Work Text:
December, 24th, 2008 20:30
Jughead ran through the hallway in his little dirty boots when his mum called his name, telling him they’re about to get going. It was the day before Christmas and little 7 year old Jughead couldn’t wait to see his friends. The boy shuffled on his jacket and tugged his crown beanie lower to cover his ears as he ran down the stairs and into the truck.
The car ride was pretty slow, the road having been covered in snow. Listening to Gladys angrily huff, Jughead sat in his seat, drawing little shapes on the foggy window as they moved.
When Jughead got there, Betty and Archie were on the couch, playing with some kind of car toy, it looked new. The boy walked to them, sitting down and looking curiously at the object as Archie showed it off.
“Juggie, look! Isn’t Archie’s toy so cool?” Little Betty asked happily, her big green eyes shining at him.
Jughead always loved Betty, don’t get him wrong, Archie was great, but Betty treated him so nicely. She never left him out; no matter how big of a crush on Archie she had. He was thankful for that; he didn’t get that kind of attention a lot. Jughead never really got new toys to show off in school, didn’t have cool shoes or notebooks, his parents didn’t have the money for that. But not having money, meant being different, being a target, but not with Betty. With Betty Jughead felt normal, felt most at peace.
“Yeah.” Jughead said warmly, his smile genuine.
The three kids played with their toys for a bit, having the time of their lives as they waited for Christmas. Later on they had dinner with Archie and Betty’s parents, Jughead eating the most. Archie cringed as he watched Jughead wolf down the food, eating like there was no tomorrow, while Betty just giggled, finding it all amusing and kind of cute.
“Where do you fit it all?” Little 6 year old Betty asked with an amused smile, munching on her salad and getting scolded by Alice for speaking with a full mouth. Jughead watched with a frown and filled his mouth up with a grin. “My stomach is an endless pit.” He said cheerfully, parts of his turkey falling from his mouth to his plate as he spoke, earning a disgusted groan from Archie. Alice slightly glared at him, seeing his intentions, but Jughead ignored her as he focused on Betty’s newfound warm smile as she ate. The blonde girl glanced up at him, getting a wink from Jughead.
“Thanks for earlier. It made me feel better.” Betty whispered warmly, tucking herself deeper in her sleeping bag. The kids were now in Archie’s bedroom, Archie on his bed while Jughead and Betty were in their sleeping bags on the floor. Jughead’s eyes opened, meeting Betty’s in the dark. “You’re welcome.” He smiled, moving closer to Betty so they could talk without waking their friend up. Betty looked up at the digital clock Archie kept on his nightstand; finding out it was midnight and smiled back at Jughead. “Merry Christmas, Juggie.” Betty whispered with a happy smile. Jughead just looked at her, studying her young face, wanting to remember this moment forever. “Merry Christmas, Betts.”
December, 24th, 2010 20:45
Betty frowned as she watched the two boys jump and yell at the screen, controllers in their hands. They’ve been playing for the past 15 minutes. She tried reading but couldn’t focus from the loud noises they were making. Deciding she had enough, Betty stood up, coming in front of the screen with hands on her hips. The two 9 year old boys groaned, each moving their heads to her sides to see the screen, still clicking on their controllers. “Betty, move!” Archie complained, focusing on the monsters on the screen.
“No! You two have been playing for the past 15 minutes, I’m bored! I didn’t come here to sit on your bed and stare at you two’s backs!” The blonde girl yelled back, raising her hands.
Jughead frowned, moving his head back and placing the controller in his lap. “Arch, she’s right we aren’t being fair.”
“Thank you!”
“Dude!” Archie yelled, clicking on his controller faster since he was now alone. The redhead groaned loudly when the screen read ‘game over’ and dropped his controller. “Great! Now we lost!” Archie whined, putting his face in his hands. “Did you seriously have to do that, Betty?”
Betty frowned again, her green eyes tearing up at the tone as she stormed out of the room, earning an annoyed huff from the redhead. “Did you seriously have to be that mean, Archie?” Jughead imitated, getting up and running after Betty as the small 8 year old girl grabbed her coat and walked out the door. He quickly put his coat and boots on and slipped outside, finding Betty curled up on the front porch bench, staring at the snow and not giving Jughead a glance. The older boy frowned and sat next to Betty, turning his head towards her. “I’m sorry.” Jughead said quietly, earning a huff from Betty.
“We didn’t mean to make you sad, Betts.” The boy whispered sincerely, his pleading blue eyes focused on her face. After a few seconds of silence, Jughead moved closer to the blonde and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her in a warm hug. Betty dropped her legs, turning her body as she hugged back and hid her face in his shoulder. The girl let out a quiet sob, getting closer to Jughead. “Thank you.” She said with another sob, tucking her face in the side of his.
“You don’t have to thank me, Betts, ever.” Jug whispered, stroking her blonde hair with his hand, trying to make her feel better.
Betty raised her head, murmuring an “okay” before softly connecting her lips with his cheek. “But that won’t stop me from doing so anyway.” She pulled away with a smile, admiring the blush that appeared on the boy’s face
December, 24th, 2014 19:30
It was the day before Christmas when 13 year old Jughead was walking to Pop’s to meet Archie and Betty. He couldn’t wait to see them, mostly because of Betty. At this point the boy developed feelings for the blonde, but knew he shouldn’t try anyway, she has been in love with Archie since she was like 4. There’s no way he could compete with that. Archie was a football player, Jughead was a writer. Archie had abs and girls all around him, Jughead had scrawny limbs and an English sheepdog. It was a no-brainer, Archie was better. But Jughead wasn’t jealous, he felt happy for his friend. Betty was literally the perfect girl; she was smart, beautiful, funny, kind and talented. Who wouldn’t want her? An idiot, that’s who,
Jughead walked into the diner, instantly greeted by a giant hug from Betty. “Juggie! Hey.” She said warmly, squeezing him again before pulling away with a grin. “Hey, Betts. Hi, Arch.”
Archie smiled and gave Jughead a quick bro hug. “Hey, Jug.”
The three teenagers went over and sat at a booth, Archie and Betty on one side and Jughead on the other.
“So, Jug, how’s your dad doing?” Betty asked worriedly, grabbing the hand he was resting on the table to give him an encouraging squeeze.
Jughead blushed slightly, giving her a shy smile. “He went to a bar, still not over mum leaving.” The young boy said quietly, glancing out the window. “She left two years ago, how is he still not over it?” Archie asked incredulously, instantly getting scolded by Betty. “Archie! A little bit of empathy would be nice!”
“It’s okay, Betts.” Jughead assured warmly, turning his head when a girl came over to the table, her ‘seductive’ gaze set on Archie. “Hi, Archiekins.” The girl said, leaning down towards him slightly, definitely getting his attention. “I thought I would show you something, you know, for Christmas. Want to come with me?” She asked, reaching out her hand to take his. Archie happily obliged, giving Jughead and Betty a quick “I’ll be right back” as he left with the girl.
Jughead frowned and turned his attention to Betty, who was, unsurprisingly, tearing up. He sighed and switched seats, coming over to Betty and enveloping her in his arms. The blonde let out a few tears as she held onto the boy. “Why are all the girls better than me, Juggie?” Betty asked him sadly, her lips in a small pout. Jughead pulled away and looked at her, cupping her face. “Hey, no they’re not.” He said seriously. “You’re beautiful, and smart, and talented. You’re perfect, Betts. He’s an idiot.”
Betty stared at him with red eyes and a small blush as she let out a quiet sob. She swallowed and hugged him again, hiding her puffy face in his neck. “Thank you.” She said quietly, squeezing the boy. “I guess this is kind of a tradition now, huh?” The blonde asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Me thanking you every year on the same day”
Jughead just smiled and rubbed her back softly. “Yeah.”
December, 24th, 2016 21:00
Jughead sighed and walked back to Archie and Betty who were talking in the kitchen, leaving his phone on the counter and sitting next to his friends. He let out a grunt and put his face in his palms, instantly catching Betty’s attention. “Are you okay, Juggie?” The blonde asked worriedly, coming over to rest her hand on his shoulder. Jughead huffed and looked at her, his blue eyes softening at the worry in her green ones. “Yeah, I’m fine, but mum and Jellybean won’t be able to come. Again.” Betty frowned and brought Jughead in a hug, quietly assuring him everything is going to be okay.
A couple hours later Archie went home, saying he would be back in the morning, leaving Jughead with Betty as they decided to wait for Christmas together. The two were in Betty’s room, talking and glancing at the clock every 3 minutes.
“Okay, ten more minutes!” Betty said excitedly, clapping her hands and smiling at her best friend. Jughead grinned and nodded, feeling pretty excited as well. As much as he was sad about his mum and sister not being able to come, Betty helped him try to forget about it and enjoy the time and he was so thankful for that. “What do you want to get for Christmas?” The fifteen year old boy asked, curious about his best friends (and crushes-) wishes. Betty shrugged and grinned, her pearly whites showing. “I don’t know, I’ll be happy with anything.” She said softly, shooting thoughts into Jughead’s mind. ‘You’re perfect. You’re beautiful. You deserve the world.’ “What about you?” The blonde asked politely. ‘You.’ “I’m good with anything as well.”
Betty nodded and glanced at the clock again, smiling when it read 23:57. “Come on, Juggie! Let’s go downstairs!” She exclaimed excitedly, receiving a warm smile and nod from Jughead.
The two snuck out of the room and quietly made their way downstairs, looking for the light switch until they finally found it at the kitchen doorway. Betty quickly switched the light on and turned around, finding a red faced Jughead staring at the ceiling. The blonde looked up and froze, seeing they were under mistletoe. ‘Polly.’ Jughead gulped and looked back down, blue meeting green as they stared at each other. Suddenly a small dinging noise could be heard from a nearby clock indicating it was midnight. It was Christmas.
Jughead had never been more terrified in his life. His beanie was upstairs, so he had no safety blanket, his crush and best friend was right there in front of him, under mistletoe with him, and he was terrified. Just as he was about to stutter something out his thoughts were cut off by soft lips on his. Betty’s lips on his. As soon as his body caught up with his brain, the boy pressed back, his hand flying up to Betty’s neck to hold her gently.
After about a minute the two teenagers pulled back for air, both processing the thoughts of just having their first kisses.
“Merry Christmas, Juggie.” Betty whispered warmly, her redder than usual lips forming a beautiful smile that, in Jughead’s opinion, could light up the whole town. Jughead gave her a shy smile and locked their gazes again. “Merry Christmas, Betts.” He said with a shy smile, their cheeks both in a matching red shade before they moved to the couch, the two silently staring at the Christmas tree for a few minutes before Jughead spoke up. “Sorry, I know you wanted Archie as your first kiss.” The boy said quietly, his eyes not moving from the tree. Betty frowned and looked at him, finding his expression slightly welled up and vulnerable as he tried his best to look anywhere but at her. “Do you really think I would kiss you if I wanted that, Juggie?” She asked, not wanting to force him to look at her, even though she did want him to. When the boy didn’t answer she decided to continue, “I stopped liking Archie two years ago.” Jughead’s eyebrows furrowed and he turned, his face confused. “What? How come you never said so?” The teen asked. ‘Watch the new one be someone even harder to compete with.’ Betty blushed again and took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I didn’t want to tell you who my new crush was…” The blonde trailed off quietly, noting the slight pang of hurt flash across her best friend’s face. “Why not? Do you not trust me?” Jughead asked with a wince, trying not to get offended but sighing when Betty violently shook her head. “No, no, no, no! That’s not it! I just…it’s you, Juggie.”
Of all the things she could have said that was the last one Jughead expected, taking him by complete surprise, his eyes widening. ‘No fucking way. Someone pinch me.’ The reaction made Betty slightly panic, her green eyes widening as well. “I-I mean I know it might be weird and it’s fine if you want to just stay frien-“
Now it was her turn to get cut off with a kiss, feeling Jughead’s lips gently meet hers. She hummed quietly and kissed back, her hand moving up to hold his face. The two slowly pulled away, their eyes meeting in the dark. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Jughead whispered happily, his soft lips forming a smile. Betty grinned and pecked his lips quickly. “Merry Christmas, Juggie.”
December, 24th, 2020 21:00
This wasn’t fun. Not fun at all. He was never letting Archie drag him to a party ever again. Nope. The 19 year old boy grunted and got up from the couch, trying to find his girlfriend in the crowds of drunken teenagers. She was probably in the basement with Ronnie or Kevin, Jughead thought, leaving Archie behind with the clingy drunk girls trying to get in his pants. He pushed through the people and walked downstairs, thankfully being tall enough to look over everyone and spot his girlfriend rather easily. “Betts, let’s get out of here.” He said with a loud voice, trying to talk through the ear breaking music. The blonde turned around and smiled, giggling from the alcohol. “Sure! But you’re gonna have to help me.” Betty yelled back, her giggles still going strong. Jughead nodded and put his arm around her, moving through everyone again and walking out of the large house.
The two walked down the street side by side, Betty under Jughead’s arm to warm her up. “You know, you look really hot tonight. Some other girls told me too.” Betty said with a giggle, earning a chuckle from her boyfriend. “Why thank you, you look extremely attractive as well.” Jughead complimented, squeezing her arm a bit. A few minutes later they arrived at their shared apartment, both leaving their shoes at the entrance and throwing themselves on the couch. “Do you need some water? For the alcohol?” Jughead asked, looking at the tipsy girl. She shook her head and smiled, moving to straddle him. He smiled up at her and held her hips, chuckling when she lowered her head and kissed him, pushing her tongue in his mouth. The young couple never really went past heavy make out sessions and some touching, so when Betty started unbuckling Jughead’s jeans the boy reacted with a groan instantly, holding her hands.
“You’re drunk, Betts.” Jughead whispered roughly, pushing a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear with his free hand. Betty whimpered and kissed him again. “Please. Please, Juggie.” The girl whimpered desperately, trying to remove her hands from his gentle but strong grip. “Tomorrow, Betty. We can’t do this while you’re not completely yourself. Please sleep.” Jughead said gently, bringing her in a hug. “I promise, if you still want to do it tomorrow, we will.” Betty whimpered, tugging herself deeper in his hands and nodding weakly as she slowly fell asleep in his arms.
Tomorrow morning Betty woke up in her bed to an amazing smell of fresh cookies, quickly realizing it was Christmas. Thankfully she didn’t get too drunk last night so her hung over wasn’t too bad. The blonde got out of bed and changed to some home shorts and one of Jughead’s shirts, looking down at it she remembered last night. She was so happy she caught such a good man, but still felt extremely embarrassed at her behavior though she knew Jughead would never make fun of her. Leaving the bedroom, she was instantly greeted with warm arms around her small body. “Good morning love” Jug said warmly, nuzzling his head into her shoulder. “Good morning. You made cookies?” Jughead nodded and walked to the kitchen, shoving one in his mouth with a grin and receiving a giggle from Betty.
Later on Archie and his girlfriend Veronica came to their apartment, the four having fun and exchanging gifts for a few hours before they left, leaving Betty and Jughead alone on the couch yet again. The blonde looked over at Jughead and smiled shyly when their eyes met. “I still want to.” She said quietly, watching as Jughead’s eyes widened for a moment, swallowing. He nodded and let Betty straddle him again, lifting her up and carrying her to his bedroom as the girl giggled.