I'm really new to the Riverdale fandom (as in, I binge watched all of it over the last four days) but I'm pretty much in love with Jughead as a character and he and Betty as a couple. I've been writing fic in other fandoms for a few years so figured I'd write something short to test the waters. Thanks for reading!
"I warned you not to test me, Betty," he spat into the phone. Gone was the measured, threatening tone of a psychopath drawing her into a twisted game. He was done playing games. She'd broken the rules and a game was no longer fun without them. "He doesn't deserve you. When he's gone, you'll see that clearly."
"Betts?" There was another voice, strong and soothing and familiar. She clung to it like a lifeline until the implications of hearing him sunk in. No. No, please, no. "It's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. I…" Jughead made a quiet sound, almost like a laugh. "Thank you. For everything. I love you, Betty Cooper."
Her words died out in her throat. The Black Hood had taken it all from her—her sister, her best friend, everything that meant anything to her. Of course he'd stolen her voice, too.
"Remember this moment, Betty," the Black Hood said lowly. "The moment you were cleansed."
She heard a shot, and there was no one left but them.
Betty was gasping for air when she awoke, bolting upright in the bed. Not her bed. Not her house. She often needed a few seconds to orient herself in the mornings, but she was more confused than usual. One hand came up to brush away the hair plastered to her damp neck.
"Betts?" Jughead emerged from the kitchen, concern in his voice. He recognized the panic in her eyes and was by her side in an instant, his arm coming around her as he slid onto the bed. "Hey. What's wrong?"
She released a shaky breath, sorting through the memories as they rushed back in a tangled haze. You stood up to the Black Hood you told Jughead the truth he forgave you you're in FP's trailer Polly is okay Veronica is okay Archie is okay and most importantly Jug is okay.
Betty shut her eyes, her breath starting to even out. "Nothing."
"Okay, we're not doing that again." He rubbed her arm gently, waiting until she reopened her eyes and looked at him. "Please don't say nothing's wrong. You look terrified." His fingers snaked up to her jaw, turning her face fully toward his. "Talk to me, Betty."
She bit her lip, drawing strength from his touch, his closeness. When she'd blurted out the truth unceremoniously the day before, Jughead stared at her in silence for so long that she convinced herself Archie was right and there would be no walking this back. After all, he was with Toni before the ink had even dried. Maybe it was the out he was looking for. Maybe they'd always been on borrowed time and she was the only one who refused to see it.
He proved her wrong.
"I think this was a mistake, Jug," she whispered.
His eyes clouded, like the river during a storm. "Which part?"
Oh god, she hadn't even thought about how that sounded. Betty touched her palm to Jughead's chest, fingers curling into his white shirt. "I didn't mean it like that. Last night was everything I wanted. More." His tense muscles relaxed slightly, his expression softening. "But I was selfish. Telling you. The Black Hood is still out there and I challenged him and if he takes it out on you…" Betty shook her head gently, hot tears pricking at her eyes. "If you were smart, you'd be as far away from me as possible right now."
Jughead smirked. "I let the Serpents beat the crap out of me and I almost drove myself and Archie straight off a bridge. I can spiral just fine without you, Cooper." He tucked a loose section of hair behind her ear. "I've been taking hits my whole life. At least there's actually a purpose to this one."
A fresh wave of guilt flooded her. He'd been rejected and disappointed by everyone he loved, everyone who was supposed to love him, and she always thought she would be the exception. The one person who never failed him.
Betty tucked her head into his shoulder. "I don't even know what Archie said to you. Was it bad?" His silence was the only answer she needed, and she curled up closer, trying to disappear in him. "God, Jug, I'm so sorry."
"I, uh…" He stopped. She could tell from his stiff posture that he didn't want to talk about it, but they'd been pushing each other out for a while and walking down dark paths because of it. "I didn't believe it at first, when Archie told me. And then I did. That was the worst part." Jughead swallowed. "The, uh, the realization that I didn't even really blame you. I chose to go to Southside. Chose to join the Serpents. And when you were actually in trouble, Archie was the only one there for you, because I was so wrapped up in trying to carry on my dad's legacy that I couldn't see something was wrong."
They were so alike that way. Drowning themselves in guilt, taking the weight of the world on their shoulders. Usually they could pull each other out, but it was harder when they both blamed themselves for the same mistake.
"Stop, Juggie. It's okay." She felt his grip on her tighten, and her eyes slipped closed. He wasn't wrong. There had been too much distance between them lately and she missed feeling this connected. "You're doing what you have to do. We both are." Betty tilted her head up to look at him. "There's too much to fix here. We're not the type of people to run away from that."
"Sometimes I wish we were," he sighed. "Archie said I couldn't be with you and with the Serpents. He might not be wrong, Betty. You didn't sign up for this."
She certainly hadn't expected her poetic, beanie-wearing boyfriend to join a gang when they'd started dating. But Jughead was not FP. He had a stronger moral compass than most of the facaded sociopaths in the Northside. Clifford Blossom. Hermione Lodge. Her own parents.
When push came to shove, he would always make the right choice.
"I can't ask you to accept my darkness if I'm not willing to accept yours." Betty's hand dropped to his leg, rubbing circles with her thumb. "Besides, the Serpents can protect you a lot better than I can if the Black Hood comes after you. You should stay close to them."
"We'll find him before that happens, Betts. You know we will."
She didn't know that. But she believed everything a little more when it came from Jughead. "We better get to work, then."