JANUARY 2019 TEST DRIVE

[sodder]

JANUARY 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to January’s Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: NEW YEAR'S.

All Test Drive Memes contain at least one clue to the Deerington's upcoming in-game events for the month! Keep your eyes peeled! But...not literally.

Characters may die during TDMs, but you do not need to count it towards a game-canonical death unless you want to. Consider it a freebie. All TDMs can be considered game canon as TDMs introduce minor aspects about the world of Deerington that can be revisited by characters later on in the game. You may also use TDMs for your application writing sample as well as AC.

CW: Mind alteration, alcohol, options for self-harm, knife violence.

Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

YOU BETTER GET THIS PARTY STARTED

It's party night at the Grady Hotel and the hosts are pulling out all the stops. Champagne, funny hats, pictures, great music, and a wonderful countdown clock that let's everyone know just how much closer they're getting to the end of what has probably been a pretty crazy year for everyone. The glasses never seem to empty themselves and the citizens serving them out to people seem to be making extra sure that everyone has one for themselves. Regardless of whether or not you usually like champagne, anyone with a glass in their hands will eventually be tempted to take a sip, especially the closer it gets to midnight - the bubbles make you giggly, friendly, talkative in a way that you may never have been before. It lifts up just about anyone's spirits, no matter how rough of a time they've had before (or during their time in) Deerington. It doesn't seem to get you drunk, no matter how much you drink, but it definitely makes you more euphoric. Enough so that you might start to think you can do anything; tell someone how you really feel about them, compliment whoever you've had your eye on all night and see if they want to spend more time together, make up with someone you've been fighting with lately, do a magic trick you never were able to master, or even something as drastic as fly when you know you can't. Hopefully you start off trying to jump from a chair, but there is definitely roof access for those who are a little more daring - maybe someone a little more sober will have the wherewithal to stop you before it's too late.

There is also plenty of entertainment happening in various parts of the room. A table with beer pong for the adults who never outgrew their college days, a dart board, card games in the back, and a game called Guess the Candy for those who want to test their sweet tooth. Anyone who wins a round of any game will get rewarded with a small gift from home (no bigger than a toaster). Unfortunately will disappear once you leave the party, so make sure to enjoy it while you can.

The dance floor is also lively, the music upbeat and easy to move to no matter what your personal tastes might be. If you want a random dancing partner, take a dance card! Each one has a random, glowing number on it and it's your goal to find the person who matches. Once you do, no matter who it is, you'll find yourself literally stuck together (hopefully just by your hands, but it can be any body part) and will have to go through an entire dance (or maybe even two) with them before you come unstuck.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everyone starts to gather around the countdown clock as it nears midnight, and when it's down to ten seconds, obviously you've got to start counting too! Everyone seems to be having such a good time as they shout out each number (10! 9! 8!) and you might not even notice the way some of the people around you have started to get a little... twitchy? (7! 6! 5!) Or the way some are starting to get more handsy, pushing themselves up close to whomever is beside them. (4! 3! 2!) And it isn't until they all shout 1! in unison that the room seems to shift in two very different moods.

If you're lucky, the person next to you will just have the urge to kiss you - and you might even have the urge to kiss them back! After all, sharing a kiss at midnight is supposed to bring you good luck for the rest of the year. And with the way everyone else is starting to act, you might need it. For some, the urge to kiss might be stronger than just a chaste peck. For those who find themselves wanting to get a little more intense, it might be best to try to sneak out the back and head back to your place. The moment you step outside into the cold air, though, the urges seem to disappear - unless, of course, you were in the mood all on your own.

If you're unlucky, there's a murderous rage that runs through you, and there seems to be a table of weapons near by to help encourage a messy time. Various knives, swords, machetes, and other blades are laid out, enough for almost everyone. You might find yourself driven to plunge your weapon into the closest person, or maybe someone you've hated for a long time, and even more - maybe someone you've loved. Whoever it is, the image of their face will be burned into your mind and you'll do everything you can to try and make them bleed. Hopefully they can fight for their life - or at least evade your attacks until they can trick you into going outside. Like the desire for love, the desire for murder will also disappear the moment that someone steps outside, regardless of whether or not they did so on purpose or just to try and hurt whoever they're after.

Character Arrival

You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.

There is not a collective "all these characters showed up at the exact same moment" occurrence in Deerington. Since characters fall asleep, die, or pass out at various times throughout all their worlds, it wouldn't make too much sense if they arrived in game all at the exact same time. There should be some discrepancy between character arrival, whether by a couple minutes, hours, or even days up to a week.

The players are entirely in control of how/when they want to play their characters arriving in Deerington. For TDMs, you can play it like your character has just arrived and that can be maintained as your game canon, or you can wait until game events for that moment. Or you don't need to acknowledge it at all. The flexibility for character allows a bit more of an organic feel to the character arrival situation, so please play it to whatever feels right for you.

If you are interested in having an "arrival" introduction for one of your TDM prompts, you are more than welcome to explore that option.

Comments

reggie mantle | riverdale

[bragnificent]

➺ let's get it started in here

[ ( cw: underage drinking ) As far as welcomes go, a New Year's party is far from the worst kind one could have. Reggie has had a pretty rough year, too, although as far as he knows New Year's should still be a couple months away. He's already gone ahead and chosen to "accept" all this as just being a weird, slightly unsettling dream, because he doesn't want to think too hard about the uncomfortable experience of feeling like he was dragged through the woods and then waking up in a strange house. Nope.

Whatever. He's not going to say no to bottomless champagne, especially when the speakeasy he works at back home is technically a dry one; a guy's gotta indulge occasionally. And Reggie, already being a rather confident and lively guy, is affected by the bubbles quite quickly. He's very forthcoming with the compliments, saying things like: ]

You look like someone with some moves. Am I wrong?

[ Or maybe something more direct, like about their muscular arms or pretty eyes, probably punctuated with a wink or, if they're a guy, a slap on the ass (because that's how bros roll). Regardless, he'll finish up with: ]

I'm Reggie. Who're you?

➺ happy new year

[ 3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!

It hits fast, but Reggie barely notices. Stuck in a strange place on New Year's Eve with champagne and a group of people who seem just as sans-plus-1 as he is, it seems only natural the instinct would be to turn around and kiss whoever's within react when the clock strikes midnight. Reggie likes kissing people enough not to question the impulse.

He'll meet their eyes first, eyebrows raising in a wordless request for permission, but it won't be long before he's cupping someone's face.

Or, you know, come at him. He won't be trying to fight, but he can fight if he has to. It's either slobberin' or clobberin' time. ]

➺ wildcard

[ Choose your own adventure! Feel free to just throw me a starter, or PM / hit me up at reggiemantle if you'd rather discuss it! ]

get it started.

[delincuente]

[Alex actually laughs; it's a sharp, raspy cackle. Moves? Her?]

Do I look like I plan to move anytime soon?

[She's slouched in a leather chair, one high-heeled foot propped up on her knee, sipping something colorful through a long straw. Nothing about her posture suggests "party girl", or even remotely "chat me up, fellas".]

eyes emoji

[bragnificent]

What's funny? No one forced you to wear heels, you know.

[ More banter than it is a serious retort, but he also doesn't see why a cute girl like Alex couldn't be formidable on the dance floor. Or elsewhere.

Reggie noticed her before, of course, but he's only been giving people quick once-overs as he does his rounds throughout the party; now that she's actually responded does he really notice her, looking her over with slow appraisal as he sips his champagne.

Nice face. Nice heels... and nice looking drink. Where'd she get that? ]

For all I know you're just here like, waiting for someone to come help you up. Look, I'll even hold your drink for you.

[delincuente]

[She instinctively pulls the drink closer to her.]

Nuh-uh, the drink stays with me. Make your own.

[And good luck with that, Reg! This baby's pure shitty magic!]

And for all you know, I'm wearing these because I like them, and I'm sitting down because I like it. Some people just aren't into standing up, dude. It's called being a lazy piece of crap. Try it.

[Turns out being separated from her ship and her crew has her in a bit of a rancorous mood. Hopefully the rum will kick in soon.]

[bragnificent]

Can't do it. If I'm not on the grind 24/7 my whole body'd probably go into shock-- I can flex for you if that'd help to prove my point.

[ He'll do it, too... or would showing her his abs be more convincing? Anyway, it's a sincere suggestion, Reggie's drunken too much of this champagne to be put off by her sour tone. He's in good spirits, although he probably still would be regardless. Maybe a little more uneasy and cautious about this strange new world/dream he's suddenly found himself in, but conversation-wise, this is pretty normal for him. ]

Wait, can we mix our own drinks here? I only saw champagne at the bar.

[delincuente]

[Okay, the fact that he literally just said "on the grind" was already bad enough, but he had to go and add the image of him flexing? If he wasn't clearly so sloshed, Alex might just puke in her mouth a little. It's like he came right out of some... sports cartoon, or some shit.]

Correction: I can mix my own drinks. I'd offer my services, but no one here has anything I want.

➺ happy n(ew) year

[digests]

[ seriously, what is going on here? he doesn't feel like himself — or no, he does feel like himself, but he also just made a very impulsive and inherently not him move on a friend. (let's not even get started on the fact that it's a guy friend. he can't begin to process that right now.) all he knows is that he needs to get out of here without any further incidents. easier said than done. whole place has gone insane. it's like stacy's all over again, except now there are massive make out sessions intermingled with the violent outbreaks. so, him not feeling entirely like himself? not good.

he is trying his best not to make direct eye contact with anyone. not to look at their faces because whenever he does, he can feel that slight pull and— maybe he should have paid closer attention to where he's going because he just crashed into someone hard. an apology immediately slips out, but it gets cut short the moment his eyes lands on who it is. ] No. [ nope. no way. can't be. why is reggie here? shit shit shit don't you dare look at his mouth, jughead jones.

this night is going to turn disastrous for him, isn't it? ]

happy EWWWW year

[bragnificent]

[ Relatively fresh off another New Year's kiss with a familiar face (complicated in its own right, not that Reggie's too fixated on that yet) Reggie is slightly less surprised when he sees another person he recognizes-- but slightly disappointed, too, that it turns out to be Jughead Jones. If this is his dream, he'd have expected Archie next, or Moose, or Josie, or even Kevin, not Jughead. When does, and why would, he ever dream about that twerp?

And yet, he finds his eyes dropping for a moment to Jughead's mouth anyway. There's something in the air, a strange impulsive buzzing in his head and under his skin, that compels Reggie to close the distance between them and slip a hand behind Jughead's neck, fingers digging into his hair. ]

No?

[ There's still some lipstick smudged on Reggie's mouth, which Jughead may end up tasting in a second or two. Y'know. Maybe. ]

[digests]

[ no.

—except he can't say it because he is suddenly too uncomfortably close to reggie and, as much as he knows he should hate it, he... doesn't. not enough to pull away anyway. instead, he parts his lips to try to say something. anything, to be honest. maybe he can get himself out of this predicament with reason.

not that reason is at the very forefront of his mind now. no, his gaze is very decidedly affixed to reggie's mouth and, yes, he can see the lipstick smear on it, which should be turning him off more. sadly, it's doing the complete opposite.

annnd his vocal cords aren't working. fantastic.

at least his body hasn't betrayed him enough to initiate anything here. still, it doesn't make it any better that once reggie leans in for that kiss, he is going to immediately reciprocate it. seriously, why does it have to be him? why does he even want it? ]

[bragnificent]

[ Contrary to current appearances -- and possibly also reputation -- Reggie doesn't want this kiss any more than Jughead does, but for some reason he can't seem to stop himself from leaning in for it anyway. He'd really rather be shoving Jughead backward to watch him eat shit falling into the refreshment table, or slapping him, or just ignoring him, but instead his hand just remains where it is, gently tugging at Jughead's hair to hold his head steady. He can't make himself let go or walk away, or even look away. ]

Fuck.

[ He bites the corner of his lip, then closes his eyes before narrowing the distance between them and putting their mouths together. Why does it have to be him? ]

[digests]

[ it's a good thing they can't feel each other's true intentions or else they'd be fighting right now— which would actually be preferable to this. reggie has a punch waiting for him that's been a long time coming.

of course, clocking reggie mantle in the face is far from jughead's thoughts at this moment. in fact, his mind kind of goes completely blank the second he feels another pair of lips on him. to his shame, he instinctively leans into it.

it feels good. it feels right. it feels like

he's losing his mind. ]

Laws told me to

[l1]

<sub>[Thale, for his part in this insanity, is still trying to figure out the five ws--the first being what, as in what the fuck--and for a large portion of the event, he's been a brooding presence on the fringes, hunching into his sweater almost like he's cold amidst all the close quarters body heat. There are so many people here. So many minds. It's hard to filter all their thoughts out, let alone begin to untangle his.

How he comes to divorce himself from his wall flower position is a matter of curiosity and poor judgement. That damn champagne--he shouldn't have tried it, because letting the bubbles pop on his tongue and the stiff line of his shoulders relax leads him to getting swept up into the crowd in time for the countdown.

Unfortunately for Reggie, someone like Thale wears a good mood differently than most others. He just so happens to be in the right place at the right time to catch Reggie's gaze--a feat, as he has to look up a solid five inches to manage it, get a load of this skyscraper--and returns fire with a playful lift of his own eyebrows.

That said, before Reggie can unknowingly steal the first kiss he's ever had in his entire life, the other boy will be struck with the sudden, visceral vision he's putting the moves on someone he finds deeply, deeply unattractive. It could be a specific person, it could be a pile of slime with teeth--whatever it is, it comes from the depths of Reggie's imagination and it quickly takes Thale's place, feeling completely real as if it were really happening. Pucker up, mate.

What? If you can't abuse psychic abilities for this, when can you?

Thale finds it funny, anyway, and proceeds to laugh.]</sub>

GOOD OL' LAWS

[bragnificent]

[ It's strange, because even just a second ago Reggie could have sworn he was looking at a normal (if maybe a little bit short) guy, but now suddenly he's standing next to the ugliest person he's ever seen-- someone scrawny, and greasy, and likely cross-eyed with a busted-ass looking face, too. It wouldn't occur to him to imagine anything but a human, but the one he is imagining is pretty hard to look at.

So why does he still feel compelled to kiss him? What is happening right now? Reggie would question for a moment if his champagne was spiked, but he doesn't feel horny or sleepy... just like kissing. (Which maybe isn't a mood of its own, but it might as well be.) Reggie bites the corner of his lip uneasily, but then closes his eyes in order to proceed. It's New Year's, right? Ya gotta? It sure feels like this is supposed to happen, so... ]

Ugh-- um... happy New Year?

idk Reggie but i'll sing his praises and stan him to the end of time now

[l1]

<sub>[What the fuck (x2), this isn't going to plan.

Psychic invasions tend to garner a limited range of reactions: sweating profusely in terror, screaming in terror, running away in terror. There's a pervasive theme to the whole affair--that being terror, usually to Thale's mean-spirited amusement. Once is normally enough to ensure that person gives him a wide berth from then on. Never has he had someone keep going after.

It's a shock, to say the least.

Slow to realize his trick didn't take, Thale (who'd argue he is not normal and above the average height in the UK, thank you very much) is even more caught off guard when it becomes apparent this giant of an American is still coming at him like a battering ram. Lips first. Maybe he underestimated how strong ]</sub>

Jesus--

_{[That was his one defense Reggie just shrugged off. Oh, how the tables turn. The illusion falls apart in his surprise, returning things to their truthful appearance, while his hands instinctively reach for Reggie's shoulders.]}

Whoa, whoa, whoa, big boy, whoa--

_{[Nobody casually gets this close to an L-1. Someone help him, he was never taught how to deal with... people.]}

likewise canonblind but wtf thale is PRECIOUS...

[bragnificent]

[ It's not that the psychic invasion doesn't work, but when kissing magic is suddenly thick in the air, you... adapt. Thale may appear completely repulsive to Reggie at the moment, but his mind keeps circling back to the urge -- the compulsion? -- to kiss someone, and Thale is the closest person to him at the moment.

But then, as he gets closer, Thale changes back; Reggie is in turn caught off-guard. Even if this is a significantly better outcome than it would have been a second ago, how the hell-- he stops when Thale pushes back on his shoulders, eyebrows quirked in confusion and curiosity. ]

What's-- [ Wrong? The matter? They're strangers, for one thing, but Reggie's still barely questioning the mysterious influence to make-out yet. ] How did you do that?

happy new yeaaar

[ronnied]

[ so veronica's been here at the party for a little while now, because apparently it doesn't matter how freaked out she is by all of this, she is not letting her new years eve go to waste. she's going to show up, wow the people here with the outfit she managed to throw together from that department store she was pained to go into, and have a good time. plain and simple.

after the party, that's when she'll inwardly panic and very publicly demand answers. right.

for now she's sippin' bubbly, which of course makes it easier to enjoy herself. she doesn't feel the same warm weight of being drunk, but it's doing something for her, so she hasn't questioned it. it's probably fine.

when the countdown starts, she's not really actively looking for reggie, but that just so happens to be the exact moment she spots him. and she would have rushed over to him anyway, but there's a pull that she isn't sure she would be able to find an excuse for. she just- needs to be right there with him, when the clock strikes midnight. she has to.

so she pushes through the crowd - excuse me - until she's right there behind him, reaching up ( shut up ) to tap him on the shoulder.

7, 6, 5, 4... ]

Reggie? [ she sounds relieved, and so damn happy. which is saying something, considering how stupid her life's been lately. ] What the hell is going on? [ why doesn't she sound at all annoyed or like she's even actually concerned at all

... 3, 2, 1!

oh. she understands that pull now, suddenly. well, no, she doesn't understand it, but some part of her does. she reaches up to grab the back of his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. which- very quickly, or very slowly depending on how you look at it, turns into more than just an impulsive smooch. she's like- kissing him. really, really kissing him. that's happening right the hell now. ]

[bragnificent]

Veronica?

[ Talk about a sight for sore eyes. Reggie no more knows what the hell is going on than she does, but seeing Veronica here too still fills him with intense, delighted relief. He almost loses track of the countdown as he grins, opening his arms with the intent to hug her or at least to create a buffer between her and the crowd around them so they can find somewhere more private to talk, but-- ]

When did you-- where are w--

[ 2... 1... and suddenly, he's not worried about asking questions anymore.

Veronica is kissing him, and not softly, not just a chaste, platonic New-Year's-Kiss-Between-Friends, this is a real kiss. And he-- Reggie puts a hand in her hair and one on the small of her back, drawing her closer, kissing her back enthusiastically. No, he doesn't want to question this. There'll always be time for questions later... or if it is a dream he'll just wake up at home, having gotten to enjoy this. ]

[ronnied]

[ there's a lot of things contributing to the fact that veronica's brain just decided to turn off, including but not limited to - the bubbly booze, the clock striking twelve, and the fact that reggie's got really kissable lips. it's a trifecta of things that she cannot possibly be held responsible for. he's so damn tall, taller than anybody has any right to be, but he bends to meet her and puts a hand in her hair and yeah, her brain has checked out. it's taking a vacation.

though if her brain was present, it wouldn't exactly be mad.

her life's been not-great lately, despite the success of her businesses.

so maybe kissing a cute guy ( who happens to be one of her best friends ) on new years is a win. it might be a little complicated, but she's counting it as a win. screw you, archie andrews.

... nah, she doesn't mean that. she's- she's not doing this because of that.

actually, she still doesn't totally know when she made up her mind about kissing reggie. it just sort of happened.

and it's still happening. it's in the territory of making out moreso than kissing. she should stop. she should definitely... stop. kissing reggie mantle.

okay, okay, okay- ]

--mmh.

[ is the sound of veronica sort of waking up out of her MUST-KISS-REGGIE trance. she doesn't pull a face or even rush away, her eyes just go a little wide as she settles flat on her feet again. but her hand is still in his hair. she should- take her hand back. she's doing that. it's resting flat on his chest now, but at least it's not in his hair? what the hell just happened? ]

Wow.

[bragnificent]

Wow.

[ --Is all Reggie can say at first, too, voice a bit hoarse from how dry his throat suddenly feels. He doesn't want it to be over, but he doesn't force it, either; Veronica's pulled away already, so maybe that's it. Maybe the moment has passed, or maybe she's regretting it, or maybe she's regretting not regretting it. He's feeling a little bit of that right now, himself. She and Archie aren't together anymore, but is this, like, okay?

And does he really care if it is...? They're his friends and he loves them both a lot, but sometimes it's about what he wants, too. Which, right now, is to kiss Veronica again.

He just hugs her instead to help himself resist the urge, letting his head rest on the top of hers, but hewantstokissheragainsobadly. Is it the champagne? Or because it's New Year's? Yeah. That's probably all it is. ]

Nice to see you too, Ronnie.

happy new year

[thebigred]

[ He's here for the alcohol. That's the whole point of this party as far as he's concerned, to nab as much free booze as he can and sneak off before anyone realises how underage he is. So far it's been going pretty well - he's worked up a nice buzz, may even be having a good time as the seconds to midnight tick away.

And then there's this guy. Just some guy, looking at him and Clifford doesn't get it at first, just looks back with his brows quirked in confusion and then touching and that's just never ever a good thing. ]

Whoa whoa, what the fuck? [ u wanna go, m8? ]

[bragnificent]

[ The alcohol is Reggie's primary reason for being here, too; even if this is a dream (and he has no reason to suspect otherwise yet, really), how many times can you just drink freely at a party when you're 16 and feel something from dream alcohol? Reggie usually never feels anything in dreams, so it's novel. Might as well enjoy it.

After midnight strikes, though, Reggie's been a bit adrift; Veronica kissed him, which was nice, but then Jughead-- well, needless to say by now Reggie's feeling some combination of confused, angry, and desperate to find someone else to get the bitter taste of that mistake out of his mouth, but really that's only part of why he starts to cup Clifford's face, leaning to kiss him. The other part is, well, The New Year's Magic™.

He blinks, hesitating before he gets too close, even if his hand is already halfway dug into this boy's red hair. ]

Uh...

[ His own brows quirk, also in confusion, and maybe also unease. Reggie's not sure why he's being so bold tonight, but for some reason he can't seem to control it. He tries to play it off: ]

What's wrong?

new year, new regrets??

[overarches]

[ you know, for the record, it would've been nice to know he had friends here prior to the countdown at the end of the night. it's neither here nor there, just something that pops into archie's head unbidden as he's three people away from reggie freaking mantle. wow. he's definitely not questioning ( right now ) how his current situation has gone from being trapped in a bunker to living it up large at what may as well be a festival thrown by the blossoms themselves. there's razzle, there's dazzle, there's literally glitter in his hair. why left a voicemail and stopped nagging him hours ago.

that's the state in which reggie finds him, reeling him in by a hand on his cheek. archie barely takes the moment to meet his eyes before his fist closes at the collar of his friend's shirt and drags him the rest of the way in. yeap, this is happening. he probably misses archie's little grin but there's really no avoiding his tongue pressing against the inside of his upper lip to up the stakes.

the sirens that are supposed to be wailing, dude, you're kissing reggie have opted for a bro fist and a right on, man. ]

can't spell regret without r-e-g ;)

[bragnificent]

[ Why hasn't been too big a question on Reggie's mind tonight, either; maybe at the start, yes, but the more time passes and the champagne he drinks, the easier it is to accept that this is just a slightly off-format dream.

Over the course of the night, since sharing a kiss with Veronica (good), Jughead (deeply upsetting), and a few more attempts (successful or not) with complete strangers, Reggie's mood has shifted somewhat from deliriously pleased to a bit more troubled, but all that comes to a standstill when Archie finds him and pulls him into a deep kiss before Reggie can even process that his friend is here.

He short-circuits just a little, frozen in place until one hand finally manages to find anchorage against Archie's muscular arm, the other cupping his face so that Reggie's fingers can slowly slide up into Archie's hair as the kiss deepens further. He's not questioning it. Should he? Probably. But... does he really want to?

Somewhat reluctantly, he pulls back. ]

Bro. [ Oh, but he's blanking. What do you even say after that? ] No wonder you're so popular.

[ He'd rather keep kissing than talk, anyway, so he leans back in to continue doing just that; they'll have plenty of time for catching up later. Whether or not either of them will regret this later means nothing in the moment. ]

you make a valid point

[overarches]

[ his inspiration from the bubbles and the countdown hasn’t fizzled out yet. he’s assuming that’s what it is. buzzed from the champagne and dizzy with a restless kind of adrenaline from shouting in a room full of strangers. ( but he also doesn’t care. so that’s nice. ) and anyway, is this the worst thing that can happen? archie’s banking on no. what’s a little spit swapping between friends? —fyi, that didn’t sound any better in his head. it’s about as trashy out loud as it is hidden away in the confines of his mind but since they’re yeeting their way right into ‘19, where’s the problem?

archie takes reggie’s arm on his bicep and his fingers threading in his hair as incentive to continue. it’s not like he’s trying to climb into his mouth with his tongue or anything ( he’s not that pushy ) but he’s pretty convinced that reggie’s the best thing he’s tasted all night and he wants more. he breaks with a tiny gasp for air, looking somewhat confused. did they stop? are they stopping? he barely pulls away, obliging only because he’s not a jerk but every part of his body language from the trace of his eyes to the way he wets his lips, catching the remnants of him says he’s not ready to put an end to this. plus, he's not eagerly inserting any extra space between them. ]

You think that’s why? [ oh, well, he can explain later. or show him. yeah, you could show him, his brain helpfully chirps in. archie ( sort of ) ignores himself and splays his palm open at the base of his throat and the start of his chest — where his hand had balled into a fist — pulling, pushing, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme. archie’s not even sure which one he’s going for with his mouth reoccupied. in a few hours, he's probably going to have to send an extremely awkward apology text from the safe distance of his room and then never look reggie in the eyes directly again.

you know, for sliding his other arm around his waist and pulling him in by the small of his back. oh, and for tearing at his mouth with a graze of teeth. not hard bot not exactly gentle either. that's. probably not okay? ]

otoh, same goes for #noregrets? 😘🎉

[bragnificent]

[ It's hard to question how much of what's happening now is just from the champagne, from the underlying yet undefinable compulsion to kiss others, or from their own -- his own? -- underlying thoughts, given that this is supposed to be a dream. But Reggie doesn't really like that last train of thought, because while subconsciously (or not), sure, maybe this has crossed his mind before, but that doesn't account for the rest of the night... for Veronica, arguably, but not for any of the strangers he nearly smashed mouths with, and certainly not for Jughead.

God, he sure as hell hopes not.

He doesn't have time to answer Archie, just smirking and nodding his head before their mouths are colliding again. It's not a bad thing, he'd argue, to be popular for being a good kisser, but someone with lips as obviously built for kissing as Reggie's are is probably obligated to believe that. He pulls on Archie's hair a bit as encouragement; he doesn't mind the added closeness, or the teeth, or the kiss itself, but there's probably some comfort in the fact they can always blame it on the alcohol later if absolutely necessary.

He should tell Archie that Veronica and Jughead are here too, probably, but it can wait. He's already broken the kiss once, twice would just be rude. ]