Through the blinds on the single window in the motel room comes the light of the morning sun. Betty stretches her arms over her head, smiling contentedly as its warmth spreads over her face, bringing a red glow behind her eyelids. She turns her attention to the heat of Jughead's leg pressed firmly against hers beneath the blankets before curling into his side. The skin on his chest is cool against her cheek, a welcome contrast to the rising heat in the sun's rays.
"Jughead," Betty near shouts as she shoots upright in bed.
"What! What's wrong," he panics, jolting upright from a dead sleep.
"We overslept," she tells him as she hops out of bed to find her pants.
Jughead chuckles lazily and collapses back against the pillows.
"Scared the fuck outta' me," he mumbles into the crook of his elbow as it rests over his face.
"Well," she smirks, "Get up. I thought you were setting an alarm."
"I forgot," he shrugs, before propping himself up on an elbow and giving his hair a ruffle.
"You forgot," she challenges, knowing perfectly well he'd passed out immediately after they'd fucked for the third time last night.
"I blame you," he grins lazily, failing to duck out of the way of his jeans being thrown at his head.
Nearly an hour later, after dressing, play fighting, fucking, and redressing, Betty and Jughead finally make it to the front desk to check out of their room. Or rooms, to be precise, but one had gone entirely to waste. By the time they get on the road, it's just about lunch time. Given the hour, and the insatiable appetite Jughead worked up between last night and this morning, they don't make it far before stopping off at a burger joint. Jughead buys enough cheeseburgers to feed a small army, and they take it to go. They've already lost five hours of driving time and there's none to waste if they're going to make it to Kentucky on time.
After polishing off the bag of cheeseburgers, minus the one that Betty had eaten, Jughead looks entirely sated. His whole vibe is different, and Betty can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. In just a few short days, she's broken down his walls and there's a brightness about him she's never seen before. It suits him well.
As they drive down the interstate, Jughead's eyes flick in her direction every so often, and with it a slight upturn of his lips. Out of nowhere, he grabs her hand and tugs it to his lips, pressing a firm kiss to her knuckles before placing it back in her lap with a tender smile. Betty isn't entirely sure what exactly they are to each other, but she'll take his affections as he gives them.
Making up for lost time, they make few stops, and Jughead drives straight through the night. As the sun begins to break on the horizon, Betty is feeling a little worse for wear. She'd insisted on staying up with Jughead, and she's beginning to feel slightly motion sick with the sleepy dizziness fogging her head. The hum of tires on the pavement, vibrating through the cab begins to sound like a soothing lullaby, weighting her eyelids and forcing them closed.
"Betts," Jughead chuckles, startling her awake with a jolt. "Go to bed." He nods in the direction of the canvas divider, concealing the bed she knows to be far more comfortable than the front seat.
"I'm fine," she mumbles through a yawn, her eyes closing as her cheek slowly sinks into her propped knuckles.
"You can't even keep your eyes open," he laughs.
Betty pouts her lips, her eyes still closed, "I don't wanna."
Jughead shakes his head, letting a yawn of his own as she begins to slump down in her chair, her hair falling into her eyes as her head rolls to the side.
Pulling off at the next rest area, he runs inside to get himself an energy drink from the vending machine. When he gets back to the truck, he can't help but laugh at the crumpled girl snoring softly in her seat. He spends a few minutes getting the bed turned down and scoops Betty up in his arms. She stirs slightly, nuzzling into his neck and it fills him with a warmth like no other. Carefully, he lays her down and pulls the blankets up over her sleeping form. He pauses a moment, tucking her hair back behind her ear. She's absolutely breathtaking and he wonders what he ever did right in his life to deserve such a beautiful woman, no matter how brief whatever this is may be.
Eight hours, three energy drinks, and a large gas station coffee later, Betty finally stirs awake. As she rolls onto her side, she is entirely clueless as to where she is before the scent of the pillow beneath her head draws her back. She's still in the truck. In his bed?
"Juggy," Betty whines sleepily.
A fond smile touches his lips as he listens to her shift in bed.
"Juggy," she whines again.
"Yea baby," he calls, his voice raspy with exhaustion.
Betty smiles to herself at the nickname, having only ever heard him use it in bed. It gives her a bit of hope that this isn't all just a fleeting moment in their separate lives.
"How'd I get in your bed," she wonders as she stumbles into the front seat.
"I carried you," he replies simply, his eyes not even leaving the road.
"You carried me," she questions, "Juggy, I wanted to stay up with you."
"I know princess," he smirks, "but you were so pitiful all hunched over. I just couldn't leave you like that," he teases, earning a sleepy glare.
"What time is it," she yawns.
"Just after 1:00," he manages to get out before a huge yawn forces his mouth wide open.
"In the afternoon," she questions in surprise, "You must be exhausted."
Jughead only nods, his tired eyes still trained on the road ahead.
"Are you planning on sleeping, or are you just going to run on fumes," she scolds, giving him a stern look.
Jughead lets a dry laugh, "There's a rest area in a few miles. I was just going to take a quick nap."
"A quick nap," she says with disapproval. "You've been driving for like twenty six hours."
"I'll be fine, mom," he teases, earning a playful smack to the arm.
As they near the rest area, Jughead is overjoyed with the opportunity to close his eyes. Typically, he's pretty used to the weariness that comes with driving through the night, but having Betty with him brings a terrible need to lie with her. The best sleep he's ever had in his life was the night they'd spent together in their shared motel bed and he craves for the restful sleep he'd had that night.
Immediately after parking the truck in a spot far from the small building housing the restrooms, Jughead drops into bed like a sack of potatoes, burying his face in the softness of his memory foam pillow. Betty can't help but smile as he whines into it, holding one arm out to her in a lazy gesture of beckoning. She slips into bed easily beside him and he curls around her backside to be the big spoon. His hold on her is firm and she's almost certain she couldn't get away if she tried, not that she wants to anyways.
It doesn't take long for Jughead to fall into a deep sleep, loud snoring and all. Even with the drool pooling against his cheek, Betty finds him beautiful. He's so serene when he sleeps, the hardness he's gained over his life seeming to melt away, leaving a softness to his features that makes him look younger. As she studies his face, the scattered beauty marks adding an appeal she hadn't previously been able to appreciate, her eyelids grow heavy.
"Hey baby," Jughead grins from the side of the bed, "You planning on getting up?"
Betty sits up slowly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her fist. "What time is it?"
"Almost 4:00," he replies casually as he gets into the driver's seat.
"We slept for three hours," she laughs, "What happened to a quick nap?"
"You slept for three hours," he corrects, "I got up two hours ago. Should make it to the warehouse by tonight."
"You only slept an hour," she scolds, "Are you sure you're ok to drive?"
Jughead laughs, "I've been doing this a long time princess. I'll be alright."
With a slightly scolding grin from Betty, he gives a shake of his head and starts the truck. A part of him can't help but be annoyed with how much she's worries about him. He's not used to anyone actually giving a damn about his well-being, but if anyone's going to, he's glad it's her. He'll just have to get used to that.
They've been on the road for almost four hours when they finally cross the state line into Kentucky. Jughead takes the first exit, just after a large billboard for a local steakhouse and Betty gives him a knowing grin.
"What," he laughs, "I'm hungry."
"Do we even have time," she wonders, glancing at the bold green 8:00pm on the dash.
"As long as I have the truck to the warehouse by midnight," he replies. "It's just the next town over, so we'll be fine."
Betty nods, then rummages through her backpack for makeup wipes and mascara. As she flips down the visor mirror and begins to wipe the excess oil from her skin, she catches Jughead rolling his eyes at her. She pauses and gives him a look that says, "What?"
"You look fine," he insists.
"I look like I've been sleeping under a bridge for a week," she glares.
Jughead bursts into laughter, "You don't either. You're beautiful Betts. Wild hair and all."
With a glaring smirk, Betty turns her attention to finger combing her messy mane. No amount of tugging can tame the strange bend where she'd slept on her hair, so with a sigh, she pulls the top portion into a French braid, leaving the waves underneath to splay out over her back. It's not great, but it will have to do. Jughead pulls into the steakhouse parking lot just as she's finishing her mascara. She applies a quick coat of lip balm and gives her pale cheeks a couple of pinches to bring a bit of blood to the surface then tucks her things back into her bag.
"See? Gorgeous," he smiles, grabbing her hand to press a firm kiss to her knuckles.
"Do you want me to grab you a clean shirt or something," she asks, ready to get up and go through his bag.
"Nah," he shakes his head, "No one's going to be looking at me."
With a slight blush, Betty hops down from the truck and they make their way inside, hand in hand.
The steakhouse was far nicer than either of them had expected upon first glance. Most of the people inside were dressed semi formally and they'd stuck out like a couple of sore thumbs. Regardless of their underdressed status, they'd enjoyed their meals and playful conversation, entirely ignoring the snickers around them. Sitting there with him, the lights dim and his face lit up with a permanent grin, she felt like the most beautiful girl in the world and it brought the terrible realization that this would all be over in just a few short hours.
After dinner, they quickly got back on the road. They'd only been driving a mere thirty minutes when they arrived at the warehouse where Jughead was to drop his trailer. After getting the trailer unhitched, Betty stayed in the truck while Jughead went over paperwork inside. As she sat there, alone, under the cover of night, tears sprung to her eyes. How in such a short amount of time had she become so invested in a man who is nearly a stranger? Just the thought of going their separate ways brings a pain in her chest worse than any she has ever felt before. She hadn't even been this heartbroken when her father walked away from his family and never looked back.
"Alright Princess-" Jughead shuts the door and quickly takes her hands, "Hey, what's wrong baby?" A deep concern etches his features as his thumb comes up to capture the tear rolling down her cheek.
"It's over," Betty cries, her head shaking side to side as reality sets in.
"What's over," he questions, urging her to look at him.
"This, us," she gestures between them.
"What," he panics, "No Betts, this isn't- It's not."
"It is," she whispers, holding back more tears, "I'm going back to Riverdale and you're going home."
"You're coming with me," he tells her firmly.
"What," she breathes, her glassy emerald eyes flicking up to search his smoky blues.
"I said you're coming with me," he reiterates, "to Michigan."
"You said-"
"I was being an ass," he assures her, "I want you to come home with me. I still don't know how I'm getting you to Riverdale and you are absolutely not hitchhiking. I can't allow it Betts, I just can't."
Betty only nods and sniffles away the last of her tears, drying her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt.
"For now," he says as he turns the key in the ignition, "We're getting a room and sleeping for like a week."
Betty can't help but smile with the smirk on his lips and when he leans over to press a kiss to her forehead she feels significantly better.
After passing a few low grade motels, Jughead finally pulls around the back of a nicer hotel. They make a beeline for the front desk and head straight up to their room. No sooner than Jughead drops their bags by the door do they playfully fight their way to be first in the bathroom, regardless of the fact that they both know they'll be sharing. It's a ridiculous race of who can get their clothes off the fastest and Betty ultimately wins, ducking into the shower while Jughead struggles with his jeans caught around his ankle.
As Betty squirts a gob of hotel shampoo in her hand, a pair of large arms wrap around her waist, a sturdy chest pressing firmly against her back. Ducking her head, the spray of the water gets him right in the face and he grins wildly as he shakes his head, flinging water in all directions with his messy mop of wet hair. Betty laughs, wiping her eyes with her forearm as she turns to face him. The glob of shampoo she'd intended for herself is repurposed as she reaches up to massage his scalp. Lowering his head so she can reach better, he hums in contentment as her nimble fingers scrub away all the tension of driving long hours for days on end. They take turns washing and rinsing, stealing kisses every chance they get.
Betty is the first to get out, leaving Jughead to relax under the pressure of the water beating down on his tired back as she brushes her teeth. She hands Jughead his own toothbrush behind the curtain before exiting into the main bedroom. After slipping on her sleep shorts and her cleanest tee, she collapses on top of the quilted hotel comforter, her eyes closing almost immediately upon impact.
Moments later, Jughead emerges from the bathroom, toweling off his hair as his feet shuffle lazily across the floor to his duffle bag. He snatches his last pair of boxers from the side pocket and drops his towel haphazardly by the door. Walking towards the bed as he slips his boxers on, he can't help the smile that creeps onto his face at the sight of Betty curled up, her ass raised slightly in the air with her strange position on the bed. With a gentle hand he grazes the bare thigh that's hitched upwards towards her chest, raising goosebumps on her skin. She mumbles in her sleep, a cute little hum of approval and he craves to feel the warmth of her skin on his. Carefully, he gets onto the bed behind her, tugging her into his chest, her backside formed to his front and nuzzles his nose into her damp hair.
"Juggy," she mumbles, shifting her hips carefully against the hardness she feels against her.
"Go back to sleep baby," he whispers against her skin, pressing gentle kisses to the pulse in her neck.
Her hips roll against his, this time with purpose and he lets a heavy breath as he skims the leg of her shorts.
"No panties," he smirks as his fingers dip beneath her shorts, finding her warm and bare.
"No more clean ones," she giggles sleepily before turning in his arms to bump his nose with hers.
In one fluid motion, Jughead captures her lips in a tender kiss, rolling himself on top of her and grinding his swollen length against the heat of her middle. It's only been two days since they last were together, but it feels like ages ago. The heavy weight of exhaustion turned over to an insatiable need to have her the moment he'd stepped out of the bathroom and nothing will stop him from getting what he wants.
Betty hums against his lips, her hips bucking upward, seeking the pressure of his straining erection against her swollen bud. As their mouths move seamlessly, tongues teasing and teeth nipping, Betty's hands trail down his abdomen, lingering on the trail of hair she loves so much. Her fingers curl into his waistband, tickling at his sensitive tip and sending a shiver down his spine.
"I need you," he whines against her ear, grunting as she grips his cock in her hand. Growing impatient with the minimal friction of her palm beneath his boxers, he swiftly removes her hand, pinning both arms above her head in one of his large hands. With the other, he shimmies his boxers down his thighs, grinning wildly as Betty's hips shift in search of friction. After kicking his boxers to the floor, he releases her hands to roughly yank her shorts off, chucking them over his shoulder as he slips off the bed to his knees on the floor. Curling his fingers into the round of her ass, he pulls her to the edge, diving in with his tongue to lap at her glistening folds.
"Oh, Juggy," she breathes, her hands flying to tug at his slightly damp hair.
Groaning into her skin, he gives a quick but forceful suck to her pearled bud before rising to his feet. Before Betty can protest, he thrusts into her, earning a sharp cry of both pleasure and pain. He moves with urgency, his thrust coming in rapid succession as their skin slaps loudly together, his brow creased with the easy acceptance of his length within her walls. Never has he ever craved for something so intensely as he craves to be surrounded by her heat.
As his hips draw back, he shifts her legs to both sit over his left shoulder, bending her slightly in half as he gives a forceful thrust of his hips. Betty cries his name, her hips bucking upward with his every thrust, creating a deeper friction than they've achieved thus far. With her thighs squeezed tight together, it's quickly becoming too much, too tight and so fucking good.
"Betts," he pants, "Shit, I'm cumming baby." No sooner than he announces it does he fall apart, his thrusts stilling entirely as his muscles lock up with the intensity of his climax.
Betty quickly takes over, rocking her hips in time with the deep pulse of his cock. As it tapers off, he stills her hips with the dig of his fingertips into her skin, collapsing on top of her as her legs part to accept his weight. He breathes against her, their chests settling into a rhythmic rise and fall as the weight of their previous exhaustion returns. Jughead rolls off of her and drags himself lazily towards the headboard, his eyes closing as his head hits the pillow. Betty immediately follows and pulls the blankets up with her, snuggling into his chest and falling into a deep slumber.
