This story takes place after episode 10. Mostly fluff. Very mild smut.

xxx

Jughead slouched down the hallway, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of a black denim jacket and his still-damp hair mostly hidden beneath his signature beanie.

Unlike the rest of the students hustling around him, he was in no hurry to make it to his next destination. PE was never his favorite class, especially since he had to take it with cretins like Reggie and Chuck, but today was going to be worse than usual, considering the last time he encountered Chuck he ended up face-first in a table.

And he didn't want to admit it, because it was such a dude-bro way to be when there were more important things to be concerned with, but he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that Chuck had already seen his girlfriend half naked. Especially since Jughead, her actual boyfriend, had not.

A soft pair of lips pressed against his cheek releasing the tension from his body and bringing him back into the moment. The kiss left a dab of sticky clear gloss on his skin, but he didn't rub it away.

When he swung around, he saw Betty in one of her signature blue button-up shirts. His eyes darted to where she had left a couple of buttons undone before moving up to meet her eyes. "Uh, don't you have a dental appointment, Bets?"

"Heading there now." She forced a piece of paper into his hand before bolting down the hallway, leaving her clean signature scent - a mix of Ivory soap and vanilla - lingering in the air.

As he watched her blonde ponytail bob down the hall, his mind raced to absurd conclusions as it was often wont to do: Why was she handing him a letter when they could just text? Did she regret making up last night? Was this the way he was going to get dumped?

But the playful smirk she shot him before heading into the office eased his fears. He unfolded the paper.

In Betty Cooper's neatest script it read: "Please excuse Forsythe Pendleton Jones III from his afternoon classes today as he has an out-of-town doctor's appointment. Sincerely, Mrs. Jones."

He grinned. A beep alerted him to a text from Betty: "I'll be at the house around noon if you want to meet up there. xoxo"

Something warm fluttered in his chest. Definitely not butterflies though - that would just be too much of a corny cliche. No, it was mixture of nerves and longing. Probably adrenaline, oxytocin, and testosterone, if he wanted to get technical with it. The same feeling he had before he kissed her for the first time and everytime since then.

Between Mrs. Cooper's incessant hovering and their hectic schedules, Betty and Jughead hadn't gotten much alone time lately. They'd joked about ditching school and meeting at Betty's to make out before, but he didn't think Miss Straight A's would actually skip class after her dental appointment today. However, if he learned one thing this past weekend, it was that he still had a lot to learn about her.

"I'll be there," he texted back, wondering if she'd chicken out. Either way, at least he'd get to put off confronting Chuck again for the time being.

A little over an hour later, he was standing at her door, shifting uncomfortably under the weight of his duffel bag as he debated whether to ring the doorbell or look for one of Fred's ladders. What if Mrs. Cooper was still hanging around the house?

But before he could make a decision, Betty sprung open the door. Her blonde hair flowed loose and wavy around her shoulders. She was wearing tiny pink terry shorts with a white tee-shirt that left just a sliver of her tan stomach exposed.

Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she exaggerated a cough. "I told Mom I was too sick to go to class after my appointment, so she just dropped me off here."

Before he could respond, she grabbed his hand to pull him inside. He felt that fluttering sensation again as her fingers intertwined with his own.

Fine, so they were butterflies, but when a girl like Betty Cooper returns your affections, you'd be a fool if you didn't have them.

He'd kissed her enough times by now that he shouldn't be nervous. But he was. He always was. He wasn't sure how it was possible to feel so safe and yet so anxious around her at the same time.

She felt like home. But she was also electrifying. She was a cozy cottage hit by a lighting bolt. No wonder he was so scared of getting burnt.

When they got to her bedroom, the lights were already off but the vanity was covered with twinkling white candles that casting a soft warm glow around the room. The curtain facing Archie's bedroom was pulled closed. At least with the lights off it was harder to see all of the pictures of his best friend's face that cluttered his girlfriend's walls.

Betty's long lashes fluttered in the candlelight, painting spidery shadows against her cheeks. She didn't let go of his hand.

He took an anxious breath. And then internally cursed himself for not being able to hide his nerves better. But she didn't seem to care. Her lips were glistening under a light layer of gloss and parted ever-so-slightly.

It was his move.

So he pressed his lips against hers. Softly at first, but then a little more aggressively. She kissed him back, at first matching his speed and pressure, but then parting her lips a little more and more and then teasing the tip of his tongue with hers.

She tasted like peppermint.

He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around the curve of her waist, pulling her as close to him as possible. Her bare midriff felt warm and smooth against his hands. The fluttering in his chest moved lower.

She cupped his face with one hand and pushed his beanie off of his head with the other. The hat slumped to the floor and she began to run her free hand through his hair.

But then, suddenly, she pulled away.

"Everything ok, Bets?" he asked, worried he had done something wrong.

"We could move to the bed?" It was too dark to confirm, but he was pretty sure her cheeks turned pink.

"Uh, yeah. Of course." But he waited for her, unsure of how to proceed.

She laid down on her side and gestured for him to join her.

He swallowed hard before lying down right beside her. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips, pulled back, looked him in the eyes, and then clumsily pulled him on top of her.

At first he wasn't sure what to do - he wanted to feel her body against his but he didn't want to crush her in the process. But she didn't seem too concerned about that. After a bit of awkwardness, they settled comfortably into a position where their legs were entwined and his arms propped him up above her.

"Is this okay?" he asked, cringing at the way his voice cracked.

"Mmm. Yes. Definitely." She grabbed the sides of his face and brought his lips to hers. He let his body relax against hers.

Just as he was losing himself in the softness of her mouth and tongue and the sensation of her body against his, the door swung open and a bright light filled the room.

"Elizabeth Cooper! I thought you were sick"

"Mom! I thought you were at a meeting."

Jughead quickly rolled off Betty and averted his eyes from Mrs. Cooper's glare while scanning the room for his beanie. But when he looked up he saw the harsh lines of his girlfriend's mom's face had faded into a smile. And then she giggled.

Jughead and Betty exchanged a confused look. Did this mean they weren't in trouble?

Mrs. Cooper exhaled loudly, "Jug-Head Jones," she pronounced each distinct syllable as if they were separate words. "Please get the hell out of my house before I'm obligated to call your father." Although the words were stern, there was an uncharacteristic lightness to her voice that betrayed her amusement.

But he quickly obliged, snatching his beanie from the floor before rushing out the door.

He had barely made it inside the house next door when his phone dinged with a new text from Betty:

"To be continued…"