Author's Note: This is following the aftermath of the debacle that was Jughead's Sweet Sixteen.
Chapter 10 Happy Unbirthday
Betty loved him, and in true Jughead style, he almost fucked everything up. Who would have thought FP would have been the voice of reason, the one who saved Jughead from himself? FP saw that Jughead was pushing Betty away, a trait he inherited from his father, but FP made sure Jughead wouldn't make the same mistakes he had. FP actually gave a shit about him and that meant everything to him. Betty was the reason his dad had shown up.
But what Betty had done for him on his birthday this morning, before the disaster that was his party, could never be topped. She'd told him she loved him and had given him her virginity. Jughead understood what that meant. He wouldn't dishonor that gift by pushing her away again. Being vulnerable with her would never be easy for him, but he would continue to open up to her. She was worth the self-sacrifice. She was worth the risk.
So they had worked it out in a booth at Pop's. Everything was good between them again. He had walked Betty home, and had planned on sneaking up the ladder to her room, but Mama Cooper had been waiting for them on the front porch. Alice wasn't mad at either of them, which surprised him. She had to have heard the party next door and she had to have known what both Betty and Jughead were there with the rest of the underaged drinkers. Alice only told him happy birthday and goodnight and ushered Betty inside.
After he left Betty's, he'd gone back into the house to start the clean up from his party, but when he heard some very distinct noises coming from the living room, he left Archie and whomever-he had a feeling it was Veronica-he was having sex with alone.
As he sat in the Andrews' garage hours after the debacle that was his sweet sixteen, the argument with Betty ran through his head again. For the life of him, he still couldn't understand what she saw in him, and why she hadn't broken up with him when he'd gotten upset with her for throwing the party. Instead she had chased him into the garage and they had had it out. He hated that they had fought tonight, but he was also glad. He showed her who he was and she stuck around. That was even scarier. She wouldn't be pushed away. Betty was staying, and he hoped he'd be strong enough to let her.
Love was a scary thing, especially to Jughead.
And she hadn't said that she loved him since this morning. They had talked things out, but maybe she was she regretting that she told him she loved him. When they were arguing earlier, he'd pointed out all his own flaws, and maybe that made her see who he really was. He was a socially awkward weirdo who had no right to be with a girl like her. Jughead Jones wasn't worth her time, and maybe she was starting to see it, too.
He laid his head against the back of the couch. He was such an idiot. Maybe it was too late, and he'd ruined everything. Even though he didn't want that party, he could have politely accepted it instead of freaking out on her and picking a fight. If he would have kept his cool, he and Betty could have snuck away from the party and spent the night having sex on this couch instead of arguing.
But he'd been such an ass tonight. He might never have the pleasures of being inside her again. He picked up his phone to text her, to apologize again, but as he did, there was a knock on the open door of the garage.
Betty had on one of his flannel shirts that he'd left over at house, probably covering her sleep shorts and tank top that she always wore, but he couldn't tell because the shirt was buttoned up to her throat and he hem hit her mid thigh. She was barefoot despite the chill in the night. Her hair hung around her shoulders in soft curls.
"Hey," she said, stepping into the garage, but staying on the other side of the room.
"Hey," he replied.
"It's not your birthday anymore."
He glanced at his phone, and she was right, it was just after midnight. "Thank God," he said smiling, trying to keep this light.
"I'm sorry about tonight, Jug. Really."
"It's okay. I told you that I knew you were trying to do something nice for me."
"Not just about the party. I feel like I made, even the apology, about me. I didn't hear you out. Instead I shoved my problems in your face, and made it about me."
He shook his head. "Betty . . ." Jughead said, scooting over and making room for her on the couch. "You shared something really important with me. You literally showed me your wounds."
She sat down next to him. "And you accepted them with a kiss. You accepted me."
"Of course I did. I love you. All of you."
"I love you. Everything. All of it. Even this stupid hat," she said, pulling it off and setting it on the coffee table. "And you're not weird, Juggie. You're just you. You're different than everyone else and that's why I love you."
He took her hands in his and laid them in his lap. "Do you ever wonder why you try to appear so perfect?" he asked.
"Because I'm crazy?"
He shook his head. "Don't. Don't say that about yourself. I'm not afraid of your darkness, Betty. Hell, I live in the darkness myself. And if it ever gets too dark, I'll be there to pull you out and back into the light."
Yes, she had parents who took care of her, lived in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, and she was the perfect cheerleader next door, but maybe they were so different after all. Betty had layers, too. She was perfection, yet flawed. She controlled everything and nothing all at once. Bright sunshine at daybreak, but also an eclipsed moon at midnight.
"I'm sorry I was a dick to you tonight," Jughead said.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen when Archie told me you didn't want a party. I knew that. I know who you are. I was feeling out of control and I thought if I took over and orchestrated this birthday thing, everything what might stop spinning. And I wanted to heal the wounds of previous birthdays. I thought maybe if I threw you this birthday party, but you'd see how much I love you."
"You didn't have to do it with a party. Though that cake was dynamite. Always show you love me with a cake."
That got her to smile. "I just want you to know I'm sorry that I wrecked your birthday."
He chuckled. "Believe me. This one isn't even in the top ten of the worst."
"I promise to let you be a loner when you need to be, but don't ever try to push me away again. You're not a project. You're not something to do until Archie wants me. I want only you."
"Honestly, it scares the shit out of me."
"Why?"
"Because you're everything I've ever wanted, and I get nervous when I get what I want. It's too good to be true. You're too good to be true."
"I feel the same way about you." She cupped his face in her hand, gently touching the cut under his eye. "You punched Chuck Clayton for me. Even when I was mad at you, that turned me on."
"Oh, yeah?" he asked. "Defending your honor was my pleasure, and I've wanted to punch Chuck out for years."
"But now the whole school knows what I did to Chuck. They'll all know I'm crazy."
"You're not, Betty, and I'll fight anyone who says any differently."
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. It was still tender. "I like that you're a lover and a fighter," she said, reaching across him to brush her hand over his lap. He hardened instantly under her touch. "You were right. It should have been just the two of us tonight." She continued to caress him as she spoke, making his erection more and more stiff by the second.
"That's what I wished for when I blew out the candles. You know what else I wished for?" he asked.
"I think I might know," she said. She removed her hand from the front of his pants. He started to complain, but then her fingers went to the buttons of the shirt she was wearing and started undoing them.
"You're all I wanted," he said. "You are yourself are the greatest gift I've ever received."
She swung her leg over until her knees were on either side of his hips. The shirt gapped and he realized that she wasn't wearing a bra or any underwear. Jughead swallowed. He'd seen her naked a few times now, but every time, it just as exciting as the first time. His fingertips brushed the exposed space between the valley of her breasts. He pushed one side of the shirt aside, and then he ran the pad of his thumb over her nipple, causing it to pucker and firm, pearl up beneath his touch.
She sat up a little, readjusting her position so her sex was right above his, grinding against him. Her breasts were at the perfect level now, so he took one into his mouth as he moved his hand in between their bodies. She was so wet with wanting that she was practically dripping. His fingers slipped in easily, and she moaned when they started to move within her.
"Are you sore?" he asked.
She was too busy enjoying what he was doing to be able the answer, so she simply shook her head. Her hips rocked forward in time with the tempo of the movement of his hands. He could feel her start to quicken, but instead of allowing herself to come, she pulled his hand away from her. Then she reached down and freed him from his pants. Before he could figure out what she was doing, she rose up on her knees and sank down on him, sheathing him.
They both let out a shocked breath. Her mouth fell open, her breathing heavy. She remained where she was, and because of her stillness, he could feel every inch of her. He was filling her up, stretching her out.
She reared up and back down again, each time taking him in higher than before. She was so tight, so soft, so pure, and he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from letting go right then and there. He took ahold of her hips, guiding her movements, but soon, he had to stop her. Their first time together hadn't lasted long enough, because he'd been so excited and taken off guard that he hadn't been able to take the time he'd wanted. He wasn't ready for this to be over, not yet. His hands gripped her sides, keeping her still and in place, but Betty didn't want to stop. She ground herself against him while flexing her internal muscles around him.
She wasn't playing fair, so he lifted her off his lap and pulled out of her. She whimpered a protest, but he stood up anyway, bringing her with him. He placed her on the couch and settled above her. She tried to grab his erection and direct him where to go, but he held back.
Jughead leaned over her and kissed the delta between her thighs. Her fingers fed through his hair, bringing him closer as she pressed up against him. He smiled as he kissed her inner thigh. Betty Cooper knew what she wanted and right now she wanted him. He placed his hand beneath her ass, tilting her up even higher so that he might better taste her. He was like a man who'd been living off bread and water, but had now been given a delectable feast. He wanted it all, every morsel, every drop.
She shifted restlessly below him, telling him he was doing it right, the way she I liked it, a little harder, followed by tender, his tongue swirling and then his fingers probing. "Juggie. . ." she said, just his name difficult for her to say.
He increased the friction, his fingers delving deeper, her thighs pressing into the sides of his head as she came against his mouth. Wanting to give her time to recover, he moved up her body and laid his head on her stomach.
She played with his hair as her breathing normalized. She was satisfied, but still restless. "Come here," she said, pulling him up so his face was next to hers.
He groaned, feeling her breasts against his chest, the fullness, the softness, skin to skin. She kissed him, dipping her tongue into his mouth, and he wondered if she could taste herself.
She guided him where she wanted him, in between her legs. Like before, he took his time, but was met with no resistance. She was like slipping into a tight, silken web from which he never wanted to be set free. Jughead had never a religious man, but surely this was heaven, deep inside her, buried in her forgiving softness.
Her hips rose and fell with his, matching the rhythm of his movements. She lay beneath him, her hands palms up, vulnerable, showing him her wounds. He leaned down and kissed the tender spots where she'd hurt herself. If she let him, he would decade his life to helping to mend her broken parts.
"I love you," he said to her.
Her eyes opened and they were filled with tears. "I love you, Jug," she replied, gently touching the cut in his cheek. "I love you."
He lowered himself a little so he could kiss her soft, full lips. Her brow was beaded with sweat despite the cool night air that was coming through the garage door that was slightly ajar. She wrapped her legs around him, her ankles hooking at his back, and she ground her pelvis against his as he thrust in and out of her. Her thighs entrapped him, causing him to go deeper, hit her interior wall. She groaned out his name and she tightened around him, milking him. He watched the rise and fall and the quiver of her breasts as she came again. His release came right after.
He collapsed onto her. He knew he must be heavy, but he couldn't move and she didn't complain. Her legs were still wrapped around him as she rubbed his back. Their bodies were slick with sweat. He kissed her forehead and rolled off of her, and the switched positions so that he was now on his back. He gathered her in his arms and she curled into him. The fit on the couch was tight, but it didn't matter to either of them.
Betty stayed quiet, for so long that he wondered if he'd either done something to upset her, or maybe she had fallen asleep. His eyes were getting heavy, sleep calling to him. But if he'd learned anything from the last few days, he needed to talk thing out with her, make sure neither of them was keeping something to themselves.
"What is it?" he asked. "What are you thinking, Betts?"
"You really know what you're doing. You're not a virgin, are you?" she asked.
"No." he sighed. He'd lost his virginity this summer, and unlike most guys, it hadn't been a proud moment. He sat up on the couch, grabbed his t-shirt and jeans off the ground, and put them on. Betty pulled on his flannel shirt, only buttoning a few crucial ones.
"You're not asking me if I was a virgin, so I guess it was obvious," she said.
He sat back and put out his arm for her, but she stayed where she was. "Yeah, but not in a bad way. You're so fucking tight, Betty. You have no idea how hard it is not to come the second I'm inside you."
"Oh," she said, blushing as she smiled. She sat next to him, tucking her feet up under herself. She snuggled close. "So mind me asking who had the honor of deflowering you?"
Jughead chuckled at her phrasing. "It's kind of embarrassing, actually, but Joaquin's older cousin was in town this summer visiting him. All the Serpents were hanging around the drive-in where I was working. Well, I avoided them every chance I got, but his cousin, Valencia was her name, took notice of me for some reasons. She wouldn't leave me alone."
"It's because you're hot, Juggie. And we girls have a soft spot for the quiet brooding type."
He grinned. "Whatever. I was there and the only guy she hadn't literally screwed over. I told her I wasn't interested. Even then I only had eyes for you." She rolled her eyes at him and playfully punched his shoulder. "Well, I did. But you loved Archie."
"Thought I loved Archie. I never did, Jug. You need to know that I never loved him. It was a crush, a childhood fantasy, but I woke up. You woke me up. It wasn't real." She clasp his hand to her heart. "This is real."
"Yes, it is," he said. He kissed the back of her hand. "Wanna sleep over? This couch pulls out into a bed."
"What will Archie say if you're not asleep in his room tomorrow morning?"
"Believe me, he's not going to care. What would Alice think if you're not in your MIA at 7 a.m. breakfast?"
"She's asleep. Just set an alarm. I'll sneak back in before she wakes up."
They both stood and Jughead unfolded the bed and pulled blankets and pillows out of a trunk sitting near the old drum set. He made up the bed, and they both got under the covers.
"Honestly, it's weird how much my mother likes you. She never liked any of Polly's boyfriends, you know how she felt about Jason, and she hates Archie."
"Wow. Alice Cooper's seal of approval. That's impressive. FP likes you, too." Jughead thought of the other day when he'd kissed Betty in front of everyone in the hallway at school and what Veronica had said to him. He laughed out loud.
"What?" Betty asked.
"To quote Veronica, 'everyone ships us so hard'," he said, and it made Betty giggle, too.