie. The boy clearly couldn’t sleep.
12:05 am: Archie: Whatcha doing?
Jughead clicked on to a transcription website and scrolled down the page, looking for a match. Research. He wrote back. Now? At midnight? Dude, we don’t have any project’s due in . Archie’s reply came fast and Jughead rolled his eyes. Did the boy ever sleep?
It’s my own research. He tapped back. Then; Arch, go to sleep.
All of his searches were fruitless; Jughead closed his laptop down and sat back, staring at the box. His phone lit up with another reply but he didn’t bother looking. He was suddenly thirsty, like really thirsty. His throat was uncomfortably dry and the thought of a glass of water was more than appealing so Jughead stood up, stretching, before making his way over to the sink and turning on the faucet.
He found himself mindlessly staring at the stream of water as it gushed out. Instead of grabbing a cup like normal, he leaned over the sink and drank from the faucet hungrily.
Man, he was thirsty. Jughead straightened up, shut the water off and wiped his mouth. He then turned back to look at the box, doing a double-take because the box was no longer sealed shut. It was open. Jughead stared at it for a few moments, trying to ignore the sudden drop in temperature around him.
He shivered, letting out a breath which to his surprise, billowed in the air. Impossible. It was boiling inside the trailer; FP had left the heating on before he went out and Jughead couldn’t figure out how to turn the damn thing off. Jughead suddenly felt nauseous; the water he’d drank started to creep back up his throat with an unwelcome stinging sensation. The box. Jughead wrapped his arms around himself.
Archie. He suddenly thought, out of the blue. Archie would know what was going on, right? Then he stopped himself halfway to the door, groaning and dragging a hand through his hair. What was he thinking? Archie? Why the hell would Archie know anything about the box?
But then he couldn’t stop thinking about it; the more he questioned why Archie would know about the box, it suddenly made more sense to him. He let out another shaky breath before grabbing his jacket.
All of a sudden, he was overcome with images hijacking his mind. Archie. Jughead imagined himself grabbing the redhead, forcing him against a wall and mounting the confused boy, pressing his lips delicately against his friend’s. He imagined Archie’s lips to be cold but they would grow warmer the more he kissed him, getting rough. Jughead shook his head, battering away the thoughts. He found himself tenderly touching his lips, imagining Archie right there; his goofy smile, warm brown eyes... warm breath... tickling his face.
Then the smile was gone, the spark in his eyes blown out. Archie stared at him with a look of blankness- an expression devoid of emotion before the curl of a smile flickered on his lips, and then the boy’s eyes turned black. Completely black. Jughead felt himself jolt back into assertiveness but Dream-Him didn’t move. Dream-Him allowed Archie to lean forward, dark eyes teasing, before capturing his lips - but it wasn’t a kiss; there was no warmth, like he felt with Betty. Instead, he only grew colder. Dream-Him tried to pull away but Archie clung on like a leach, he gasped for breath but Archie was sucking it from him. Draining him. He could feel his breath, his life-force- his soul- being ripped away from him by the redhead.
Jughead let out a startled breath, throwing out his arms to push the boy away but he found himself mindlessly pummelling thin air, as he came to, standing in his trailer. By now, his skin was prickling with icy needles, his breath dancing in the air around him. He tried to move but found it was incredibly difficult; simple footsteps were now like striding through molasses. Archie wasn’t real. Of course he wasn’t. So why- why did it feel like he was? Why was he short of breath, as if the boy had really sucked the life from his lungs?
No. Jughead started to panic. No, what was he thinking? His head began to swim as he looked around, disoriented. The box was still sat on the table but he could have sworn, through hazy vision, there was an electric blue light emitting from the symbols dotted around the sides. Jughead found his movements to be clumsy, as if he’d drank too many beers - but, but he was completely sober.
His skin prickled with goosebumps as he stumbled over to the box, drunkenly reaching out for it, only to stop dead because he was seeing Veronica Lodge. Clear as day in his mind; she was standing directly in front of him, her cherry red lips parted slightly, green eyes wide.
He felt himself, his own hands, grab onto her shoulders, his fingernails digging harshly into her skin. She didn’t cry out. Instead, she grinned at him, widely, before her eyes too, turned an inky black. This time Dream-Him didn’t pull away. This time he let her kiss him. He let Veronica Lodge slowly drain his life-force, stealing the breath from his lungs. He felt her lips, forceful on his own… they felt good but not in the way he was supposed to think.
Jughead felt his legs give-way; he didn’t wince or cry out when he hit the floor. He felt the overpowering feeling of something crushing his chest, stealing his breath away as his friends had done; he closed his eyes - squeezing them shut. As much as he wanted it to, it didn’t stop the onslaught of images flickering across his eyelids. He was looking at Archie again. Except this time, the boy’s eyes were wide with fright, with confusion.
'Jughead? ' He didn’t hear the boy’s voice but could sense his name on the red-head’s lips. Archie backed away slightly, his expression twisting with fear. As much as he forced his dream-self not to take an intimidating step towards the boy, he did. Jughead, what are you doing? Archie demanded, stumbling over his feet. Then he was seeing Veronica, with the exact same expression. She was mouthing his name too, falling over herself to get away from him.
‘Isn’t this what you want?’ A voice echoed in his head; it was disembodied. Your own personal army?
Jughead saw flashes of Archie, Betty and Veronica. They stood together, grinning at him with expressionless eyes. They blinked as one and then his friend’s eyes turned a soulless black but they didn’t lose their wide smiles.
What? Jughead tried to cry out. No matter how hard he tried to tell himself that this wasn’t real, he could feel something cold seeping through his mouth, as his own breath, his own soul- or he was forced out of his own body. Sleep now, Jughead. The voice murmured; it was changing, curling, transforming into some kind of familiar. His own voice; but this one was twisted. Dark. Terrifying. No ! Jughead tried to push against the force slowly taking over his body but he felt too weak. Too tired. Pitiful human . The voice laughed. You should have left me alone.
Jughead could no longer speak. He felt himself start to fade as the thing took complete control. The box , he thought, just before darkness consumed him.
It was that fucking box.
Well done. The voice chuckled in his decaying mind. Now how about we have some fun?
~*~
Jughead Jones never left his door open, especially in the middle of the night. Toni Topaz shivered as she pulled her leather jacket tighter around her. She stood on the Jones doorstep, frowning at the screen door, which was suspiciously ajar. She had called Jughead’s name three times now and the boy was nowhere to be seen. Toni groaned to herself, letting out a sigh. Her eyes widened when she saw her breath dance around in her in the air. Surely it wasn’t that cold; when she risked slowly venturing inside Jughead’s trailer, she realised the temperature drop wasn’t outside; it was inside .
Toni cleared her throat as a way of announcing her arrival before she slowly stepped over the threshold; there was a bad feeling brewing in her gut but she swallowed it down and forced herself to venture further into the Jones trailer. Toni nervously played with strands of her dark hair, hanging down on either side of her face in pigtails. The guys at school thought they were childish but she, on the other hand, loved them.
‘Jughead?’ She called his name again, biting back the urge to let out a shaky breath. Serpents didn’t get scared easily. She could single handedly fight a gang of fully grown men but here she was- getting freaked out at the cold. Toni stepped into the Jones lounge. The first thing she noticed was a small golden box sitting on the coffee table. Huh. That’s what the kid was talking about. Before she could stop herself, Toni was wandering over and picking up the box but she dropped it with a yelp when the thing suddenly illuminated a startling blue. ‘Shit!’ She ducked to her knees, not daring to pick it up again. Her hands hovered, fingers hesitating before touching it. The box lay on its side, glowing. Toni stared, transfixed. ‘Uh, Jughead?’ She called. ‘What the hell is this?!’
‘It has that effect on people.’ Toni jumped at his voice and straightened up, choking back a laugh when she saw the boy standing in the doorway. There was something different about him. He didn’t look annoyed- which was practically his permanent expression. Instead, Jughead Jones was grinning wildly, like someone had told him a joke he couldn’t let go of. Jughead had a fistful of something pink and fleshy. Toni stared, baffled.
‘Is that….bacon?’ She asked, her stomach prowled up into her throat when she realised it was raw. Jughead only grinned wider.
‘You betcha!’ He winked before stuffing his mouth with the raw meat. Toni swallowed hard.
‘Jughead,’ she said slowly, the boy was freaking her out. It wasn’t just how he was acting - who the heck eats raw bacon - but it was his eyes too; no matter how hard she stared at them, they didn’t blink once.
‘I haven’t eaten in forever,’ Jughead said between bites. ‘This is spectacular!’
‘Are you…are you okay?’ Toni took a small step back when the boy squeezed the raw bacon in his fists to pink mulch before letting it drop onto the floor. He took a sharp step towards her.
‘Why wouldn't I be?’ He adapted the tone of a child and cocked his head. Toni stared at him, her body tingling. She had never found him hot - after all, she was gay, for fuck’s sake… But Jughead Jones was smiling widely at her, his eyes twinkling. His dark hair was tousled, strands of it hanging in his eyes. Man , he was gorgeous. She found herself thinking before she backtracked, and let out a breath. What?
‘You think I’m gorgeous?’ Jughead smirked, taking another slow step towards her. Toni found she couldn’t move.
‘Jughead,’ she said softly, her voice shaking. ‘What’s going on?’ Jughead chuckled.
‘What do you call yourselves again?’ Before she could reply, Toni’s body flew backwards into the wall where she stayed- pinned against the spoiled paintwork. Toni struggled, letting out a sharp cry. ‘Southside Serpentssssss,’ he hissed. Toni let out a squeak.
‘What the hell is this?’ Her voice trembled. ‘How did you do that?’ Jughead cackled, walking over to her. He seemed to survey her, his dark eyes running over every inch of her body.
‘Hm. you’ll do,’ he murmured. Toni let out a shriek, desperately fighting against the invisible force pinning her to the wall.
‘What?’ She cried. ‘Jughead, let me go!’ But the boy only smiled.
‘Human, desist,’ he muttered before he chuckled. ‘Actually, no. That’s not how he speaks.’ Jughead cleared his throat. ‘Dude,’ he said, puffing out his cheeks. ‘Yes, that’s right.’ He chuckled again before his eyes lit up, playfully. ‘Dude, shut up.’
‘What? Jughead, I don’t understand-’ Jughead sighed, irritated. He clicked his fingers.
‘Do I need to say it in my tongue?’ He asked. ‘Would you understand that more?’ He growled, baring his teeth; “L'tuq ud!” Toni tried to speak but her lips felt as though they had been sewn together.
‘Better,’ Jughead said softly before leaning in close. ‘Ah, I love the English language.’ He smiled. ‘Now,’ he murmured playfully. ‘Are you going to stop crying like a little bitch?’
Toni found herself nodding; Jughead grinned. ‘Great!’ He clicked his fingers again. ‘I don’t actually know what a bitch is,’ he admitted absent-minded, chuckling. ‘Jughead says it a lot.’ Toni ignored him for a second, and concentrated on getting her breath back. Jughead shook his head. ‘No, don’t do that,’ he muttered, looking annoyed. ‘I’ll need less of that, thank you very much.’
‘Less of what?’ She shrieked; Jughead sighed.
‘Breathing,’ he replied, nonchalantly. Toni felt her blood run cold as she watched the boy wander over to where she had dropped the box. He picked it up, shooting a grin at her. ‘Guess what’s in the box,’ he sang, drumming on it with his fingers. Toni snarled at the boy.
‘Your sanity?’ She hissed, making him laugh.
‘Just like a snake, I like it!’ Toni bit back a cry when he was suddenly nose-to-nose with her. ‘You’re cute,’ he murmured, ‘but I don’t think Jughead would mind if I enslaved you with one of my own.’ He smirked at her. ‘His friends, however…’ he trailed off, chuckling. ‘Well, I have plans for them.’ Toni struggled.
‘What…’ She forced the words out, despite his face being inches from hers with his dark eyes teasing and mouth twisted into a dark grin. ‘What are you talking about?’ Jughead’s smile faltered and let the box drop from his fingertips. Toni flinched when it hit the floor with a thump.
‘You’re not his precious Betty, his bro best friend Archie.’ He let out a laugh. ‘You’re not even his best frenemy, Veronica.’ Toni managed to find her voice.
‘And?’
‘Like I said, you’re cute but you’re no fun to play with.’ Jughead sighed, running a hand through his hair. ‘There’s so much of it,’ he murmured, curling a dark strand around his finger. ‘Ah, he does this a lot.’ Toni stared.
‘Why do you keep referring to yourself in the third person?’ Her question came out as a whisper. Jughead rolled his eyes.
‘Why do you keep referring to yourself in the third person?’ He imitated her. ‘God, humans are stupid!’ Jughead smirked at her then. ‘The question is, Toni Topaz,’ he swirled her name around his mouth. ‘That’s a tongue twister.’ Toni could only gape at him, before he winked at her again. ‘Don’t take this personally. His heart is with the Golden Blonde.’
‘What-’ Before Toni could react or cry out, Jughead was lunging forwards, capturing her lips in a kiss so forceful she felt herself automatically weaken as if her breath was being drawn from her lungs. Toni struggled but Jughead held on, like a vice-grip. When the girl’s head suddenly dropped, as if her strings had been pulled, a stream of white light, which was Toni Topaz's very soul, escaped her parted mouth and seeped through Jughead’s lips as he hungrily devoured it whole. When Toni’s body dropped to the floor, Jughead set the box back down on the table before his jacket vibrated. He started to paw at it, confusion crossing his face, before he pulled out a strange black rectangular object.
‘So this a phone?’ He frowned at it, tapping at the screen repeatedly before he heard a voice emit from the speaker. ‘Jughead? Are you there?’ Jughead smiled and held the phone to his ear, up-side down.
‘So you’re the famous Archie?’ He chuckled.
Archie laughed, oblivious.
‘I was last time I checked. How’s the research going, Jug?’
‘Excellent, Archie Andrews!’ He exclaimed. ‘I have fulfilled many graphs.’
‘Uh-huh,’ the boy murmured. ‘Jughead, what are you doing?’ Jughead shrugged. The boy’s voice was making him feel hungry again.
‘Nothing much entirely,’ he said, struggling with the teen lingo. ‘How about you, Archibald? What are your plans for the later?’
‘Sleeping.’ The boy answered, sounding confused. ‘Jughead, are you okay?’
Jughead grinned. Oh, how wonderful this was.
‘How about you come over and we can engage in intimate movements?’ He murmured, seductively. He shivered with excitement at the thought of draining poor, innocent Archie. Surely, that would kill his little host.
‘What?’ Archie laughed. ‘Jughead, have you been drinking?’
Jughead hummed.
‘Does water count?’
‘Juggie, I know you’re lying,’ Archie grumbled.
‘Oh, about being intoxicated? If that brings you around, my friend. Then yes, I am incredibly intoxicated and in need of assistance.’ Jughead’s mouth watered. Toni wasn’t enough. He needed more. If he was going to be strong enough to leave his host, he needed more life-force.
There was a pause before Archie sighed.
‘Alright, We’ll be round in a bit,’ the boy muttered. ‘I’ll get Betty.’
‘Excellent!’ Jughead shouted. ‘The more the merrier, my boy!’
‘What? Look, Jughead. Just- just lie down, drink some water and we’ll be there ASAP.’ Jughead nodded excitedly.
‘Alrighty, Archibald. I’ll be here waiting.’ He paused. ‘So, you didn’t answer my question about engaging in intimate movements with me.’ The boy snorted.
‘Juggie, you know I don’t swing that way.’ Jughead frowned.
‘Which way would that be? Does it involve sexual movements between two males?’
‘Jesus, how much did you drink?!’ The boy groaned. ‘Betty’s gonna kill you.’ Jughead smirked.
‘Somehow, I doubt that,’ he said before walking over to Toni’s limp body. She would be waking up soon and then the fun would begin. He delicately stepped over her legs and picked up the box, throwing it into the air and catching it with one hand. ‘Say, Archie,’ he murmured. ‘Do you want to play a game?’