Jughead chuckles from the doorway at Betty as she tugs on the bottom of her shirt trying to cover her protruding stomach.
"Shit Juggie, Buzz off" she shouts in anger "Nothing fits now"
"Pretty sure Ethel mentioned something about shopping for new stuff, you know the maternity bits"
"Yeah well I didn't think I'd need to go so soon" she pouts walking past him and straight into his room.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting a fucking t-shirt Jug, is that ok?"
"Woah moody mary" he hands her his guns and roses t-shirt and she sighs
"Sorry, I'm just really nervous about telling my mum about Moonbug" she states whilst unbuttoning the old shirt.
"We'll be fine" he smirks, he removes the new top from her hands "Arms up Betts" he forces the it over her head and she pushes her arms through.
"Thanks for dressing me DAD"
"No problem, kiddo, gotta get the practice in sometime"
"Let's hope Moonbug isn't a smartarse like daddy ay?" She speaks to her stomach as she exits his room.
It was a chilly November and if Betty could stay in the loft she would but she couldn't. She was getting ready to make the journey home to Riverdale for thanksgiving, on her own.
"Have you got everything you need?" Jughead questions
"Nope"
"What's missing?"
"You" she frowns "Remind me why you're not coming with me?"
"Not this again Betts, I'll be right behind you, there's some bits at the gym that I need to take care of"
"And the bits take 2 days? If I knew you taking this manager job meant I'd get this lonely then I would have insisted you said no"
"Wow Betts, needy much?" He packs her vitamins in her handbag "I'll be with you in 2 days" he promises.
"Fine." She huffs as she grabs her bags and pecks his cheek "See you in 2 days loser"
"Erm .. can you zip up your coat please, its cold out and I don't want a sick moody mary"
"Bye Forsythe" she sings as she slams the door.
He sighs, peace and quiet he thinks. Jughead had been looking forward to the 2 days on his own if he was honest. He felt bad for being happy about flying solo but as much as he loved Betty, she was stressing him out. He knew she was going through changes and she was carrying a tiny human in her womb, he had no reason to be stressed but he was, there is so much to do and basically no time. On the other hand, he was looking forward to his trip back home. He hadn't been home in a while and even though he didn't always get along with his father, he was eager to see his sister and mum.
Thanksgiving was always Jugheads favourite holiday. He loved eating and Alice Cooper always cooked up a storm. The last few years he had spent thanksgiving at the Coopers, although at first Mrs Cooper complained about Betty bringing home 'strays' but by year 2 he had his very own seat inbetween Polly and their Uncle Earl. At first he felt bad for abandoning his own family on such a family orientated day but couldn't bare the snide comments made by his father and arguments they caused so he taught himself to not care. He was happy and that's what mattered and another benefit was more time with Betty.
He goes to the fridge to grab a beer but comes up short. He forgot to pick some up at the store, he grabs his coat and keys and heads for the best bar in town, in his opinion anyway. It's a cold evening and he cant help but think of Betty and her unzipped coat.
*Hope u zipped up that coat Juliet* - Jughead 8.57pm
*Yes, father. nearly home*- Betty 8.59pm
*Txt me when u get thru the door, no earlier* - Jughead 9.00pm
*Protective juggie is so cute, he makes my womb hurt* - Betty 9.04pm
*I think u'll find ur womb hurts cos theres a human in it* - Jughead 9.06pm
*lmao btw just spoke 2 v and she said her and arch r in town 4 the hols. Do u think we should reach out?* - Betty 9.09pm
*no.* - Jughead 9.10pm
*jug we cant go on like this* - Betty 9.15pm
*he disrespected us in our home betty, I wont forgive him for that, speak later* Jughead 9.16pm
He pushes open the bar doors and takes the stool closest to the toilets. Ethel is working tonight so he waves her over.
"I thought you were going to Riverdale with Betty" she says as she places a Guinness on the coaster in front of him.
"Got work tomorrow and Wednesday morning then I'm off straight after my shift" the liquid feels refreshing down his throat "hey Ethel, when we get back can you mention the pregnant clothes to Betts again please?"
"The maternity clothes? Sure, why?"
"She had a nervous breakdown when her shirt didn't fit her today, she's currently in one of my t-shirts" he smiles.
"Sure thing Jug, I got some tables to clean, back in a bit" and off Ethel goes.
He finishes his Guinness and gets another before taking a now vacant booth. 'Book and Bevvy" is a safe haven of Jugheads. Alcohol and books can't go wrong. When Ethel mentioned it when they first moved to New York, he was ecstatic. It was now his favourite place to be, besides home with Betty. He picks a novel at random off of the shelf behind him. 'Harry Potter' he smirks. He thinks about the future for a moment, he thinks about reading to his child something that he experienced at his mothers hand, where his love for books began.
He gets to page 60 when another Guinness is placed in front of him he grabs it without looking.
"Ethel, you're a gem"
"Is she now?" His head snaps up to see Sabrina hovering in front of his booth "Hey Jughead" she smiles.
"Hey" he replies and tries to return to his book.
"No Betty tonight?"
"Clearly not" he mutters back.
"Can I sit?"
"Look Sabrina I'm not really in the mood-"
"I just want to talk Jughead"
He puts his book down and takes a sip of his drink "What do you want to talk about?"
"Things" she smiles, her smile was always infectious but he finds himself scowling back "Look Jug, I've been trying to work up the courage to talk to you at work but I never can and when I saw you sitting here I thought I should bite the bullet and come over"
"We don't really have much to talk about Sabrina" he places his palms flat on the table, he's getting agitated.
She grabs his hands in hers, his face must be a picture of horror because he was not expecting it. He looks up and sees Ethel frowning in their direction before someone motions to her.
"I don't like the way we left things Jug and I have been thinking maybe we could try again?" She gives him a lopsided smile.
His hands are still in hers when his phone vibrates multiple times "Sorry" he mumbles as he removes it from his pocket.
*made it in 1 piece*
*Hugging my mum without her noticing Moonbug was harder than I thought*
*but we are safely tucked in bed and mamacoop is none the wiser. Night romeo* Betty - 11.15pm
He smiles at the screen and quickly types a reply.
*Sweet dreams to my fair juliet and moonbug* - Jughead – 11.16pm
"Betty?" She asks
"Uh yeah she was letting me know she got back to Riverdale safely" he explains
"You not going home for thanksgiving?"
"Got a couple shifts then I'm off, you?"
"Nah I'm sticking around, look Jughead, I meant what I said, I really want to give us a go and if you're not seeing anyone .."
"And what makes you think that we would work now? You didn't like being in a relationship with me then, whats going to be different now?" He questions
"I thought a lot and I know I was just really silly and impulsive" she tries to explain
"Well I'm sorry but that's not good enough Bri, I deserve someone who's not going to mess me about and if I'm honest, I don't think we would have worked anyways" he grabs her hands and looks at her dead in her eyes "Besides another has my heart now" he smiles, ready to let her know about Moonbug.
"Betty?"
"What?" He pulls his hands away.
"You know, I always felt threatened by Betty, it's so clear how she feels about you"
"Fuck off" he scoffs, taking a swig of his drink.
"You love her back Jug, it's written all over your face" her smile is small.
"Yeah she's my best friend"
"Archie is your best friend" he narrows his eyes at this
"So is Betty" he argues back.
"Your face when you got her text said it all Jug, I obviously waited too long to ask for a 2nd chance" she finishes off her beer.
"Do you really think Betty likes me?" He mumbles into his bottle
"Do you like her?"
"Yeah I do" he sighs, he feels like a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders, like he is no longer carrying the weight of the world on his back "Wow, I've been waiting to say that out loud for years" he grins at Sabrina.
"You smitten little kitten, hey wait who was you going to say has your heart now if it's not Betty?"
"You're not going to believe this" he explains his new life to Sabrina and can't help but laugh at her shocked face.
"So you're going to be a dad soon" she looks down "Are you happy?"
"So happy, we find out the sex next week" the excitement on Jugheads face contagious "Anyways I'm gonna go, I think Ethel gets off in a second and I'm going to walk her home"
"Always the gentleman Mr Jones, Friends?" She holds out her hand to him and he shakes it with a smile.
"Night Bri"
He walks Ethel home and makes his way back to the loft.
He thinks about his conversation with Sabrina. Jughead has always known how he has felt about Betty but never known what to do. He remembers once when they were nearing the end of high school and he was going to sit her down and tell her of his feelings.
He was getting ready to meet her at Pops to finalise the details of their New York move. He turns around to see his mum smiling.
"What?" He questions "Do I look okay?" He removes his beanie from his head and starts smoothing down his hair.
"You meeting Betty?"
"Yeah"
"Finally going to have that conversation with her? Tell her you like her?"
"Muuuum stop." He whines picking up his comb.
"Here let me" she takes the comb and starts styling his hair "Just tell her you love her Forsythe, plain and simple"
"Not that simple mum, what if she doesn't like me back?"
"What's not to like about you, hun?"
"Yeah whats not to like about good old Jughead" FP slurs. They look to see where Jugheads father is struggling to keep himself upright.
"Get out of here FP, the kids shouldn't have to see your drunk ass" Gladys bites
"Took your beanie off to try and impress that Cooper girl when she's never going to like you son. Girls like her don't end up with boys like you." He hiccups "So put your hat back on and put that stupid dream to bed"
Gladys slams the door in his face "Don't listen him Jughead, he's wrong"
"Hes right mum." He grabs his beanie and pulls open the door "I'm going to be late".
Jughead was never overly organised but living with Betty had made him a lot better than he was before hand. This is why he found himself packing his bag a day early so he could make his way to Riverdale straight after his shift the next day.
He looks at his phone and frowns, its 8pm and he hasn't heard anything from Betty all day, he dials her number but it goes straight to voicemail so he tries the Cooper landline.
"Cooper residence"
"Hey Polly, its Jug"
"Hey Jughead, you skipping?"
"No Pol, I'll be there tomorrow afternoon, is Betty there? My calls won't go through"
"She's had a headache so she's been in her room all day, ill go grab her" he frowns at this.
Why didn't she let him know she felt poorly? Was he too full on? Too protective? Too-
"Hello" Betty whispers
"Betts, hey are you alright?"
She sniffs "What do you want?"
"I haven't heard from you today, I was worried"
"Look Jug I'm fine, I'll see you tomorrow when you get here ok?"
His fingers tighten on his phone "Did I do something wrong Betty?"
"I don't know Jughead, have you DONE something wrong?" Her voice is slightly raised.
"Why are you yelling?" His voice as steady as he can keep it.
"I spoke to Ethel today and she said you were in the bar last night, with .." she sighs "with Sabrina"
"And?" He prompts.
"And? And? So what are you back together or what? Because Ethel said you looked pretty cosy in a booth together. Sabrina did say it was a break so that implies you getting back together eventually"
"Betty, stop and let me speak"
"Does she know about Moonbug?" She says in hushed tone.
"God yes she does but that doesn't matter because-"
"Whatever Jug" she interrupts, he can hear the tears in her voice "Just get here on time tomorrow, I don't want to keep Moonbug a secret anymore, bye"
He sits there stunned. What just happened? He types a text.
*I don't love her Betty, I love you* he looks at the message, ready to press send but changes his mind.
He wants to tell her face to face. So he will wait.
He gets off the bus and smells the good old Riverdale air.
"Home sweet home" he drawls out.
He contemplates dropping by Pops instead of going straight to the Coopers but he knows that wouldn't be a good idea considering the way he and Betty left things the night before. As he starts his short walk, he recites what he wants to say to her in his head.
'I want to be with you properly' no.
'I love you Betty, for real' no.
'Do you want to be my girlfriend?' No, no, no.
He looks up and he is outside the big red door to the Cooper house. He sees Alice through the window and taps it. He makes her jump but her face lights up in recognition.
"Jughead is here, get the door" she calls.
The door swings open and Betty is standing there, she leans forward, grabs his face in her hands and plants a soft kiss on his lips. He kisses her back. Someone wolf whistles behind them, Polly he thinks.
"Save it you love birds, mums in the next room, you'll ruin the surprise" she chuckles "Hey Jug" she waves as she walks up the stairs and out of earshot.
"Betty, what the hell was that?" Jughead seethes.