Work Text:
“Archie, you are so good. It's like you are filled with it, and I know that I need goodness in my life. I need you in my life. In other words, I love you too, Archie Andrews.” Veronica said softly, her hands still cupped around his neck.
Archie had waited to hear those words, he had been upset just the other day when Veronica hadn’t been able to return his feelings. Archie should have been ecstatic, he should have been kissing Veronica again, he should have been all in. And yet something held him back, doubt that had begun to creep into his mind and he knew exactly where that doubt had come from.
It was enough to make him gently push Veronica’s arms away. “You have no idea how nice it is to hear you say that. And I thought that’s what I wanted but the truth is Ronnie, I don’t think you’re saying I love you because you’re ready. I think-”
“No, I am ready. Maybe I doubted us before but I was wrong to do that, Archiekins.” Veronica told him, reaching out for him again. Archie took a step back.
“That’s not my only problem. You want me because I’m good but you don’t want me for me. Ronnie, I think you have to find that goodness in yourself first.” Archie shook his head, his legs moving him down the steps to his house, seemingly of their own accord. “And, I don’t know that I’m the same guy that you’re looking for. The Black Hood tried to bury me alive and coming face to face with death, it made me realize some things.”
Veronica nodded, looking rather sad but also understanding somehow. Archie marveled at that. “I get it. You were always an eel in my hands, on the cusp of slipping away. I hope you find what you’ve been looking for.” She looked over at Betty’s house and nodded as if to herself before walking down the steps and turning to Archie for a moment. “Maybe we’ll find our way back.”
Archie nodded, because he wasn’t completely sure of himself on this. He still had feelings for Veronica, strong feelings that he couldn’t simply let go of. But he couldn’t do that to Veronica, be with her and doubt that he had made the right choice.
That kiss, that kiss that was surely enough in the heat of the moment. That could easily be passed off as being due to a high stress situation, that could’ve been absolutely nothing. It felt like something, something that Archie didn’t understand but he wanted to. Oh, he wanted to.
Archie watched Veronica, feeling oddly at peace. He didn’t turn away till she was out of sight, but once she was, he felt himself being taken to Betty’s home. He couldn’t count on his fingers and toes the number of times he had walked up the steps to Betty’s house. Sometimes nervously, sometimes with a broken heart, sometimes with a smile. He felt something akin to hope blossom in his throat. Today he felt happy.
He knocked on the door and waited a moment before surely enough, Betty turned up at the door. She looked a bit surprised to see him, her wide blue eyes taking him in for a moment. “Oh, come in.” She said, quickly remembering herself and shuffling out of the way to allow him to enter.
“I just wanted to check in on you, make sure everything was okay.” Archie said, feeling the need to explain himself. He scratched the back of his neck absent-mindedly. “We’ve sort of been through a lot these past few days.”
“I’ll say.” Betty agreed, a soft sigh escaping past her lips. “I’m doing okay surprisingly enough. But I just can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t over. I know we caught him, the Black Hood, but I still can’t help but look over my shoulder.”
Archie thought of how he couldn’t shake away the feeling that Svenson’s eyes hadn’t seemed right. “I know, I feel the same way.” Archie admitted.
Betty nodded her head as they made their way over to Betty’s kitchen. “How about you? Are you doing okay?” She asked, pulling out a chair for him in the dining room with a playful smile before pulling out another one for herself.
Archie felt a smile grow on his face as he took the chair next to hers. “Yeah, yeah I am. Better than okay now that you’re here.” Archie teased and Betty snorted, shaking her head at that.
“Did you really come over here to check on me? Don’t you have Christmas festivities to attend to?” Betty asked, nudging his knee with her own and Archie felt a rush of warmth at even that small point of contact.
“Well I do, but-” Archie looked up from their touching knees and met Betty’s gaze, trying to think of the right words to say. He just didn’t know if it meant to Betty what it had meant to him. He just wasn’t sure that Betty still felt that way about him, after all this time. “And I did come here to check up on you. Though, there is another reason.”
Betty nodded, expecting as much. “Care to enlighten me?” She asked, ducking her head and sending him a friendly smile when he paused. “Hey, I’m supposed to be the person you can talk to about anything.” She reminded him, and Archie knew that but he still hesitated.
“It’s just-” Archie huffed, trying to to find the right words. “I wanted to talk about that kiss that we shared in front of Cheryl’s house.”
Betty seemed to visibly close herself off, her smile falling away. “Oh. I’m not sure I want to talk about that.” Betty said quietly, fiddling with her fingers in her lap.
“I know that it was in the moment, and we could just pretend it never happened. Maybe it would be better that way but, honestly, I don’t want to pretend it never happened.” Archie said, and Betty’s eyes snapped up to his. She looked startled and there was something else in her eyes that Archie couldn’t really read.
“Why?” Betty asked, sounding cautious, like she was treading dark, murky waters. “You just said it would be better that way.”
“Yeah better, even easier, but that kiss? I feel like it meant something, at least it did for me. And I know that mayb-"
“I know it wasn’t the best timing but I kissed you because I wanted to. Because you make me feel safe, you make me feel like Betty Cooper, a girl who can do anything.” Betty breathed, her lips turning up. “And it meant something to me too.”
“Should we try again? Just to make sure?” Archie asked, and Betty watched him for a moment before nodding. And this time Archie leaned in first, capturing Betty’s lips and he couldn’t deny that it didn’t feel like any ordinary kiss.
It felt like coming home.