Archive of Our Own

Betty Cooper knows she should probably be more afraid of dying.

She feels numb on the day of the reaping, standing in front of her bedroom mirror and pinning her hair back methodically. Alice has convinced her to wear her nicest dress, one Veronica had gotten her for her birthday, because “the threat of death is no excuse to look sloppy, Elizabeth.” It’s a frilly pink and white garment, probably made by some Capitol designer, and Betty’s certain she’ll look out of place among the other District 7 girls. 

She supposes that she's used to being stared at, though. Everyone notices the girl with a serial killer for a father.

At seventeen, this will be Betty's second last time having her name in the draw for the Games. Being older means more entries; it should make her stomach twist itself in to knots, should make her palms sweat, but Betty finds it hard to worry about herself these days. It's especially hard to care about her own fate when all of her friends are in just as much danger, or more. Jughead, Veronica...

And Archie.

Betty looks out her window, hoping to catch a glimpse of him in his room across from hers. She suppresses a smile when she catches sight of him pulling shirts out of his dresser, obviously running late, lets her eyes linger on him for a moment longer than necessary. He’s a far cry from the lanky boy she grew up with, his body chiseled from working in the lumber yard with his dad. 

Archie looks up and spots her, his face breaking into a grin as he tugs a shirt over his head. Betty smiles back and gives him a small wave. She’s pretty sure Archie Andrews is the only person who could make her smile on Reaping Day. 

He nods toward his bedroom door, and she knows he wants her to meet him outside so they can walk to the town square together.  They’ve done it every year, Archie a welcome distraction from the plethora of anxious thoughts running through Betty’s head.

Betty takes one final look around her bedroom. Her childhood home is full of bad memories, bone-chilling nightmares and cries and sleepless nights, but she still wants to remember the good ones if this is the last time she’ll ever see it. She tries to memorize the colors of her childhood art on the walls, the feeling of the carpet under her feet. She looks at her bed and thinks about Jughead laying on top of it, telling her about a story he’s writing.

Betty feels a small flicker of worry when she thinks about Jughead. He’s been taking tesserae for years to support him and his dad, which means dozens more entries into the reaping.

When she walks out her front door and sees Archie, Betty’s worried feelings intensify. If losing Jughead to the Games would devastate her, losing Archie would be a blow she'd never recover from, she thinks. It makes Betty feel a little guilty, thinking that way, but it also just makes sense. 

Jughead is someone she's dating; Archie is someone she can't live without.

Betty shakes her head and tries to push those thoughts away. No sense dwelling on it. There are hundreds of names in the reaping; neither Jughead nor Archie will be chosen. 

“Hey, Betty. You look nice,” Archie tells her as they set off down the road. Their mothers are walking a few feet ahead of them, talking quietly to each other. Betty realizes that this is both her and Archie’s first reaping without their fathers.

Fred Andrews passed away only a few months earlier, in a freak construction accident. It still feels like his death happened yesterday, to Betty. 

“How are you, Arch?” Betty asks. If Fred’s death has been hard for her, she can’t imagine what Archie’s going through. Fred always stayed positive, even on Reaping Day, and the loss of his comforting presence leaves a hole in Betty’s heart.

“I’m…okay,” Archie replies, understanding Betty’s meaning. After a pause, his shoulders sag. “I just really wish he was here.” 

“I know.” Betty reaches down and squeezes his hand.

Archie squeezes back, not letting go until they reach the town square. Betty starts to feel a little nervous after they hug their mothers goodbye and enter the crowd of anxious kids awaiting their fate, hyperaware of the people who stare as she passes.

As they’re walking, Betty accidentally stumbles a little and bumps into a tall boy. He’s about her age and his face looks vaguely familiar, like she might know him from school.

The boy sneers. “Watch where you’re going, murderer.”

Betty blinks. “Sorry, what?”

“The Black Hood’s daughter,” he scoffs. “They say the killer genes run in the family.” His words have caught the attention of the other people standing nearby. They’re all looking disapprovingly in Betty’s direction, wearing identical expressions of disgust. 

“Back off, Chuck,” Archie says, stepping in front of Betty.

Chuck ignores him. “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if your name was called in the reaping. You’d fit right in at the Games, since they’re all about killing.”

“That’s enough,” Archie tells him, his tone icy. “Let’s go, Betty.” He pushes past Chuck, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Betty is following.

“You didn’t have to defend me,” Betty says as they walk away. 

“Yes, I did. You’re my best friend.”

“He wasn’t even wrong, though.” Betty sighs. “My family is a disgrace; everyone in the district knows what my dad did.”

Her father’s execution had happened in the exact same square they’re standing in now. There had been a trial, albeit a sham of one, and her father had been convicted of several murders Betty had already known he was guilty of. She can't forget the shame, the cold-blooded horror, of witnessing her dad’s hanging while the whole town watched alongside her.

A part of her feels like maybe she does deserve this. Like it would be a sort of penance. 

“Your name won’t be picked, Betty,” Archie says firmly. “There’s no way.”

“Arch-”

“I should go find Veronica before we have to line up, but I’ll see you right after?”

Betty nods, swallowing. “Of course."

As Betty watches Archie disappear into the crowd of people in the square, she prays again that his name isn't called. Archie is too kind, too good-natured for the Hunger Games. She can’t imagine him killing anyone, let alone someone who’s just a kid.

Betty jumps slightly when she feels a pair of arms wrap around her from behind, shaking her from her thoughts. 

“Betty.” It’s Jughead.

She exhales, turning to face her boyfriend. “Hi, Jug.”

“I only have a minute, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to Pop’s after this whole thing is over? Invite Archie and Veronica too?” Jughead is attempting to smile at her, but Betty notices that he’s swaying on his feet, one of his legs bouncing nervously. Her mind flashes to the dozens of reaping entries with his name on them, and she instantly feels awful.

“I’d like that,” she replies. Pop’s is the town pub; Betty’s been going there with her friends for as long as she can remember. She cups Jughead’s face in her hands and says: “This will be over before you know it; just think about strawberry milkshakes.” Betty knows they probably shouldn’t be wasting money on delicacies they can’t afford, but she figures they can splurge a bit in this case. 

Jughead laughs a little. “What would I do without you?”

Betty spots a peacekeeper weaving through the crowd nearby, herding people into their respective age groups to be signed in. She gives Jughead a quick kiss. “I’ll see you after.”

“Good luck, Betty,” he replies. Betty squeezes his hand and watches him walk away, trying to squash the feeling of unease deep in her belly.

Thankfully, Veronica Lodge is there to distract her.

“B! Over here!” she calls. 

Betty spots Veronica waving at her from her place in line. How Veronica can still have so much pep on Reaping Day is a mystery to her. It probably has something to do with the fact that she’s the mayor’s daughter, and Hiram Lodge would kill President Snow himself before allowing his daughter’s name to be called.

“Hi, V,” Betty says, joining her friend in line. “How are you?”

“I’m as good as can be expected, I suppose. This is such an unpleasant day.” Veronica wrinkles her nose.

Betty wishes she had the luxury of viewing the reaping as only a minor inconvenience. She already feels like the center of attention, spotting some of the other girls in line staring at her and whispering behind their hands. It isn't hard to guess what they're saying, especially after the scene Chuck had caused.  

Veronica shoots them a dirty look and links her arm through Betty’s. “Some people are so immature,” she says, rolling her eyes. “How dare they make this macabre day about idle gossip.”

“I’m used to it,” Betty replies with a shrug. They reach the front of the line, a stern-looking woman pricking Betty’s finger and pressing her fingerprint onto a sheet of crisp paper. She does the same to Veronica, and then they’re herded into line with the other girls.

The reaping begins soon after, the usual Capitol propaganda videos projected up onto large screens. Once they’ve finally concluded, the District 7 Capitol escort walks onto the stage and taps the microphone. Her smile is disturbingly bright, her age impossible to discern due to her bright orange hair and unnaturally smooth skin.

“My name is Evelyn Evernever. Welcome to the reaping for the sixty-third annual Hunger Games,” she announces, her voice a lilting Capitol accent. The town square is completely silent in response. 

Clearly her throat, she smooths down her skirt and continues. “We’ll be beginning today with the female tribute.” She walks purposely to the left side of the stage, digging deep into the bowl of names. Betty’s heart thunders as Evelyn walks back over to the microphone and slowly unfolds the slip of paper.

Veronica reaches down and squeezes Betty’s hand. Betty squeezes back, wondering if this Capitol woman is purposely dragging the process out for as long as possible.

Finally, she opens her mouth to read the name.

“The District 7 female tribute is…Elizabeth Cooper.”

Betty sucks in a breath. Did she hear that correctly?

When she looks at Veronica, her friend's eyes are welling up with tears. Her lips are moving, but Betty can’t hear anything she's saying over the ringing in her ears. She tries to put one foot in front of the other to walk toward the stage, but she can’t move. All around her, she hears murmurs.

Elizabeth Cooper? Like Hal Cooper? 

Isn’t that the Black Hood’s daughter?

I’m glad she’s the one they picked.

“Elizabeth! Betty!” She hears her mother’s voice cut through the noise. “This is a mistake! You can’t make her go!”

“Get a move on,” a peacekeeper says, grabbing Betty’s arm and dragging her out of the crowd. She’s shoved forward, forced to walk up the steps of the stage. 

The Capitol woman offers her a hand and smiles brightly. “Right, yes, come here, dear. It’s all right.”

Betty allows herself to be positioned in the middle of the stage, staring blankly out into the crowd. She feels detached from herself, like she’s watching all of this happen to someone else. She can’t be going to the Hunger Games. No one can have that much bad luck in only one year.

Betty barely hears Evelyn begin to announce the male tribute. “And our District 7 male tribute is-”

A voice from the crowd interrupts her. “I volunteer.”

Betty’s heart stops. It can’t be.

Archie.

She looks out and sees him walking purposely toward the stage. Her vision goes red, her entire body shaking. Why the hell would he volunteer? To protect her? To try to be a hero?

Best friends don’t volunteer for the Games. Betty’s seen lovers volunteer in an attempt to protect their partners; she’s seen siblings volunteer to help their younger brother or sister. Not best friends.

Betty remembers a sleepover she had with Veronica and Kevin last year. They were tipsy after sneaking some of Hiram Lodge’s expensive rum, and they ended up sprawled across Veronica’s bed, giggling. 

“You guys are my best friends, you know that?” Veronica declared.

“Oh, really?” Betty propped herself up on her elbow. “Would you volunteer for me at the reaping?” Normally the question would be taboo, but their inebriated state just caused them to giggle more.

“Of course, B,” Veronica answered. “Daddy has lots of Capitol connections; I’m sure I’d get a ton of sponsors.”

“What about you, Kev?” Betty asked, poking him in the ribs.

“The two of us as the District 7 tributes? No one else would stand a chance,” Kevin replied with a smile.

The memory makes Betty’s chest hurt as she watches Archie take his place at her side. She can’t believe he's actually volunteering to go with her. Volunteering for the Hunger Games is supposed to be a late night sleepover joke, not something that people actually do. 

Evelyn is clearly over the moon. “A volunteer! What is your name?”

Archie is staring at Betty. “Archie Andrews,” he tells Evelyn.

She turns back to the microphone, that bright smile still pasted on her face. “Ladies and gentlemen, I present your District 7 tributes: Elizabeth Cooper and Archie Andrews!”

~~~

Betty’s head still feels foggy as she waits to receive visitors inside the town hall. 

Her mother is the first to arrive, bursting through the door to throw her arms around Betty. Betty can’t remember the last time her mom was so eager to hug her.

“Oh, my Betty,” Alice cries. “This is so unfair.”

“I know, Mom.” Betty pats her mother’s back as she sobs. “Everything is going to be okay,” she says, but she's sure her mother notices her voice crack on the last word.

“I can’t- I can’t lose you, Elizabeth,” Alice says. “My daughter.”

“Mom.” Betty pulls back, looking her mother in the eye. She’s been holding it together until now, but seeing her mother’s stricken expression breaks something within her. 

“I-” Betty pushes down the lump in her throat. “I love you so much, Mom. I’m so sorry this happened.” 

Alice wraps her arms around her daughter again, staying like that until a peacekeeper begins yelling that it’s time for Alice to leave.

“Come back to me, Betty!” her mother calls as she’s dragged away. “I know you can!”

The next person who visits is Jughead. He doesn’t speak at first; he simply looks at Betty with a sad, wistful expression.

After a moment, he says: “I wish we’d had more time.”

Jughead is a realist: he always has been. He clearly doesn’t believe that Betty will be making it back from the arena, and she doesn’t blame him. She doesn’t believe it either.

“I’ve just been to see Archie. I can’t believe he volunteered,” he adds, shaking his hand. “As if it wasn’t bad enough that I have to watch my girlfriend go off to the Games, now I have to lose my best friend too.”

He sounds angry. “Did he say…did he say why he did it?” Betty asks.

“Typical Archie, trying to be the hero and save his best friend. I just wish he would think before doing things like this.”

Betty feels her cheeks heat, a flash of anger towards Archie causing her hands to curl in to fists. She doesn't think being his best friend is a good enough reason for him to hurt all of them like this.

She cups Jughead’s face in her hands and tries to smile. “Please try to be happy, Jug. For me.”

“I love you, Betty,” he says, his eyes glassy.

“Love you too, Jug,” she tells him, and then he's gone.

The last person to visit Betty is Veronica. She’s surprised to see her, considering the fact that it’s entirely Betty’s fault Archie volunteered. Watching your boyfriend and your best friend go into the Hunger Games together is quite possibly the cruelest twist of fate imaginable. 

“Hi, Betty,” Veronica says.

“I’m so sorry, V,” Betty tells her. “I didn’t want this. I never expected Archie to volunteer, I don’t-”

“I did. I knew the second your name was called that he would do this.” Veronica’s expression is pained, but she doesn’t sound angry. “I want to be mad at him, I really want to, but it just makes sense. He would do anything to protect you.”

Betty doesn’t know how to respond to that. 

Veronica wipes under her eyes, blinking furiously. “I don’t want to lose both of you, B. I can’t.”

Betty’s feels tears begin to stream down her own face, finally. She reaches out her arms, and Veronica hugs her tight. “I love you,V. You’re the best friend I could ever ask for,” she says. 

Veronica pulls back, shaking her head. “This isn’t goodbye, Betty Cooper. You’ll come back to me.”

Betty sighs. “Veronica-”

“He’ll die for you,” Veronica says.

Her words give Betty chills. “We have no idea what’s going to happen,” she insists.

Veronica shakes her head again. “No. He’ll do anything to make sure it’s you at the end of this, even if he has to sacrifice himself.” She swallows, meeting Betty’s gaze.

“Please don’t let it be in vain.”

~~~

Archie Andrews feels surprisingly calm as he boards the train to the Capitol.

He suspects it has something to do with the fact that he’s already come to terms with his imminent death. He accepted his fate the second Betty’s name was called, knowing that he had to protect her. There was no choice to be made, no internal conflict to be had. There was only a need to save his best friend; protecting Betty is second nature.

As Archie looks out the train window and watches District 7 disappear into the horizon, he imagines what his dad would say if he were here.

That’s my boy. We have to protect the people we love.

Archie hears the door of the train compartment sliding open and turns to see Betty walking in. Her mouth drops open when she spots him by the window, like she’s surprised to see him there.

“Betty…hi,” he says. They haven’t spoken since before the reaping.

“Hi, Arch,” she replies, avoiding his eyes. She walks over to the large buffet of food that’s set out for them and selects a cinnamon roll.

Neither of them says anything for a moment. Archie looks at Betty, taking in her carefully pinned hair and perfectly smooth dress. She’s always been an expert at looking flawless on the outside, despite whatever she might be feeling on the inside.

Archie moves to stand at her side, trying to catch her eye. “Hey, are you doing okay with all of this? You can talk to me,” he tells her.

“I’m fine.” Betty takes a bite of her cinnamon roll.

Archie knows her well enough to tell when she’s clearly not fine. “You can let yourself feel, Betty. It makes sense to be afraid; you don’t have to pretend with me. I’m never going to let anything happen to you-”

Just like that, she explodes. “That’s exactly the problem, Archie! I didn’t need you to volunteer so you could…protect me, or whatever you’re trying to do. Why do you always have to play the hero?”

Her words sting, but Archie isn’t deterred. “You’re my best friend, Betty, I couldn’t live with myself if I let you get hurt, or worse, while I did nothing.”

“Did you even think about Veronica? And Jughead? What about your mom?”

Honestly, he hadn’t. Archie has always had tunnel vision when it comes to Betty Cooper. “Not in the moment, no, but that doesn’t matter now. They understand,” he tells her. When Veronica had come to visit him after the reaping, it was clear that she knew exactly why he’d volunteered.  

“It’s always going to be Betty, Archie. I can’t compete,” she’d said.

Archie hadn’t tried to argue. 

“Don’t you see how selfish this is, Archie? You weren’t thinking,” Betty continues. 

Her words should make him upset. They would make any other person angry, but not Archie. He doesn’t think it’s physically possible for him to be mad at Betty.

“This is what my dad would have wanted,” Archie says firmly. “I know it.”

Betty buries her face in her hands. “Don’t you get it, Arch? Only one of us can make it out of there.”

And it’ll be you, Archie thinks.

She continues. “Even if I survive, by some miracle, I can’t-” Her voice breaks. “I can’t imagine going on without you.”

Her words begin to crack his resolve a little. He’s never imagined that it could be possible for Betty to need him just as much as he needs her. He’s always assumed she’d be fine without him, that she’d find comfort in Jughead’s arms and move on.

But judging by the way she’s looking at him now, it’s clear that isn’t the case.

What a fucking mess, he thinks. And I'm partially the cause.

“I’m sorry, Betty,” he tells her. “I wouldn’t take it back, though. I want you to be safe.”

Betty just nods, her posture sagging. Archie can tell she won’t argue with him any further. She’s never been good at staying mad at him, either.

“I’m scared, Arch,” she says, her voice small.

In that moment, Archie hates the Capitol more than ever before. He hates Evelyn Evernever, he hates the Gamemakers, he hates President Snow. He hates all of them for making Betty feel like this.

He takes her hands in his, squeezing gently. “It’s okay to be scared, Betty,” he tells her. “But I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

~~~

Betty can’t remember the last time she spent this much time with Archie all at once. 

It’s a full day’s train ride to the Capitol, and there’s nothing much for them to do besides talk to each other and eat food from the buffet. Archie manages to distract her from her thoughts for a while by giving a detailed review of every flavor of cupcake that’s set out on the table. 

Evelyn hovers around them a bit, as well as their mentors, Toni and Fangs. Toni and Fangs are barely older than Betty and Archie, having won their respective Hunger Games only a few years ago.

“So what’s the deal with you two?” Toni asks, swinging her feet up over the arm of the chair she’s seated in. “I heard something about childhood best friends?”

Betty sees Archie glance at her, swallowing. “Yeah. Pretty much,” he says.

Fangs raises his eyebrows. “None of my friends ever would’ve volunteered for me.”

Toni snickers a little.“Can you really imagine Sweetpea in the Hunger Games, Fangs?”

Betty clears her throat, sitting down in the chair across from Toni. “So. Do you guys have any advice for us? You know, as our mentors?”

Toni and Fangs exchange a look. “Look,” Toni begins, “The truth is: there isn’t some big secret to winning the Games. Sometimes it’s strategy, sometimes it’s strength, sometimes it’s just pure luck.”

“And District 7 tributes aren’t exactly known for being frontrunners,” Fangs adds.

Betty is irritated by their apathetic attitudes. “You guys won, didn’t you?”

Toni purses her lips. “The one thing I can tell you is the importance of selling an image. I wouldn’t have survived without sponsors.” 

“So we have to make them like us?” Archie asks.

“Being likeable isn’t enough,” Fangs replies. “You have to be interesting.”

“How are we supposed to ‘be interesting?’” This conversation is making Betty’s head hurt.

“Lucky for you, I have an idea.” Toni says. She looks back and forth between Betty and Archie. “It’s not every day you get a pair of lifelong best friends going into the arena together. Especially not ones who look at each other the way you two do.”

Betty blushes immediately. She knows Archie is looking at her, but she avoids his gaze. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Fangs smirks. “I see what you mean, Toni.”

Sitting in her chair by the food table, Evelyn claps her hands together. Betty startles, having almost forgotten she was there. 

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” Evelyn exclaims. 

~~~

Their first day in the Capitol passes by in a blur. 

Archie is separated from Betty as soon as they get there, which immediately dampens his mood. Being poked and prodded by the Capitol groomers doesn’t do much to make him feel better. They scrub his body and slather sweet smelling creams all over him, even plucking his eyebrows despite his protests. 

When they finally seem satisfied with his appearance, he’s escorted to another room to meet his stylist. He’s expecting someone like Evelyn, with bright hair and a plastic smile.

Instead, a petite brunette girl walks into the room.

“You must be Archie,” she says, smiling warmly as she sticks out her hand. “I’m Katy. Welcome to the Capitol.”

Archie’s surprised; she barely looks older than he does. “You’re my stylist?”

“Yep. First year on the job, so bear with me,” she replies. She pulls out a tape measure. “We already have outfits made for the tribute parade tonight, but we’ll probably need to tweak a few things. Mind if we do a fitting?” 

Archie nods, accepting the garment bag that she passes to him. Once he’s dressed, Katy circles around him with her tape measure and pins, humming every once in a while. His outfit is a pair of pants and a billowy shirt, both made of light gold material. There are golden leaves stitched onto the fabric in places, probably to go along with the District 7 “lumber” theme.

“I worked together with Betty’s stylist to create this look for you two,” Katy tells him. “We wanted to do a bit better than just putting you in green and brown and calling you a tree.” 

“Where is she? Betty?” Archie asks Katy.

Katy sticks one final pin into his shirt. “She’s probably finishing up her fitting as well. You’ll be able to see her soon.” She pauses for a moment, surveying him. 

“You know…” she continues. “It was really brave how you volunteered for Betty at the reaping.” 

His mom had said the same thing to him when she’d come to say goodbye. “Oh, Archie,” she’d cried. “You’re so brave. My selfless boy.”

Archie doesn’t feel brave. Volunteering for the Games had been a necessity. 

“I had to do it,” he explains to Katy. “I couldn’t let Betty go through this alone.”

“Wow. You must really love her.”

Archie bristles. “No, uh, we’re just friends. Betty doesn’t see me that way.” 

Katy looks like she’s trying to hide a smile. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen someone volunteer just to help a friend.”

Archie doesn’t know how to respond, aware that his face is probably bright red. “Are you going to tell her?” Katy asks.

“I don’t-” he starts to protest. Oh, what the hell, he thinks. Katy seems trustworthy, and it’s not like he has anything to lose at this point. “I can’t. The Games are in a week, and it would just make things harder.”

“So you do love her,” Katy says. Her voice is gentle, not teasing at all.

Archie sighs. “Of course I do. I think a part of me has been in love with her my entire life. She’s…she’s my favorite person in the whole world.”

“Now I understand why you volunteered for her.” Katy is giving him a sad look. Not quite pity, but something close to it. “But, what makes you so sure that you’ll be able to protect her? How do you know it’ll be the two of you at the end of this?” she asks. 

“Because it has to be,” Archie replies firmly. “There’s no other option; Betty has to win.”

~~~

Archie sees Betty at dinner in their District 7 suite, but he’s not alone with her again until the tribute parade.

Once they’re finally dressed in their parade outfits and escorted onto a chariot, Archie breathes a sigh of relief. He’s already tired of being smothered by the constant attention from these Capitol people. The time they have before the Games is precious, and Archie wants to spend every moment he can with Betty. 

He takes her in as she stands in the chariot, her eyes flickering around to look at the other tributes. She’s wearing a dress made of the same material as his clothes, with leaves cascading down the skirt in different shades of autumn. Her hair is pulled back halfway and her face sparkles with glittery powder.

The longer he gazes at her, the harder it is for Archie to breathe. She looks like a goddess.

“What is it?” Betty asks, snapping him out of his thoughts. “You’re staring.”

Archie clears his throat. “You just…you look beautiful,” he tells her. Ever since his conversation with Katy earlier, talking to Betty is like walking on eggshells. He forces himself to stop looking at her, afraid that he’ll spontaneously blurt out how he feels.

Betty blushes. “Thanks, Arch. I feel weird, like I’m not myself.” 

Archie loves her in her usual sweaters and pairs of jeans, but he loves her like this too. “I like that we match,” he says. “We’re a real team.”

“Yeah, I guess we are,” Betty replies, smiling a little. Archie tries to memorize the way her green eyes sparkle under the parade lights.

The chariots begin to move, pulling the tributes out onto the street. Archie is hit with a wave of dizziness as he takes in the thousands of people sitting on either side of the street, their cheers blending together into one giant roar. 

He feels Betty’s hand brush his. When he glances at her, he sees her eyes darting around nervously. 

Archie leans toward her, grasping her hand firmly in his. “Just focus on me,” he says. Betty doesn’t reply, but she squeezes his hand tightly. They stand like that, hand in hand, until the chariots reach the end of the street where President Snow stands at a podium. 

Archie doesn’t hear a word of the president’s speech. He’s too focused on Betty, and the feeling of her hand in his. Most of the other tributes are standing apart from one another, looking like they can’t wait for the speech to be over, but Archie catches the pair from District 2 staring at him and Betty. The girl is looking at Archie and Betty’s still-entwined hands, while the boy whispers something in her ear.

When the parade is over, Archie hops down from their chariot and offers a hand to Betty. “Thanks,” she says, stepping down beside him. “I thought that was never going to be over.”

“Want to go stuff our faces with dessert in the suite?” Archie asks. He doesn’t want to think about the Games for any longer than necessary.

His suggestion makes Betty grin. “Yes. That sounds perfect.”

Just as they’re about to go find their stylists and head back to the apartment, the District 2 tributes approach them. Archie resists the urge to wrap his arm around Betty protectively.

“District 7, what’s up?” the boy says. He’s tall and muscular, with tan skin and deep brown eyes. The girl beside him is petite, with dark skin and curly hair.

“Uh, hey,” Archie replies.

“Reggie Mantle,” the boy tells them, reaching out a hand. Archie shakes it reluctantly, and Betty does the same. “This is Josie McCoy,” Reggie continues, gesturing to the girl.

“I’m Archie; this is Betty,” Archie says curtly.

Josie smiles wide. “We just wanted to say that we thought you looked great together out there. The two of you are so cute.”

Betty frowns. “What do you mean?”

Reggie and Josie exchange a look, laughing a little. “It’s so romantic,” Josie begins, “to see two lovebirds going into the Games together.” 

“Very tragic, as well,” Reggie adds. 

Josie snickers. “You know, I would’ve thought the daughter of a serial killer would be able to survive on her own, but it was so noble of you to volunteer, Archie.”

Archie is at a loss for words. It’s one thing for their mentors and Katy to assume he and Betty are a couple, but apparently now even the others tributes think they are. And they also know about Betty’s dad, which can’t be a good sign. Reggie and Josie are looking at them like they’re the predators and Betty and Archie are the prey. 

“It was nice to meet you,” Archie says hastily, glancing at Betty. Her expression is a mask of calm. Archie nods toward where their stylists are waiting, and they hurry away from the District 2 tributes as quickly as they can. 

“See you in training!” Josie calls after them.

“What the hell was that?” Betty says breathlessly, once they’re safely out of earshot.

“They’re trying to intimidate us,” Archie replies. He’s certain of it. 

Betty scoffs. “Well, it won’t work. They’re probably just jealous.”

“Jealous?”

“That none of their friends were selfless enough to come here with them.”

Archie’s chest feels warm. “Doesn’t everyone from the Career districts basically want to come to the Games?” he points out.

Betty swats his arm playfully. “That’s not the point, Arch. The point is that you’re the best friend in the world, and I love you for it.”

I love you. Archie knows she doesn’t mean the words in a romantic way, but his breath still hitches. 

He thinks Betty must notice, because she’s blushing when he looks over at her. “Um, how about that dessert?” she says.

Archie smiles. “Let’s do it.”

~~~

On the first day of training, Betty realizes just how much she doesn’t want to die.

She’s barely slept, far too nervous about the day. Despite her initial lukewarm reaction to being selected as tribute, the reality of her situation has begun to sink in for real. As she dresses in her slim-fitting training clothes and pulls her hair back into a ponytail, she feels a pit of dread deep in her stomach. She can pretend to be strong when she’s dressed up in fancy clothes with Archie by her side, but she doesn’t know the first thing about using weapons.

Betty slumps into her seat at the breakfast table beside Archie, picking up a muffin that she has no intention of eating. Archie, by contrast, is shovelling food into his mouth, the contents of his plate disappearing at record speed. 

“Hey, Betty,” he says. “How did you sleep?”

She yawns. “Not well. I’m way too anxious, with training starting and everything.”

Archie frowns, putting down his fork. “You’re going to be okay, I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”

“I know, Arch, thank you,” Betty says. She’s decided that there’s no point in resenting him for volunteering. She can’t do anything about it now, and truth be told, she’s grateful that she doesn’t have to go through this alone. 

He places a gentle hand on her back. “It’s you and me. Together,” he tells her. 

After breakfast, they’re escorted to the training center. Betty surveys the other tributes warily as each pair enters the room. She spots Reggie and Josie standing with the District 1 tributes, a boy and girl with identical red hair and pale skin. Besides the Careers, most of the tributes wear the same uncertain expression, their posture tense.

As the tributes break off to the different training stations, Betty feels overwhelmed. “How am I supposed to learn how to throw knives or shoot an arrow in less than a week?” she says to Archie.

“You’re the smartest person I know, Betty. You don’t need a sword to survive,” Archie reassures her.

Betty takes a deep breath, knowing that he’s right. She may not be able to throw a punch, but she’s always been book smart. 

While Archie heads off to spar with an instructor, Betty drifts over to the survival skills area. One of the other female tributes is already there, attempting to follow along with diagrams showing different types of knots.

When Betty walks up beside her, the girl stares. “Um, hi,” Betty says. She’s a little unnerved by the way the girl is looking at her. 

“Is it true?” the girl whispers. 

“Is what true?”

“Are you really the daughter of that serial killer? The Black Hood?”

Betty cringes. She supposes that she should’ve known any chance of anonymity would be impossible. Her entire life story had been broadcasted all across Panem when she’d been selected at the Reaping.

“Yes,” she tells the girl. 

Instead of looking scared, the girl’s eyes light up. “Wow! That’s-” Betty swears she’s about to say “cool,” but the girl quickly relaxes her posture and says: “That's crazy.” 

“Mhm. Pretty crazy,” Betty replies.

“I’m Ethel Muggs. District 9.”  The girl sticks out her hand, and Betty shakes it reluctantly.

“I’m Betty.”

“So, do you know how to do anything of this?” Ethel gestures to the screens in front of them that display complicated instructions. “I already feel lost.”

“I do, actually,” Betty says. District 7 has plenty of sprawling forests, being the lumber district, and Betty remembers going camping in them several times with Archie and his dad. Fred had taught them all about the right way to tie knots, how to start a fire, and which plants were safe to eat. Betty’s thankful that her memory is sharp, and the information comes back to her as she picks up a piece of rope.

She shows Ethel a few different knots, figuring there’s no harm in being civil towards her. Betty already feels like a target thanks to her father, and she doesn’t want to make things any more difficult for herself than they already are.

She’s about to suggest that they move to the fire making station when Ethel points to something over Betty’s shoulder. “What’s going on?” she asks. 

Betty turns to see a small crowd gathered over by the combat area. She leaves Ethel’s side to get a closer look, immediately understanding why they’re watching when she spots Archie sparring with a Capitol instructor. His movements are quick, and he’s easily keeping pace with the instructor. Betty knows that Archie’s strong, and he’d taken an interest in boxing back home, but she’s never gotten to see him in action.

She can’t help but notice the way his shirt clings to his body, accentuating the muscles in his arms and chest. She’s certain that some of the other female tributes notice too, based on the way they’re gaping at him. Betty feels a flare of jealously and immediately pushes it away. She can’t feel that way about Archie. Especially not when either of them could be dead in less than a week.

Betty’s had plenty of practice ignoring her feelings for Archie. Watching him date Veronica has made her an expert on swallowing her jealousy and putting on a smile. Having Jughead by her side has always helped to distract her, but now that she’s away from District 7 and  forced to consider the possibility of Archie’s death, it’s getting harder to lie to herself.

He’s your best friend, Betty chides herself. Get ahold of yourself.

When they finish training for the day, Betty and Archie are escorted back to their suite for dinner. Toni and Fangs join them, using the opportunity to grill Betty and Archie about their first day. 

As Betty looks at Archie from across the table, she can’t stop replaying the image of him sparring in the training center, skin glistening with sweat. When he picks up his glass of water, Betty finds herself staring at his fingers, remembering what it felt like to hold his hand and wondering what his touch would feel like on other parts of her body. 

She realizes she’s blushing furiously when Archie gives her a curious look. “Betty? Are you okay?” he asks. 

“Um, yeah,” she replies, clearing her throat. “Just thinking about the day.” Close enough to the truth.

She has to indulge herself with those thoughts sometimes, otherwise she knows she’ll spiral. Every once in a while, she imagines what it would be like for Archie to reciprocate the crush she’s had since childhood. She imagines for a moment what it would feel like to kiss him, to be with him in every sense, and then she shoves her thoughts back into the deepest compartment of her mind.

“You had quite a few admirers today,” Betty tells Archie, attempting to sound casual.

Toni points her fork at Archie. “Yeah, about that. You shouldn’t be drawing so much attention to yourself.” Her eyes flicker to Betty for a moment. “Betty-I mean you both-are already targets.”

Archie just shrugs. “Let them come for me; I can take them.”

“I doubt you’ll have that cocky attitude once you’re actually in the arena, Archie,” Fangs says.

“Some support would be nice,” Archie grumbles in response. 

Betty can’t help herself from saying: “I thought you were doing great, Arch.” The corners of his mouth turn up, and Betty feels a flutter of affection. 

Toni sighs. “Just…try to save the bravado and displays of strength for when the Gamemakers are giving out scores.”

Archie nods, but he makes a face at Betty across the table when Toni isn’t looking. She bites back a smile. 

Unsurprisingly, Betty can’t sleep that night. She hopes this isn’t a recurring issue, since sleep deprivation is definitely not conducive to surviving in the Games. She tosses and turns for what feels like hours, finally giving up and pacing around her room. Her mind is racing, and there’s no sign of it stopping. 

Betty knows there’s only one person who can calm her down.

She tiptoes out of her room and walks down the hall to Archie’s. She twists the doorknob, discovering that it’s unlocked. 

Peaking into the room, she knocks softly on the doorframe. She expects to find Archie asleep in his bed, but instead he’s sitting on the end of it, staring out his window.

He looks over when she knocks, eyes widening in surprise. “Betty?”

“Hi, Arch.”

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Betty shakes her head. 

“Me neither,” Archie says. “Too much on my mind.”

“Tell me about it.” Betty pauses, biting her lip. “Do you think I could stay in here with you tonight? I understand if-”

“Of course,” Archie replies right away. 

He stands up from the bed and pulls back the covers, crawling in on one side to leave room for Betty on the other. She swallows, a part of her unable to believe that she’s about to get into bed with Archie Andrews. 

Betty settles in beside him. They’re not touching, but she can feel the heat radiating from his body. She lays there for a few moments, staring at the ceiling and still wide awake. When she looks over at Archie, she expects him to be asleep. Instead, he’s gazing at her. 

She rolls onto her other side, not sure she can say the words if she’s looking at him. “Arch, do you think…do you think you could hold me?” Betty asks.

He’s quiet for a moment, and then Betty feels him move closer to her, slipping his arms around her from behind. “Anything you need, Betty,” he says into her neck. 

His voice makes chills run down Betty’s spine, his breath warm. She immediately relaxes into him as she closes her eyes. As she begins to drift off, she can feel him tracing slow patterns on her arm.

She falls asleep with the feeling of his heartbeat against her back.

~~~

The next few days of training pass by in a blur. 

Archie finds that he’s a quick study when it comes to weapons training, and soon he’s graduated from hand to hand combat to sparring with a sword. He convinces Betty to let him show her a few moves, partially so that she’ll be able to defend herself if necessary, but also because Archie just wants to spend time with her. 

He consistently finds himself distracted throughout the day, catching sight of Betty with her face screwed up in concentration as she hones her survival skills. The training uniforms don’t leave much to the imagination, and Archie has to force himself not to stare at the way the material hugs every curve of her body. She’s slept in his bed the last three nights, and Archie has been at war with himself every moment that he has her in his arms. He wants her so badly that the feeling threatens to consume him.

Even having her right beside him doesn't keep the dreams away, though.

"Arch, it's okay. You won."

She's lying in his arms, blood streaked across her face. There's too much of it; it's everywhere. 

"Betty, no," he says. He grabs her face in his hands, trying to make eye contact. "No, you can't let go. You can't leave me."

He wakes up sweating on the fourth morning, nightmare fresh in his mind. Betty is still sleeping peacefully next to him, and his heart feels like it's cracking in two as he tries to push away the image of her lifeless body. He gets out of bed, careful not to disturb her, and goes to take a shower. He stands under the burning hot water for what feels like hours, a futile attempt to stop his racing thoughts. 

Archie finds Betty already eating breakfast with Toni, Fangs, and Evelyn when he emerges from his room. He hopes she doesn’t wonder why he wasn’t there when she woke up. 

“Morning, Arch,” she says.

He sits down beside her, avoiding her eyes as he immediately digs into the breakfast spread. “Hey.”

“It’s a big day today. Score day,” Fangs says, wasting no time with pleasantries. Archie notices Betty tense beside him, and resists the urge to place his hand over hers. 

Toni has a serious look on her face. “Archie, you’ll show your strength and combat skills. Betty, you’ll focus on survival skills. I’m sure you’ll both be able to get a decently high score that way, which means more sponsors,” she tells them. “Scores are only half of it, though. We’ll have to work on your angle for the interviews tomorrow night.”

“Our ‘angle’?” Betty says.

Fangs waves a hand dismissively. “We have it all figured out; we’ll fill you in tomorrow. Just focus on showing your skills for today.” His words make Archie a little nervous, especially when he notices the smug look on Toni’s face. 

He tries to push his unease away. They have a shorter day of training today, since they only have to go in for a few minutes to demonstrate their skills, and then they have the rest of the day off. While Archie sits beside Betty and waits for his name to be called, he’s already thinking about spending time with her later and hopefully getting a few hours of peace and quiet before everything goes to hell. 

“Archie Andrews, District 7,” a robotic voice announces. 

Archie stands and takes a deep breath. Before he can walk through the door, Betty grabs his hand.

“Good luck, Arch,” she says, her eyes serious. 

“You too." He squeezes her hand before forcing himself to let go. 

That night, they wait anxiously in their apartment for their scores. Archie is sitting beside Betty on the couch, with Toni, Fangs and Evelyn seated in the chairs on either side. Katy has also decided to join them, and she stands behind the couch with Betty’s stylist, Guy. Their eyes are all trained on the image currently being projected onto the wall, with Caesar Flickerman’s face filling the picture.

Caesar begins with District 1. The redheaded girl, Cheryl, receives a score of ten, as does her brother, Jason. Archie has noticed the two of them staring at him consistently during training, a bloodthirsty gleam in their eyes. It makes goosebumps rise on his skin. 

Next are Reggie and Josie, who both receive tens as well. Archie has tried to avoid them as much as possible since their strange interaction after the tribute parade, but he’s seen them whispering to each other on multiple occasions as they observed Betty and Archie. Archie knows Betty's a target, figured she would be from the start, which only makes him more determined to keep her out of harm's way. 

He can’t focus on any of the other tributes, his mind wandering until it’s his own face that appears on the screen. 

“From District 7,” Caesar begins, “Archie Andrews, with a score of…nine.”

Toni, Fangs, Evelyn, Katy and Guy burst into cheers. Betty’s face appears right after.

“Our second tribute from from District 7, Betty Cooper, with a score of…eight.”

Everyone cheers even louder. Archie sees Betty visibly relax beside him, and he feels some of the tension leave his own body. He can work with a score of nine, and Betty seems proud of herself, too.

“Great job, you two!” Toni says, standing up from her seat. 

“Shouldn’t we watch the rest of it? See what we’re up against?” Archie asks as Fangs switches off the projector. 

He shakes his head. “We’ve already seen all that we need to see. For the rest of tonight, no one is allowed to mention, or even think about The Hunger Games.”

“What are you talking about?” Betty inquires.

“We’re having a party!” Evelyn announces, clasping her hands together excitedly.

“Are you serious?” Archie says. He can’t help but feel like a party is a little...tone deaf, considering the circumstances.

“I did this before I entered the Games four years ago,” Toni tells him. “We’re not inviting the other tributes or anything, nothing like that, but Evelyn is going to sneak in some of her Capitol friends, and Fangs and I can pull some strings.”

Archie opens his mouth to protest, before realizing that there’s really no reason to. Fuck it. I won’t live to see a party any other time, so might as well.

“I’m in,” Betty says.

“Me too,” Archie adds. When he glances at her, she raises her eyebrows at him playfully.

He wants to kiss her right then and there. 

Toni brings a bottle of champagne out from the dining room, and soon Archie is three glasses deep, already feeling more relaxed than he has all week. Betty is keeping pace with him, and he can tell she’s already slightly intoxicated based on her rosy cheeks and the way that she leans her head onto his shoulder affectionately.

Some of Evelyn’s Capitol friends walk through the door, immediately making a beeline for Betty and Archie. Betty has begun clinging to Archie’s arm, and he swears she holds on tighter when some of the women begin touching his hair as they fawn over him.

A little while later, a glassy-eyed Toni finds Betty and Archie. “Having fun?”  she asks, swaying a bit on her feet.  

“So much fun,” Betty replies. “I just had three cups of whatever’s in that punch bowl.” She gestures toward the dining room table, which currently holds a large bowl of bright blue liquid. 

“I’m surprised you’re not on the floor,” Toni says. “Archie? What about you?”

Archie's a little tipsy, but after seeing how fast Betty’s been downing drinks, he’s been too distracted helping her stay upright to bother drinking more. 

“This is great, Toni, thank you,” Archie tells her. 

Suddenly, Betty digs her nails into his arm. “Arch.”

“Betty? Are you okay?”

“I feel like I might be sick,” she says, lurching forward a bit.

Toni holds up her hands. “This one’s on you, Archie.”

Archie places a hand on Betty’s back, rubbing slow circles. “Let’s go sit down.”

He takes her to the far corner of the apartment, away from the noise of the party. There’s a couch set directly in front of the floor to ceiling windows, allowing them to look out across the city lights as they sit down. 

Archie hands Betty a cup of water he’d grabbed in passing, continuing to rub her back as she drinks it. When she’s finished, she leans back onto the couch, her head falling back.

“Thanks, Arch,” she says. “You always…always take such good care of me.” 

She’s slurring her words a little, and Archie hides his smile. “Of course, Betty. I’ll always take care of you.”

Betty slumps against him, her body pressed up against side. Archie tries not to think about how close they are. “This is so unfair,” she sighs. “I don’t want to let them take you away from me.”

The words make Archie’s throat hurt. “Betty-”

“You’re just the best person ever and you don’t deserve this at all. You’re so selfless for wanting to sacrifice yourself for me, even though I’m the one who deserves to die, I mean my dad is a fucking serial killer-”

“Betty, stop,” Archie insists. “Where is this coming from?” She’s rambling, the words tumbling into one another like dominos.

Her eyes are teary. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do,” she says, her voice breaking. “I can’t do this without you, Arch. Even if I win, it’ll be for nothing. I feel like you’re-” She pauses, hiccuping. “Like you’re a part of me. I need you so much that it terrifies me, because losing you would be like losing myself.”

Archie wishes she would stop talking. Every word she’s saying is making him feel awful for putting her in this situation. He wonders what would have happened if he hadn’t volunteered. Maybe Betty would’ve been able to survive on her own, and she would’ve made it back to him.

He takes her hand, noticing that she’s shaking slightly. “I’m so sorry,” he says, his eyes finding hers. “So, so, sorry. I wish…I wish things were different.”

“Arch…” Betty’s gaze is steady, despite her inebriated state. He watches her glance at his lips, and then she’s grabbing his shirt and pressing her mouth to his.

Archie reacts immediately, his hands finding her waist. Betty swings one of her legs over his lap so she’s straddling him, her hands cupping his face. She bites Archie’s bottom lip gently, and he feels like he could die right there. 

His hands find their way under the skirt she’s wearing and he runs them along her thighs, groaning when she grinds down onto his lap. He breaks away from her lips to trail kisses down her neck, earning a soft moan from Betty in response. She’s touching him all over, her hands sliding under his shirt, her fingers running through his hair. Archie can taste the champagne on her lips as their mouths move together.

I love you I love you I love you. The words flash in his brain over and over again, and Archie thinks about how easy it would be to let them slip out. 

Betty slides her tongue into his mouth, and Archie groans again. He doesn’t think it should be possible to need someone this much. 

And then it all stops.

Betty pulls away from him like she’s been burned, climbing off his lap and falling onto the couch beside him.

Archie’s heart is hammering. “Betty? Are you okay? Did I do something?”

“No, no.” She’s shaking her head vigorously. “You’re perfect, Arch. But…” She takes a deep breath. “We can’t.”

“What are you-”

Betty cuts him off. She has a habit of doing that. “This is just- it’s too much. One of us, maybe even both of us, is going to be dead in only a few days. We can’t do this; it’s not fair.” She sniffles, wiping under her eyes.

Archie grabs both of her hands, trying to meet her eyes. “If you think we’re both gonna die anyway, then why not?”

She shakes her head again. “I can’t take that chance either way. I can’t be with you if I’m only going to lose you, Arch, I just can’t.” She pulls her hands out of his grasp, not giving him another moment to protest before she disappears down the hallway to their rooms. 

Archie doesn’t know how long he stays sitting there, staring out across the nighttime cityscape of the Capitol and willing the pit in his stomach to disappear. He knows deep down that what Betty said is true. They have to lose each other soon, one way or another.

Archie’s heart longs to go to her room and kiss all of her worries away, but his head forces him to stay on the couch until he falls asleep.

~~~

Betty wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache.

She rolls over groggily, expecting to feel the warmth of Archie’s body beside her. When she realizes she’s alone, last night comes rushing back to her.

Fuck. Betty remembers consuming more drinks than she ever thought possible and leaning on Archie the entire night. She hadn’t planned to kiss him until he’d started rubbing her back and looking at her with those puppy dog eyes she loves so much. 

She tries to recall what exactly she’d said to him. I can’t be with you if I’m only going to lose you, Arch. Betty buries her face into her pillow, wincing, feeling like an absolute fool. She’s really done it now.

Archie doesn’t even glance her way while they eat breakfast, and has still barely said two words to her by the time they sit down with their mentors to talk about the interviews. Betty doesn’t think he seems angry, though; the looks he’s been giving her can only be described as sorrowful.

“I hope you two enjoyed yourselves last night, because the fun and games are over,” Fangs says, fixing Betty and Archie with a serious look.

“You’ve already got your scores; now we just need to sell an angle to the audience that will make them love you,” Toni says. “Fangs and I were thinking: childhood best friends, but with a twist.”

Evelyn grins. “Oh, this is so exciting; I’m on the edge of my seat!”

“The two of you can’t just be best friends...you need to be in love.” Toni spreads her hands dramatically, and Betty’s chest clenches.

“This is marvellous!” Evelyn exclaims. “The perfect mixture of tragic yet heartwarming!”

“We want to sell the idea that the thought of losing Betty was too much for you, Archie, and you knew you had to volunteer to try and save her,” Fangs adds. 

“You’re kidding me, right?” Betty says. It’s like they were somehow able to see right into her brain and cobble together the most painful scenario imaginable based on its contents. 

Fangs gives Toni a high five, both of them clearly revelling in what they believe is a stroke of genius. Betty wants to disappear into the floor.

“What will this even accomplish?” Archie demands. Betty’s sure he’s staring at her, but she refuses to look his way. 

“You forget that Fangs and I have more experience with this than you,” Toni tells him. Barely, Betty thinks. 

Toni continues. “This is the perfect kind of believable story that will tug at the heartstrings and make people want to root for you. Trust me.”  She glances between Archie and Betty, brow furrowing. Betty figures that the tension between them must seem obvious in contrast to their usual comfortable rapport. “If you two care about each other at all, even if it’s just as friends, you’ll do this,” Toni says.

As Betty slips on her dress later that night, she recites the words in her head. Yes, Caesar, I’ve been in love with Archie Andrews since I can remember. No, I didn’t expect him to volunteer. Yes, my heart is breaking in half because the boy I’ve loved my entire life is going to die thanks to the fucking Capitol and these stupid Games-

Okay, maybe she’ll leave out the last part, but everything she’s going to say will still be true. Even if Toni and Fangs think it’s all an act, Betty doubts that Archie will. Not after what happened last night. She never would’ve thought that she’d be confessing her feelings for Archie in front of the entire nation of Panem, but she supposes it’s fitting considering the overall absurdity of her life. 

She stands beside Archie backstage before the interviews, neither of them speaking. Archie is wearing a simple black suit, while Betty wears a pale pink dress that’s a bit reminiscent of the one she’d worn on Reaping Day. She wonders if Guy did it intentionally.

Just before she has to take her place to walk onstage, Betty looks at Archie. When she sees the sad, vacant expression on his face, she makes a decision. 

Even though it might come back to bite her later on, she can’t hide her feelings anymore.

“Arch?” Betty says. 

“Yeah?”

She leans up and kisses his cheek. “None of this is an act for me. Please know that.”

The lights are blinding as Betty steps onstage, Caesar Flickerman’s face looming in front of her. She hopes her hand isn’t clammy when he shakes it.

“So, Betty, how are you feeling about the Games?” Caesar asks.

“I feel…” Betty takes a deep breath. “Sad,” she says. There’s something weirdly comforting about telling the truth in front of thousands of strangers.

“Really? And why is that?”

“Because there’s no way to win. Even if I survive and I’m the last tribute left, I still lose.”

Caesar is looking at her intently. “Might this have something to do with your tribute partner, Archie Andrews?”

Betty wonders if her mentors had fed him this information ahead of time. “Yes,” she says. The room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop. “I’m in love with him. I’ve been in love with him my whole life.”

Betty sees a few women in the audience gasp, clutching their chests. Many of the Capitol citizens are murmuring to one another, acting as if this is the most tragic news.

Caesar hums. “That is truly touching,” he says. Betty’s surprised at how sincere his words sound. “And while it’s bittersweet, it’s also incredibly touching that he would volunteer to be here with you.”

Betty nods. “Archie is the most kind, selfless person I know. I- I feel awful that I put him in this situation.” She hopes Archie is watching, and that he can see the truth shining through her eyes.

After her interview, Toni and Fangs corner Betty backstage.

“That was great Betty, just spectacular,” Toni says, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s hope Archie sells it just as well as you did.”

Oh, I don’t think we have to worry about that, Betty thinks, but she just swallows and nods. She fixes her eyes on the screen backstage that’s broadcasting the interviews.

Archie walks onstage confidently, and his wide smile turns Betty’s insides to jelly. The image of them kissing fervently invades her mind. It’s all she can think about as Archie sits down, remembering what it felt like to be in his lap.

“So, Archie, that was quite the interview we just had with Betty Cooper,” Caesar begins.

Archie purses his lips, nodding. “Yeah, uh, she pretty much explained exactly how I’m feeling.”

“Well, why don’t you tell us, in your own words, what you’re feeling? What was going through your head when you volunteered?”

“My mind went blank, honestly. The only thing I knew for certain was that I had to protect Betty. She’s my best friend and…I love her.”

Betty feels her eyes blur with tears. She feels so, so foolish for never realizing what was right in front of her. In another life, she and Archie could’ve been together back in District 7; they could’ve had more time.

“I think what you did was very brave,” Caesar tells Archie. 

Archie shakes his head. “It doesn’t feel brave when you know it’s the only option.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I can’t live without Betty,” Archie says. “I don’t care if I have to put my life at risk to save hers; I’d rather die than be without her.”

There are tears streaming down Betty’s face, but she doesn’t reach up to wipe them away. She’s frozen in place, unable to move even after Archie stands up to shake Caesar’s hand, signalling the end of the interview.

“Hey.” She feels Toni slide an arm across her shoulders. “I’m sorry, we didn’t know-”

Betty doesn’t hear the rest of what Toni says. As soon as she catches sight of Archie walking in her direction, she breaks away and runs to him.

“Betty…?” 

Archie doesn’t get another word in before Betty is kissing him. She feels him react immediately, his hands grazing her waist as her arms twine around his neck. She’s holding on to him for dear life, the feeling of his mouth against hers distracting her from everything else. Their mentors and the other tributes are definitely staring, but Betty doesn’t care. 

When they break apart, Betty presses her forehead to Archie’s. “I’m sorry,” she says. “Everything I said out there is true; I love you, Arch, I-”

“I know, Betty,” he replies softly, interrupting her for once instead of the other way around. “I love you too.”

“I don’t care what happens in the Games; I needed you to know,” Betty says, taking his hand. Now that the words are out, she doesn’t want to be apart from him for a single second.

Archie reaches up to brush a strand of hair away from her eyes. “Let’s not talk about the Games for tonight,” he tells her. The way he’s speaking makes Betty feel like it’s just the two of them in the room.

“You guys did so well!” Betty hears Katy’s voice say from beside her. She and Guy are both grinning at Betty and Archie. “And you look so good in the outfits we designed!”

“Thanks,” Archie replies, and Betty sees Katy wink at him.

Clearly deciding that they’d given Betty and Archie enough privacy, Fangs and Toni hug them from either side. “It’s so annoying that you let me get attached to you,” Toni tells them.

“Extremely,” Fangs adds.

Betty chuckles a little. “I’m…sorry?”

“We’ll see you tomorrow morning to say goodbye,” Toni says. Betty’s notices her voice catch a little on the word “goodbye,” but she still smiles brightly at them. 

“Goodnight, lovebirds,” Fangs calls, waving to Betty and Archie as he and Toni walk away.

Betty’s heart begins to beat quicker as she realizes she’ll finally get to be alone with Archie. Truly alone, with no secrets or hidden feelings between them. She can’t stop fidgeting as their Capitol guards escort them back to the apartment; it’s all she can do not to jump on Archie while they stand in the elevator. 

They’ve barely taken two steps into their suite before Archie turns around and presses Betty against the closed door, kissing her hard. There’s no trace of the previous night’s uncertainty as his hands find the backs of their thighs to lift her up, and Betty wraps her legs around his waist while her hands caress his face. She can taste the chocolate cake they ate for dessert on his lips.

Betty groans as Archie bites her bottom lip. She’s glad he’s holding her up, because she’s afraid her knees might buckle otherwise. 

“Arch…” Her head is leaned back against the door as he kisses down her neck. “Can we go to your room?” she asks breathlessly. 

He nods, placing her down gently. He immediately grasps her fingers in his as they hurry down the hallway. Betty’s heart is thundering in her chest. 

Archie lays her down softly on his bed, letting go of her for a moment to unbutton his shirt. Betty’s seen him shirtless plenty of times before, but her breath still hitches as he shrugs out of it. She sits up for a moment to unzip her dress. She needs to be as close to him as possible; she doesn’t think she’s ever needed something, or someone, this badly before.

Betty watches Archie’s eyes widen as she takes her dress off, her hands shaking slightly as she unclips her bra. She blushes a little under his gaze, surprised that she’s feeling so shy with Archie, of all people.

He leans down to kiss her. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, his kisses moving along her neck and then lower down her chest.

The only words Betty can form are: “I love you.”

He runs his thumb across her cheek slowly, like he can’t quite believe she’s real. “I love you too, Betty. Always.” He pauses for a moment. “You’re sure this is what you want?”

Betty knows she’ll never get this chance again, but she also knows that she’ll never love someone like Archie again. She can't imagine wasting this moment. “Yes, Arch. I need you.”

“Okay.”

She wants to keep her eyes open, wants to remember everything in detail, but her thoughts become scattered as soon as Archie’s hands are on her body. Betty feels like she could die from the feeling of finally being together in every way imaginable.

She almost wishes that it could really end right here, in this perfect moment. At least then she wouldn’t have to lose him.

~~~

Archie can’t believe the day is finally here.

He’s been trying to ignore the looming threat of the Games throughout the week, but he supposes it was inevitable that he’d end up here whether he likes it or not. He stares at the clear cylinder in front of him, wondering what would happen if he simply refused to enter the arena. Nothing good, he’s certain. 

Archie hears the door behind him slide open, and in walks Katy. His breath catches as he notices something clasped in her small hands.

“Hi, Archie,” she says, attempting a smile. He can see tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. “I got what you asked for.”

“I have to do something,” Archie said. He’d approached Toni yesterday morning, his thoughts racing after he’d woken up alone. “I can’t leave her.”

“Do you understand what you’re asking me to do?” Toni replied. “This could put all of us in danger, Archie. Besides, even if I find a way, you’ll never be able to have a normal life. And what about Betty? How can you ask that of her?” 

“I’m not going to. But at least she’ll have the choice, and she won’t feel guilty for what happened.”

Toni sighed. “I’ll talk to Katy.”

Katy reaches out her hand and drops something into his palm. It’s a minuscule vial attached to a thin, almost imperceptible chain. Archie flushes with gratitude.

“Thank you so much,” he says, giving her a hug. He fastens the chain around his neck, tucking it under his shirt. 

“Just…be careful,” Katy tells him. “I believe in you.”

“I will.”

Archie takes a deep breath as he steps inside the cylinder, the entrance sealing immediately. It’s hard to tell what the arena will be like based on his clothes, but judging by the light fabric of his pants and jacket, he assumes it won’t be anything too cold. He’s hoping for a forest, hopefully somewhere where he and Betty can hide away easily.

He feels himself being lifted up, up, up, and then he’s blinded by sunshine. He squints as he tries to get his bearings, seeing the cornucopia directly in front of him with a lake on one side and dense trees on the other. The scenery is a small relief.

Archie is barely paying attention to the countdown clock as he cranes his neck, looking for Betty. He finally spots her to his left, maybe eight tributes away from him. Please look this way, he thinks.

A few second later, she does. Just in time for Archie to mouth “run” and gesture toward the forest. He sees her nod quickly, squaring her shoulders. 

“3…2…1….”

Archie watches Betty turn and sprint off into the forest. He makes a quick mental note of which direction she went in before he races toward the cornucopia. If they’re going to have any chance of survival, they need supplies.

He grabs a backpack from the ground, dodging a boy coming at him with a knife. Archie grits his teeth as he lunges for a sword, his hand just gripping the handle before he’s shoved to the ground from behind. He rolls over onto his back, immediately pointing the sword at his attacker. 

It’s Reggie. Of course.

“Where’s your girlfriend?” Reggie jeers, grinning slowly as he stands above Archie with a knife in each hand.

Hell no, Archie thinks. There’s no way Reggie is getting any closer to him.

He lurches forward, slashing the sword across Reggie’s leg. Reggie curses, stumbling down onto one knee as Archie gets up and runs.

“This isn’t over!” Archie hears him yell. 

He knows he probably should’ve killed Reggie, that’s the entire point of this, but he can’t bring himself to do it yet. He’s praying he’ll be able to actually go through with it when it matters.

Archie slows once he’s past the tree line, scanning the area for any sign of Betty. His heart is beating so fast that he’s surprised he can still stand. 

He’s turning in a circle, making sure he doesn’t miss anything, when he hears leaves rustling behind him. He whirls around and points the sword toward the noise.

When Betty steps out from behind a bush, Archie nearly collapses with relief.

“Archie…” she says, her voice cracking. Her eyes are the brightest shade of green under the sunshine.

“Betty, thank god.” He lowers the sword and walks toward her, but she shrinks back. That’s when he notices the blood on her hands and the knife she’s holding. “What the hell happened?” he asks.

“I was trying to run away and this girl came after me out of nowhere. I managed to wrestle the knife away from her, but then I-” She breaks off. “I wasn’t thinking, it was just like an instinct, and I- I lashed out and…I killed her,” Betty says. There are tears streaming down her face.

Archie hates himself for letting this happen. “I’m sorry, Betty, I should’ve come with you-”

“I’m just like my dad,” she sobs, and Archie’s heart breaks. “I know this is supposed to be about killing, that’s literally the only way to survive, but I told myself I wouldn’t be like him,” she says. 

Archie drops the sword to the ground, wrapping his arms around her. “Betty, listen. You were defending yourself. It’s not the same at all,” he tells her. He wants to strangle everyone in the Capitol who forced Betty to be in this situation. 

“I don’t think I can do this, Arch,” she murmurs. “It’s too much.”

“We’re gonna get through this, I promise. I’ll protect you,” he replies, pressing his lips to her forehead.

“How can you act like everything will be fine?”

“I have to. It’s the only way to avoid being scared out of my mind,” Archie admits. He picks up his sword with one hand, and takes Betty’s hand with the other.

“Let’s go find somewhere to camp.”

~~~

On the third day of the Hunger Games, Jughead hears a knock at his door.

He knows who it is immediately. He’s surprised she waited this long to come.

Veronica stands in the doorway of his home, wearing a scarf around her head and sunglasses. Jughead isn’t surprised that she’s come incognito; the perfect Veronica Lodge wouldn’t want to be caught dead anywhere on the south side of the district. 

“Hi, Jughead,” she says.

“Hello, Veronica. What made you decide to grace me with your presence?”

She gives him a look. “You know why I’m here. Can I come in?”

Veronica sits down on his couch, neither of them speaking for a moment as they stare at the video being projected on the wall. It’s the same type of stuff that’s been on the feed consistently for the past three days: an array of tributes running through a forest, some camping out by a lake.

And of course, Betty and Archie, front and center.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Veronica says.

Jughead bristles, everything in him rejecting the prospect of talking about his feelings. “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

She rolls her eyes. “Maybe because our friends, who also happen to be our exes, who also happen to have fallen in love with each other, are currently competing in the Hunger Games?”

“‘Friends,’” Jughead scoffs. “I’m not sure they’re deserving of that title. My supposed best friend didn’t spare me, or you, a second thought before volunteering, and it’s pretty clear my girlfriend was never really my girlfriend.”

“Jughead, they’re probably going to die in there! Show some compassion, maybe?” Veronica scolds him.

Jughead turns toward the image of the Games, which just so happens to be showing a shot of Betty and Archie at the moment. They’re camped on an embankment at the edge of the forest near the lake, sheltered by an outcropping of rock. Betty is leaning back against Archie as they watch the sun set. The scene is so picturesque that Jughead almost wants to laugh. This is supposed to be the Hunger Games, a bloody, violent spectacle, but instead it’s turned into a documentary showcasing Betty and Archie’s self-sacrificing love.

Jughead watches as Archie presses a kiss to Betty’s temple, the gesture so tender that he feels like he should avert his eyes. He glances over at Veronica and notices that she isn’t watching. Her eyes are looking down at her lap, her fingers fiddling with the material of her skirt.

“I just want to know what her plan is,” Jughead muses. 

“What do you mean?” Veronica asks.

“At first, I didn’t think she had any chance of actually winning. But Archie’s acting like his sole purpose for being there is to keep Betty safe and then sacrifice himself so she can win.”

"That’s exactly what he’s trying to do. I knew as soon as he volunteered.”

Jughead knows it too. It should’ve been clear to him right when Archie volunteered that there was something deeper than friendship between him and Betty. “What is Betty supposed to do after he’s dead? I know her; she won’t be able to come back from that.”

Veronica shrugs, finally looking up at the video feed. Archie and Betty are settling in for the night, Archie laying down behind her with his arms wrapped around her middle. They look completely content despite their environment.

“I don’t know,” Veronica says. “Something tells me she hasn’t allowed herself to think that far ahead.”

The feed changes to show some of the other tributes, and Jughead’s posture relaxes a little. “I can’t believe she actually killed someone. And right at the beginning, too,” he says.

“It was self defense.”

“I just hope she doesn’t have this fantasy that she’ll be able to come back after the Games and everything will go back to normal. If she thinks I’ll take her back after everything that’s happened, after this- this- performance with Archie-”

“Get your head out of your ass,” Veronica says sternly, cutting him off. “Do you really think Betty will want to just waltz back into your arms after losing the love of her life?”

Jughead has to admit that it does sound unrealistic, as much as he doesn’t want it to. He wants Betty to need him, wants her to pine for him like she’s clearly been pining for Archie all these years. He knows it’s selfish, especially since Betty is currently in the most dangerous situation imaginable, but he feels bitter when he looks at her and Archie. He wonders if he ever mattered to her at all.

“I’m just angry with her. With both of them,” he admits.

Veronica’s brow furrows. “Did you really never suspect there was something between them?”

“Not really, no, and I feel like an idiot because of it. I feel like even more of an idiot for thinking about this stuff when at least one of them is going to die.” Jughead wonders what would be worse: losing Betty in the Games, or having her come back as a shell of herself after losing Archie.

Veronica sighs. “I get it, you know. This isn’t easy for me either. I think I’m just…further along in the process of acceptance.”

Jughead looks over at her. She’s removed the headscarf, leaving her shiny hair loose around her shoulders. She’s biting her lip as she stares straight ahead at the screen, a vacant look in her eyes like she’s not actually registering what she’s seeing. 

“Do you think…” Jughead begins, “Do you think…you could come over again tomorrow to watch? I think it would make it easier. You know, having someone else here who understands.”

He expects Veronica to refuse. They’ve never been more than acquaintances, only forced to interact because they were dating each other’s best friends. 

Instead, she nods. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

When she leaves that night, Jughead feels slightly less awful than he did before she arrived. 

~~~

Betty doesn’t know how much longer she can go on like this.

It’s either the sixth or seventh day of the Games; she can’t remember. She’s been terrified every waking moment for the past week, but more so for Archie than for herself. There’s a part of her that thinks she’d be okay with the Games lasting weeks, even months, because at least she’d have more time with Archie. They’ve been pretty good at staying away from the other tributes, and their hiding spot hasn’t been discovered yet.

On the other hand, Betty hates feeling watched all the time. She’s certain that Jughead and Veronica have been watching back in District 7. She thinks of them for a fleeting moment every once in a while, like when Archie kisses her or she reaches out to grab his hand. If she makes it out of here alive, she wants to say sorry to them. Betty feels like they’re owed that, at least, after they both had to watch the people they love fall in love with each other and go off into the Games together.

Archie is laying with his head in Betty’s lap as they sit in their spot by the lake. Betty figures it’s probably late afternoon, based on how the sun is shining across the water. The scene would be serene if she wasn’t currently exhausted from heat in a Capitol arena. “What are you thinking about?” Archie asks her. 

“What I’m going to do if I get out of here,” Betty tells him.

His smile is bittersweet. “I hope you buy yourself a milkshake.”

“Ugh.” Betty closes her eyes, trying to push the image of milkshakes out of her mind as her stomach rumbles. “Don’t talk about that right now.” 

“Speaking of which, we should probably try to find something to eat,” Archie says, getting to his feet. Betty nods. She tries to stand up to go with him, but the heat has made her lethargic. 

Archie’s brow furrows as he grasps her arm to help her to her feet. “Just…just go without me,” Betty tells him. “I’m gonna go in the water to try and cool off.” 

“No way, I’m not leaving you,” Archie says firmly.

Betty gives him a look. “Arch, we need to eat. I’ll be fine.”

“Betty, no.”

“We haven’t seen any other tributes in two days. And based on the faces we’ve seen in the sky, there aren’t that many left anyway.”

She can tell Archie doesn’t like it, but he nods. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he says. “Try to stay out of sight.”

Betty watches him disappear into the brush, his red hair standing out against the green of the trees. She tiptoes down to the water’s edge, looking back and forth before quickly sinking into the lake. Closing her eyes, Betty tries to imagine that she’s back in District 7 at the swimming hole with her friends. She imagines Archie splashing her as Veronica laughs and Jughead shakes his head. 

The water helps revitalize her a little, and she decides to collect some kindling so they can make a fire when Archie comes back. She hopes he’s able to catch a squirrel or something; they’ve been living on berries and bark for the past few days. 

Betty sits there waiting for what feels like ages, watching the sun dip lower in the sky. She’s starting to feel a little worried, and it’s eating away at her. I should’ve gone with him, she thinks anxiously.

She hears a cannon go off.

Betty chokes back a sob at the sound. No no no no no. It can’t be Archie. She refuses to believe it. If Archie’s dead, she’s as good as dead, too.

She hears someone crashing through the trees nearby, getting closer and closer to her. This is it. They’re going to kill me, she thinks.

But it’s Archie who emerges from the bushes, limping and covered in blood.

“Archie, oh my God!” Betty cries, immediately wrapping an arm around him and easing him to the ground. “What took you so long? Is this your blood?”

He shakes his head quickly. “Most of it isn’t. The boy from 1, he-” Archie hisses, pressing his hand against his thigh. Betty notices a wound there, the blood soaking through the material of his pants. “His sister shot an arrow at me and hit my leg, then he tried to stab me with a spear but I…didn’t let him get that far.”

Betty feels a tug in her chest, knowing what he means. “Oh, Arch.” She grabs his hand with one of hers and uses her other arm to bunch up her jacket, putting pressure on his leg.

“I got us a squirrel, though. And some berries,” Archie says, shrugging of the backpack he’d had over one shoulder. He tries to smile at Betty, but she sees it falter immediately.

Betty takes the backpack from him, removing the food. It’s still light enough out that they can make a small fire without drawing attention. She sees Archie reach for the wood, trying to help her, but she waves him off. “Rest for a moment, Arch. Please.”

He gives her a weak nod in return, laying down on his back. Betty watches him as she starts the fire. Archie Andrews, the most brave, kind person she knows, forced to kill to survive. She hadn’t wanted to become a killer either, but somehow Archie becoming one seems worse.

It hurts her heart to know that the sweet, boy-next-door version of Archie is gone forever.

~~~

When Archie wakes up in the morning after two weeks in the arena, he feels like something is different.

He’s not sure how he knows, or what exactly it is that’s changed, but he has a feeling that something is going to happen today. It’s been surprisingly calm for he and Betty thus far, at least compared to the horrors he’s witnessed people go through in past arenas. The image of the District 1 boy’s face still haunts him, but Archie knows that killing him had been the only option. If he’d let the boy kill him, he would’ve killed Betty next.

By Archie’s calculation, there are only four tributes left, including him and Betty. He knows the Gamemakers won’t wait long to stage a confrontation. As he fiddles with the chain around his neck, Archie hopes it’s sooner rather than later. 

“Does the weather seem odd to you today?” Betty asks him later.

Archie nods. “Feels like there’s gonna be a storm or something.”

“It can’t be past noon, but it seems like it’s getting dark outside.”

Archie shields his eyes, looking out over the lake. There are dark clouds gathering above it as the waves stirs menacingly. Waves that large shouldn’t be possible in a small lake, but he knows the Gamemakers can manipulate them however they want to.

“We should get away from the water,” he says, quickly shouldering his backpack and offering Betty a hand.

They stumble into the forest, trying to move quickly without making too much noise. Archie thinks it’s definitely getting darker now; it looks like dusk inside the thick forest. 

A cannon goes off, causing Archie to stumble. His heart skips a beat as he looks over at Betty, still very much alive with her hand clasped in his. That means they’re almost the only ones left. Archie wracks his brain trying to remember which tributes they haven’t seen in the sky, but their faces don’t come to him. 

They’re still walking quickly through the forest when Archie begins to hear something from behind them. It’s a low, rushing sound, like water. 

Beside him, Betty pales. “Arch, the waves. We need to run.”

“Holy shit.” Archie glances behind them and sees a large wave stretching up above the tree line like a tsunami. Grabbing Betty’s hand, he takes off into the woods as fast as he can. This is clearly the Gamemakers ploy to end the Games, and Archie hopes they’ll actually get far enough to find the last tribute.

They careen through the forest in what Archie hopes is the general direction of the cornucopia. He thinks he can see the clearing ahead when Betty cries out, stumbling a little. Her grip on Archie’s hand causes him to stumble as well, both of them falling into the dense brush.

“Betty? Are you hurt?!”

“My foot got caught on something, I think I’m fine, but-”

Archie can’t hear her next words over the sound of the water crashing down behind them. He only has time to wrap one arm around Betty before it catches up to them and drags them both under. Archie can feel branches and rocks scratching his body as the water propels them forward, and he can feel himself losing his grip on Betty.

Just as his lungs feel like they’re about to explode, it’s like the water stops in its tracks. Archie goes sprawling as the waves spit him out into the clearing. He starts coughing immediately, gasping for breath as he looks for Betty. 

His heart lurches when he sees her laying a few yards away from him, completely still. 

“Betty?” He kneels at her side, pushing her hair out of her face. “Betty, wake up, please wake up,” he bags. Her head lolls to the side as he pulls her into his lap, desperately pressing his fingers to her neck to check for a pulse.

Just as Archie is beginning to panic, he hears a familiar voice behind him. “It looks like it’s just the two of us left,” the tribute says.

Reggie.

~~~

Betty gasps, bolting upright.

Her vision blurs and the scenery swims before her eyes. How long has she been out for? She remembers the wave crashing over her and Archie; she thinks she must’ve hit her head on something after they were dragged under. Everything looks too bright, and there’s a distinct ringing in her ears. She also doesn’t see Archie anywhere.

She hears a clanging sound and turns, spotting two figures in the middle of the clearing. Betty squints and sees that they appear to be holding swords, the metal clashing together. As her vision refocuses a little, Betty recognizes Archie’s red hair. The other tribute looks to be the boy from District 2, Reggie.

Betty forces herself to get to her feet despite her wooziness, feeling around her waist for her knife. It’s miraculously stayed attached to her belt despite the waves. Even though the sight of Archie fighting for his life terrifies her, Betty forces herself to stay calm. If she wants to help him, she needs to be careful.

Reggie’s back is turned to her, and she’s praying that Archie won’t glance in her direction. She tries to stay as close to the tree line as she can as she gets closer to them. She can hear Reggie yelling things at Archie, his tone taunting.

“You might as well let me kill you; you’ve already lost your girlfriend!” 

Betty’s breath catches a little. So he thinks she’s dead. That might work to their advantage. 

“Probably good that she’s dead, huh?” Reggie continues. “You definitely wouldn’t have had the guts to kill her. I definitely would have, though.”

He must’ve killed Josie, Betty thinks, remembering the cannon they’d heard.

Reggie lunges at Archie with his sword, catching him off guard. His blade draws blood as it grazes Archie’s arm. Betty holds her breath as Archie fights back, throwing himself at Reggie and managing to wrestle the sword out of the other boy’s hand with his own. Archie’s in the perfect position to kill him, but instead he tackles Reggie to the ground.

What the hell is he doing? Betty thinks. 

She gives up on trying to stay hidden, running towards them with her knife in hand. 

~~~

Archie rolls on top of Reggie, his sword between them. He’s only got one chance to do this right. The other boy struggles against him, his hands wrapping around Archie’s neck. 

Archie chokes for breath, rolling onto his back and taking Reggie with him. He grabs the handle of the sword and stabs it upward, cutting Reggie where he knows will draw the most blood.

As Reggie cries out in pain, his grip on Archie going slack, Archie reaches for the chain around his neck.

~~~

Betty reaches Archie’s side, dropping to the ground beside him. 

Reggie is a few feet away, his body still. He appears to be bleeding out from the artery in his leg, judging by the pool of blood around him. A cannon confirms his fate a few seconds later.

“Arch…” Betty takes his face in her hands. She’s at a loss for words. If she and Archie are the last two left, then that means-

“Betty,” he says as he grabs her hand, a small smile on his face. “You did it. You won.”

“What do you mean?” Her heart is thumping.

He doesn’t answer. “Arch? Archie?” It’s then that she realizes he’s bleeding, but she can’t tell from where. He’s covered in it.

“How did this happen? Arch, please!”

His head slumps to the side. “Love you, Betty…” he murmurs.

Betty feels like she’s short circuiting. She’d seen him knock Reggie’s sword away. Hadn’t she? Why is he bleeding? He can’t be bleeding. 

He lets go of her hand, his eyes falling closed. Betty can’t believe what she’s seeing.

“Archie, wake up. Please don’t leave me alone; I need you. Please.” She lets out a sob. She can’t see his chest rising anymore.

A cannon goes off. Betty’s vision blurs as she collapses beside Archie, her body wracked with sobs. 

Half-delirious from her head injury and the shock of the situation, Betty holds her knife out with shaking hands. Her gaze flicks from the knife down to her body, contemplating where a wound would do the most damage, wondering if it would be easier to end her pain right here and now. 

But the Gamemakers don’t waste any time sending a hovercraft for her. It quickly descends into the arena and lands beside her, some Capitol guards jumping out to grab Betty and haul her to her feet. She numbly registers a second hovercraft picking up Archie’s body.

Betty feels sick to her stomach. She thrashes against the grip of the guards, crying out. “No! You can’t take him away, you can’t! Let me go!” she screams, her throat raw.

She’s dragged onto the hovercraft and thrown into the grasp of a woman wearing a lab coat, a Capitol doctor she assumes. The woman is saying things to Betty, trying to get her to calm down, but Betty isn’t hearing a word of it. She’s still screaming. Archie is dead, and none of these people care. They just want her to shut up and be their pretty little victor. Well, she’s going to give them a piece of her-

The thought dies as Betty feels a needle being jabbed into the side of her neck.

~~~

“Betty?”

Betty turns her head, expecting to find Toni or Evelyn standing behind her. Instead, it’s Katy.

The dress Betty’s wearing for her interview is one of Katy’s designs, a sweeping ball gown with colourful leaves woven into the pattern. It’s reminiscent of her outfit from the tribute parade. She watches Katy survey her work as she comes to stand beside Betty, her reflection joining Betty’s in the dressing room mirror.

“Wow. You look amazing,” Katy tells her. 

Betty feels far from amazing. It’s baffling to her how everyone else can act so normal, while she feels like she’s being ripped apart from the inside out.

“Thank you. This dress is beautiful,” she replies, her voice hollow.

Katy purses her lips, reaching up to place a hand on Betty’s shoulder. “It isn’t fair to make you do this,” she says. “And I’m so sorry that this happened to you, but I have a feeling that you’re stronger than you think. You’re going to be okay.”

She says the words so confidently that Betty almost believes her. “I just don’t see how things can get better. Not when I have to go out there and act like everything is fine, meanwhile I’m really just cursing the Capitol for taking him from me,” Betty admits. “And then I have to go out on the stupid Victory Tour, and pretend that I’m happy to have survived the most traumatizing things anyone could ever go through.” She exhales, trying to keep her composure.

“When I have a feeling about something, I’m usually right,” Katy says. The tone of her voice is hard to read. “Just…trust me on this one. You’re strong, and I think you might find that things really aren’t as bad as they seem.”

What are you not telling me? Betty wants to ask, but then she’s being called for the interview.

She walks numbly out on to the stage, where Caesar’s plastic face is there to greet her. She pastes a matching phoney smile on her face as he shakes her hand, her cheeks nearly vibrating from the effort. 

“Betty, Betty, Betty. How are you my dear?” Caesar asks.

Toni and Fangs had coached her beforehand. Don’t give them the satisfaction of seeing you suffer, they’d said. 

“I’m…okay,” Betty tells him.

“I think it was quite a shock for all of us, probably yourself included, that you came out as the victor of these Games. With only one kill!”

Betty wants to laugh. Shocking. That’s putting it lightly. “It was certainly unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.”

Caesar leans closer to her. “I don’t think we’d be able to properly capture your experience in the Games without discussing a certain boy, your beloved Archie Andrews. How did you feel when you saw him fighting off the last tribute, sacrificing himself for you?”

“Archie is…was the best person I’ve ever known,’’ Betty begins.“He always did everything he could to protect me, and he was good, I think maybe one of the only truly good people left in the world.”

She stares out into the crowd, her eyes falling on the faces of thousands of Capitol citizens. All of them are responsible for these sick games, with their ostentatious costumes and their betting parties. All of them are responsible for Archie’s death.

Betty meets Caesar’s eyes. “I guess this world just wasn’t ready for someone as good as Archie Andrews.”

~~~

Betty can already hear the sound of the crowd cheering, and it’s giving her a headache. That tends to happen to her a lot lately.

She’s finally back in District 7, her last stop on the Victory Tour. Even though she’s glad to be back home, she’s dreading this day. How can she look everyone in the eye knowing that Archie’s death is the only reason she’s here? What could she possibly say to his mom, to Veronica, to Jughead, to make any of this better?

“Betty, it’s time.” Fangs is at her side, touching her arm gently. “They’re ready for you.”

Betty walks onto the town square stage robotically, the cheers from the District 7 citizens becoming deafening. Evelyn is holding a hand out to her and beckoning enthusiastically.

“Here she is everyone! Betty Cooper, the winner of the sixty-third annual Hunger Games!” 

Betty scans the crowd, looking for any sign of her mother or her friends. She can’t see them anywhere.

“Betty, would you like to say a few words?”

No. “Sure.”

Evelyn steps away from the microphone, giving Betty the spotlight. Betty takes the piece of paper out of her pocket that has her speech written on it. She’d let her mentors and Evelyn take care of it, not trusting herself to come up with something coherent.

“‘It was a great honor to represent District 7 in the Hunger Games,’” she reads. “‘Although it was not without its great challenges, I am proud to- to stand in front of you here today.’”

Her vision blurs, the rest of the words illegible. She isn’t proud of anything; she feels like a coward.

Crumpling the piece of paper in her fist, Betty looks up. The crowd is waiting expectantly for her next words.

“The truth is,” she begins. “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my best friend, Archie Andrews. Knowing he was by my side was the only thing that kept me sane during those days in the arena. You all may have heard me talk about him in my Capitol interview, but my words didn’t even begin to describe the amazing person he truly was.” Betty realizes this speech sounds more like a eulogy than a victor’s speech, but she doesn’t care. “Archie was a fighter, but he was a protector first. He was the most kindhearted person I knew, and was always there to help anyone who needed it. He always remembered the name of every person he met, because that’s just who he was.”

“And because of who he was, I feel like I owe you all an apology,” Betty says. “I’m the only reason that Archie volunteered for the Games. It should be him standing here instead of me, and for that, I’m sorry. I wish it could’ve been him.” Her throat feels tight, and words become impossible. Betty is dimly aware of Evelyn wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she steps up to the microphone. 

“Let’s give a big round of applause for our brave victor!” Evelyn says brightly. The townspeople begin to clap hesitantly as Betty twists out of Evelyn’s grip, fleeing from the stage. 

Back inside the town hall, Toni is there. “Hey, that was really nice of you to say,” Toni tells her, hands grasping Betty’s forearms. Betty feels like she’s on the verge of a panic attack, her chest rising and falling rapidly. The thought of having to face her family and friends in only a matter of minutes seems like the most daunting thing in the world.

“Look at me,” Toni says, gripping Betty’s arms tighter. “Betty, look. You’re going to be okay. I have something important to tell you, and I need you to listen.”

Betty forces herself to meet Toni’s eyes. “Okay.”

“After you’ve seen your family and friends, you’ll be escorted to your house in the Victor’s Village. Once you’re sure that you’re completely alone, go into the forest behind the house. Try to go around dusk.”

“What? Why?” 

“Just trust me. There’s something you’ll want to see.”

Betty barely has time to wonder about Toni’s words before the town hall doors fly open and Alice Cooper bursts in.

“Betty! Oh my god.” Alice immediately starts to sob, throwing her arms around Betty. The reaction is almost identical to their farewell before the Games.

“Are you really here?” Alice asks, taking Betty’s face in her hands.

“Yeah, Mom, I am.”

After doting on Betty for a few more minutes, Alice finally relinquishes her grasp on her daughter. “Okay, okay, I’ll let you see your friends. But I’m going to need a tour of your new house as soon as possible, Elizabeth!”

“Of course, Mom.”

Betty’s stomach is in knots as she waits for who she knows will come next. When she spots both Veronica and Jughead in the doorway, her knees nearly give out. She hadn’t expected them to come together.

“Hi B,” Veronica says, her brown eyes warm. She and Betty only need to lock eyes for a second before Veronica is wrapping her friend in a hug. 

“I’m so sorry, Veronica,” Betty cries, her face buried in Veronica’s shoulder. 

“Don’t be sorry, Betty, really. You did exactly what I asked. You came back to me.”

Betty pulls back, trying to read Veronica’s expression. She doesn’t look one bit angry. “I just feel like I don’t deserve this,” Betty tells her.

“You were so, so, brave. Not just anyone could’ve survived what you did.”

Betty wipes her eyes. “I love you, V.”

“Love you too.”

Betty looks over and notices Jughead lingering in the doorway, his posture tense. Veronica clears her throat. “I’m gonna give the two of you a minute,” she says, retreating to the hallway.

Jughead stares at Betty from across the small room. She can’t read his expression at all.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” he says finally.

“Jug, I’m-” Betty wants to say she’s sorry, yet again, but she doubts the words would mean much to him.

“Betty, whatever you want to say, it’s honestly fine. I was angry with you at first, but I get it now. It was always Archie, and it’ll always be Archie, even now.”

Betty’s taken aback. “I…I thought you might ask me to get back together.” It had seemed like the natural course of action for him to take, especially with Archie no longer an option.

Jughead shakes his head. “I guess the Games changed me, too.”

“Huh.” Betty doesn’t know what else to say. She feels like she’s in uncharted territory. 

“I want us to be friends,” Jughead says. “I know that I can’t understand what you went through, but I want to at least try. I know Veronica does too.”

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Betty replies.

She realizes that she means it.

~~~

Betty sits in front of the fireplace in her new house, watching the last few embers dwindle. 

She’s finally alone, for the first time in what feels like years, and it’s nearly dusk. Her foot taps anxiously as she remembers Toni’s words. There’s something you’ll want to see. What the hell did she mean?

Betty leaves her house through the back door, glancing around quickly as she passes the tree line. She still feels like she’s being watched everywhere she goes, like someone could jump out any second and stab her with a knife. 

The forest is peaceful at night, the last few rays of sunlight slipping through the trees like silk. The only sounds Betty hears are her feet crunching in the dirt and a few birds chirping. 

And then a voice.

“Betty.”

She wants to cry. So the Games had actually made her lose her mind, then. She’s hearing voices.

“Betty, it’s me.” Betty turns toward the familiar voice, already prepared to see nothing but trees.

Instead, Archie Andrews is standing in front of her.

“What the fuck?” she exclaims, rubbing her eyes. So now she’s hearing voices and seeing ghosts.

“Betty, don’t freak out. It’s really me.”

“You’re not real,” she says. “I watched you die.”

“I can explain everything. Please let me explain.”

Betty laughs bitterly. “This should be a good story.”

Archie sits down on a nearby rock, gesturing for Betty to sit too. She can’t believe she’s doing this. He can’t be here, can he? Humoring her imagination will only make it hurt more later.

“Betty, I’m so, so, sorry that I didn’t tell you my plan beforehand, but there were cameras everywhere and I- I needed everything to go perfectly. It all started when I asked Toni for help, and she-”

Toni. She’d told Betty to come here. That had been real.

There’s something you should see.

Betty stands up, a million emotions coursing through her. “What the fuck, Archie? I thought you were dead! I’ve thought you were dead for weeks. And where the hell were you while I was touring the country, mourning you every second of every day?”

Archie reaches out and grabs her hand, and that’s when she’s sure it’s really real. His fingers are solid, his grip familiar.

Betty crumbles, falling into his arms as she begins to cry. Archie kisses her hair. “I thought I was okay with dying for you. I’d accepted it,” he says. “But after the first time we kissed, I realized I couldn’t do that to you. I had to find a way to live, so you wouldn’t have to go on hating yourself and feeling guilty forever.”

Her chest aches. “But…but how?”

“Toni and Katy helped me sneak something into the arena. It was a vial of modified nightlock, just the right dose to make a person appear dead.”

“Oh my God. The blood wasn’t yours,” Betty says.

Archie shakes his head. “The hovercraft picked me up with the other…bodies, and then I was able to escape when I woke up. No one expects a corpse to be able to move.”

“But…but where have you been? The entire country thinks you’re dead. What is the Capitol going to do when they figure out you outsmarted them?”

Archie rubs the back of his neck. “That’s the thing. I wish I could just come back and be with you, live in that house and act like everything is normal. But they’ll kill me if they know I’m alive.” He pauses, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to District 13.”

Betty chokes on a breath. “What? District 13 is nothing but rubble.”

“They’ve been building an underground rebel force for years. Toni knows some people that she connected me with; they said they’ll take me in. Take…us in.”

“What are you saying?” Betty asks breathlessly.

“I get it if you don’t want to be with me, after what I made you go through. And I get it if you want to stay here and live in a nice house and hang out with our friends. You deserve that.” Archie sighs. “But I selfishly also want to be with you, and we can’t do that here. So I guess I’m asking…if you would run away with me. You don’t have to decide right away-”

Betty cuts him off with a kiss. She feels him jump a little in surprise before he kisses her back. Her mind is already made up; she can’t imagine living the rest of her life without kissing him like this ever again. 

“I love you, Arch,” she says. “Yes. Yes, I’ll go with you.”

“I love you too, Betty, but really? It’s not going to be easy.”

She nods. “I’m certain. Can we leave in the morning?”

“Think it’ll be safe for me in your house?” Archie asks.

“Yes. And technically it’s our house, since we’re both victors.”

“I guess it is.” Archie smiles at her, that same smile Betty has loved since childhood.

She holds out her hand to him. “Shall we?”

They walk hand in hand through the forest, back toward a house that could’ve been Betty’s forever in another life. An easier life, where she hadn’t fallen in love with her best friend.

She looks over at Archie as they walk. There’s still a hint of sunlight peaking through the trees, bathing him in gold.

Screw easy, Betty thinks.