Hey everyone, so sorry for this taking a few billion years to get done. Things have been hectic. But alas, here we are. Almost done the story. I enjoyed writing the fluff in this chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it too!

I don't own anything.


"So what's your favorite color?"

Betty looked up through her lashes, green eyes bright. A soft smile on her lips as she shrugged, "That's a very ordinary question."

They were seated in the Blue&Gold office at the school, – Betty sitting cross legged on the couch with Jughead on the floor before her, leaning back against the couch – a quiet escape from the bustling hallways and overtly obnoxious peers. Ever since the incident in the cafeteria, people consistently stared at the duo – especially when they were together.

Which was a lot these days.

Jughead was playing with her shoes, untying her laces and retying them up again. It wasn't due to nerves, more so just something to keep his hands busy that didn't involve touching her directly.

Which he wanted to do.

But she seemed to avoid.

Betty cleared her throat, a smirk on her lips as his head shot up to her face. Her brow quirked as she pulled her feet away from his hands and tucked them under her knees. "Did you hear me?" He shook his head no, eyes falling. Betty's laugh was something he got to hear a lot of recently, especially in these past few days. It was mostly directed at him, but that isn't relevant.

"I said-" she stated loudly, smiling as his head shot up, "-its blue."

"Blue?"

"Yes blue. But not like baby blue, you know, like all the girls seem to like. But like, deep blue, like the color of the water in the ocean when its nighttime. Not black, but not quite just blue, you know?" He was watching her lips as she ranted, eyes bright with wonder. Such a mundane question possessed such an intricate answer from Betty, always.

He loved that about her.

Granted, he loved a lot of things about her.

"What about you?"

Her voice snapped him back once more, eyes darting to hers as she waited. Then he realized what she asked. "Oh, uh. Black I guess."

She frowned, body sagging as she sighed. "You're boring."

He slapped a hand to his chest, tugging at his shirt. "That hurts Betts, right in the heart." Throwing his head back against her crossed legs, he continued to pull at his shirt, feigning pain.

"I don't care." She pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. Peeking through his lashes, he smirked and continued thrashing limbs around, flopping like a fish out of water until Betty was laughing and pushing him off the couch.

He landed with a thud, right on his butt. Silence filled the air as she sucked in a breath. Blinking slowly, Jughead turned to look at her, horror crossing his features quickly.

"You pushed me!" He finally squeaked out, pushing up with his hands as he knelt before her. "How could you?"

Her hands were covering her mouth, no doubt in a bad attempt to stop her giggles. Green eyes wide as she watched him move around, staying stationary herself on the cushion.

He leaned forward, balancing on the balls of his feet as he placed his hands on either side of her legs. At this height, she was the one looking down on him as he stared up at her through his dark lashes, a small smirk tugging at his lips when he noticed her blush. Continuing to pull himself closer, he rested his forearms on the soft couch beneath her, his chest firmly against her crossed legs.

"Well?"

She jumped slightly, her knee almost connecting with his jaw as she promptly apologized. He reached a hand out, soothing her legs back down as he leaned forward further. Stopping his face just a few inches away from her face, he blew out a breath, halting her flurry of words.

"huh?" She blinked, eyes landing on him.

He smiled up at her, "I'm kidding. Relax." Slowly, he stood. She visibly let out a breath, hands coming to smooth her hair down, even though it was still in the high pony tail she always sported. Jughead turned, trying to catch his own breath with his back to her still frame. After a few moments, a small hand was sliding into his, thin fingers tangling with his own. Blinking, he shifted to eye her closely, watching her push off the couch with ease, her long legs untangling with grace.

"I humbly apologize, my lord, for my betrayal." She had a hand on her chest as she spoke, voice booming. A smirk crossed his lips as she tried hard to keep a straight face. Quirking a brow, he stayed silent.

A few long minutes passed before she finally let out a breath. "Fine then, I retract my apology." Letting out a huff, she pulled her hand out of his and retreated to the door, reaching for the handle.

"Betty wait." He called out behind her. A small smile crept up her lips as she bit her lip and waited for him to say more. When he didn't, a tinge of something dark stirred in her chest. She turned on her heel after a few seconds, coming face to face with Jughead. She gasped at his proximity, immediately trying to take a step back to give space between them, but before she could, his arm reached out and snaked around her lower back, pulling her close.

Then his lips were on hers and everything faded.

The kiss was simple. A few moments of bliss and stars and fireworks and everything else that you hear about in cheesy romance novels. But it was more than that.

Jughead's breath caught in his throat as his hands came to rest on her cheeks, lips exploring hers. She tasted like strawberries and mint, a normally weird combination that sent fire through his veins and a shock to his heart. Her lips were so soft against his own as he fought to contain his desire to nibble her lower lip, like she does when she's studying.

Then he pulled away, not far, but rested his forehead on hers as he inhaled deeply. Betty's lashes fluttered open as she sighed, watching him closely.

"So?" Her voice broke the silence, breath mingling with his own. Opening his eyes, Jughead smirked.

"I accept your apology." With a wink he pulled away, avoiding her attempt at a swat as she laughed. "Come on, we have class." Pulling her hand into his, he placed a chaste kiss on the back of it before opening the door and pulling her out into the hall. Shaking her head, Betty allowed herself to be dragged out, smiling at the boy in front of her.


"Yo Jug." Jughead looked up at the sound of Archie's voice, quirking a brow at his longtime friend.

"Yeah?" He was slowly getting ready for the dance, failing terribly at tying his tie. Sighing with defeat, he turned to where his friend stood, waiting.

"Dude, we gotta go." Archie stated, heading somewhere behind him. A couple of minutes pass as sounds of rustling and groaning emit from Archie's direction. Then he appears once more.

"I'm almost ready, just can't seem to get this stupid tie to work properly." Jughead huffed out, hands falling to his sides with a sigh of defeat.

"Dude, what are you talking about? We need to go." The tone laced in Archie's voice was anything but his calm, cool one. Jughead finally looked up at his friend, noticing for the first time what he was wearing.

Archie was clad in all black, - long sleeve shirt and jeans, combat boots adorned his feet as well. Jughead quirked a brow, opening his mouth then closing it once more. Looking closely, he could tell Archie was wearing a Kevlar vest under his shirt as well.

Which usually only meant one thing.

"No."

Archie looked up at him, fingers still tying his boots tight. "What do you mean, no?"

Jughead shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "I mean no. I told you before, I'm done with deals man."

Since they were Serpents by legacy, they were brought into the "deals" at a rather young age. Most common were makeshift drug deals with lower gangs within the area or surrounding towns. But every now and then they'd get wind of a buyer for weapons. No guns deals had been going down since the last one ended so horribly, at least not to Jughead's knowledge.

Looks like he was out of the loop.

"Seriously?" Archie threw his hands in the air, eyes narrowing at him.

"Yeah, seriously. Do you remember what happened the last time?!" Jughead was shouting now, face red with exertion and anger. "We lost Caleb, in case your memory is shot. Our brother is dead!" His breathing was ragged as he paced the room, hands wringing together. "I told you already Arch. We're done with the deals."

Archie stepped forward, his slight height difference making him look down on Jughead's narrow eyes. "I don't have to listen to you." Jughead stood tall, not wavering his composure as Archie let out a huff. "I don't care if you're not coming. I'm going."

"Arch, don't be a dumb ass." Jughead blurted out as his friend turned on his heel, heading for the door. "Please!" Archie halted in his tracks, hand hovering above the doorknob.

"I'm doing this Jug, with or without you." And with that he was gone.