AU: Takes place in Season 1, near the beginning of the school year. Joaquin isn't dating Kevin and goes to Riverdale High.

Joaquin DeSantos had not planned for his afternoon to be taken away from him, but alas, fate had different plans for him.

He'd gotten detention over something stupid, really. Him and Sweet Pea were just messing around when Pea had crashed into a group of Bulldogs walking by. They'd resorted to violence immediately, of course. And though Joaquin wasn't much of a fighter, he had to defend his fellow gang member.

Archie Andrews had stepped in, but it had caused Sweet Pea to hit him right in the eye. Archie, despite his good nature, could surprisingly throw a few punches. Pea had stumbled back and clenched his jaw in pain. Joaquin tried finishing the job for him, decking Andrews near his jaw before a teacher finally broke them apart. Sending a handful of the Bulldogs to detention, including Joaquin and Sweet Pea.

So yeah, that's how Joaquin found himself stuck in the library after school hours. The teacher had dozed off, and Sweet Pea was on the complete other side of the room, whereas Joaquin was seated two seats away from Archie.

The ginger looked bored out of his mind, picking away at the sleeve of his varsity jacket.

Joaquin decided it would be fun to mess with him. Or maybe just talk, the kid looked interesting enough. So the young Serpent scribbled something down, made a paper airplane out of the note and tossed it towards Archie.

The other teen startled as the small plane smacked against his shoulder. He offered Joaquin a confused look before unfolding the plane.

The note read: Sorry 'вoυт yoυr вlαcĸ eye. Peα wαѕ αιмιɴɢ ғor ѕoмeвody elѕe.

A light smile played at Archie's lips as he took out a paper of his own and scribbled something down. He also made a paper plane and tossed it to Joaquin.

It was a messy throw, causing the paper plane to land behind Joaquin's chair. The raven-haired teen almost laughed at Archie's dissapointed frown as he reached behind him and picked up the plane.

A soft grin appeared on Joaquin's face as he read the note.

HiS punCh waS prettY good. YourS hurt more, though :")

Joaquin took out another paper, and that started the 7-minute long cycle of the two of them just passing notes back and forth. But when the teacher finally got up to use the bathroom, Joaquin used the opportunity to move into the seat right next to Archie.

"Hey." Joaquin softly grinned at the football player.

"Hey yourself." Archie returned the grin.

"So, what do you do?"

"Huh?"

"Like hobbies n'stuff." Gotta be more specific, Joaquin.

"Oh! Well, I play football and I'm kinda into music as well. I write songs sometimes." Archie shyly confessed, shrugging.

"So are you like Troy Bolton?" Joaquin snickered at the pout that appeared on Archie's face.

"Minus the fact that I play football and he's into basketball." Archie snorted.

"Eh, all sports are the same to me." Joaquin nonchalantly said, internally cheering when it got a laugh out of Andrews.

"Wow, I didn't know you were a blatant copy of Jughead! So what are your hobbies, Joaquin?" Archie curiously asked, leaning with his cheek onto his hand.

"I'm a Serpent, that keeps me busier than any hobby ever would." Joaquin dryly replied, suddenly going poker-faced again.

Shit, Archie accidentally turned the conversation awkward, didn't he? He tended to do that a lot lately. As Joaquin averted his eyes, Archie tried to think of something to save the conversation. He got distracted, though, by Joaquin's stomach loudly growling.

The Hispanic teen tried to ignore it, but the American next to him clearly wasn't having it.

"Hey, I got two donuts at Pop's earlier. You want one?" Archie offered, already taking the sweets out of his bag. 

Joaquin hesitated, not sure how to respond to the act of kindness. He chewed on his lip before eventually shrugging.

"Your loss." Joaquin commented, accepting the donut.

Archie chuckled at that before taking a bite out of his own donut. They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable type. Not the unnerving type of silence Joaquin dealt with during dinners between his family members. If there was dinner in the first place, that is.

"So....you got a girlfriend or something?" Archie carefully brought up, briefly glancing up from his donut to look at Joaquin.

Joaquin tried to stifle his laugh, but that ultimately proved to be impossible. The question was too ridiculous for him not to laugh.

"I'm gay." He simply broke it to the other teen.

Archie looked surprised to an almost comical degree. Oh God, the kid's face even went a bit red!

"Uh-I'm sorry. I should've known. I mean, the only gay I know is Kevin and-"

"You think every gay guy's like Keller? Sorry to disappoint you, buddy. I guess I don't really scream rainbow flags or anything, but yeah. 'S not always easy to tell what gender people are into." Joaquin watched as the blush on Archie's cheeks slowly faded and smiled a bit.

"Yeah....." Archie quietly agreed.

"So what about you, Andrews? Got a girlfriend?" Joaquin asked, crossing his arms as he scanned Archie's face.

Narrowing eyes, a nervous lick of his lips, hesitation....... Whatever Archie was about to say next, was a lie.

"I don't......guess I just haven't met the right person yet." Archie replied with a steady voice.

Joaquin couldn't help but pick up on how Archie said 'person' and not 'girl'. Eh, he was probably looking too much into it. Archie was most likely lying about not having a girlfriend.

Joaquin didn't know why he was dissapointed by that.

Archie looked as though he was gonna say something else when clapping filled the room.

"Detention's over, y'all are free to leave." The teacher announced, opening the library doors.

Joaquin put his jacket back on and grabbed his bag, subtly waiting for Archie to do the same before walking ahead of the ginger.

"Uh, hey, wait up!" Archie suddenly called after him, speed-walking so he could block Joaquin's way.

The raven-haired teen patiently waited for him to speak up.

"Give me your arm." Archie somewhat nervously told him.

Joaquin raised an eyebrow at the other boy but did as he was told. He watched as Archie rolled up his sleeve and noted something down on Joaquin's skin, careful to avoid his tattoo.

"In case you wanna come up with a new reason to get into detention. Or just to hang out, I guess." Archie smiled at him, shy, but ultimately determined.

Probably a bold move for someone like Archie, Joaquin could already tell. But rather than the unusual move throwing Joaquin off, it got him returning Andrews' smile instead.

"Guess I'll meet you in our next detention then, Andrews."