Disclaimer – I do not own Archie characters!
Jughead felt eyes on him again. He looks up and towards her, where he knew he would catch her gaze on him, as he had several times that day at school. He was right. Betty Cooper had been looking at him from across the classroom. WHY. It was beginning to get ridiculous at this point, because never had he caught her looking at him so much before. He stared off into nothing, a moody expression resting on his face.
He's determined to find out why after the bell rings. It started off in the hallway before school that morning, where he was walking with extra gruff in his step that day to his first period. He saw her bouncing blonde ponytail first, while she was talking to Veronica by their lockers.
As soon as she turned and spotted Jughead, a flash went across her face and he noticed, but didn't change his typical brooding expression on his face. She was looking at Jughead as if she was slightly shocked, but ended up giving him a shy smile. It wasn't until after he had tossed a slight wave of recognition at the girls as he passed that he let an eyebrow twitch out of curiosity. He had felt her eyes follow his form as he passed, and he slightly glanced back to confirm this.
He caught her eyes on him in 2nd period too. And during lunch, while their newly formed "squad" consisting of Archie,Kevin, Veronica, Betty and Jughead met up at a table in the outdoor common area. He would catch her eyes scanning his, and up and down his form, with a slight smile gracing her lips. It was reminiscent of the look she gave him when he entered her room, dressed in the "best he could do" for Jason's memorial. They hardly exchanged words today, it was just a bunch of eye contact. It was getting a bit intense, actually. It had started to develop a twist of nerves inside him that grew when he saw her staring or when he would start to think about her, which was all the time it was starting to seem.
He had figured she may have more to tell him concerning their investigation on Jason's murder. But she never mentioned anything new about it. He thought maybe she would tell him during their Blue and Gold session during their free period but she never did. Just lingering, heavy glances and continued talk of Polly, Jason, and the Coopers. She seemed to be talking with everyone else just fine too, indicating she didn't have earth shattering news to share with him that would result in such intense eye gazes with him that day… Fast forward to the second from last period that day.
Fuck. I'm thinking about this way too much. I'm going to ask her as soon as this fucking bell rings. She's making me feel crazy. Jughead thought to himself, glaring up at the clock hanging on the classroom wall. Five more minutes until the bell rang. He couldn't help himself now, and looked back to Betty. She was STILL casting looks at Jughead, but there was something different now. Her gaze was a little lidded, as if maybe she had alcohol in her system. But Betty wasn't drunk.. it actually kind of seemed like maybe she was studying him? He watched her eyes look at more of Jughead again, including his shoulder, chest area and areas of his face. What. The. Hell? What in the actual fuck is going through her head?
When the bell rang, he swiftly put his things into his backpack, stood up with his normal apathetic look as to not cause a stir in anyone around him. He didn't want to draw attention to what he was about to do. They had one more period of class to go that day, and he wasn't waiting another moment to find out why she had eyes for him that day. He felt electrified, charging with desire to find out an answer, and tried his best to remain calm on the outside. He followed Betty out of the classroom into the hallway, where she was walking and chatting animatedly with Kevin Keller.
He couldn't drag her off in front of Kevin, who would immediately want to know why, so he slowed his pace behind them a bit and waited until Kevin broke off from Betty and turned down another hallway and swooped in quickly behind her, getting close to her and taking a firm hold on her left arm, pulling her quickly along with him.
"Jughead! Whoa.. what? Wh-" Betty gasped out, obviously taken aback, almost dropping the books she carried in her arms.
"Don't. Come with me, and stay quiet." He said hastily to her, and shot her an intense look that did indeed shut her up. He guided them quickly past a few more students heading to their next class, and turned down a hallway that had less traffic. Jughead quickly opened the Janitor's closet, and shoved Betty into the darkness inside, entering immediately after her.
It was a moment before Jughead had reached the light switch, and a dim light flickered on, flooding the area. Betty was looking at Jughead with a wide eyed, shocked look now, a small "oh" forming on her perfect, pink mouth. He crossed the small space to stand in front of her and lower himself down a bit to get on her level.
"Betty." Jughead spoke suddenly, and with a deeper tone to his voice. He was making sure his eyes didn't break contact with her hers. He felt their eyes had a gravitational pull in that moment, because she wasn't breaking it either. They were locked in a battle of staring each other down and it was growing more intense as the seconds rolled by. Jughead knew then there was something actually going on.
She was slightly edging backwards, the space between her and a work bookcase getting smaller. He was following her, making sure they stayed close. Her stares that day had put him into an unknown area to him, one that was a bit uncomfortable at first, and he was going to make her squirm for it. "Jughead! Um.. I.. What is it? I.. don't know.. "
She was rambling and trying to find words, he could tell. Betty was a very smart girl, he knew, but for some reason his intensity on her was making her lost. Getting closer to her, he caught a whiff of her light and delicate vanilla scented perfume. He licked his lips at that, wondering for a moment if Betty Cooper tasted as sweet as she smelled, and that stunned him, never having really felt that for anyone. He kept his gaze intense and serious to hide all his thoughts, but definitely noticed Betty's gaze actually breaking to watch him lick his lips.
"Is there something on my face, Cooper?"
She just stared at him again, wide eyed and thoroughly shocked.
"Why do you keep watching me, Betty?"
"I.. I.. why do you..think that?"
"Because no one watches me as much as you have today. I know when people stare at me. You have been staring at me.. gazing at me." He finally let his own eyes drop to take in all of her face at that last comment. Her face was so lovely, radiating a glow he never really noticed in other girls. Her lips were parted in response to their unusual predicament, her breaths were heavy and deep. "What do you want from me?"
She was looking a bit guilty by that point. "I.. I have been thinking a lot lately, you know? About… Everything. " Betty gulped, obviously nervous.
Jughead pushed the boundaries a bit, giving into his own curiosity of the situation growing between them, and raised an arm to rest against the bookcase behind her. He was trapping her in this conversation before she bolted. "A lot has been going on, indeed. But I know you, Betty, in case you have forgotten. I'm not Archie Andrews, so why are you looking at me like I am?" He shocked even himself at his bold question. He hadn't intended to get so real and blunt with her, but it happened.
Betty was a mess. She looked over to her left, and Jughead thought she was considering escaping this situation, so he raised his other arm to completely trap her in his long reach.
It was a scene that neither of them had ever thought they would be in, or anyone else would think they would be in. If anyone happened to stumble in on them now, they would be at a complete loss for words. Jughead Jones,with his arms on either side of Betty Cooper, trapping her against a book shelf. He was leaning his body closer to her now, lifting his head back up to his full height and staring down at her. She wasn't going anywhere, screw their last period. Betty's school books had been dropped to the side of them, a result of her nerves going haywire.
Betty had closed her eyes for a moment to take in what was happening, and Jughead saw her chew on her lip for a moment before she snapped her eyes open, with a new expression. She was half glaring, half amused looking up at him. She raised her eyebrow slightly as she reached her own arms up and placed them on Jughead's chest. It was her turn to take control of the situation, apparently. "I've been thinking about how much I like to spend time with you. I've been thinking about the way your arms are so perfect, long and powerful. " She let one of her hands trail off to round over his shoulder and then down the expanse of his arm. "I've been thinking about how contrasting your dark, ocean like hair compares to the stormy green of your eyes."
It was Jughead's turn to look shocked, and he gave into that one. His expression paled as he stared down at her. His mouth actually fell open. Then he scoffed and finally gave Betty Cooper a famous, amused Jughead lopsided grin. He didn't toss those out often. "You have got to be kidding me. Do all you Women live to torture Men?" He actually shook his head. She was playing with him. And that was one thing Jughead never let Women do to him.
"I thought you said you knew me, Juggie." His eyes snapped back to her face at the nickname, letting a small grin stay on his features towards her.
"I probably know you better than you think I do, Betts." He was gonna fight punch for punch.
"Then you know I wouldn't be the type of girl to think about everyone like that.. or do this to just anyone." She pushed her whole body up against his suddenly and cupped his face with both hands, standing on her toes and placing her lips against his in a quick, chaste kiss. She immediately drew herself back, looking shocked at her own actions.
Jughead was on another planet. Did he really just feel Betty Cooper's lips against his? Did she really just do that?! What in the actual fuck is going on today?
"I can't help it. I'm sorry.. I have been thinking about you more and more ever since we started up the Blue and Gold. I've thought endlessly about.. a lot of things going on in my life. Why are things more different than I ever dreamed it would be? What's it like to kiss Jughead Jones, the skeptical sleuth? I never imagined you would want to kiss back, but my curiosity peaked big time.. I just.. "
Jughead cut her off then by being the one to kiss her. He wrapped his arms tentatively around Betty's waist at first, but as she regained herself and began to move her lips back against his, he grew more daring and yanked her body flush against his. She was responding in earnest, moving her arms all over his and making her way up into his neck, the sides of his face, the back of his head. Her fingers found his messy hair and entered the covered realm, eventually knocking his beloved beanie off as they tangled their bodies together. He didn't even care about his beanie. He was enjoying kissing Betty. She DID taste as good as she smelled.
This felt way too sinful, way too good, way too surprising and new, way too intoxicating.. just an overload of so many things, but the two teens continued their heavy exchange. It was getting extremely hot in there. Betty was moving against Jughead like she couldn't get enough of him and he was letting it all happen. He decided to put his own hands into her golden forest of hair and found it was as silky as it appeared. He gripped at her hair a bit, eliciting a small moan from Betty. That did it. He was discovering her weaknesses. He tested even more, moving a hand to her chin and gripping it in place while he started to trail his mouth over her the side of her jaw and into the small space beneath her ear, making sure to graze the areas with little nips of his teeth. She gasped out in pleasure, and he felt her body give a little, suspecting her knees had given out a bit. She clung to him like her life depended on it. That should do it.
He withdrew himself, not wanting to send Betty over the cliff of emotions, and smirked at her. "That's what it's like to kiss me." He turned to gather his beanie, and placed it back on his head, not giving her nearly enough time to take him in without his classic hat, and started to leave. He tossed a look back over his shoulder at her as he exited the room. It was his normal look that he hid under, a slight blank expression that always graced his features, mixed with a bit of self satisfaction.
And with that, he was gone. He left Betty Cooper so stunned and shocked that her knees actually wobbled a bit. She brought one of her hands to her lips, her head going over what had just happened. He had sought her out to figure out why she had been staring at him, and had ended up igniting a fire between them. As they continued the rest of the day in their separate ways, they were ever conscious of the burning desire that was now awoken within. It was a thirst they looked forward to quenching.