Chapter 9: two hearts, I couldn't resist
Two hearts, I couldn't resist the charm
Wasn't right, wandering the streets at night
We tried, got me lookin' everywhere
Hard road, tell me who you are
I can be your gentle boy
Caught up in the city lights
It's alright, ten minutes till the sunrise
Romanticist – Yves Tumor
Jughead stretched out over the bed late on Sunday morning, the sun streaming through the window glinting over his face and bare chest.
He reached out his arm to grope for Betty, surprised when he came up with only the mattress.
Opening his bleary eyes, he realized the room was empty. He blinked several times, looking around, finally zeroing in on a folded piece of paper on the night table with her handwriting.
"Hey Juggie, I'll be back soon," it read, a heart scribbled underneath.
He smiled broadly, laying back against the sheets for a brief moment, before forcing himself with a yawn to get up.
Already clad in a pair of blue plaid boxers, he slipped the S t-shirt on. Betty had worn it most of yesterday and had left it hanging over the vanity seat. He inhaled its scent, the shirt now a mixture of both their natural musks.
As he sauntered into the bathroom, his thoughts floated to how amazing the day before had been.
They'd woken up to the mid-morning sunshine entangled together in her bed, Jughead having spooned her for most of the night.
After turning her around to make out lazily for a few minutes, they reluctantly got up to brush their teeth, knowing they couldn't hide in her room for long with Archie and Veronica around.
He put on the pajama pants she'd brought for him the night before, while she slipped on shorts under his t-shirt. Jughead could see by the way her tongue was nervously peeking out of her mouth that she was debating if to keep his shirt on or change into something else, for fear Archie would recognize it.
"Leave it," he murmured, stroking her arm to reassure her. "I want to take you out of it later."
She blushed at his provocative words, offering him a grateful smile for saying the right thing to soothe her anxiety.
They padded down the stairs together to find Archie and Veronica drinking coffee and reading the weekend edition of the newspaper in the kitchen. Well, Veronica was reading. Archie was searching the sports section for the box scores.
The brunette took one look at them as they entered and immediately knew, but she still arched an eyebrow at Jughead for affirmation.
He nodded subtly, unable, though, to keep the smugness out of his eyes.
Veronica rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. "Archiekins," she purred, reaching over to touch his wrist. "Once the cleaning crew is finished next door, we have to meet my parents for a luncheon in Greendale. And I think I'd like to sleep in my own bed tonight."
"Huh, whatever you say, Ronnie," Archie mumbled, his brow furrowing as he fumbled over the pages.
Jughead bit back a laugh as he reached for two mugs to pour coffee for Betty and himself.
"You owe me," Veronica mouthed to Jughead.
After what felt like an endless amount of time, the pair finally left and Jughead and Betty had the house all to themselves.
"What should we do?" she asked, peering at him demurely from beside the couch, surely in an effort to tease him.
"I have a few ideas," he smirked. These mostly involved Betty naked.
"I think I want to shower," she said, biting her lip.
"We should definitely do that," he said huskily, teasingly moving his mouth close to hers as if he wanted to kiss her, before grabbing her hand and leading her back up the stairs to her room.
The shower quickly devolved into a sexual romp. He undressed her as soon as they made it into the bathroom, pulling his own clothes off to boot, and practically throwing Betty under the water stream when they were both nude. His hands were soon clutching at her glistening skin, his mouth kissing down her body. As desperate as he was to have sex again, he was rightfully worried about her being sore and wanted to give her body some time to recover. But that didn't mean he couldn't provide her earth-shattering pleasure in the interim.
Which he very happily supplied.
With her back pressed against the steamy wet tiles. One long, smooth leg slung over his shoulder. His tongue stroking and sucking hungrily on her clit. Her body trembling, falling to pieces. Moaning his name like there was no tomorrow.
Yes, he could get used to this.
Including her finishing him off with a soapy handjob as the water ran cold.
The rest of the day was equally as perfect. Kissing, exploring each other, eating junk food, and watching old movies.
And as the sky inked to midnight black, he took her fully once again. Worshiping her body with endless kisses and caresses. Flipping them over and teaching her how to ride him at a dizzyingly slow pace. Filling her up until he was empty. Both of them collapsing breathless in the afterglow.
Jughead splashed water on his face to cool himself down, already turned on just thinking about them being together the previous night. He really needed to get his hormones in check with the weekend ending soon. As appealing as it sounded to hold Betty hostage in his bed for eternity, it was not exactly a feasible idea.
When he walked out of the bathroom, he could hear her light footsteps climbing up the stairs. He smiled as Betty came into the doorway, holding up a large takeaway bag from Pop's. She was dressed in dark pink overalls and a navy blue shirt with matching pink polka dots.
"Coffee and blueberry pie," she smiled, happy to find him awake. "I wanted to surprise you."
"My dream girl," he moaned, his stomach already rumbling. Blueberry was his favorite.
"Bring a towel," she requested, and he fetched her a spare one from the bathroom, as she set up a makeshift place setting on her floor.
He quickly devoured his slice of pie, only coming up for air to take a large sip of his black coffee.
"I have to say, Betts, I know I'm the first guy you gave an orgasm to, but to also bring me breakfast?" he teased, between gulps. "You spoil me."
Betty blushed. "Well, not exactly…" she trailed off.
"What?" he questioned, his eyebrow arching. It didn't necessarily change anything, but had she not been fully honest about her previous lack of sexual experience?
"I was making out with Trevor once and he…you know…in his pants," she explained, her face flaming.
Jughead sputtered out laughing, knowing it was mean to laugh at the poor kid's expense, but unable to help himself.
"Don't laugh," Betty chided. "He was really mortified."
His chuckling faded into a soft smile. He appreciated Betty's protectiveness, even for a guy who wasn't him. It just showed how caring she was.
"Sorry, that's just kind of embarrassingly sad," Jughead said, shaking his head.
"Why?" Betty said, her eyes gleaming in mild irritation now. "Are you so secure in your own sexual prowess that you don't think it could happen to you?"
Jughead smirked. "One, yes, I am that secure. I think I made you come, what was it, Betty, five times yesterday?" He winked naughtily at the blonde who was blushing furiously again, before adding, "And second, I know how to control myself."
"Really?" she batted her eyelashes. "You don't think I could get you that worked up?"
"You could try," he replied, his smirk widening. "But I don't think you'd succeed."
"Okay, let's test it out," Betty posed, never one to back down from a challenge.
"And how are we going to do that?" he asked, crooking up an eyebrow.
"Let's play a game," she said, turning it over in her mind. "The Riverdale Register trivia quiz. We'll do a strip version. Whoever gets an answer right, the other person has to remove an article of clothing."
Jughead laughed, assuming she must be joking. But the blonde was looking at him with a feisty glare.
"Wow, you're serious, okay," he said, still chuckling. "So what do I get if I take you up on this challenge and win?"
"The same thing you get if you lose," she sassed, her meaning obvious.
"Let me get dressed then," he said, his voice lowering, already feeling the slow burn of arousal in his stomach.
"I'll bring the paper," she told him. "You need four things on you to equal me."
"Got it," he breathed out.
Jughead threw on his black jeans from the night of the party, as well as the button-down over his t-shirt. When Betty returned, he'd cleaned up the remnants of their breakfast and sat waiting for her on the bed.
"Are you ready?" she asked, opening the paper to the correct page. "We'll take turns reading the questions."
He nodded hotly.
"Okay, here goes. Who is Captain America hitting on the cover of the first issue from 1941?"
"Easy," Jughead answered automatically, before Betty could even think about it. "Adolf Hitler."
"Of course, we'd start with a comic book question," Betty groused, unsnapping the overalls and shimmying them down her legs.
Jughead's chuckle died on his tongue as he caught sight of her lavender underwear with lace trim. He now knew there was at least one plus to Betty being dressed some of the time, namely discovering all the different bra and panty sets hiding underneath her clothes.
He blinked, trying to refocus. "What mysterious illness struck Europe between 1485 and 1551?" he read.
"Oh! The sweating sickness," Betty answered. "Thank you, childhood Tudor England obsession."
"You're such a dork," he ribbed, tossing off the button down.
She made a face at him. "No, because your comic book obsession isn't dorky at all."
Jughead stuck his tongue out at her. "Read the next question," he ordered.
"In what modern country is the city of Scopia located?" she read.
He shrugged while Betty looked on lost.
"Okay, geography, not our strong point," he laughed, taking the paper from her. "Which actress is known as the Swedish sphinx?"
Betty scrunched her face thinking, but Jughead already had the answer on his tongue. "Greta Garbo," he smiled.
"Darn it," Betty said, lifting off her shirt and revealing a matching bra.
"You getting cold there?" Jughead flirted, licking his lips at the sight of goosebumps rising on her exposed skin. God, she was sexy.
"You getting hard there?" she mimicked.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he teased. "Which literary heroine is the love interest of Edward Rochester?"
"Jane Eyre!" she practically shouted.
Jughead stood up to pull off his jeans. Betty smiled coquettishly at him as he sat back down, the tightness his jeans had managed to hide now painfully obvious with him just in his underwear.
"Concentrate," he ordered her, the wanton way she was looking at him way too distracting. His cock was already twitching.
"I think we messed up the order, though," Betty bit her lip.
"Just keep reading," he growled, hardening further. God, she really needed to stop it with those innocent pouts.
"Okay, okay," she simpered. "What famous actress appeared as a child in the 1943 movie 'Lassie Come Home'?"
"Elizabeth Taylor," he answered.
"I knew that," Betty protested, frowning.
"You snooze, you lose, baby," he quipped, before commanding, "Bra off."
Betty straightened her back, slowly unclasping the undergarment and letting it fall off her shoulders.
Jughead groaned as her gorgeous breasts came into view. He wanted to jump her already. He reached a hand up to squeeze one, but she caught his wrist before he could make contact with the silky skin.
"No touching," she warned him.
He sighed, turning back to the paper. "Which lover of Egyptian queen Cleopatra is buried next to her?" he read.
"Mark Antony," Betty said triumphantly. "You really can learn a lot from Shakespeare."
Jughead grumbled, throwing his t-shirt to the ground.
"And on that note," Betty giggled. "How old is Juliet in Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet'?"
"Not yet 14," Jughead mumbled before she could answer, his eyes staring greedily at Betty's perky breasts.
He really hoped her losing meant he could fuck her already.
Jughead watched expectantly as she took the waistband of her panties in her fingers, so entranced by the thought of Betty's imminent nakedness, that he didn't even notice or hear the doorknob turning. Or the voice calling the blonde's name.
All at once, though, Betty's sultry smile had transformed into a look of pure horror, her arms rushing up to cover her breasts.
"Mom," she yelped, "Don't you know how to knock?"
Jughead froze like a deer in headlights. Turning around was out of the question, even with his raging erection starting to soften at this very unwelcome intrusion. A string of curse words raced through his brain. Weren't they supposed to be in Vermont until the evening? Fuck! Why were they back so early? And without warning.
In his haze, he could hear Fred's disappointed voice next. "Both of you. Downstairs now. Dressed, please."
Jughead scrambled for his clothes, as a frantic Betty did the same. They didn't speak or even look at each other, the humiliation and awkwardness of the moment no match for words. Clad back in his jeans and t-shirt, he waited for Betty to finish getting dressed, before following her silently down the stairs.
Once they were all seated uneasily in the living room, Alice pounced.
"How long has this been going on?" she demanded.
Jughead looked toward Betty, not sure what the exact answer was, but deciding to go with what felt the most honest. "About two weeks," he mumbled.
"Are you having sex?" Alice challenged.
"Yes," Betty admitted, jutting her chin out.
"Oh, good lord," the woman cried, her voice a cross between a wail and a hiss. She looked as if she were about to hyperventilate. "What could you possibly be thinking, Betty!?"
Jughead inwardly groaned. Alice and her fucking theatrics.
"Don't act so shocked, Mom," Betty rolled her eyes. "I'm 18, for god's sake. And FYI, Archie has been bringing girls over here since he was 15 and I didn't see either of you doing anything about that. Double standard, much?"
"That's irrelevant, Elizabeth," Alice barked.
"How is that irrelevant?" Betty protested. "Do you know many girls he's slept with in the last five years?
"So many girls," Jughead grumbled, half to himself. "And just one me. Yet we're the ones having this talk."
He knew his wisecrack was less than helpful at the moment, but Betty still snickered in response, perking his heart up a little despite the supremely awkward situation they found themselves in. Alice, however, silenced them both with a withering glare.
Just as Fred looked as if he finally wanted to chime in, the front door opened and Veronica's voice rang out.
"Hello," she called, with absolutely zero subtlety, clearly to warn Jughead and Betty of the couple's return. "We're back."
Jughead couldn't help but facepalm his forehead. All hell was about to break loose.
Veronica stopped in her tracks as she ventured further into the house, noticing the four unamused faces staring back at her.
"Oh, uh, hi," Veronica squeaked out. He didn't think he'd ever seen the brunette look so ruffled.
"What's going on?" Archie asked obliviously, following her into the living room from the foyer.
Fred cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well," he started, before Alice steamrolled over him.
"Did you know this deviant has been sleeping with your sister while living under our roof?" Alice shrieked.
A heavy cloud descended on the room. Jughead felt as if he'd been slapped.
The word stung, more than he wanted to let on. He was tempted to walk straight out of the house. The only thing keeping him in place was the dismay he discerned in Betty's doe-like green eyes.
Instead he turned to the only weapon he'd ever had against feelings of inadequacy.
"Wow," he deadpanned. "Arriving at the insult portion of tonight's entertainment didn't take long."
The initial shock of the jibe subsiding, Betty's face contorted in fury at Alice. "What the hell is wrong with you, Mother?" she hissed. "How dare you say that about him?"
"Alice," Fred murmured, gripping his wife's wrist, a pained look on his face. "There's no need for that kind of talk. You can be upset without resorting to calling a 20-year-old kid names. Especially one we practically helped raise."
Never one to outright admit she was wrong, or god forbid apologize, Alice just nodded curtly and leaned back on the couch, not arguing.
Jughead sat very still, the rage smoldering inside him. It was taking everything in him to remain composed, the only bright spot being the thought of Betty's immediate impulse to defend him.
"Jughead is having sex with Betty?" Archie said after a beat, looking confused.
When no one else answered, Jughead forced himself to mutter, "Yes." He glanced down, afraid of meeting his best friend's eye.
"Are you kidding me?" the redhead screeched. "What the hell, man?"
Archie's irritation, even though he understood it was warranted on some level, just riled Jughead up further and made him feel even more defensive.
"Look, Arch, I'm sorry for how this is being sprung on you," Jughead stated, his voice maintaining a cool but defiant edge. "But I'm not sorry it happened…"
"That's your apology?"Archie interrupted. "How would you feel if I were hooking up with your sister, huh?"
"Well, considering JB's 13, I'd be very concerned," Jughead replied dryly, earning another snicker from Betty.
"So not the point, dude," Archie scowled.
Jughead folded his arms around himself and shrugged silently. This was an actual nightmare.
"Did you know, Ronnie?" Archie questioned, looking at his girlfriend, who seemed as if she were trying to shrink away from the room. "Is that why you were randomly saying yesterday they'd make a cute couple?"
"Well," Veronica said, attempting to sound diplomatic, clearly not interested in getting involved in the family's drama. "Perhaps I suspected."
Archie shook his head. "Unbelievable," he muttered, before turning his attention back to Jughead.
"Seriously, man, this is your brilliant idea of a rebound?" Archie lashed out. "You break up with Tabitha and decide to use my step-sister as some fling?"
Jughead was fed up at this point. "It's not a fling," he shouted. "I lo—I really care about Betty," he covered up, deflating onto the couch.
He looked down, his body buzzing angrily, peeking up once to see Fred grinning softly to himself, apparently the only one to have caught that slip of the tongue.
Before Archie and Alice could jump in with fresh accusations, Fred quietly took the reins. "Alright, that's enough," he declared evenly. "I think we should take some time to cool down. Clearly, this has surprised us all and nothing good will come of talking about it when everyone is this emotional."
"Whatever," Archie spat, grabbing Veronica's hand and preparing to head up the stairs.
"Fuck this," Jughead growled, not caring that his crass language was definitely another strike against him in Alice's book. "I have no reason to be here right now."
"Jug," Betty whispered, wordlessly pleading with him.
He could see the fear in her eyes that he would disappear, but he had to get out of this house. He needed air. Offering her the best he could manage of an apologetic grimace, he walked out.
Jughead rode his motorcycle aimlessly until he tired himself out, speeding through the suburban streets of Riverdale as fast as he could without getting arrested. It was then he made his way to Pop's. There was very little a cheeseburger and fries couldn't cure for him. Although this situation was a big ask. It wasn't quite as shitty as Betty not talking to him for two weeks, but it still felt pretty fucking bad.
He didn't know how long he sat in the booth, barely able to concentrate on the book he always kept stashed with him. But the sky was darkening when a familiar figure approached.
"Hey," Archie said, looking somewhat contrite.
"Hey," Jughead replied, his body tensing. He really hoped the ginger wasn't there looking for a fight. He didn't think he had it in him.
"Thought I might find you here," he muttered. "Can I sit?"
"It's a free country," Jughead quipped, refusing to meet his gaze.
He and Archie sat wordlessly across from each other in the booth for several excruciating minutes, not really looking at one another. Neither wanting to be the first to crack.
Finally, Archie spoke up. "What do you want me to say, bro? It's weird."
Jughead grunted. "Yeah…" he agreed.
"But," he continued, exhaling deeply, "I guess if my little sister is going to be with anyone, I'm glad it's my best friend. Someone I know is a good guy."
"Seriously?" Jughead asked, looking up hopefully.
"Yeah, you bonehead," Archie sniggered. "And they say I'm the slow one."
"Thanks, Arch. Really," he said, finally meeting the ginger's eyes.
Archie nodded his welcome.
"So should I even ask how it's going at the house?" Jughead questioned after a beat. His fingers tore off a napkin from the stand and began shredding it to pieces.
"Not gonna lie, it was kind of a shitshow for a while," Archie informed him. "Betty burst into tears when you left. And then Dad basically reamed Alice out for what she called you." He looked away for a moment, his voice lowering. "Also me, a little. Said I should think about what's really bothering me and if it's just hurt pride you didn't tell me. Because it's obvious you're head over heels for her…"
"Is Betty okay?" he asked worriedly, ignoring for the moment the rest of Archie's revelation.
"She's fine," he assured. "Veronica managed to calm her down."
"Okay," Jughead said, relaxing slightly.
"So I guess you are then…like, really into Betty?" the ginger asked.
"Yes," Jughead answered quietly. "I have been for a long time."
"You should have just said something, man," Archie sighed.
His best friend had him there.
"I know," he flinched. "I'm sorry, Arch. But in my defense, I thought you'd go ballistic. And I didn't think I was good enough for her."
"You're not," Archie chortled.
"But you just said…"
"And I meant it," Archie ribbed. "What? You think I'm good enough for Veronica? Hell no. But what does that matter? If the girl you like likes you back, then isn't that supposed to be enough?"
Jughead smirked. Of course, Archie had the simplest answer all along.
"You know, you're more perceptive than people realize," he commended.
"Perceptive as in perception?" Archie asked in confusion, obviously ruining his moment of glory.
Jughead laughed, shaking his head. "So is it safe to come back?"
"Alice calmed down. I think she even feels bad," Archie relayed. "Betty showed her the open box of condoms, so at least she 98% knows you didn't knock her precious daughter up."
"Fuck," Jughead winced.
"I thought it was funny," Archie supplied.
"You would," Jughead groaned.
They chuckled together.
"We good, man?"
"We're good," Archie reassured him. "Although if you hurt her, I will actually kill you."
"Noted," Jughead smiled.
"Come on, bro," Archie said, rising. "Let's go home."
Later that night, following several hours of clearing his mind playing video games with Archie, he made his way back to his room. After a quick shower, he settled into bed in a clean t-shirt and boxers. Book in hand, he prepared to read a little before drifting off to sleep.
A few minutes after settling into the covers, Jughead heard a soft knock on the door. He looked up to find Betty in the doorway of the adjoining bathroom, wearing that skimpy pink pajama set. His eyes immediately warmed at seeing her, his lips turning up slightly.
He planned to knock on her door when he returned to the house with Archie, but Veronica had apparently convinced Betty to go to the mall with her and Kevin in an effort to lift her spirits. While initially disappointed, part of him was also relieved, sensing they both still needed some time apart to process everything that had happened. His heart couldn't help but brighten, though, at the transfixing sight of her now.
"Hi," she murmured.
"Hey you," he murmured back.
"I'm really sorry about earlier," she said, coming to perch next to him on the bed.
"It's not your fault," he replied, offering her another smile to let her know he wasn't mad. Alice owed him an apology, but he could get over that.
Betty smiled back, gingerly taking the back of his hand in hers, her thumb running circles over his open palm.
"I was worried you might have second thoughts," she whispered.
"I think I'm far too invested in you, kid," Jughead teased.
"Really?" she asked, her green eyes beaming.
"Really."
"How invested?" she questioned, leaning her body in toward him, inhaling his scent before leaving a lingering kiss on his neck.
"Enough to ask you to be my girlfriend," he said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
Jughead knew it was kitschy, but he figured Betty deserved a romantic moment like this. Making things official.
The blonde smiled in delight. "Jughead Jones's girlfriend. It has a nice ring to it."
"Doesn't it just?" he smirked. "Not bad for a deviant."
"Jug," she chastised.
"Hey, I don't mind being called that," Jughead winked at her. "If my girlfriend is just as deviant when no one else is watching."
The heated blush on Betty's cheeks told him everything he needed to know.
"Lock the doors, Betts," he ordered huskily. "I think you owe me for what got so rudely interrupted before."
Betty bit her lip, following her boyfriend's instructions for the rest of the night to the letter.