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Saying Jughead Jones was a heavy sleeper was an understatement.
Jughead Jones was much more than a heavy sleeper and he cherished the days that he could sleep in. Of course, Betty was aware of this before the two of them were together, she had known Jug for years. The thing was, it was so much more real when Veronica had called her at nine on a Saturday insisting the couple joined her and Cheryl for breakfast. As Veronica continued to ramble, Betty could already feel the dread of having to wake her boyfriend up so early. Of course, she could have made some excuse, she could have even told Veronica the truth, but it really wasn't that early. Jughead just was not a morning person if he didn't have to be.
So, she had promised Veronica that they would be there, and they ended the conversation with a 'hopefully on time' and a laugh from both girls. Then, since she already knew that there was practically nothing that could get Jughead up, she began to make a plan. There were many things she had tried in the past, including cold water, removing the blankets and turning the heater off, firecrackers, even purposely setting the fire alarm off. Nothing had worked, yet somehow he woke up fine to his alarm each morning.
Part of her just wanted to cancel on Ronnie and get back in her warm bed with her boyfriend, but she knew better by now. So, she let him sleep longer, leaving the sleeping boy in bed and headed off for the shower, hoping that she would have thought of something by the time she got out.
–
Turns out, that was no problem, because when she left the bathroom nearly an hour later, his bed was empty, and he was nowhere to be seen. She looked around, slightly shocked. What exactly had Jughead up so early in the morning? If she couldn't get him up this early even on his best days, what had appalled him to get up then?
She left his bedroom and began heading to the kitchen of his Dad's old trailer. She glanced at the room, and when she found it empty she continued on to the living room.
Sure enough, there on the couch he sat, his laptop open in front of him, his always present beanie missing. She smiled at the serious look on his face, the way his fingers moved across the keyboard. She moved across the room to join him, trying not to break his concentration.
“Hey,” she said softly, as she sat beside him, leaning into his warmth.
He looked away from the computer screen and smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her softly.
“Hi” he replied, turning back to his work.
“Ronnie invited us out to breakfast, she wants to meet around 10:30.”
He nodded and she leaned over and kissed his cheek before getting up.
“I'm going to go finish getting ready, please be ready on time Jug.”
He rolled his eyes and nodded at her, but she didn't miss the small smile that had crossed his face.
–
“Jug! She yelled from his room “Have you seen my drivers license?”
“No!” came the slightly muffled response from the living room.
Betty huffed and continued searching through the room, checking pockets of discarded pants and shorts on his floor but still had no luck. She couldn't find it anywhere.
“Can you check my car, Jug?” she yelled back, “like the entire thing?”
She smiled as he yelled back a yes, glad that he was willing to help, then she continued her hunt through his room
Then she heard the front door slam shut.
She wasn't sure if it was Jughead going in or out, but either way, she knew it wasn't good if he was slamming doors. She was about to go and check when she heard him nearing the room, his steps heavy. Before she knew it, he was standing in front of her, a black leather jacket in his hand.
“You're in a gang?” he seethed, his hand clenched tightly around the material in his hand.
“I- uh” she went silent for a minute, a blush spreading across her face “Yeah” she admitted quietly, her eyes downcast
“Why the hell didn't you tell me, Betty? You obviously don't have the tattoo, I think I'd have noticed that by now.”
She could hear the anger in his, and she stood on the other side of the room, staring at her shoes.
“I told them I wasn't ready for that commitment,” she said stiffly, trying to avoid his cold stare
“But you were ready for the commitment of being in a gang?” he exclaimed, stepping closer to her, causing her to take a step back from him.
“Why does this affect you so much, Jughead, especially when you were part of the exact same gang?” she responded, finally meeting his gaze, her eyes cold and hard.
“Because it's a fucking gang Elizabeth!”
There it was. Her full name, a name that she would usually melt over when it came out of his mouth; But this time, it made her scowl and malice filled her voice.
“You know what? Fine Jughead. If you have such an issue with it, I'll leave.” she ignored the wetness in her eyes and the hurt in his and swept past him, taking the jacket from his hand. She nearly ran to the front door, swinging it open and running out to her car.
She collapsed into the front seat, allowing herself to cry. Only god knows how long she sat there, but when she finally left, she ignored the figure in the doorway watching her.
–
That night she entered the Whyte Wyrm with a determination in her heart, anything to take her mind off of the boy she loved. She strode in with a new sense of determination and confidence that she had to tell herself was not to prove that she didn't need his approval. But while she held her head high, and strut through the bar, she regretted the fight. She regret the way she stormed out, she regret the way she showed her vulnerability, the vulnerability that it seemed only he could bring out in her. It was one of her many weaknesses around him, but it was also one of the few she allowed to show. He was her weakness, he was her soft spot. She knew it, despite the few months that they had been together, since the age of four he had always been it. There were so many things over the years that had kept them so close. So many things that had sewn the bond between them together, that had kept that bond from ripping. She had brought him lunch since before she could remember, he had held her hand the whole way home in first grade when a boy had pushed her over, he had gotten her first journal for her eighth birthday, and she returned the favor the same year. The first fight she had with Archie he had spent the night with her, watching movies and trying to make her feel better, and she had helped him through his parents' divorce. There were so many little things that held them together, so many things she was afraid they would lose. She couldn't help but worry, couldn't help but remember the look in his eyes, when he had stormed into the room that had been so close to becoming theirs after so little time. Betty closed her eyes before going to sit at the bar. Tonight was not about Jughead. It was about her.
–
It wasn't until the next Sunday that Betty saw Jughead. She had gone to the Whyte Wyrm every night of the week since he had discovered her, and late Sunday night when she walked in, he stood by the pool table with Sweetpea. What stood out to her, though, was the leather he wore, the Serpent jacket he hadn't worn since he was sixteen. Suddenly he looked up and their eyes met, but she was quick to turn away when she heard Toni call her from across the bar. She turned and smiled, making her way to the girl standing by the stage.
“Hey Liz!” she exclaimed and Betty smiled at the nickname Toni had seemed to choose for her, claiming that Betty just sounded 'too innocent' for the Serpents “Karaoke night! You singing?”
Betty smiled at the enthusiasm that the girl typically lacked, and ran her hand through her hair.
“Every Sunday night Toni, you joining me tonight?”
“Nah, I'm not really in the mood tonight, but I can't wait to see you have everyone cheering, just as you do every Sunday.”
“I'm not that good, and we both know that.” Betty rolled her eyes and sighed “Now I just have to figure out what to sing.”
–
In no time she was being called up to the stage, followed by the hollering of the other Serpents and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. Reaching for the mic, she turned to face the crowd.
“So, how's everyone's night?” she asked, and her eyes met Jug's in the crowd. She quickly averted her eyes and sighed heavily. Once the yelling had died down she leaned into the mic again.
“So, tonight's gonna be a slower a song,” she said, taking the mic off the stand and moving over to the man operating the machine. She leaned over and whispered something before climbing back onto the stage and smiling widely at the crowd only inches below her. “enjoy.” she finished as the song began to play.
As it neared the beginning of the lyrics she felt her breathing pick up slightly and she kept her eyes down. Her hands shook slightly, and her grip tightened on the microphone. She began to sing softly, looking up at the crowd.
“My soul I,” her eyes scanned the crowd and Toni sent her an encouraging smile “am broken, by you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut tight when Jughead crossed her mind.
“One morning I'll wake up, renewed.”
She had to steady her breathing when she was reminded that he was here, he could see her, hear her. She wished that he could feel her too. That she wasn't on this stage, but in his arms instead.
“Don't go, love, I need you to stay.”
She was blinking away the wetness in her eyes, trying to clear her mind of him.
“My soul I am broken, today.”
She heard her voice crack, and she was sure that everyone else did too. She briefly wondered what the crowd around the stage. From the very first time she had stepped on this stage, she had never been emotional, reserved, not shy in the smallest bit. But the nervousness was overwhelming to her and palms ached from new cuts layered over her old scars.
“And I will work out what it meant. And I will mend you in the end”
She had to bring her other hand up to clench the microphone to stop her hand from curling into a fist, to stop any more blood from spilling. Her eyes came back up and began to search the crowd again.
“Cause I will do anything to love you, I will do anything to love you.”
Her gaze met Jughead's and this time she did not tear her stare from his, she looked right at him. The three words that had not dared to speak to one another yet, not after the few months that they had been together. She saw as his eyes widened slightly, but she didn't miss the small smile that crossed his face.
“It may not be easy to see, but I am ready, I need to believe.”
She wasn't sure if seeing him had calmed her nerves or if they were acting up more than before. But her breathing was back to normal and she didn't feel as strong as an urge to dig her nails into her palms.
The rest of the song seemed to take forever as stood on the stage in front of everybody. All she wanted was to talk to him, to get something from him, anything but the cold look that was in his eyes a week before. When she heard the ending note she stayed up for another minute thanking everybody in the crowd before practically running off stage to Jughead.
By the time she was feet from him, she had slowed her pace, doing her best not to look desperate.
“Juggie.” she had breathed as he turned and smiled at her.
“Betts.” he replied before taking a step forward and taking her into her into his arms. “I am so sorry, baby, so sorry.”
Betty never did ever stop to think that Jughead could make her fall harder than she already had, that he was ever able to make her melt with his voice as smooth as honey; but as those words left his mouth, she could feel her heart jump and her eyes water.
“No, Jug, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept it from you, out of all people.” and at her words, he held her a little tighter, a feeling she had missed all too much.
“This isn't all on you, and we both know that we both had a part to play in this, Betty.”
She nodded into his chest but said nothing, she just wanted to savor this moment, she didn't care if it was in the middle of a bar, she had missed the feeling of security that his arms gave her.
“You look... different. But, a good different,” he said, lower than before, a few minutes later, and she nearly shivered at his words.
“Yeah?” she asked, feigning innocence as she looked up into his eyes.
“Yeah,” he responded before leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Wanna get out of here?”
She had never agreed to anything in her life faster.