******TRIGGER WARNING: Implied Self-Harm and Panic Attack******

There is a scene in this chapter that shows Betty in the middle of a significant mental breakdown/panic attack. It is not a graphic scene, and only implies self-harm that is already canon, but it is there so I wanted to get you guys a heads up on it.

I'll Be Okay

How do you love when your heart is broken?

How do you speak when you feel outspoken?

I can forgive and be forgiven

By learning to heal with a heart wide open

I'll Be Okay - Nothing More

September 2018 - The Aftermath

Jughead spent a few more hours searching for Archie, cursing his stupidity all the way, before he finally gave up and went home. After taking a quick shower, he fell into his bed where his dreams were plagued with visions of a certain beautiful blonde with evergreen eyes and a radiant smile.

When he finally woke up the next morning, he saw there were several texts from Sweet Pea, a handful from Toni, but none from Archie. However, there was one that made him pause: a cryptic message from Betty.

Betty: I'm not sure if last night was a game to you, but in case it wasn't, thanks for your help. Even if it turned out that it didn't matter anyway. It really was nice getting to know you, even a little bit, before things fell apart. I only wish we could have done it sooner. Goodbye Jughead.

Jughead: What? Betty, what's going on? Are you okay?

Betty: No, I'm not okay, Jug. Not at all...

Jughead: What happened, Betty?

Betty: You should probably go see Archie.

Jughead didn't have a good feeling about the tone of her texts so he jumped out of bed, throwing on a ripped pair of jeans and a well-worn band shirt before slipping on his jacket and boots. He bounded down the stairs, running out the front door and not caring about the stares he was receiving from his men.

He jumped on his bike and raced towards his parent's house, needing to find out what the hell was going on and why Betty was being so cagey. He made it there in no time, sliding to a stop out front, thankful that Mary and Fred's cars were both missing so he could interrogate Archie in peace. He took the front steps two at a time and began banging on the front door.

"Come on Arch, open up! The jalopy's here so I know you are too! You've got a lot of explaining to do!" he yelled, anger and annoyance settling in his chest. He wasn't sure what transpired since he went to bed last night, but he knew it wasn't pretty.

"Jesus Jug, what's your problem? Do you have any idea what time I got in last night?" a shirtless and half-awake Archie mumbled, letting Jughead inside before stumbling towards the kitchen to make coffee.

Jughead cut eyes at the nonchalance he was displaying, "My problem? My problem, Archibald , is that you fucking disappeared last night! Not just that, but then I had to spend my Friday night babysitting your girlfriend so she didn't get her ass killed–"

"Ex-girlfriend," Archie corrected with a yawn, too distracted to sense Jughead's change in demeanor.

"Wait– what? Seriously?" Jughead asked, shocked at this turn of events.

"Ex-girlfriend. Betty and I broke up," Archie replied, pulling down two coffee mugs from the cabinet.

"Wait, really? Betty actually broke up with you for being MIA all night? Which -in her defense- was a real dick move, by the way," Jughead stated.

He didn't think Betty was angry enough that she'd dump Archie, but he had done this type of thing to her far too often. Really, it was only a matter of time before she got sick of him treating her like crap and tossed his ass to the curb.

Jughead tried to play it off as shock, but he was really kinda proud of her for finally putting his idiot brother in his place. It was about time one of the many girls he'd dated stood up to him and his douchey ways. However, Archie's next words made his heart drop and stole the air right out of his lungs.

"No, actually, I– uh, I kind of broke up with her this morning," Archie answered. All Jughead could do was stand frozen in disbelief, staring at him while wondering if he'd actually lost his damned mind. Hundreds of questions floated through his mind before he finally responded.

"Oh. Well, then. So, what happened. Did she freak out on you or something? Because I could understand why she would go off after that stunt. I mean, you did flake out on her again, which you've been doing a lot lately. I think she has every right to be pissed off."

Archie sipped his coffee before he pulled a box of waffles from the freezer, popping some into the toaster as he spoke, "No, she didn't go off or anything. I've actually been planning to break up with her for a while now, I just couldn't figure out the best time to do it. Then last night, I decided that I just had to bite the bullet and get it over with, you know?"

"Well, Archie, ghosting her all night was probably not the best way to start that particular conversation. How did she take it?" Jughead asked, genuinely concerned for her.

Archie shrugged his shoulders, pulling his waffles from the toaster to smear peanut butter and hazelnut spread on them. "I mean, okay, I guess? About like you'd expect."

"Come on dude, did she get angry? Did she throw stuff? I need details here, man!" Jughead questioned, leaning towards him and trying to read his expression.

"Honestly? I really don't know how she took it," Archie muttered, looking down at his food guiltily.

Jughead sighed and rubbed his hand on his face in frustration. Years of being Archie's best friend even before being adopted by the Andrews' meant he knew that look all too well. That was the look Archie got when he did something extremely stupid.

"Christ Archie, what the hell did you do?"

Archie swallowed and let out an uncertain breath before looking up at Jughead and whispering, "I sort of broke up with her... over text."

" What ?!" Jughead yelled, popping Archie upside the head before ranting, "Archibald Fredrick Andrews, how the fuck could you do that to anyone, let alone to Betty?! What the hell is wrong with you? My God, this has got to be the dumbest thing you've ever done, hands down."

"What the fuck, bro? Did you have to hit me so hard? Why are you even upset, I thought you said you never liked Betty anyway? I figured you'd be happy now that you don't have to hang out with her anymore," Archie defended, trying to point out to Jughead what should have been his obvious reaction. That's when the realization dawned on him: Archie didn't know about what happened last night...

He didn't know that she and Jughead finally made a connection with each other...

Just like he didn't know that Jug had been half in love with that girl since the beginning...

And there was no way Jughead could ever let Archie find out that information because if he knew how he really felt about Betty, he'd lose the only brother he ever had...

Remember, Forsythe. You made a promise to him and you know what'll happen if you break that promise... Jughead told himself, quickly changing his behavior, hoping Archie wouldn't pick up on it.

"Fuck Arch, she and I might have never really gotten along but she's still a human being. The least you could've done was break up with her in person. That was a dick move, dude, even for you."

"I know, alright! I already feel like shit but, I just— I couldn't do it, Jug. If I had gone there to try, I would've chickened out like I did every other time. That's why I've been avoiding spending time with her. I couldn't face her anymore, not knowing that I wanted to end it. And I know this shit isn't fair to her, but I didn't know what else to do! I don't think I ever loved her, Jug... I mean, not really," Archie's said, slumping onto the barstool beside him, his head falling into his hands as he tried to slow his breathing. Jughead laid his hand on Archie's shoulder in comfort, seeing his distress over the situation.

Jughead may have thought he was an asshole for what he'd done to Betty, but Archie was still family and he hated to see him hurting. He gave Archie a few minutes to calm down some before he asked his next question, "Okay, I gotta know something, man. If you didn't love her, why did you date her all this time?"

"I don't know. As bad as this might sound, it was really nice having someone who'd be there to do things for me and help me when I needed it. And I've always thought that she was pretty, but she's just a bit too girl next door for me. I'm just not sure that she's the one I want forever."

"Wow. You're right Archie, that does sound terrible. But, I actually understand the whole 'not loving her' part, I do. I mean, those were slightly similar reasons as to why Toni and I never worked out in the end," Jughead admitted.

While he and Toni should have been compatible, it was just never in the cards for them. However, unlike Archie, he didn't try to keep Toni around for her usefulness once that became apparent.

"You mean besides the fact that she came out, dumped your ass, and started exclusively dating girls, right?" Archie joked, nudging Jughead as he chuckled.

"Well, that too."

After a few hours of hanging out and playing video games with Archie, trying to be supportive and not blow him off, Jughead finally made it back to his apartment. He stepped inside and headed towards the balcony off of his living room, looking up at the stars. He reached into his pocket for his smokes and lit one, taking a long drag before blowing it out slowly.

Even though he shouldn't have, all he thought about the entire time he was with Archie was how he'd rather be back at Pop's Diner, holding Betty in his arms while they shared more moments like the one from last night. He'd never felt anything close to what he had with Betty in that booth. Never been so open with someone so quickly before. Hell, it was the first time he'd admitted to anyone outside his close circle about his father's abuse.

Up until FP went upstate for drug trafficking, Jughead's life had been an utter nightmare, but he never told a soul. He knew that Fred and Mary had their suspicions, but they could never get Jughead to open up about what was really going on at home. Instead, they chose to let Jughead come and go anytime he wanted, hoping to keep the boy safe. It worked for a long time, up until Gladys grabbed Jellybean and hightailed it out of Riverdale in the middle of the night.

After that, the abuse just got worse- to the point Jughead spent the majority of his freshman year living in the projection booth of the Twilight just to get the hell away from the man. By the time Jughead was turning fifteen, Fred Andrews found out what was really going on and petitioned the courts for custody.

At that point, it was already the summer before their sophomore year, FP was neck deep into some seriously bad shit and going to federal prison for a very long time, and Jughead had been initiated into the Serpents for his own protection. He moved to live with the Andrews' family the week before his fifteenth birthday and then they legally adopted him when he turned sixteen.

No one thought that Jughead would actually claim his birthright at the same time, but he did it and he never looked back. Even while living on the Northside, Jughead chose to go to school on the Southside to be close to the Serpents. Then when the schools merged six months later, Jughead still mostly hung out with his crew and a select few Northsiders - mainly Archie and, by extension, Betty.

He'd spent the last few years trying to correct the sins of his father, banning major drugs and gun-running by the club, while still allowing certain activities to be 'overlooked'. Jughead really didn't give a damn if his guys sold some weed here and there or made fake IDs for the snotty brats on the Northside, he just had a strict rule against the rougher stuff. He wasn't trying to be the third Forsythe to land themselves into federal custody until they came out in a pine box.

Because of his status as Serpent King, he'd done everything he could not show those around him how much his life (and his struggles) affected him, but with Betty, it felt different. Even though he acted like he was only around her because of Archie, he really just wanted to be with her.

He dreamt of her every night, to the point where he had to end more than a few relationships purely because he couldn't commit to them feeling the way he did about her. It was the whole reason he'd told Candy they'd never have anything more than a sexual relationship. His heart just wasn't in it.

He knew it was wrong to live that way for so long (and acting like a dick to Betty was the worst thing he could do) but he knew if he didn't keep her away, he would eventually give in and do something stupid like kiss her. But things were different now... Archie had broken her heart and Betty needed a friend, someone to trust in. And frankly, he was more than willing to fill those shoes...

Jughead knew he probably should, but he just couldn't find it in himself to care about the stupid promise he'd made to Archie the previous summer. Not after the bullshit that boy had put her through and the way he'd broken up with her. She needed a friend to talk to and it might as well be him. I mean, who else would know all about Archie's stupidity better than his own family?

Jughead pulled out his phone and typed out a quick message, pulling a drag from his cigarette as he typed.

Jughead: Hey, I know I'm probably the last person you'd want to hear this from, but I'm really sorry for how Archie broke up with you. That was shitty. You didn't deserve that and I truly hope you are okay.

He waited nervously as the three bubbles popped up then stopped, starting again several times before a message finally came through.

Betty: Thx Jug. I appreciate it.

Jughead sighed. He knew that she probably wanted to say more but this was a sticky situation for her. Archie was his brother and she was now his ex-girlfriend. It was a slippery slope for him as well, knowing that Archie would likely skin him alive if he even suspected he'd been spending time with Betty, but if it meant keeping her in his life -even as just a friend- he would risk the consequences with Archie when the time came.

Betty sat alone in her dimly lit bedroom, the old journals that she'd been reading over still scattered across her comforter when her phone dinged again. She clutched her stuffed cat Caramel and sobbed at the sweetness of the texts she had just received from Jughead.

Jughead: Okay. I'm really sorry, Betts.

Jughead: I'm here if you need a friend.

They were simple messages but they truly meant the world to her right now. She'd felt completely and utterly alone all day, betrayed by the boy who was supposed to love her but had instead broken her heart.

And here was that same boy's own family, reaching out to check on her when they didn't have to. It was nice to know someone was thinking of her, even if he wasn't really her friend.

Betty: I appreciate you checking on me, Jug. Really, it's very sweet of you. I know we aren't exactly friends, but thank you 💜

Jughead: Anytime, Duchess. And just so you know, I do think of you as my friend now. That is if you'll have me as one? Good friends are hard to come by these days... Especially ones who can get my unique movie references...

Betty: Lol. I'd really like to be your friend, Jughead.

Betty grinned through her tears, happy that, if nothing else, she'd finally gotten Jughead Jones to be her friend.

Only took two years and Archie breaking my heart to do it... she thought bitterly. Oh well, she'd take it if it meant that not everyone in her life had dropped her all at the same time.

Betty woke the following Monday morning feeling like garbage, groaning as she stretched. Her body was stiff and achy from crying than sleeping on her lumpy couch all weekend. Well, mostly Saturday was spent crying her eyes out in her bed. Sunday was spent binge eating and dreading the 9 am class that she shared with both Jughead and Archie this morning.

She'd known by Sunday afternoon that she wouldn't be able to face Archie in public just yet so she made the decision to message her professors, explaining that she had a family emergency and was taking the rest of the week off from classes.

It was only a little white lie, it wasn't really an emergency, but she needed time to mentally pull herself together before facing the world again. Once she received the emails from her professors with her assignments for the week, she vegged on her couch and streamed a marathon of Deadly Women, eating take-out from her favorite Chinese restaurant before finally passing out on the couch.

Now, here it was, bright and early on Monday morning, and even though her body ached, she had to admit she was feeling somewhat better. Even the crushing events of the weekend didn't make her heart hurt nearly as much.

She rolled over to grab her phone, smiling as she looked through the text thread between her and Jughead from the day before.

Jughead: How are you feeling, Betts?

Betty: Not good...

Jughead: 😞 I'm sorry. Do you need anything? I don't have plans today if you want to hang out.

Betty: Not really ready for any company just yet but thanks for asking anyway... 💜

He had been extremely sweet, asking if she was alright and seeing if she needed anything. It was the second time he'd checked on her since Friday and it felt nice knowing he was thinking of her, even if she wasn't ready to see people just yet.

Betty finally pulled herself up off the couch and took a shower, getting into her favorite unicorn pajamas and cleaning her house to pass the time. Now it was already well past three in the afternoon and she had just finished pulling out her leftovers from the night before when her phone dinged.

Jughead: Hey, didn't see you in class today. Are you holding up alright, Duchess?

She grinned down at her phone, a funny feeling fluttering in her belly as she wrote back...

Betty: Yeah, I'm good. I just didn't want to see Archie, that's all. I'm not prepared for that level of emotional torment just yet. I've decided I'm still at the breakup stage where I stay in my pajamas all week and hide in my apartment.

Jughead: Hey, I completely get that. Spending the week in pj's sounds like a solid plan, breakup or not. Need anything? I can get the assignments that Dr. Burnette gave out if you want?

Betty: Nah, I already let him know last night that I'd be out this week but there might be something you can do for me? I mean, if you really don't mind...

Jughead: Whatcha need, Betts?

Betty: Think you could maybe bring me some ice cream? I can pay you when you get here, I just really don't want to leave my apartment anytime soon.

Jughead: No need for repayment, I got you. I'll be there in a little bit.

Betty: Really? You sir are my personal hero, Jughead Jones. Just remember, there's a very strict dress code that you must adhere to... Lol.

About thirty minutes later there was a knock on Betty's door and she jumped up quickly to answer it, her heart fluttering when she saw his grin. He was dressed in red plaid pajama bottoms, a matching flannel shirt, and a white tank top, his arms full of grocery bags.

"What's all this?" Betty laughed in confusion, stepping aside to let him in. Jughead walked into the kitchen and sat the bags onto the counter.

"Well, I know when Toni and her ex broke up last summer, she needed a lot more than just ice cream. So, I thought maybe..." he shrugged sheepishly.

Her heart melted at the sweet gesture, "Thank you, Jug. I just hope you plan to stay awhile, there's no way I'm eating all this alone!"

"Don't worry, Betts. I'll be more than happy to take that bullet for you," he said, patting his flat stomach. Betty chuckled, helping him unload all the junk food he brought for them to share.

As she got to the last bag, she noticed it contained a bottle of pineapple rum and a gallon of orange juice. Her heart thumped in her chest as she slowly looked at him.

There's no way... she thought.

Jughead turned, seeing the confused look on her face as she pulled out the rum. "Oh, I hope that was okay. I figured we can't have a 'break-up party' without booze, right?"

"You remembered my favorite drink?" she asked, her large doe eyes blinking back at him in awe.

"Of course I did. I mean, it's all you'd drink when we all hung out together. I even had to start stocking it at the Wyrm after that last party we threw. Is that okay? I wanted to get you what you liked," he replied softly. Before she thought any better of it, Betty launched herself into his arms, clutching onto him as tears filled her eyes.

"That's more than okay with me. Thank you, Juggie," she whispered, hugging him tighter when she felt him melting into their embrace.

It may sound silly, but the fact that he knew what she liked to drink meant a lot to her. She and Archie had dated for nearly two years and even he could never remember what she drank. He'd always get her a vodka orange juice and then never understood why she wouldn't drink it. She hated the hangover's she got from vodka, but no matter how many times she told Archie that fact, he always got it wrong.

"Hey, no sweat. It's what friends do," he replied lightly into her hair before pulling away, "Alright, let's order some pizza and get this party started. What do you say, Betts?"

"Sounds like my kind of party, Juggie."

~~Four Hours Later~~

"You are so full of shit, Jones!" Betty laughed hysterically, tossing a handful of chips at him. They were both fairly drunk by this point but neither of them seemed to care much. They were having too much fun getting to know each other to worry about their alcohol consumption.

"No, I'm being serious, Betts! Look, you wanted to play ' Two Truths and a Lie ', you can't call bullshit just 'cause you feel like it. And why the hell would I lie about something that's so embarrassing?" he snorted, tossing a garlic knot at her in retaliation that she easily ducked.

"So, let me get this straight: you're telling me that Jughead Jones... King of the Southside Serpents and big, bad biker boy... is afraid... of bunny rabbits?" she howled with laughter, mirth dancing in her eyes.

"Yes, Betty! Look, my dad dragged me to see a Janet Leigh double feature at the Twilight when I was ten and they showed Night of the Lepus . It wouldn't have been a big deal if Archie's bunny hadn't tried to gnaw my finger off the next day when I was over there for dinner. I'm telling you right now Elizabeth, bunnies are evil hellspawn sent from Lucifer himself!" he ranted, shuddering at the end of his story before downing the rest of his drink.

"Oh, you poor baby..." Betty sang teasingly as she stood to get more rum, laughing so hard that she fell forward and landed squarely in Jughead's lap with a grunt. Then she laughed even harder at his shocked expression when she slung her arms around his shoulders. "It's okay, Juggie. I'll protect you from the big scawy bunny wabbits..."

Betty's playful laughter faded a moment later, however, when she finally looked in his eyes and noticed their proximity. Her heart drummed against her sternum as she watched him glance down to her lips briefly before looking back into her eyes.

All she'd have to do was lean down just a bit to press their lips together and she could taste him. Nevertheless, she knew that even if they may be the softest lips she'd ever kiss, it would definitely be a bad idea to give in to her current thoughts. She cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing as she tried to compose herself.

"Wanna watch a movie?" she asked in a breathy tone, grabbing the remote from the coffee table without getting out of his lap. He nodded dumbly as he gaped at her. "Um, do you want me to...?" she gestured to the other side of the couch.

"No! I mean, stay," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close.

"A movie and some cuddling actually sounds pretty great right about now," he finished, his voice thick and raspy. Betty smiled shyly and settled deeper into his lap, pulling a throw blanket over them. They stayed that way for the rest of the night, watching movies until they finally fell asleep together on the couch.

The next morning when she woke up, he was already gone.

~~One Week Later~~

Jughead : Hey, so you up for some dinner at Pops? My treat, of course...

Betty : Idk, Jug...

Jughead : Come on, Duchess. Please? I'll get you extra strawberries on your milkshake.

Betty : Well Mr. Jones, that right there is an offer I just can't refuse 😜 Meet you in 20.

Jughead : Awesome. I'll see you there, Betts.

Betty pulled up to Pop's a few minutes early, re-reading their texts with a smile on her face. It had been a week since she last saw him and her heart was already pounding just thinking about the way Jughead's arms felt around her when he held her in his lap. How it felt to be pressed against him, their lips hovering just inches apart while she thought about how bad she wanted to taste him.

Betty knew it was a bad idea for her to be having these kinds of feelings for a newly acquired friend so soon after her breakup, especially when that friend was also her ex's brother, but she couldn't stop herself. Something about the way he looked at her just made her feel like he could truly see her -the real her- and she longed to show him more.

Betty was so wrapped up in her thoughts of Jughead as she made her way inside that it took her a moment to register that there was a couple already seated in her favorite booth. She was about to scan for a new seat but froze when she realized what she was seeing, all the happy feelings she just had evaporating.

Her eyes teared up involuntarily as she watched Archie Andrews with a raven-haired girl who was tucked into the booth beside him, making out heavily. Betty's gasp must have been a lot more audible than she anticipated because they turned to lock eyes with the blonde. When Archie saw her, he hurriedly pulled back from his date, looking at Betty with a panicked expression settling on his face.

"Shit– Betty..." he started but his words fell on deaf ears. She didn't want to hear a thing he had to say, seeing as it obviously wasn't a struggle for Archie to figure out what he wanted after their break up. She turned on her heels to race out of the diner, only to slam directly into a wall of lean muscle and leather. Betty glanced up to see Jughead's confused face, the tears already streaming down her cheeks.

"Betts? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" he asked quickly, checking her over, clearly concerned for her. Trembling but not saying a word, Betty glimpsed over her shoulder at the booth behind her where a very perplexed woman was watching Archie closely as he stared at Betty and Jughead. Jughead's brow furrowed and he whispered, "What in the hell?"

Betty choked on a sob, shaking her head as she broke free of Jughead's hold, "I-I can't be here right now, Juggie. I'm sorry... I'll see you later," she sniffled, running out the door to her car, barreling out of the parking lot before Jughead even had a chance to understand what he was seeing.

Jughead finally locked eyes with Archie, his face twisted in anger as he approached the redhead, "What the actual fuck, Archie?!"

Jughead was mad -beyond mad actually- he was incensed. Archie and Betty had been broken up for just a week and already he'd moved on to someone new? All the while, Betty had been a complete wreck and was shutting herself away from the world. Then the one-time Jughead managed to convince her to leave the house, Archie had to ruin it because he couldn't keep his dick in his pants for a few weeks, at the bare minimum?

Archie looked between his date and his best friend as if trying to figure out who to speak to first. "Could you gimme a second, Ronnie? I can explain... I swear. Just— two minutes. Please?"

"Two minutes, Archikins. Then you'd better have a damn good explanation for what just happened just now," the girl in the booth said, her eyes narrowing and venom dripping from her words. Whoever this girl was, it seemed she was likely to be the one to eat Archie alive if he were not careful.

Good. Serves him right, Jughead thought.

Archie dragged Jughead away from the table, pulling him into the parking lot so that his date wouldn't hear their conversation. Archie paced like a caged animal, tugging at his fiery red locks in frustration, trying to figure out how to explain what just happened.

Jughead watched his brother's obvious freak-out and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a deep pull. After a few minutes of silence, he got tired of waiting and finally spoke up.

"So are you going to tell me what fresh hell I just walked into, Archie?" Jughead asked pointedly, smoking his cigarette quickly to calm his own nerves. All he wanted to do was run after Betty, but Archie didn't exactly know they'd been hanging out so he stayed and waited for an explanation.

Finally, Archie took a deep breath and began explaining everything to Jughead. "Okay. So, I met Veronica at school and– bro, we just, I don't know, we kind of clicked. And–"

"You didn't, Archie? Please, please tell me you didn't break up with Betty for another girl," Jughead asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Archie didn't give an answer, just simply looked away remorsefully. "Jesus fucking Christ, Archibald! What the fuck were you thinking?! Did you at least wait until you were broken up before you asked this new girl out?"

"I mean..." Archie trailed off, shrugging his shoulders and looking away.

That's when it clicked in Jughead's mind, all the missing pieces making sense to him finally, "Oh my God. She's what you were doing the night you ghosted on Betty, isn't she?" Archie refused to meet his eyes, nodding in response.

Jughead's jaw clenched, the urge to knock some sense into Archie growing stronger by the second, "You really are a special kind of stupid, you know that? You need to go talk to Betty and tell her what you did. Right. Now! Goddamnit, she deserves to know the truth."

"I can't, I need to talk to Ronnie first," Archie replied. Jughead shook his head, laughing humorlessly.

"Seriously, Arch? You cheat on your girlfriend with some random girl you met at college and all you can think about is talking things out with the girl you cheated with? Dammit, Betty fucking deserves better than that."

"Look Jug, Veronica didn't know I had a girlfriend when we met and I really need to smooth things over with her before I do anything else. I know what I did was really shitty but I really care about this girl! She's the one, I know it in my soul," Archie cried out. Jughead scoffed at his idiocy, taking another drag off his cigarette.

"You do remember you said that exact same thing about Betty, right? Or have you forgotten all about the girl you were dating for the last two years?"

"Come on, Jug. You said it yourself, I was 16, what the hell did I know about love back then? But it's different this time, I really think I could be happy -like really and truly happy- with Veronica. So I'm begging you, as family, could you just go talk to Betty for me? Please? She'd probably rather see anyone else but me anyway."

Jughead still couldn't believe what he was hearing. Archie actually expected him to just clean up the mess that he'd made and smooth things over with Betty for him? "Are you on Fizzle Rocks right now? She hates me more than she does you most of the time!" Jughead bellowed, hellbent on keeping their budding friendship between just them for now. He was going to check on her regardless, but he didn't have to let Archie know that.

"Come on Jug, please? I can't change how I handled things with Betty, but I can at least try to make things right with Veronica. She's the one man, I feel it in my soul," Archie begged him, knowing damn well that he wouldn't say no. Jughead groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face in frustration before he finally relented.

"Where have I heard that before?" he mumbled, narrowing his eyes, "Fine, but only because Betty definitely doesn't need to deal with this–" waving his hands dramatically between Archie and an angry Veronica who was heading their way, "–right now. I'll go make sure she's okay, but... you broke this shit so you need to figure out how to fix it, man."

Jughead made it to Betty's apartment from Pop's in almost no time, but his concern for her doubled when she wouldn't answer the door. He had been knocking for at least five minutes and nothing. He was afraid that she thought he somehow knew about what Archie did and he didn't want that.

"Betts, open up. It's me, I just wanna make sure you're okay," he called through the door, knocking louder.

Silence.

Fuck it, I'm going in.

"Alright, Coop. Ready or not, I'm coming in!" Jughead shouted. Thinking he'd have to break it down if it was locked, he decided to try the knob first, just in case. He sighed in relief when it opened with ease and he inched his head inside the doorway. He peered into the darkness of the apartment, calling out her name but receiving no reply. "Betts?"

He was about to call out again when the sound of water running caught his attention. Oh, thank God. She's okay– his thoughts were interrupted by a crash from the bathroom, followed by loud gasping sobs. His heart dropped into his feet as a chill ran up his spine.

"Betty!" Jughead yelled, running towards the bathroom and forcing the locked door open with his shoulder. The agonizing sight that he was met with as he pulled back the shower curtain would haunt him forever: a pale and shivering Betty Cooper crumpled in her tub, fully clothed as streaks of blood poured from her palms, swirling down the drain of her stark white tub.

It was eerily reminiscent of that infamous scene from Psycho where a different Hitchcock blonde was stabbed to death on the silver screen. Suddenly, Betty looked up at him and trembled, her eyes filled with excruciating pain.

"J-J-Jug..." she stuttered, her teeth chattering loudly.

"Jesus Christ..." Jughead whispered, reaching into the shower and turning off the icy water. He silently debated with himself for a minute before finally leaning down to pick her up out of the tub.

"Duchess, can you hear me?" Betty nodded slowly before bawling into his neck as he cradled her to his chest.

"It's okay now. I've got you, babe. Don't worry, I'm here, I'm with you," Jughead murmured and carried her to her bedroom, pushing the door open with his foot and swinging her over the threshold.

He did his best not to let the visions of himself carrying a future Betty this exact same way (at a happier time) invade his mind, not while he had to focus on present Betty right now. He placed her on the bench seat of her vanity, cupping her face in his palms. "Sit tight, I'll get you cleaned up."

He went back to the bathroom, removing his wet t-shirt and flannel before hanging them over the shower curtain to dry. He pulled out two fluffy peach-colored towels before grabbing a fleece robe from the hook behind the door and headed back to her room.

When he returned he rummaged through the dresser, grabbing her clothes and trying to keep his thoughts pure as he dug through her underwear drawer. He noticed a few pairs of men's pajama pants so he grabbed one and headed back over to an apathetic Betty. Jughead knelt down in front of her, gently drying her face and hair before running the towel down her arms.

"Betts, we have to get you out of these clothes," he whispered, nearly falling backward at the startled look in Betty's eyes as she gawked at him. He held his hands up in supplication and shook his head, "No, no, not like that, Duchess. I meant I'll hold up the towel and you can change yourself. I just don't want you to fall again... I won't look, scout's honor."

Betty's head bobbed again as her eyes drifted down to his wet, bare torso, taking in his beauty. Despite the cold shower she'd just taken, seeing him like this made her feel as if her body were catching fire from the inside. Without warning, she was flooded with feelings that she couldn't explain.

Racing thoughts of doing things to Jughead that she had never done -or even fantasized about doing- with any man before. Her teeth chattered loudly from the chill in her bones, but despite that, she felt fire building in her core and she had to squeeze her thighs together to ease the ache between them.

After Jughead helped her get changed into some dry clothes, he cleaned up her hands, bandaging them and bringing them to his lips to kiss them tenderly. Then he pulled her into the living room and placed her on the couch, wrapping a throw blanket around her shoulders.

"Alright, now you just relax, okay? I'll just get changed real quick before I order us some food. Then we can binge-watch a series or something, your pick. That sound good to you?"

Betty nodded again, watching in silence as he disappeared in the bathroom before emerging wearing a pair of pajama pants but still no shirt. Betty could tell from the low hanging pants that Jughead wasn't wearing anything underneath and it made her mouth water.

I wonder what he tastes like? Betty's cheeks blazed as she shifted her eyes to the television, her thoughts causing a need to pool in her center. She was embarrassed that she'd gone from crying over her ex-boyfriend one minute to wondering how his brother tastes...

I wonder if he likes it when– No! Stop thinking like this, Elizabeth! He. Is. Your. Friend. He does not need you objectifying him... even if he does look like walking sex... and he is parading around your apartment half-naked...

"Betts?" Betty snapped out of her current fantasy at the sound of his voice, embarrassed by her thoughts. He chuckled huskily at the pinkish color dusting her cheeks and said, "I asked if you wanted some veggie lo mein and crab rangoon?" Betty's eyes lit up at the thought of food and she nodded enthusiastically making Jughead laugh again.

The food arrived a short time later and they sat together in comfortable silence, finally settling on some docuseries that Betty was only half paying attention to while they ate. Truthfully, she was far too consumed with trying to wrap her head around what she was feeling towards Jughead to care about some dude and his tigers.

Was she still upset over finding out that Archie had moved on and was dating someone already?

Kind of...

But it didn't hurt as much now as it did when she'd arrived at Pop's earlier today. Honestly, her heart didn't hurt like it had when he'd first broken up with her either. She was actually starting to feel a strange sense of relief that he had ended it when he did. She could see now that she was the one doing all the giving and Archie was doing all the taking.

Archie Andrews was a selfish asshole and she was better off without him...

Also, just having Jughead here with her made her feel much better too. The way he took care of her, comforted her during her panic attack, it was more than anyone else had ever done for her in her entire life. She had dated Archie for years and he never noticed when she was struggling (but in all fairness, no one else had either).

Jughead was the first person to ever see this side of her, but instead of bolting like most people would, he took care of her instead.

That has to mean something, right? she thought, yawning sleepily as the events of the day started to catch up with her. Her eyes had just begun to flutter closed when she felt Jughead picking her up again, cradling her to him like she was the most delicate thing in the world.

"Alright sleepy-head, let's get you to bed. Don't worry, I'll clean up this mess before I go," Jughead whispered, his breath ghosting across her ear as he spoke.

Betty shivered against the warmth of his bare chest, the sensation causing the throbbing in her center to make her ache with need. He leaned down and pulled back the covers, laying her down gently and placing a light kiss on her temple.

"I'll text you in the morning, Duchess."

Betty knew what she was about to ask was dangerous, knew that she was stupid for putting herself in this position, but she needed him. She felt a spark igniting in her soul and she wasn't ready to let it flicker out. She wanted to get lost in it, if only for tonight, and just be around him. Nothing even needed to happen, she just needed him with her.

"Will you stay with me again, Juggie? Please?" she pleaded, her fingers caressing his bicep and tracing the shape of his tattoos. She could see the struggle in his eyes, even as they darkened for a brief moment before he nodded.

"Let me lock up first," Jughead said, kissing her forehead before he walked out of the room. When he came back a few minutes later, he slid into the bed behind her, hesitating for a moment before finally wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her flush against him. She hummed in appreciation, his scent relaxing her further as she clutched his hand to her chest.

"Goodnight, Juggie. Thank you for being here for me. It really means a lot to me..."

"Anytime, Betts," he whispered into her hair before burying his face in her neck, his breath evening out. As she drifted to sleep, Betty could almost swear she felt him kiss her shoulder and murmur, "Goodnight, baby..."

Betty stretched herself out on her bed slowly as she woke, her body stiff from her deep sleep the night before. It had been a while since she'd slept that well and she knew that Jughead was the reason for it. She stood up slowly, wondering if he was still there.

She searched the apartment for any trace of him but sadly, there wasn't. She couldn't hold back the disappointment she felt creeping in when she realized Jughead really was gone again, just like the last time.

Don't be stupid, Betty. He did enough for you yesterday, what more do you want? Guys like Jughead don't go for girls like– Betty's negative thoughts screeched to a halt when she saw a piece of paper and a bag from her favorite deli sitting on her counter.

Betts,

Sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I had to leave early to change before class and you looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you. But! I left you some breakfast and a sweet treat. Text me later if you need anything... or if you wanna hang out again... or even if you just want to talk. Seriously, I'll be here anytime you need me...

-Jug

Betty felt her heart thumping, a different kind of warmth from the night before, burning through her chest and spreading to her limbs. Jughead had been so caring and it took her completely by surprise.

She never would have expected that under all that broody, biker aesthetic was such a gentle heart. Tears began to prick her eyes at the swell of feelings bubbling inside her when there was a knock at the door. She grinned and placed the note back on the counter, running to see if it was him.

"Hey–," Betty's smile dropped instantly, her fingers curling in on themselves as she stared dumbstruck. Archie Andrews stood nervously on her front stoop, his head hanging down slightly as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Hey, Betts. Can we talk?"