I know this chapter is totally seasonally inappropriate, but by the time I got to post it with the rest of the holidays related chapters I got stuck on it and my life got busy. Fear not though, while I'm working on several projects at once, this series is back and hopefully will be updated more often again.
"I love Ronnie, but I'm so glad she's not here to drag us to some party," Betty says as she snuggles into Jughead's side. It's New Year's Eve and for the first time since they've met Veronica they aren't attending or being coerced into co-hosting a New Year's Eve party. Since neither of them are big on parties they both greatly appreciate it.
"Kudos to Archie for surprising her with that trip to Paris. Though he does make me feel bad about our furthest trip today being to pick up Chinese." Jughead closes his eyes with a sigh. While he's perfectly content with spending most of his free time in their Brooklyn apartment, he wishes he could give Betty more. Show her more. But he's not an heir to any kind of empire, nor is his career growing as quickly as Archie's.
"Hey." Betty places a hand on his cheek, gently turning his face towards her to meet her gaze. She doesn't have to ask to know what he's thinking about. They've had this conversation enough times already. He thinks he ought to give her more. She thinks his presence is the best thing he could give her. "Eating delicious Chinese food while cuddled up underneath a blanket with my husband or spending one of the busiest days of the year far away from home surrounded by hordes of drunk strangers? I can't even pretend to hesitate which one I'd choose." She smiles up at him, letting him know she's more than happy with the way things are. Her mother has always tried to push her into being more sociable and while interacting with people she barely knows is much easier for her than it is for Jughead, most of the time she still prefers spending a quiet evening in with him and maybe their closest friends. Sure, she wouldn't turn down a trip to Paris, but she also doesn't long for it. As long as Jughead is in Brooklyn, it's her favorite place to be.
"We've been married for less than half a year and already sound like an old married couple." He lets out a low chuckle and while he likes to joke about it, poke fun at how they don't seem to fit in with the other couples their age, he loves it. There have been people questioning their relationship, their decision to get married so young. Some were even downright rude, asking how they could know their love is real when they've never been in a relationship with someone else. But Jughead tries to ignore those people. They're probably just jealous that he found the love of his life at sixteen.
"Oh, Juggie, we've been living together for seven years. We were an old married couple long before we were even married." Betty giggles and presses a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. Much like Jughead, she doesn't let herself get bothered by other people's opinions on their relationship. In fact, a small but petty side of her wants to shove it in their faces. "I'm sorry you haven't found your true love, Jane. I know you've been trying really hard in your past ten relationships," she wants to say, but doesn't. Instead, whenever someone starts questioning her relationship with Jughead, she just gives them a wide smile and a cheerful "Aren't we lucky?".
"Marrying you was the best decision I've ever made," Jughead whispers against her lips, his fingers playing with that tiny wisp of hair that escaped her loose bun.
"Well of course it was. I helped you make it." She giggles again.
"You can't let me take the credit for it, can you?" he teases and pokes her in the ribs, making her squirm and laugh.
"Of course not. I'm trying to keep you humble." Betty grins up at him and he leans down to kiss her, but she quickly pulls away. "Thirty seconds!" she exclaims, her eyes suddenly focusing back on the countdown on TV.
Of course. Jughead laughs to himself. No matter when and where they're spending their New Year's Eve, Betty insists on a perfectly timed New Year's kiss. He doesn't know how it differs from the thousands of kisses throughout the year, but it seems to matter to her. And of course, everything that matters to Betty matters to Jughead. So he quietly watches the people on Time Square count down until the famous ball drop, while Betty squeezes his hand in excitement, murmuring the numbers under her breath.
As the big number on the screen changes from six to five, Betty turns towards her husband, placing her hands on the sides of his face, looking up at him with adoration and love. So much love. And then, just as everyone on TV starts yelling Happy New Year, she presses a kiss to his lips. At first slow and tentative, much like the first time they kissed, then deep and passionate, pushing her tongue into his mouth. A low moan escapes his throat as she threads her fingers through his hair and his hands are just about to slip under her sweater when she pulls away again.
"Happy new year, Juggie," she whispers with the widest possible smile and Jughead thinks it must be infectious because he finds himself grinning from ear to ear as well. Maybe there is something special about New Year's kisses after all. Even though they seem to end too quickly.
"Happy new year, Betts," he replies in an equally hushed tone.
"Let's look at the fireworks!" she exclaims, jumping from the couch and hurrying towards the window and despite not wanting to leave his very comfortable position in front of the TV and wanting to continue where they left off, Jughead follows her. He'd follow her anywhere and she knows it.
When he was younger, Jughead used to hope that the New Year would bring a change. Maybe this year his parents would stop yelling at each other. Maybe this year his father would stop drinking. Maybe...
Eventually he understood that if you wanted things to change, you had to do something about it. The date in the calendar wouldn't help you with anything. Now, as he watches Betty's face illuminated by the fireworks going off behind their window, her eyes wide in excitement, he wishes the New Year doesn't bring any change. His life could hardly be better.
Betty leans into Jughead's embrace with a satisfied sigh. The fireworks above the Brooklyn Bridge are slowly stopping and she feels like the time is moving slower, as if allowing her to reminisce on the past year before diving into the new one. And what a year it was. Graduating college, marrying the most wonderful man she's ever met and starting a new chapter of her life with him. Through all the hardships of early adulthood, it's been the best year yet.
They stand there in comfortable silence, watching as the smoke from the fireworks disappears into the cold night air and Betty thinks time might be standing still for a moment when she feels Jughead's hand sneaking up underneath her shirt, lightly caressing her stomach. She doesn't say anything, prompting him to move his hand higher to get a reaction from her when she hears his husky voice and feels his lips brushing her ear, causing goosebumps to break out all over her body. "It's a new year, baby. Wanna start it with a bang?"
"Oh my god!" Betty throws her head back with laughter. "This is the worst pick-up line anyone has ever used on me." While the one and later two rings on her left hand prevent most guys from approaching her, there have been quite a few of them in the recent years who tried. She, of course, was quick to brush them off, but remained entertained by some of the futile attempts at presenting the most overused phrases as if they just invented them.
"Who exactly is trying to pick you up? I'd like to have a word with them." Jughead furrows his brows at the possibility of anyone trying to hit on Betty. While the idea of Betty "belonging" to him makes him feel like a caveman, she is his wife and had been his girlfriend for years before that. She's the love of his life and as long as she'll have him, god help anyone who would try to stand in the way of that.
"Are you jealous, Juggie?" Betty turns around and wraps her arms around his neck, smirking up at him. She knows he prides himself in not having to be jealous. Knowing that no matter what, he can trust her. And she'd never deliberately do anything to make him jealous. Now, however, the little flicker of jealousy she sees on his face excites her.
"No!" He shakes his head in denial, failing to persuade even himself and his hold on her waist tightens, an unusual wave of possessiveness coming over him. "I just don't want any creeps to bother my wife."
"It's okay if you are. It's actually kinda cute." Betty giggles and slowly runs her fingers through his hair, noticing the tension from his body quickly dissolve under her touch. "Just know that you never have to worry about other guys. You're mine and I'm yours. That's just the way it is," her voice is smooth and her finger running along his bottom lip is warm, yet it makes him shiver.
"Only mine," it's barely a whisper, but it doesn't matter whether she heard him, because when their lips touch, his kiss says it better than his words ever could. She is his and he is hers. Nobody else matters.
"Make me see fireworks, Juggie," she mutters between kisses, her fingers grabbing the hem of his shirt ready to pull it up, when he wraps his hands around her thighs, lifting her off the ground with ease.
"You won't be able to see anything after I'm done with you," he growls, hoping it comes out as seductive, but Betty bursts out in laughter once again, burying her face in Jughead's neck.
"You're such a dork," she says when she finally manages to take a breath again and she pulls away slightly, gazing into his blue eyes, now almost completely darkened with lust. "You're such a dork and I love you."
"I love you too, Betts," he replies with a wide grin that only reinforces Betty's words. He's a dork, but only for her. "Can I take you to bed now?"
"Yes, please," she almost squeals in anticipation and wraps her legs around his waist a little tighter. "But maybe leave the dirty talk to me, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am." Jughead nods as he carries her towards the bedroom and presses his lips to hers again, muffling another wave of her giggles. It might be a terrible pick-up line, but he still intends to start another great year with a bang.
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