Jughead hugged Betty close as she buried her head in the nook between his neck and shoulder. Jughead held her shoulder with a tenderness, stroking his hand up and along her arm from time to time. Tonight had been a rough night for the two of them. Betty's surprise party for Jughead had gone awry and it almost cost them their relationship. Fortunately, the pair reconciled in a familiar and comfortable booth at Pop's. The feelings they shared were personal and heavy but ultimately brought more trust and rejuvenated the compassion and care that they previously held for one another.
After some time had passed to allow them the chance to mull over what had been spoken, Betty checked the time on her phone. One thirty in the morning. Moderately late for her as she remembered she'd failed to inform her mother she'd escaped to Pop's with Jughead. She figured it was time for them to journey home. Betty shifted in the gentle grasp Jughead had her in. He released his hold on her, letting her return to an upright position. She immediately observed that the black eye and tiny cut Jug had received from a small brawl with Chuck earlier that evening had swelled more since they arrived at the diner. She frowned slightly and reached over to squeeze his shoulder.
"It's getting sort of late," Betty whispered. "We should probably get going."
Jughead nodded in agreement. "I'll walk you home."
Betty smiled sweetly at his response before reaching across the table to grab his signature beanie. With delicate precision, Betty tucked the beanie back over Jughead's dark locks. She even left the one little curl of strands on the outside of the hat. Jughead smiled sheepishly at Betty's actions but nonetheless was thankful. Grabbing her hand, the two scooted out of the booth and out into the chilly evening.
A light snowfall had begun in the quaint town of Riverdale. The sidewalks and roads were already blanketed in a thin covering of the fresh powder. Remarkably, Jughead's and Betty's shoes made a delightful scrunching noise with each step. The air was chilly but stagnant. The little puffs of breath that exuded from their mouths was reminiscent of a steam train chugging along metal tracks. However, even in the un-moving air, Betty shivered. Jughead took notice of her situation. In the heat of the moment of leaving the party earlier, Betty didn't grab a coat. While she sported an adorable sweater with a gold crown embellished on the front, it wasn't enough warmth for her. Jughead stopped in his tracks and shrugged off his jacket.
"Here," he said while indicating with a finger for Betty to turn around.
She obliged and Jug draped the jacket over her shoulders.
"Thanks, Jug," Betty voiced.
Moving closer to him, she leaned up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Satisfied that Betty would be warm, Jughead wrapped an arm around her waist and continued on with leading her home.
Minutes later they arrived at the Cooper's front door. Betty fumbled in her pocket momentarily for her house key. Her eyes lit up with victory upon retrieving it. She eased the key into the lock and turned until the mechanism made a familiar click. She turned the door handle, granting access to the inside.
"Well, I suppose you'll be okay from here on. Go on and get some rest, I'll see you in the morning," Jughead proposed.
As he started to turn away, Betty shot out her hand, catching his.
"Wait um actually," she began. "You should come in for a minute. Your eye...it's pretty swollen. I can put some ice on it. I'd also appreciate the...the company."
Jughead couldn't help but crack a smile when Betty turned a rosy pink after offering him to come in. He'd been over plenty of times so he wasn't entirely sure why she would blush. Perhaps it was due to the cool evening air. Or because it was quite late and Betty's mother would most definitely be asleep. No matter the reason, she was undeniably beautiful in that state and it reminded Jughead how close he'd been to losing her.
"Okay, Betts. I won't say no to getting to spend a couple more minutes with you," he replied at last.
Betty clasped her hands together with joy as a wide and bright smile spread across her face. She extended a hand that slowly entwined around one of his. Jughead smiled in return as he let the blond beauty lead him inside.
They traveled towards the kitchen. Betty patted a counter, indicating for Jughead to sit. He perched himself on the counter as Betty quietly rummaged about in the kitchen. She filled a small plastic bag with a couple of ice cubes. Facing Jug, she approached him, stretching out her arm as she gently rested the cool ice bag against his bruise. The initial sensation caused Jughead to wince. Betty pulled away slightly and muttered and apology before trying again. This time Jughead was prepared as the ice was pressed against his eye again. Betty frowned tenderly and gazed into his eyes with a deep affection. Jughead placed his hand on top of Betty's that held the ice bag. He sighed, leaning into her hand.
"You wouldn't have gotten this if I hadn't thrown you that party," Betty spoke. "I'm sorry."
Jughead caught a glimmer in her eyes. The onset of tears.
"Betty," Jughead breathed out her name. "Don't blame yourself. This is my own doing. I punched Chuck. I'll deal with the consequences. Like you said before, you didn't plan on the whole school coming to crash. It was supposed to be us. Simple and relaxed. And while parties may not be my thing, I do appreciate all the effort you put in to make my birthday special."
Jughead's words were moving enough to cause Betty to burst into a shaky cry. She dropped the ice bag and buried her face in her hands, weeping softly. Jughead slid off the counter and enveloped Betty in fierce hug. Her arms instantly wrapped around his waist as she pressed her cheek against his chest. Jug rested his head on hers, squeezing her shoulders. He let her cry as much as she needed to. After a few moments, Betty craned her neck upwards to look into Jughead's eyes. Her eyes were red from all the crying she'd done and her nose sounded a little sniffled. Jughead frowned at the sight. He didn't like seeing her upset.
"Thank you for comforting me," Betty's voice was a tad rough. "I'm not sure what came over me. I just...suddenly felt all emotional and before I could stop it the tears were already rolling down my cheeks."
"It's been a long night, for all of us. I think you need to get some rest, temporarily forget what happened tonight," Jughead suggested.
Betty nodded in agreement. "Would you um...like to stay over? Archie's house seems to be in utter shambles right now. You don't to stay for long I just figured since you're already here, you might as well."
"I suppose there's no harm in sleeping over. As long as I go before your mother wakes up," Jughead replied.
A giddy smiled crossed Betty's face. She started to leave but Jughead caught her arm in a firm grasp and pulled her into him. Startled, she peered up into his eyes once again. Jughead grabbed her face with both of his hands and brought her's towards his. He pressed a deep kiss on her lips. She responded with the same intensity. It was a long and passionate kiss and something they'd both been craving. When they finally pulled apart, the two teens were gasping for air.
Jughead coughed. "So, uh, to your room?"
Blushing, Betty and took off towards her room with Jug in tow.
Upstairs, Betty returned Jughead's jacket to him. He placed it on a chair in her room. No need to wear it if they were going to bed. Betty snuck off down the hall to the bathroom to change. Jughead took out his phone and set an alarm for five thirty in the morning. Early, but he didn't want to risk being here when Betty's mom was unaware he was sleeping in her daughter's bed. Betty returned, clad in a simple blue t-shirt and gray flannel pajama pants. She smiled when her eyes met his. Her blond locks, no longer tied in a ponytail, cascaded down her back. She placed her folded clothes in her dresser before quietly padding over to Jughead. She planted a quick kiss on his lips before crawling under the covers. Jughead followed suit, pulling her close once beside her.
"Thank you again for staying over, Juggie. I appreciate it," Betty whispered to him.
"Anytime, Betty. Sweet dreams," Jughead said.
Within minutes the two teens were lulled into a blissful sleep by each others warmth and comfort. It was a perfect end to a crazy and wild night.