Wicked Game

The world was on fire and no one could save me but you

It's strange what desire will make foolish people do

I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you

And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you

Wicked Game - Chris Isaak

October 2018 - The Halloween That Started It All

"I want you to fuck my mouth, Juggie..."

Jughead's mind fogged, the sight of the beautiful enchantress on her knees in front of him, begging him to fuck her pretty little mouth, almost undoing him. He swallowed a groan, shaking his head, staring down at her as he spoke, "No."

Betty gazed up at him with wide eyes, crestfallen as she watched him tuck himself back into his trousers. Tears burned her eyes again, forcing her to avert them to the ground, less he be able to see them.

Don't be stupid, Elizabeth. Boys like him... Her negative thoughts were cut short when she felt Jughead gripping her biceps, lifting her off the floor for another overwhelming kiss. Betty leaned into it, her hardened nipples rubbing against the fabric of his shirt and sending shockwaves over her body.

"I have other plans for you and I don't want to come yet," he murmured against her mouth, picking her up effortlessly and walking her to his apartment across the hall. Once inside, Jughead set her down, locking the door behind him quickly as the sounds of the song ' Wicked Game ' could be heard floating up from the bar downstairs.

"And what plans do you have for me, exactly?" she mewled, teasing her nipples and enjoying the way his eyes scoured her body. Betty took a few steps backward, easing her dress off her frame and onto the floor.

She stood boldly before him, naked and flushed, rubbing her breasts. She may have appeared debauched and completely ravaged to some but to him, she had never looked more beautiful.

It was at that moment Jughead knew, he was completely ruined for other women. No one else would ever hold a candle to the vision in front of him and he would spend the rest of his life showing her just how she made him feel.

He began to circle around her slowly, drinking every inch of her in, finally coming to a stop in front of her. He stared into her eyes, his fingers floating over her skin and making her shiver. He leaned in little by little, his lips just barely grazing her earlobe when he spoke, "How about I show you some more, Duchess?"

Betty's knees shook with want and she grabbed his face, pulling him back to her mouth, pouring all her need into that single kiss. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor, wasting no time at all to unbutton his shirt.

Once he was bare from the waist up, Betty pulled away to admire the lean muscles and the beautiful artwork that painted his skin, her hand running along his sternum until she reached the hairs leading to his manhood.

"Juggie..." she whispered, her hand snaked below his waistband, gripping his throbbing cock as she swallowed his moans. They had both been patiently waiting for this moment -for longer than either would admit- but now that it was here, neither of them wanted to go slow.

"Fuck, Betts," he breathed as he pulled away, "We– we need to hold on a second... I gotta get a condom."

"You don't need it," she murmured against the hollow of his throat, sucking a faint bruise, "I have an implant and I'm clean. So you can... you know... if you want, I mean."

"Are you sure?" Jughead choked, the thought of there being no barriers between them making him pant harder. "I'm clean, too... if you were concerned."

"I'm not. I just want you... all of you... tonight," Betty replied, finally pushing his pants down so that they were both completely naked. She purred under his attention, gasping as his fingers suddenly plunged into her heat, "Please, please... I need more... I need you to fuck me, Jug!"

Jughead withdrew his hand, spreading her arousal on his cock as he pressed her against the living room wall. He hitched her leg over his hip, lining himself up and glancing at her for permission before sinking into her, inch by inch. Betty moaned into his neck, feeling him stretching her walls before he paused, bottoming out.

"Betts... You feel so fucking amazing," he groaned, nibbling and sucking on her neck. She could feel him pulsing inside her and it was driving her insane. She needed him to move, to take her like she'd been dreaming he would the last few weeks.

"You too, Juggie. So good... I need... Please..." she begged, rocking her hips to entice him to move. Her whole body burned and she needed him to extinguish the inferno blazing inside her.

Jughead took the hint, pulling back slowly and slamming back into her, making her shout his name. He held Betty up while she clawed at his shoulders, her body shaking while he continued surging into her dripping core. He grunted with the effort, taking her hot and fast just like she had been wanting him to do all night.

Jughead's tongue danced with hers, the sounds of her muffled cries mixing with the slapping of their skin while he fucked her senseless. Betty's breath faltered as she felt herself climbing higher, her climax hanging just on the ledge until she felt Jughead's teeth sink into her collarbone.

Stars exploded behind her eyes and she screamed his name, her release spilling out of her and soaking his dick. Betty would've been embarrassed if she wasn't lost in ecstasy at the moment. Her earth-shattering climax was enough to drag him over the edge too and he buried himself to the hilt and filled her.

"Fuck–" Jughead swore as he came. His head spun, the edges of his vision blurry for a moment before he recovered and held her against his chest. Betty gasped for breath, her body arching off the wall and convulsing while her cunt continued to milk him of his essence. Jughead placed tender kisses to any exposed skin he could reach, working her down from her high slowly.

"That was... Oh my God... That was amazing," Betty whispered, kissing him softly as he clung to her. When he felt safe to move, he carried her to his bed, only pulling out when he laid her down. His semi-softened shaft twitched as he watched his come leak out of her pussy and onto his sheets.

A growl escaped his throat when she tried to close her legs in embarrassment. Jughead crawled onto the bed and pushed her thighs apart, hovering over her as he spoke.

"Oh, Duchess... We're just getting started."

October 2019: Jughead's Birthday

Jughead sighed in relief when he finally reached their apartment. He was exhausted from his long day on campus but was looking forward to spending his first birthday with Betty officially being his girlfriend. He'd already messaged Archie to explain that he wasn't feeling well so they wouldn't be going to the Bijou again this year. Archie was understanding (if not a bit let down) but if Jughead was being honest with himself, their old tradition just didn't appeal to him much anymore.

Now Jughead wanted to start an all-new tradition, one where he'd get to spend his birthday vegging out on his couch while running commentary on classic movies with the woman that he loved by his side.

He smiled at the thought of spending a quiet evening with her as he unlocked the door, stepping into their apartment and expecting to see Betty in the kitchen. Surprisingly, she hadn't met him at the door like normal and he frowned when he noticed that she wasn't in the living room either. The apartment seemed strangely quiet and it unnerved him.

Did she forget about our plans tonight?

"Betts? Are you home, babe?" he called out, hoping that she didn't end up going out for the night.

I did tell her I canceled, right? he wondered briefly before he heard her call out to him.

"I'm in the bedroom, Juggie! But stay where you are and close your eyes, I want to get your opinion on something!" Jughead smiled at the excitement in her voice, covering his eyes with his hands.

"Okay, Betts. I'm ready..."

Betty quietly tip-toed into the room with a smirk on her face while dressed in her new Halloween costume. At Veronica's suggestion, they'd all agreed to go as the characters from Scooby-Doo and (in Veronica's opinion) Betty made the perfect Velma. She wore a tight orange turtleneck, a short red pleated skirt with orange knee socks, her Mary Jane's, and most prominently, a pair of square glasses and a dark wig.

"Alright, open 'em," Betty whispered in his ear. Jughead opened his eyes slowly and nearly swallowed his tongue. His eyes raked over her body, his pants becoming uncomfortably tight from the sight in front of him.

"Jinkies, Juggie... Whatcha think?" she asked playfully, doing a little twirl for added effect. Jughead watched her, completely speechless, the dark hungry look in his eyes telling her everything she needed to know about his thoughts on her outfit.

Without warning, Jughead dropped his bag and surged forward to pull her into a hot and heavy kiss, swallowing her surprised gasp. She drew back, giggling, "I take it you like it then?"

"You could say that, Betts," he growled into her neck, pawing at her lustfully. "God, the things I want to do to you right now."

"Well, Birthday Boy, why don't you do it, then?" Betty teases, cupping his erection and squeezing tightly. His eyes rolled back as he swallowed a groan, his cock throbbing at her touch.

"You asked for it, Cooper."

Jughead's mouth overtook hers in an insatiable kiss as he backed her further into the room, his hands beginning to claw at the hem of her sweater. When she finally pulled it over her head, revealing the black and red peek-a-boo lace bralette she wore, he almost came right there. Jughead pushed her towards the sofa, turning her to bend her over the arm before pushing her skirt up to reveal that her bottom was completely bare for him.

"Oh, Duchess... You've been a very, very naughty girl," he tsked, working his fingers along her dripping slit and making her moan wantonly into the couch cushions.

"I have, Juggie. I've been oh so bad..." she whimpered, shifting her ass back against his crotch.

Jughead groaned again, finally opening his pants and sighing in relief as he released his aching cock, "Well then, bad girl... I guess I'm just gonna have to fuck you till you learn your lesson..."

Archie wasn't sure exactly what possessed him to lie to Veronica about going out with Jughead just so that he could drive all the way to Betty's apartment, but here he was. He'd been trying to find time to talk to her alone ever since his surprise party, but it never seemed to work out. He just wanted -no, he needed- to make sure there wasn't anything going on between her and Jughead, once and for all.

He knew how it might have looked to other people. He was the one who ended things with her so she was free to be with someone else, just not if that person was Jughead. And there was something so off-putting about the looks that those two gave each other that Archie couldn't stop thinking about it since the party.

And it might be selfish of him, but he didn't like the idea of Betty dating anyone that he knew– most especially not his own brother. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to forgive either of them for that particular sin.

With those thoughts swirling in his head, he stepped out of his jalopy to make his way up to her apartment on the second floor. He kept practicing his speech in his head, trying to go over every possible response to every scenario based on her answers but just as he raised his hand to knock, a sound on the other side made him freeze.

Archie leaned in, placing his ear to the door to listen when he heard it again.

"Harder, please... Fuck me harder... I've been sooo bad..."

He heard the unmistakable notes of Betty crying out in passion, screaming filthy things, begging to be fucked harder while her mystery companion grunted in response. Archie felt his entire body begin to burn, a wave of jealousy overtaking him as he stood and listened to her loud moaning. He'd never heard her that enthusiastic while having sex– at least she'd never sounded that way when she was with him.

His rage began to engulf him to a point where he knew that if he didn't leave, he'd do something extremely stupid– like break the door down and fight whoever was on the other side. He turned quickly and ran back down the stairs to his car, slamming the door and speeding away, leaving tire marks in the parking lot in his haste.

And in his furious exit of her apartment complex, Archie completely missed the sight of Jughead's jeep parked just on the other side of her building.

Jughead shouted his release, painting her walls before collapsing onto her back. He shifted his weight so that he wasn't completely crushing her, laying kisses along her bare shoulders and spine as they continued to catch their breath.

"If you wear this costume at this year's party, I don't know how I'll be able to keep my hands off of you, Betts," he said breathlessly.

"Oh, you mean like you kept your hands to yourself at the last one?" she giggled, looking over her shoulder to tease him with a knowing smirk.

"Well, you've got me there, Betts."

Jughead had just finished pulling on a clean pair of boxers and his pajama pants when he heard Betty's unmistakable voice on the other side of the door, ringing throughout their apartment.

"All I want is a place to call my own, to mend the hearts of everyone who feels alone...

Whoa, you know to keep your hopes up high and your head down low... Keep your hopes up high and your head down low... "

He stepped into the living room, stopping at the entrance to the kitchen with a grin on his face. Betty was bobbing her head and bouncing on her feet, frosting a double chocolate cake and singing along to one of her favorites songs by A Day To Remember.

He still found it hilarious that for all of her bubblegum princess aesthetic, deep down she was actually into all things pop-punk and metalcore. He watched Betty happily dance for the remainder of the song until it switched, a slow melodic rhythm filling the air instead...

It's a mystery, too good to be true,

I find my purpose when I look at you.

I bleed transparent, It's not the way I choose,

But it's only when I'm vulnerable, my true colors shine through

Jughead's heart swelled as he observed her casually swaying to the music, the words sparking something inside him. She jumped in surprise when she felt him walk up behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist.

"Dance with me, Betts?" Betty nodded at his suggestion and turned to put her arms over his shoulders, her cheeks flushing as she smiled.

Jughead pulled her closer, burying his face into her hair while they moved to the song. This was already hands down the best birthday he'd ever had (even better than the year that the Andrews adopted him) and it was all because of her.

Truthfully, the entire last year of his life had been better because Betty was by his side. She made him see the world in a whole new light and even before this moment, he was one hundred percent gone for her. She'd been a constant thought on his mind ever since the first time he met her, but now... well, now she consumed his very soul.

She was everything to him, and he knew he loved her with every fiber of his being, but he was still so afraid to tell her how he really felt. It was always the same insecurities that ran through his head.

What if she doesn't feel the same way as I do?

What if she meets someone better?

What if I royally fuck this up and she leaves me, just like everyone else does?

He knew those thoughts were illogical but with his track record of being rejected, it was legitimate fear he carried with him. But recently, the longer he thought about it, the more he wanted to take the risk, to tell her and the world that he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

And he knew the first step would be talking to his Mom and Archie to let them know. It was the right thing to do, no matter how scary that thought was for him.

"Penny for your thoughts, Juggie?" Betty asked softly, her fingers tangling into the hairs at the base of his neck. He smiled, running his hands up her back to hold her closer.

"I'm just thinking about how amazing, and sexy, and wonderful you are," he replied, accentuating every compliment with a kiss to her throat. "Thank you, baby."

"For what?"

"Well, this is the best birthday I can remember having since before my family fell apart and it's all because of you. Just standing here with you in my arms, dancing to our song–"

"Our song?" Betty questioned in a whisper, leaning back to look up at him with wide eyes.

"Well yeah, Betts. I mean, since we did the cliche thing and danced to it while you were making my birthday dinner, I just figured that now this was our song," he teased.

"I like that logic," she replied after a moment of thought, eyes lighting up with glee.

"Look at us being all domestic. I just hate it..." Jughead joked with a laugh, pulling her back to his chest and swaying. I love you, Betty Cooper...

"I hate being all domestic with you too," she giggled, kissing him softly. "Happy Birthday, Juggie." I love you...

October 2019 - The Halloween All Hell Broke Loose

~~Three Weeks Later~~

Betty huffed impatiently as she tuned out Veronica and glanced around, finally catching sight of Jughead from across the room. He was laughing at something Archie was telling him, but he stopped when his eyes met hers. He threw her a sultry wink, his eyes twinkling with so much delight that she couldn't help but smile back.

She tugged her ear, sending him a quick wink too before Veronica managed to drag her off to speak to yet another guest. Betty swore that if she had to play 'pleasant co-hostess' to one more of Veronica's rich high school friends, she just might scream.

She'd already come over early that day to get into her costume and help Veronica with set-up for the party, and because of it, Betty had yet to see or even talk to Jughead. She hated not being able to just run into his arms and greet him but she could feel his eyes on her the entire night.

If not for the fact that Veronica decided to greet all of her guests personally, while insisting that Betty make the rounds with her for moral support, she would have already snuck off with him to replay their costumed romp from his birthday.

"We're definitely going to win the costume contest this year, I can feel it!" Veronica exclaimed excitedly, finally leading Betty over to where the boys were hanging out.

Veronica and Archie were dressed as Daphne and Fred, while Betty and Jughead were Velma and Shaggy. Archie had even brought Vegas along and put a Scooby-Doo collar on him to complete the whole look.

"Seriously B, you make one smoking hot Velma. I seriously love that wig– it's very mysterious. What do you boys think?" Veronica complimented as they reached the two men, motioning for Betty to twirl around.

"You look great, Betty," Archie murmured and sipped his drink, trying not to think about the sounds he heard coming from her apartment a few weeks before.

"Yeah, Betts. Very authentic..." Jughead agreed, forgetting himself and licking his lips as he looked her up and down. Archie's eyes narrowed when he noticed Jughead's leering so he nudged him and scowled. Jughead cleared his throat and quickly shrugged, taking a sip of his beer and mumbling, "Sorry, Arch..."

"Thanks! You guys look really great too," she replied, her cheeks burning. Archie couldn't help but notice how her eyes seemed to linger on Jughead just a bit too long, a look passing between the two.

"I think I'm gonna go grab a drink. Anybody need a refill?" she asked quickly.

"I'll go with you, Betts. I need another beer anyway," Jughead grunted, setting his empty bottle down to drag Betty off before Veronica or Archie could answer. Archie continued to eye them suspiciously, feeling bitter and uncomfortable with what he was witnessing. He took a long swig of his beer and grimaced.

"For fuck's sake, did you see that?" Archie hissed, clearly growing more irritated as the minutes passed. Veronica turned to him, her brow furrowed in confusion at his sudden sour mood.

"See what, Archikins?" she asked, looking around to see what he was referring to.

"That! The way those two are looking at each other! Jesus, Jughead was openly checking her out just now!" Archie snarled, waving his hands towards the couple who were standing in line to get drinks from the wet bar across the room.

"So, what's wrong with that, Archie? They're both single, they're allowed to look and even flirt if they want. If you ask me, I think they'd make an adorable couple. They get along better now than they ever have before and they've got so much in common. I think they'd be good for each other so I, for one, ship it!" Veronica declared happily, not understanding why there was an issue.

Archie scoffed, balling up his fists and gritting out, "Over my dead fucking body!"

"And what's that supposed to mean, exactly?" Veronica challenged, anger growing inside her now that she could see how jealous Archie was behaving. He didn't seem to notice that she was glaring at him though, all of his focus trained on the way Betty was smiling up at Jughead as they chatted happily.

"It means, brother or not, I'll kick his ass if he even thinks about touching my girl–" Archie froze, realizing too late what had come out his mouth.

"Shit," he swore under his breath, turning to Veronica fully prepared to backpedal his statement, "I didn't mean..."

However, Veronica was not having any of it and held her hand up, "Oh, I think I know exactly what you meant, Archie. So, I'll tell you what, how about you come find me when you get your head out of your ass and decide which one of us is your girl," Veronica growled, turning on her heels and storming off towards Reggie and Josie.

Archie cursed lowly in frustration, pulling off his blonde wig to tug at his hair. When he looked up to try and find Veronica, he caught another glimpse of Jughead and Betty in a corner -talking and laughing- and he got jealous all over again.

Betty squeaked delightfully as Jughead slammed her into the wall, his teeth nipping at her jaw while he pressed himself into her core. It had taken all of his willpower to keep himself from grabbing her and kissing her in front of everyone at the party, so when she suggested they head upstairs, he wasn't going to say no.

"God baby, I thought we'd never get a chance to get away. I wanted you all to myself tonight but Archie's been giving me dirty looks ever since you and Veronica walked downstairs," he grunted, kicking open the first bedroom door he could find. He carried her inside, humming as he set her on her feet before burying his face into her neck and caressing her sides."I think he may have seen me checking you out and he wasn't too happy about it..."

"Well Juggie, after tonight it won't matter anymore. We just need to get through the party and we can tell him... We'll do it together, just like we planned. As a team, right?" Betty whispered, smiling up at him lovingly.

Jughead nodded before surging forward to kiss her again, tasting the sweetness of her strawberry gloss on her tongue. They groped at each other's clothing, their shirts flying off as he slowly backed her towards the guest bed. After he laid her down, he hovered over her, his hands exploring the curves of her body.

"I swear, Duchess... This tiny little skirt of yours has been teasing me all night," he murmured, grinding against her thigh as he pressed kisses to the hollow of her throat.

"Oh, I know. Why do you think I chose it, Juggie?" Betty moaned, running her hands into his dark locks to pull him back up to whisper in his ear, "I even wore those panties you love so much..."

"You mean the ones you got online?" Jughead growled, his dick throbbing as he pinned her against the mattress. She was driving him insane and all he wanted to do was to be inside her, right now.

Betty grinned seductively, running her fingers along his jaw as she confirmed, "Yup, the crotchless ones... I thought, with as hot and bothered as you got the last time I wore this outfit, you'd need the easy access tonight."

"Oh, Elizabeth..." he keened, seizing her mouth in a ravenous kiss that left her whimpering. Jughead leisurely made his way to her center, peppering her with love bites along her soft skin. He spread her legs wide, admiring her dripping core, before dragging his tongue up her slit torturously slow, groaning at the taste of her, "...the things I'm gonna do to you tonight..."

"Archie, I need you to go find Betty and Jughead while I refill the punch. The costume judging is in ten minutes and we don't want them to miss it," Veronica stated coldly, stone-faced and still angry.

Without another word, she turned and stormed off, leaving Archie alone with his thoughts again. He watched his furious girlfriend walk away to speak to the judges of the costume contest before disappearing into the kitchen. He wanted to go to her and apologize but he knew it wouldn't do any good right now.

He still wasn't sure why he called Betty his girl earlier, it had just kind of slipped out in the heat of the moment. He knew he loved Veronica and he definitely didn't want to be with Betty, but he just didn't feel comfortable with the idea of Jughead being with her either.

Call him territorial or whatever, he just didn't want to think about his brother hooking up with his ex-girlfriend. He'd seen how Jughead was with most of the women he messed around with and he didn't want him to treat Betty the way he treated those other girls.

Betty was worth more than just being someone's fuck buddy. He still believed she deserved to be with someone who would treat her like a queen.

Archie realized that even he didn't deserve her when they were dating, but he tried not to let it affect the relationship. Unfortunately, after two years together, he just couldn't deny that she was too good for him anymore. She needed more than he could give her so he let her go... or at least he tried...

He made a quick sweep through the living room and game room, even going so far as to check the many balconies in the apartment, but couldn't find them anywhere. He swallowed hard around the lump in his throat as he wandered upstairs, his mind racing with images of what he might find. He was nearly at the end of the hall when he heard familiar moaning coming from one of the guest bedrooms.

Archie inched closer and pressed his ear to the door, hearing the tell-tale sounds of two people having very enthusiastic sex. He opened the door quietly only to be greeted with the sight of perfect little Betty Cooper, disheveled and on all fours on the bed. Her wig was now off, tossed across the room along with her sweater, and her skirt was turned up, her breasts bouncing as they spilled from her lacy bra.

The man roughly taking her from behind, completely shirtless with his pants around his ankles, was none other than Jughead Jones. They were both covered in a fine sheen of sweat as he pounded into her, his hand wrapped around the front of her throat, pulling her backward with each thrust. Archie's jaw locked tight as he heard the filthy words spilling from Jughead's mouth that made Betty moan his name loudly.

Neither of them seemed to notice Archie standing there at first (as they were facing away from the door) but when Betty started begging Jughead to fuck her until she couldn't walk straight, Archie wasn't able to take it anymore.

"What the hell?!" Archie shouted, startling both Betty and Jughead back to reality. He slammed the door to the bedroom shut, wrath blooming in his chest that his so-called best friend and brother had gone behind his back to do something like this.

The lovers pulled apart, noticing for the first time that it was Archie standing there, and hastily scrambled to get their clothes back on. He fumed as he continued to yell at the pair, "How fucking long has this been going on?!"

Jughead cursed under his breath, quickly pulling up and buckling his pants so he could deal with the hell that was about to take place. Betty, who was now fully dressed, whispered Jughead's name and tossed him his t-shirt. He put it on and took a deep breath, trying to think of what to say next, "Archie, I need you to calm down. It's not what it looks like."

"Oh, really? Cause it looks like you were just fucking Betty on Ronnie's guest bed!" Archie bellowed, his face nearly the same shade of red as his hair.

" Okay, so maybe it's exactly what it looks like, but I can explain. I swear Arch, this isn't how we wanted you to find out about us fooling around," Jughead stammered out quickly, not really registering what he said as he stepped towards Archie. Betty stood behind him, completely stunned and staring at the back of his head with her mouth agape.

"Wait a goddamn minute! We've been doing a hell of a lot more than just fooling around, Jughead! Or was having sex with me all this has been to you?" Betty demanded. Jughead spun around to face her, panic in his eyes as he shook his head.

"What–? No, of course not! You know this wasn't just about the sex, Betts," Jughead frantically tried to assure her. He was starting to hit fight or flight mode and he needed to stave off a panic attack long enough to explain everything to Archie.

"So what exactly have you been doing with Betty? If it wasn't sex then, what was it? Are you guys dating?" Archie demanded.

"Well– I mean..." Jughead trailed off and scratched the back of his neck, suddenly clamming up. He wanted to tell Archie the truth, but he felt the walls closing in on him and his fears were winning out. He looked back and forth between a furious Archie and a hopeful Betty, losing his nerve at the last minute, "Look, Arch... It's kinda complicated..."

"Complicated?! How fucking complicated could it be, Jughead? I only asked you to do one thing. ONE! Keep your dick out of my ex, that's it. And you couldn't even do that! We were supposed to be brothers! Brothers don't do shit like this behind each other's backs!"

"Archie, please, I am your brother. That's not–" Jughead started but Archie wouldn't give him the chance to finish.

"Well, fucking Betty behind my back isn't exactly acting brotherly, now is it? I trusted you Jughead, how could you do this to me?" Archie bit back.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't plan for this, it just kind of happened. I promise you can still trust me," Jughead begged, trying to salvage whatever relationship they had left but feeling yet another family member slip away with each passing second.

"How would you feel if I did that to you, huh? What if it was reversed and I was fucking Candy or Toni behind your back? How would that make you feel?" Archie shouted as he stepped forward, shoving Jughead slightly.

Betty gasped and moved to wedge herself in between the two men, but Jughead caught sight of her and shook his head. He wasn't about to risk her jumping in the middle and getting hurt as a result. He promised he would never let anything hurt her, and that included situations like this.

Jughead remained calm and tried to placate Archie as best he could, "Come on man, that's not fair. You guys were broken up way before Betty and I started messing around. Besides, Candy was only someone I fucked when I got bored, so that scenario doesn't even make sense. Can't we just please take a breath and talk about this reasonably?"

"Reasonably! Oh, so now you wanna be reasonable? After I just caught you balls deep–" Archie started to yell, Jughead trying to speak over him. "Archie, just–"

Betty watched the two of them argue back and forth for a few more minutes before she'd finally had enough of being treated like she wasn't even in the room and cut them both off. She forced herself between them, pushing them both back with a huff and a glare.

"Hello? Hi! You guys remember I'm still here, right? Shouldn't I get a say in who I'm sleeping with?" she challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Stay outta this, Betty. This is between me and Jughead," Archie seethed, his eyes still focused on the raven-haired boy.

"Archie, you better watch your fucking mouth. You don't get to talk to her like that," Jughead warned, ready to throw punches to defend Betty if necessary. Family or not, he wasn't going to let Archie speak to her the way he was. No one had that right.

"I think I have every right to be a part of this discussion, given that you are acting like I'm just some piece of property to be claimed," she replied.

Archie narrowed his eyes, finally turning to her as he growled, "I said stay the fuck out of this, Betty! Don't make me say it again"

"Or else what? Huh?" she yelled. She and Archie continued to scream at each other until Jughead couldn't take it anymore and he just snapped.

"For fuck's sake, how about you both just shut up for one goddamn minute!" Jughead barked while holding his hand up, sounding way harsher than he intended.

While his reaction only served to piss her off more, she kept her mouth clamped shut tightly. She was upset and she didn't want to say something she didn't mean to make the whole situation worse.

But we are going to talk about this after this mess with Archie handled, she thought angrily.

"Okay, now let's talk about this like adults, okay? Archie, Betty and I were going to tell you soon. Tomorrow, in fact. It was just– we both agreed it would better to keep it from you so that you wouldn't get upset–"

"Nope, Jughead. You decided that, not me. Remember, I wanted to tell him months ago, but it was you that wanted to keep us a secret! It was you that kept coming up with excuse after excuse to keep everyone in the dark, so don't you dare pull me into your deception plan, Snake Boy !" Betty shouted, tired of being dragged into this fight without having any say.

"Oh really, Duchess? Well, you didn't seem to care too much about telling him last week when you were saying how hot sneaking around made you. You remember, it was right before you went down on me backstage at his show!" Jughead screamed back, glaring at her, his chest heaving as they stared at each other. Archie's menacing laughter caught their attention and they broke their standoff.

"Well damn, Betty. Maybe if you had been that adventurous when we were dating, I wouldn't have dumped you for Ronnie! Although, I really shouldn't be surprised. From what I've heard around town, being a whore runs in your family," Archie quipped, looking at her in disgust.

Betty stood shell shocked, tears forming in her eyes as she gaped at the two men. She couldn't believe that Archie would actually say something so cruel to her. She glanced expectantly at Jughead, who stood paralyzed at his brother's words, not believing that the Archie he knew would say something so awful.

Just as he was about to step up to defend her against Archie's words, she finally just nodded stiffly, adjusting her clothes while trying to mask her pain. I won't break... Not here... Not yet...

"You know what? Fuck you, Archie Andrews! In fact, how about fuck both of you!" she seethed, pushing past them to leave the room. Jughead knew he had to do something, or else he might risk losing her.

"Betty, wait– I'm sor–" he tried but Archie spoke over him, cutting him off and remarking maliciously, "Looks like you already did that, Betty!"

Jughead gasped as a bewildered Betty halted at his words, turning slowly to face him. Her face was hard as she stepped into Archie's space, pulling back and slapping him as hard as she possibly could before storming out of the room.

Unfortunately, it took Jughead just a heartbeat too long to finally snap out of his daze. He caught sight of her retreating form rushing out the door and he finally turned to Archie.

"What the actual fuck is wrong with you, man?!" he exclaimed, shoving Archie out of the way to chase after her. But he was just a fraction too late.

He made it outside in time to watch with a heavy heart as she collapsed into a cab and drove away, her face buried in her hands while she cried. The sight was enough to break him, his inner voice screaming about what a fuck up he was.

"Motherfucker!" he shouted, kicking the tire of a random vehicle parked out front, bending over to gasp for air, his heart squeezing in his chest.

He felt like his body was being flayed open, his shattered heart being exposed to the frigid October air. A noise to his right caught his attention and he turned to see Veronica -and several other party guests- standing in the entryway, whispering amongst themselves.

Jughead headed towards them, seething with rage, catching a glimpse of Archie's spiky red hair as he marched back inside. In all their years together, he and Archie had come to verbal blows before, but this was something entirely different.

Fighting over a girl was something they'd never had to face before. Jughead pressed past a disoriented Veronica and all of the party gawkers, making a straight shot for the target of his wrath. He shouted his name and began swinging before the red-head even dared to open his mouth.

Jughead's fist collided with Archie's jaw in a sickening thud, dazing him briefly before he recovered, an inferno igniting in his eyes as he charged at Jughead. The men tussled to the ground, rolling around like two children fighting over a toy. They each got in several more punches before they were finally dragged apart by some of their friends.

"Bastard! I can't believe I called you my best friend! You were my brother! How could you betray me like that? You knew Betty was off-limits and you slept with her anyway!" Archie yelled, struggling against Chuck and Moose's hold.

"For fuck's sake, Archie. Are you hearing yourself right now? Why do you even care, huh? You broke up with her, not the other way around! You don't get a say in who she starts seeing, you do understand that, right?" Jughead shouted, shaking himself loose from Reggie and Kevin's grip.

"Of course I know that you asshole, but–"

"Arch, you're with Veronica now so what does it matter who Betty goes out with?" Reggie asked, confused as to why there was even an issue to begin with. Jughead saw that Archie wanted to speak but he'd had enough of Archie's misplaced tantrum, he needed to find Betty and make this right.

"You know, if you hadn't been such a twat and actually tried to help Betty through things when you cheated on her, this wouldn't have even happened," he paused, running his hand through his unruly hair. "Hell, or maybe it would have... I don't know. All I know is you were the one who cheated and then broke up with her because you said you'd found something better. But I hate to break this to you, Archie, it doesn't get better than her!"

Jughead pushed through the crowd, grabbing his leather jacket from the hook by the door before storming out to his jeep. The stunned guests followed suit, filing out of the apartment, all of them murmuring and giving Archie varying glances as they left.

After a few awkward minutes, it was just Archie and Veronica left standing in the empty apartment, staring at the door. Archie was still fuming and couldn't get the images he just saw out of his head.

"Can you believe he and Betty have been going behind our backs for months and screwing around? I can't believe they'd do this to me," Archie complained, wiping away the blood from his nose. Veronica turned quickly and smacked him in the back of the head, shocking him. "Ronnie, what the hell–?"

"Shut up, Archibald! This is all your fault so you don't get to play the victim here. You did this. Not Betty. Not Jug. You. Now get the hell out of my house."

"But, Ronnie..." he tried to beg but she wouldn't hear it.

"I. Said. Get. Out!"