Betty stepped out of the car, her confidence faltering. She'd been to the Twilight before when she was younger, but it had been awhile. She noticed a few cars facing the screen in the distance. The only structure of any kind she could see was the poorly lit concession stand. She started to walk in that direction, her feet screaming at her for wearing heels on gravel. As she approached she saw a side door, a piece of paper taped to it. The words "Projection room" were written on it. She knocked softly.

"What is it now, Fangs?" she heard his irritated voice ask before the door yanked open. She nearly fell backward from the impact, but then she felt his muscular arm pulling her upright and steadying her.

Almost immediately, though, his arm was back by his side and his face had an unreadable expression. He seemed shocked into silence. Betty was also quiet, unsure of what to say. She felt herself turning red as Jughead continued to stare at her, trying to process her presence.

"Sorry," he finally said, breaking the silence. "I thought you were Fangs with another goddamned question about how to make popcorn."

"It's okay," she murmured.

"Here, come in," he said, ushering her inside the small room.

He watched her closely as she couldn't help but inspect her surroundings. Although they were in what was supposed to be the theater's projection room, there was something quintessentially Jughead about it. Aside from the requisite film equipment and stool, there were touches of him all over the room. A poster for North by Northwest, her favorite Hitchchock movie, she noted, hung on the wall. Under it was a small table and chair with what she recognized as Jughead's laptop. Next to the laptop was a small pile of books. His Serpents jacket hung lazily from the back of the chair. Against the adjoining wall, there was a twin-sized cot covered in a checkered blanket. She wondered if he slept there sometimes.

She felt his eyes on her and she turned around to face him, offering a weak smile. She hoped the dried tears she'd tried to clean off her face in the school bathroom weren't obvious. Even if they were, he didn't seem to notice. He looked so taken with her, as if gazing at the most entrancing painting in a museum he could never touch.

"Betty," he said, his voice a tortured sigh. "You're so beautiful."

Her smile widened briefly at his compliment, but she quickly dissolved into tears as the events of the evening overwhelmed her. She erupted into sobs, her body shuddering. For a moment, overcome, she almost forgot Jughead was there, until she felt his strong arms reaching around her. The flannel shirt he wore unbuttoned warmed her exposed arms and she sunk into his embrace. He held her tightly as she cried and cried.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay. Let it out," he whispered to her, leaving a ghost of a kiss against her hair.

After God knew how many minutes of her body shaking with sobs, she could feel her tears start to subside and her body go limp in his arms. Holding onto her with one arm, he turned the chair around from the table and gently sat her down on it. He removed the flannel shirt from his frame and wrapped it around her. It left him in a simple black T-shirt. Even gulping down tears, Betty couldn't help but admire his biceps from the corner of her eye. God, she was so gone for him.

"Can I get you something?" he asked softly. "Do you want water?"

She shook her head, not trusting her voice yet.

He grabbed the stool from the projector desk and placed it across from her and sat as well, his blue eyes gazing at her gently. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She placed her head in her hands and tried to rub away the leftover tears. She didn't know where to start. She was afraid to open herself to him, but, if possible, even more scared of hiding. She wanted to tell him. She wanted him to know. All the ugly parts of her. Everything she was ashamed of.

Betty lifted her head and opened her eyes. He was watching her, his face kind and patient. So different from the intimidating Jughead he presented to the world, but who she knew he was underneath it all. It relaxed her a little.

"My mom…" her voice broke, but he nodded at her encouragingly and she continued. "Two years ago, my parents sent my sister away when they found out she was pregnant. I don't know where. I haven't seen or heard from her since. Afterwards, they became like people I didn't recognize. Cold. Unloving. My mom started to nitpick me all the time, and it's only gotten worse since then. Nothing I do is good enough. How I dress, how I look, my friends, my grades. I'm inadequate in her eyes."

She stopped, afraid of the anger edging into her voice. She could feel herself spiraling into an emotion she normally tamped down with self-harm and never let herself feel all the way. She looked at Jughead, feeling helpless. Why was it so hard for her to be open, to talk about how she was feeling? Was she emotionally stunted?

"You're okay, Betty," he reassured her. "I'm listening. When you're ready."

She nodded and carefully shrugged off his flannel, hot from the anger that had started to bubble. "I started dating Jason not long after. At first it was good. I thought he cared about me. But then he started becoming…different, aggressive. With other people, he acts like I'm some trophy to show off. But when we're alone, he criticizes me all the time, and he's controlling of how I dress and who I hang out with. I tried a few times to end it, but…" she lets her voice trail away. She could sense the fury radiating off Jughead's body, even though he was trying to control himself for her sake. Even after only six weeks of friendship, she could read him so well. And something about his reaction clicked in her mind. There was so much wrong with her relationships with these two people. She didn't want to call them abusive, but she knew that element was there.

"Tonight, I…I was just so tired," she continued, letting herself be swept away by the sadness and anger, talking in a trance, eyes fixed on the wall behind him. "I worked so hard on the dance and the newspaper and cheerleading. I worked so hard for everything to be perfect. Which everyone expects me to deliver. All the time. And I came downstairs in this dress and I actually thought I looked pretty. I thought I'd done well. And then my mom said I was fat and Jason agreed and said I had time to lose weight before his senior prom. I tried to be okay, but when we got to the dance, he said the decorations looked like shit. And I lost it. I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't pretend to be perfect for them. I'm nowhere close to perfect."

She looked into his eyes and repeated herself, "I'm not perfect, Jughead."

"No one is, Betty. Absolutely no one," he answered her, his voice deadly serious.

She closed her eyes momentarily and when she opened them, he was still watching her intently. She knew she needed to show him everything. She turned her hands over, palms up and watched his face. At first, he seemed confused, but then when he understood the half-moon markings to be scars, she saw a look of recognition cross over his face.

"Oh, Betty," he sighed, and she could swear she saw his eyes grow misty.

"I hurt myself, Jughead," she whispered. "When I can't take it from them anymore. When it all becomes too much to bear. It's so ugly. It's vile, but I can't stop. I know there's something wrong with me."

"Betty," he said, stepping down from the stool he sat on and kneeling at her feet. He took her hands in his and then she felt it. His soft mouth was kissing each of the scars on her hands, lingering on tonight's fresh marks, stained in crimson. He looked up at her, his hands still wrapped in hers. "There is nothing wrong with you," he stressed. "There is something seriously wrong with the way your mom and Jason treat you, but that's…." he let the thought trail off, afraid of saying too much and pushing her away. He changed gears. "There's nothing ugly about you, especially not this. It's real. I wish…I wish you didn't feel you had to hurt yourself, but I understand. Is there a way I can help you?"

"I don't know," she said between sniffles. Of course, she had started to tear up again at how sweet and considerate he was being. She didn't deserve it.

"How about when you think you want to hurt yourself, you call me or text me and we'll talk until you feel better and that you don't have to anymore. Would that be okay?"

She nodded, simultaneously letting the few stray tears fall. They trickled down her face onto their hands, still entwined. He wiped them away gently with his thumb. "Good," he said. "Good girl."

Although perhaps some would consider his words infantilizing, she appreciated he understood her intrinsic need to be praised. It comforted her, but also created a warm fizzy feeling in her stomach that was decidedly less than innocent. She was acutely aware he was still holding her hands, still kneeling before her, and against her better judgment she leaned forward. He unbent his knees slightly to meet her lips, and then they were kissing. His lips were soft, consoling. She could feel them both rising, him holding her steady. She placed her hands on his face and deepened the kiss, opening her mouth to his warm, velvety tongue. His hands reached out to the nape of her neck and climbed upwards, lost in her golden locks. She moaned into his mouth, and she felt his lips curve into a smile against her. He moved his mouth to her jaw, leaving a trail of kisses until he found her neck. He kissed up languidly, as she felt herself melt into him. She had never felt this loose, as if her whole body was butter ready to liquefy into a puddle for this boy's touch.

"Jug," she said, breathlessly, hardly able to think as he began to suck the pulse point on her neck. "I like you. I like you so much, but Jas…oohhh." Before she could finish the thought, he had nipped her skin with his teeth, before soothing the inflamed spot with his wet tongue.

"I don't care about him," he said, pulling away and fixing his stare on her. His eyes were dark with desire and his voice definitive. "I only care about you."

Her face broke into what she felt may have been the most genuine smile she'd felt in a while and he smiled back at her, his lips twisting into that irresistible smirk. She felt like she couldn't breathe at how sexy he was. Moving toward her, he wrapped his arms around her, flush against his body, in a tight hug. He didn't let go, not that she tried to resist or break away, and he began to murmur into her ear, his voice low but filled with liquid heat.

"I was attracted to you the minute I saw you in the Blue & Gold office, Betty. And then we became friends, and I just fell deeper. You've been consuming my thoughts for weeks. I know you're with him, and have your reasons, but I don't care. I want you any way I can have you. If that's what you want."

She looked up at him, her green eyes bright and glassy, communicating the "yes" to him without saying a word.

His lips were immediately on hers and now there was nothing soft or gentle about them. He kissed her hotly, passionately, as if time were running out. She responded with his urgency, opening her mouth to him and letting his ravenous tongue enter to duel with hers. She felt like she couldn't get enough of him. She needed to taste every part of his mouth, every bud on his velvety tongue. He needed the same, practically devouring her. She ran her hands through the back of his hair as she moved her body over his, until his thigh was between the flowy fabric of the dress covering her legs. It temporarily relieved the friction she felt in her center, but she needed more. She kissed him harder, clutching her hands into his back muscles, and she could feel him hardening through his jeans, pressed against her leg. She instinctively rolled her body to rub against his arousal and he growled in response.

"I want you," he mumbled gruffly against her lips, moving them back down to her neck, working the same spot he'd found before. Betty shuddered against him, the want between her legs growing. Simultaneously, he reached behind her and expertly unzipped the fabric down her back. His hands moved up to her shoulders, silkily brushing the straps down her arms until the dress pooled at her feet. Betty felt the chill against her now exposed body, covered only in a matching nude strapless bra and bikini-style panties. Jughead stepped back slightly and appraised her body, his eyes wild with hunger for her. "Fuck, you're so sexy, Betts," he nearly gasped in awe.

Betty felt herself flushing, both embarrassed by his compliment and turned on. He smiled slyly, before kissing her again. Her body, already so aroused, gave into him, clutching at his arms and trying to alleviate the wetness pooling in her underwear, which was begging for relief, by mingling her legs with his. Her mind, however, had started hyperventilating. It was all happening so fast. And she needed a moment to breathe, to collect herself.

"Jughead, wait," she said panting, forcing herself to break their kiss.

He scanned her face, his eyes making sure she was alright. "Do you want to slow down?" he asked gently, his voice a total 180 from the sexy and demanding tone he'd spoken with not 30 seconds before.

"Yes, I…" she stepped away from his embrace, shivering at the sudden lack of contact she'd created. "I've just…I've never…gone all the way," she admitted.

"You and him never…?" he asked, the question hanging in the air. She was pleasantly surprised his tone was simply questioning, not judgmental.

She shook her head. "He decided I'd lose my virginity to him at his prom this year." She felt ashamed for some reason.

"He decided?" Jughead asked, and she could see him gritting his teeth.

"When I was younger, barely 15, I think I said something about how it seemed romantic to me. Obviously, it was silly. But he ran with it and wouldn't let it go. I guess maybe it's just another controlling tactic. For him to decide when something concerning my body happens. He seems to enjoy me being 'pure,' too," she said, using finger quotes around the word.

Jughead shook his head back and forth several times. She could tell he was offended on her behalf but was watching his words so as not to upset her. In truth, it's not like she needed another reminder tonight of how awful her boyfriend was. Feeling chilly and embarrassed in just her underwear, she grabbed his flannel shirt from the chair and looked to him for approval. He wordlessly nodded and she wrapped it around her. She took a seat on the cot and bent down to remove her uncomfortable heels. She watched him watch her, waiting for him to say something. A few moments later, he sat beside her and took her hand in his, tracing circles on her palm.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want, Betty," he promised.

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "How many girls have you been with?" she asked, quietly, afraid of being intrusive.

He didn't seem surprised or upset by the question. "Three," he responded, matter-of-factly.

"Who?"

"Trula Twyst, Sabrina Spellman, and Debbie Dalton," he replied, naming a few girls from around their age from both the sides of Riverdale.

"You like blondes," she teased, and he laughed. "So three," she repeated to herself, a small hint of worry crossing her face. He seemed to notice.

"Does that upset you?" he asked genuinely, his finger still dancing against her palm.

"No, of course not. It's just...if we do it, what if...I don't want to disappoint you."

Jughead smiled and gave her a warm chuckle. "Nothing you could do would disappoint me, unless maybe you told me never to touch you again."

Betty smiled back at him. "No, I definitely would never tell you that."

"Yeah?" he asked, a hopeful glint in his eye. So may I kiss you again?"

She nodded and he leaned toward her, catching her lips in his. His tongue stroked her lips, sliding between them tortuously slow. She sank into the kiss, letting his tongue explore her mouth once again. In response, she inched her body closer toward his and he guided her further back on to the cot, so his back neared the wall. Instinctively, she hooked her arms around his neck and moved her body toward him, straddling him, her ass grazing against his jean-clad legs as she settled into position. He groaned appreciatively, and grabbed onto her back, running his fingers over the bare skin, under his flannel she wore. She squeezed her knees around him, her center, covered only in a distinctly damp pair of underwear, connecting with his stomach. He was hard again in an instant.

"Can I take this off?" he asked, his hands now underneath the flannel, nearing her shoulders. She nodded, and he discarded the shirt, leaning to kiss down from her neck to the swell of her breasts. Her heart was beating so fast and she could feel her body shudder at each wet caress he left on her skin. He looked up from kissing the valley leading to between her breasts and smiled. "Your bra, too?" he asked, hesitating slightly. She nodded again, and his hands expertly unhooked the strapless bra, letting it fall behind her. "Shit, Betts," he said, moving his hands to slowly cup her round, full breasts. "You're stunning." He ran small circles over her nipples, watching them harden into pebbles, before taking them one at a time in his mouth and sucking gently, releasing each nipple with a soft kiss.

"That feels nice, Jug," she moaned, her eyes fluttering open and shut from the sensations of pleasure. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders with each kiss and she could feel her center twinging, desperate for attention. As if sensing she needed more, he brought his hands to her ass and gently laid her backwards on the cot. He pressed his body into hers and Betty clutched him closer, running her hands over his back and slowly lifting up his black T-shirt. He hoisted it over his head and threw it toward the middle of the room. Betty looked up and admired his body. He was lean and toned, but not too brawny. Exactly as she liked. Tentatively, she ran her fingers across his stomach muscles, leaning up to kiss his neck and find the spot he liked. He sucked in his breath when she found it and let her suck on him for a few minutes, before directing her mouth back to his and kissing her fervently. On impulse, she moved her legs around him and could feel her wet heat rubbing against the erection in his jeans. She didn't want it to end, but Jughead broke away, his eyes flashing with lust.

"I want to make you feel good, Betty. Do you want that too?" he asked gruffly.

"Yes," she all but moaned. Jughead carefully slid his body down hers, positioning himself between her legs. He trailed a finger over her stomach, teasing her belly button and then skimming over the top of her underwear. His fingers moved to her bikini line, slowly dancing over the sensitive skin of her upper thigh. Betty whined under him, craving to feel him on her. In the few times she'd touched herself, she'd never imagined a feeling of want this overpowering. She was desperate. "Please touch me," she whispered. Slowly he let his finger dip below the waistline of her panties. Betty let out a shaky breath as his finger finally came in contact with her silky wet center. He let his finger linger over her wetness before lifting slightly and running small circles over her clit. Letting his thumb take over stroking her clit, he moved his finger back toward her entrance and eased it inside. He pushed in and out, leisurely, as Betty started to squirm in pleasure under him. Stilling his movements, he lifted his hand out from her underwear and dragged the soaked fabric down her long, gorgeous legs. Naked in front of him, Betty didn't feel even a little bit self-conscious. He was looking at her like he was the luckiest person in the world to see her this way.

"So so beautiful," he murmured, before moving back up to her center, this time positioning his mouth there. He pressed a soft kiss on her clit and Betty felt her soul leave her body. His mouth was so warm, so tender. She'd never felt anything like it. The ache between her legs was almost painful and she moaned, trying to shift her lower body deeper into his mouth. He acceded, slowly licking up the heat pouring out of her center. The pleasure was intense, earth-shattering. Her whole body was tingling as he lapped up her juices. She could feel little spasms through her body, intensified when he stopped licking her opening and began to softly suckle her swollen clit.

"Oh my God, Jughead, oh my God," she gasped, as his tongue stroked back and forth against her clit. Betty moaned and writhed under his mouth, her fingers grasping onto his hair as her body became unable to handle the sensation. Sensing her incoming orgasm, Jughead reached up and grabbed one of her hands, interlacing her fingers with his own and holding tight. His mouth sucked harder against her clit, and Betty felt herself coming apart, wave after wave of pleasure washing over her. She cried out, clutching his hand in desperation as her body convulsed again and again until it was totally spent.

"Oh, Jug," she sighed when she could finally breathe again. He smiled up at her, and kissed her clit gently once more, before making his way back up her body. He rested his forehead momentarily against hers before kissing her again. She eagerly responded. She could taste herself on him, and there was something so erotic about it, yet so intimate. She wanted more. She wanted all of him.

Moving to kiss her neck, Jughead slid off her slightly, sidling up to her side. She could feel him, still hard, against the curve of her ass. "Was it good for you?" he asked, unable to hide the whiff of a smirk in his voice. Obviously, he already knew it had been incredible.

Betty turned to face him and kissed her assent. Breaking away, she looked him deep in the eye, her voice serious. "Jughead, I want you, too."

The teasing tone he'd had before disappeared as he understood what she was asking for. She could sense his excitement and want for her, but also a nervousness too. "Are you sure?" he asked, just as serious.

Betty nodded. "I want to. With you."

Jughead smiled, a bright dazzling smile that made his sapphire eyes shine. He kissed her then, hovering above her, touching every part of her body he could get his hands on. Her face, and then her neck, her breasts, her stomach, her thighs. She kissed back, running her hands up and down his chest, letting him admire her body. His hand once again found her center and he dipped a finger in, groaning when he felt how aroused she still was. "You're so wet for me, baby, so ready," he said, and if it were possible, his words just made her even more so.

Stepping off the cot, he unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, his eyes never leaving hers. He pulled his jeans and boxers down, freeing himself and Betty gasped at how beautiful he was nude. She reached out hesitantly to touch his cock, and he nodded. She glided her hand slowly up and down, relishing in the taut, smooth skin. Jughead groaned, hid head rolling back, melting into her touch for a few moments, before placing his hand over hers and slowing her movements. He bent down toward his jeans and extricated a small foil condom from the wallet in his back pocket. Betty watched him carefully as he ripped it open and rolled it over his length. He hovered back over her, and Betty spread her legs wider, readying herself for him. He looked down at her and caringly caressed her face.

"You're sure?" he asked again.

"Yes," she whispered, smiling up at him. He smiled back and slowly eased himself inside her. He filled her up and Betty felt her body stretching to accommodate him. While the feeling was strange, it wasn't uncomfortable or weird. It felt almost natural and only something her body had to momentarily adjust to.

"Stop me if it hurts," he said, kissing her ear tenderly.

"I'm fine," she responded, kissing his neck. "You can move."

Jughead slowly began to rock inside her, gently moving in and out. Betty impulsively wrapped her legs around him, and Jughead ground into her just a tinge harder and deeper hitting a spot that had Betty moaning softly and lifting her body to meet his thrusts. He continued to move faster and faster, kissing her as he did. She held onto his back, trying her best not to dig her fingernails too deeply into him. He felt so good inside her, like he was filling up some absence in her that she didn't know was missing. She wanted to hang onto that feeling for as long as she could. She kissed him deeper, opening her mouth to feel his tongue. He thrust inside her faster, his movements becoming choppier and their kisses sloppier, and she knew he was about to climax. Letting out a guttural groan, Jughead jerked several times, before exploding inside her. She held onto him as his body shook and then as he came down, wanting him to stay inside her. He rested his forehead against hers for several moments, catching his breath, before kissing her softly.

After about a minute, he finally rolled over her and got up, disposing of the condom quickly, before coming back over to the cot. She sat up and looked at him. He placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled kindly at her. "How are you?"

She smiled back, but suddenly she felt like crying again. It wasn't that she was unhappy, in fact the opposite. She was so happy she'd been with Jughead. But she felt this sadness she couldn't explain. This sense of uncertainty about what was to happen now. "I'm okay," she said, although she could feel her voice betraying her.

"I know," Jughead said, contemplatively, leaning down to disentangle his boxers from his pants and putting them back on. He also grabbed his phone out of his jeans and placed it on the table near the bed. Finally, he reached for the flannel that had slipped to the floor and placed it around her, buttoning up a few of the buttons. He sat back down on the cot and held her against his chest. She could feel his heart beating. "It's a lot. It makes sense to be overwhelmed."

She looked back at him. "You're amazing though."

Jughead smiled. "You too, Betty. You're everything."

They lay down together, wrapped in the threadbare blanket covering the cot. He held her against him, staring up at the ceiling, as her head nestled in the crook of his neck. She felt safe next to him and her exhaustion from the day started to overtake her easily. As her eyes started to close, she heard him say he wanted to play her something. She nodded sleepily, as the strands of Elliot Smith's Twilight rang out from his phone. She fell asleep in his arms as the lyrics of the song played over in her head.

You don't deserve to be lonely

But those drugs you got won't make you feel better

Pretty soon you'll find it's the only

Little part of your life you're keeping together

I'm nice to you, I could make it through

That you're already somebody's baby

I could make you smile if you stayed a while

But how long will you stay with me baby?