Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Corresponding rights to Archie Comics and The CW.
Not based on the Archie Comics, just Riverdale. Set after 01x02.
Mona Lisa.
Jughead Jones was currently walking the now dark streets of Riverdale. He was used to it by now, to the sounds, the smells and even how the sidewalk would feel under his feet as he would advance. He walked the very same streets every night for quite a few time now.
This time, was slightly different than the others, thought.
Now he had a third eye on his back, his ears were considerably sharper, and his pace was a lot quicker than the other times, growing quicker as the minutes went by. Even his body was heating considerably, and it didn't mattered that wind was cold enough to wear a thick jacket.
He wasn't afraid, or course he wasn't. He was more intrigued than anything. Proof was his current situation; making his way to Pop's for his daily doses of junk food and typing on his MacBook. Filling and filling pages of his up-coming novel.
But, with a murderer on the loose, it was better to be safe than sorry. He still felt like someone was breathing behind his neck and that eyes were on him. So, he almost let out a sigh of relief when he was finally in front of Pop's.
He didn't even know why he bothered to walk so late at night with the possibility of being murdered now. It was a completely different situation one night ago, when Jason Blossom had still 'drowned' in Sweetwater River on July 4th, not a week later and definitely not with any bullets in his body.
His mother would kill him if she figured out he had snuck out.
He finally opened Pop's door, listening the already well known bell, announcing his arrival.
Pop instantly gazed at him as he was cleaning the counter. Jughead sent him a nod, but when he nodded back he could swore he sent him a worried look. Still, Jughead shrugged it off, making a mental note to ask him about it when he ordered what he was going to eat.
He turned to his right, but stopped dead on tracks when he saw that someone was sitting in his usual booth.
And that someone, was no other than Betty Cooper.
She didn't see him yet. Her big blue eyes were stuck on the window, pretending to watch whatever there was outside. Jughead knew better though. That, and he could see her eyes were slightly puffy and red, and her old fashioned vanilla milkshake was still untouched.
Jughead silently turned to Pop again before saying anything, and the old man sent him a concerned glance. Jughead pursed his lips before turning to the blonde girl.
"Betty?" He asked, not too loud, but yet she jumped slightly and turned to him with big eyes.
"Jug" She said, and with a quick move she wiped every trace of tears left, before smiling brightly to him, like she wasn't sad seconds ago. "What are you doing here this late?" She asked, as she moved her now dry lips to her milkshake straw.
"I think I should be asking that question" He said with a sly grin. Betty let out a soft chuckle to then look up to him with now big, bright blue eyes. "Mind some company?" He asked, gesturing the booth.
"Not at all" Betty replied, finding hard to keep the corners of her mouth straight.
Jughead took a seat in front of her, and unfolded his MacBook feeling her curious eyes. Before he turn it on, he gestured to Pop letting him know that he'll have the usual.
He turned his notebook on and his novel file instantly popped on his screen. He was about to type something until Betty's voice was heard again.
"What are you working on?" She asked softly, eyes straight on his.
"My novel" He said with difficulty. He had always found her eyes intense, always feeling she was probably the only person that could read right through him. He always felt like he was under spotlights whenever he got her full attention (which were only finger counted times). It was both, flattering and nerve-wrecking. "I started working on it since summer".
He regretted saying that last part the second the words left his mouth. Betty's bright eyes were now tinted with regret and guilt.
He knew why she was feeling that way even though she shouldn't. It wasn't her fault.
One summer just... changed everything.
He and Archie fought, because of... reasons. Betty was instantly caught up in between, desperately trying to keep them together how she could. It didn't work though, obviously. So, when he and Archie stopped hanging out, Jughead wasn't surprised when Betty decided to stay by Archie's side. It was as expected, and even if he missed her, he knew that she didn't like this any more than he did, so it was okay. She was in love with Archie after all.
This was actually the first time they were together since then.
The current scene felt so surreal. It was like time did not pass, but at the same time it felt like years did.
It was only now, when she was in sitting with him at Pop's after too much, that he realized how much he actually missed her. Apparently all this time he was suppressing his emotions and Jason Blossom's death was the perfect distraction from his feelings.
He always had a soft spot for Betty. She was the only girl of the three, his neighbor since he has memory, the little princess. When they were kids, every time the three of them went out to play, Archie's mom and his mom would ask them to take good care of little Betty, even if she never needed it. He always felt the need to be there for her, to protect her.
That, and he also was in love with her as a kid.
Obviously, little Jughead gave her up once she started liking Archie.
The odd protective feeling never left him though.
"I would like to read it once you're finished" Betty's voice got him out of his thoughts. She still had slight guilt in her futures, but she was doing a good job masking it up.
"Sure" he just managed to say.
Pop appeared right on time, bringing him his double bacon cheeseburger with onion rings, breaking a bit the awkwardness of the situation.
But it got worse after that.
One of the reasons of it was because they didn't say one single word after Pop left. Another reason was because Betty's eyes were fixed on him and him only, so he was having a big time trying to write at least one fucking sentence of his novel without writing nonsense (including Betty's name a few times) to then delete it again, and for the first time in maybe... his entire existence, he couldn't even touch his food. He also was suddenly having ridiculous self-conscious feelings about his hair and maybe even his face. He was even regretting putting on the first clothes that appeared in his closet. He really wanted to smack himself at the moment.
But everything got –oh, so much worse- after.
Apparently, Betty remembered why she was here and the reason of her previous sadness, because after being gazing straight to him for about twenty minutes, she suddenly blinked rapidly and turned to the window again with a small frown.
Now, he could see how her eyes became glassy.
Jughead sighed, he knew that she needed some kind of wake-up call, and he hated to be him the one giving her one.
"Betts, can I ask you something?" Jughead's said in a bit of a raspy voice, consequence of not speaking for a bit.
Betty blinked in surprise, and turned to him, not bothering with trying to smile this time.
She nodded imperceptibly.
"Why do you try to please everyone all the time?" Jughead asked, praying for her to not get mad.
The question surely got her by surprise, because before she widened her eyes just a bit, and opened her mouth trying to answer, she blinked again and closed her mouth shut before shifting in her place.
She said nothing.
Jughead sighed again.
"I'm talking about... what happened between Archie and Veronica" He said, keeping his voice as low as possible. River dale was a small town, and gossipers were everywhere.
Right before his eyes, all the walls of Betty collapsed.
"How do you-?" She struggled asking.
"It's not a big town, you know?" Jughead simply said, and Betty just nodded at his answer, to then avoid his glance. "Look Betts, I'm sorry for touching the subject... All I want to say is that it's pretty obvious that it still upsets you, you didn't have to forgive them that quick if you needed time" he said as careful as possible.
Betty sighed and shook her head slightly, looking at her hands.
"It's not like that... I'm okay with Veronica now, even glad we're friends again. I know she didn't mean it, it was… the heat of the moment and stuff" She said, but Jughead was quickly to note that she only mentioned Veronica.
"But you weren't ready to forgive Archie yet" He said, it almost rolled out of his mouth without his consent.
Betty gazed up to him, and Jughead was afraid she'll look at him with hard eyes for a second. Instead, her eyes were completely vulnerable.
"I have nothing to forgive Archie, because he did nothing wrong." Betty said, defending him. Jughead felt the urge to groan.
"Right, wrong choice of words" Jughead said. "You weren't ready to talk to him yet, to act like you're not hurt, then" He corrected. Betty gazed at him, and he instantly knew he was right by the way her blonde brows furrowed before she looked down at her hands again. "You don't have to please everyone every time Betty, you have every right to have some time for yourself too. I'm pretty sure Arch would've understand that" Jughead said, trying to reason with her.
"You wouldn't understand, Jug" Betty said, looking at him. "He would be so upset if I stopped talking to him. I know he doesn't like me but I can't hurt him like that"
Of course.
Jughead backed up instantly, he knew there was no freaking chance of Betty doing something that was remotely against Archie, not even for herself. It was a lost cause, it was a lost cause since a long time ago but somehow he felt a common ache in his chest, the same ache he feels every time she downgrades herself because of him.
"Yeah, I guess... he's your first love and you loved him your whole life so I guess it's understandable" He simply said, and this time really tried to turn to his computer, trying to shove the issue aside. He had no place in it after all.
What he didn't expect was Betty instantly huffing a laugh.
His eyes traveled to her curiously.
She was looking at him with a half amused (and maybe a bit offended) look.
"What?" He simply asked. He was definitely confused by her behavior. Betty nearly rolled her eyes.
"He's not my first love" She said like it was obvious.
What.
Jughead didn't say anything, he was a bit shocked about the statement and he really didn't know what to say. So he just stared at her surely looking like an idiot.
Betty frowned, but an incredulous smile was on her face.
"You really don't know?" She asked.
"Know what?" Jughead just said, trying to mask his 'what the fuck is she talking about' face.
Betty blinked in surprise, and frowned a bit, blue eyes glued on his.
"Wow, I thought I was pretty obvious" She muttered.
Jughead still said nothing.
Betty huffed a laugh again at his reaction.
"I was in love with you, Jughead, when we were little" She said with a 'funny' smile. Still, Jughead could clearly see the faint pink on her cheeks.
What the fuck.
It felt like a freaking train just run straight to him, and by the looks of it, Betty could see that too.
She was in love with him?
When they were kids?
When he loved her as well?
Watching as Jughead clearly needed some kind of explanation, Betty decided to give one to him.
"It was... before Archie, obviously." She started saying. "I was like... crazy in love with you, but I thought that you weren't interested in me at all because I was sure I was being pretty obvious about my crush..." She explained. "... So I decided to give you up and, when I started tutoring Archie in second grade I kinda, got over it"
Betty said and started to play nervously with a strand of her blonde hair.
Jughead was so shocked at her words, he couldn't even blink.
She loved him.
The little girl that he was in love with loved him, at the same time he did, and stopped because he was too damn shy to do anything about it. The little girl he always took special care of, the girl he knew since he had memory, the girl that was probably the reason why he wore his 'crown like' beanie. Because she was a princess for him and he might as well look like a prince for her.
She loved him.
"Woah... by the look of your face you seem totally disgusted by the idea" Betty tried to joke it off. "Don't worry Jug, I was a dumb little girl" She tried to shrug, turning to her milkshake again pretending to be unaffected.
Jughead finally snapped back to reality and frowned at her words.
"It's not that" He instantly said, eyebrows furrowed. Betty's eyes snapped back at him, but she said nothing, while still sipping her milkshake.
Jughead had no freaking idea from where the confidence came, but somehow it did.
"Is just…" He said, and cleared his throat. His brain wasn't functioning anymore, it was like it was on auto-pilot. "I was in love with you, too"
Betty nearly choked.
"W-What?" She asked incredulously, and Jughead immediately regrets saying anything. He should just laugh it off.
He doesn't answer again, but hopes that she'll understand the look in his eyes, and she does.
"Wow… great timing we have, right?" She jokes dryly, with an ironic smile placed on her rosy lips. Jughead just limits himself to huff a laugh in agreement. "That definitely confirms my luck in love" she ads, as she plays with the straw of her milkshake.
She's waiting for him to say something, anything. He can feel it, but he has not idea what to say.
Still, the first 'consolation' escapes his lips. Consolation for both of them.
"Well, I guess it was for the best, right?" He says with a slight sarcastic laugh. Betty looks at him, and all the previous 'joking' manner was absent. "I mean, you were going to fall in love with Archie anyway, I guess we both spare ourselves a heartbreak"
Her eyebrows furrowed in the slightest way, but she was quick to clear her throat and advert her eyes instead.
"Yeah" She simply said.
Once again, silence reigned.
A billion of different thoughts and feelings were passing through Jughead's mind, and even then, he didn't know how to feel. He thought that it was more of it, but he was too afraid to ask. He didn't want to think about the consequences, and he definitely didn't want anything to change between them just because they both had a crush on each other when they were kids.
Actually, they should have just laugh it off. Heck, even joke about some sort of wedding and stuff. Why were they being so awkward about it?
Well, he knew why he was being awkward about it, and it was because it was like he just transformed into old little Jughead. All those flustering and annoying feelings were almost getting out through his throat and he was pretty sure that if he kept his mouth shut they wouldn't escape and make a mess out of this.
But why was Betty acting so strange about it? Just because she believed to have bad luck at romance?
Anyway, it was incredibly late at the moment since they spent another good half hour ignoring each other, and Jughead could all ready feel Pop's burning a hole through his head.
They needed to leave now, it wast safe anymore, and he wouldn't let Betty walk to her house alone.
"Betty, it's getting late, we should head home" Jughead said, while he closed his MacBook.
"Sure" She said, placed some bills on the table and got up. "I'll see you in school" She said.
"Wait" Jughead said. Betty turned to him with expectant eyes. "Let me walk you home, okay?" He said, watching the faint blush creep from her neck as she nodded.
The walk home was painful.
Again, complete silence. The only thing that was heard in the empty streets were their faint steps, but nothing else. They were even walking at a considerable distance. Side by side, but with an arm length space between them.
Luckily, Betty's house wasn't far from Pop's. In fact, Betty's house was just behind Jughead's, so once he left her, he'll just have to turn around the corner and he'll be home as well.
They were just a street away from Betty's, until the silence finally died.
"Do you regret it?" She asked, with her blue eyes glued at her feet. Jughead might have let out a confused sound, because she pursed her lips and explained her question right after. "Not saying anything back then, I mean" She said snuggling deeper inside her jacket.
Jughead took his time to respond, mostly because he didn't know what the right answer was.
"I don't know" He said quietly.
Silence again.
They were just to houses away now, and the night didn't appear to get any less awkward.
"Do you know that feeling when, you want and admire something, even when you know you're never gonna have it?" Betty spoke again, but this time, she stopped walking.
"Huh?" Jughead said, stopping as well, right besides her.
"It's like… You're not crazy about it, because you know you're never going to have it" Betty tried to explain. Jughead pursed his lips and frowned a bit. Betty looked up to him and realized he still wasn't getting it. "For example… The Mona Lisa" She said.
"What?"
"Yeah, I mean. It's one of the best pieces of art in the world, and of course you want it" She said. "You admire it, and maybe even fantasize about where would you gonna place it if it was yours." She continues, with the curious gaze of Jughead on her. "You know you're never gonna have it though… so obviously you'll buy other pieces of art, maybe even fall in love with them as well" She said with a sad smile. "But, if you could have the Mona Lisa, you wouldn't want any other piece of art, because you'll be crazy about it, and you'll admire it and treasure it like no other art" She sighed. "And even… if you don't have it you still admire it and want it. You always wish you can have it someday, even if you probably won't" She finished.
Her blonde eyebrows were furrowed and she was gazing at her feet.
"I do regret it, Jughead" She said almost whispering. "You're my Mona Lisa" she said and gazed straight to him "And the worst part is… That I had a chance to have you, and I don't anymore" She said as she chocked down a sob and turned quickly on her heels to get to her house.
Jughead was quicker though.
He grabbed her wrist, and slightly pulled her back to him. Still, she didn't turn.
"Betty, wait" He said.
He could feel her trembling, and he completely understood why. He was completely shook as well, he couldn't even believe the words that left her mouth seconds ago. She wanted him. She had always wanted him, but she thought she couldn't have him.
How wrong she was.
"Betty I-" He tried to say. This situation was already nerve-wrecking, he might as well stop it. "Betty I don't like the Mona Lisa" He said with faked seriousness.
Betty instantly turned to him with a 'what the fuck' face.
"Wha-?"
"I prefer The Starry Night, you know? I think it suits me better" He said with a teasing smirk.
Betty looked at him in complete disbelief.
"Why are you always like this?" She asked him, huffing. Jughead chuckled and shrugged.
"I don't know, but I might as well not change since somehow you do like me like this" He said with a smug smile. Betty narrowed her blue eyes at him.
"I hate you" She said.
"No, you don't" And he kissed her.
He cupped her face and felt her soft skin against his palms as he brought her to him. He felt their lips almost -but not quite- crush in expectation.
Her lips were soft, and warm. They left a tingling feeling everywhere they touched him. He almost grinned once he recognized her already expected flavor -old fashioned vanilla. A perfect taste for her, because no matter what, you can never get tired of vanilla milkshakes.
Betty let out a content sight in his lips, and he suddenly felt like everything was right again.
They waited for too long, but it was worth it.
A.N.:
Hey guys! So here's a little something for my new favorite ship :) I love Jughead and Betty so much and they deserve to be together and be endgame!
Please no hate.
Also, english is not my main language, sorry for typos.
Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are appreciated!
Silvana.