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He had pondered on going for weeks. When Betty had personally come to see him, hopeful eyes and a guilty step, she had basically begged him to come to her wedding, and his heart had stopped.
Just as he was about to decline her offer, he could see the tears that were suppressing her eyes. Her desperate posture, hand on his arm. And so he'd said he'd think about it.
He needed to go, for her.
So there he sat, all suited up, staring at the aisle she was about to walk onto.
The venue was decorated with a rosey theme, and just by the sight of it Jughead could tell Betty hated it. Definitely Archie's choice.
Toni was seated beside him, and Jughead could feel her compassionate stare in his back.
"I'm fine." He assured the woman, exhaling.
"No, you're an idiot," Toni threw back, "you could've been the one standing there, you know." She was pointing toward Archie standing by the end of the aisle.
Jughead exhaled, shaking his head. "Please don't start, Topaz."
"Fine, have it your way. But after this she'll go with him to build a home, and she won't be back."
Jughead licked his lips, frustrated. "I know, okay? I know that."
"Just saying." Toni sighed as she sat back down against her chair.
Jughead sat in silence again, his teeth grinding.
After a while, bridal music started to play through the venue. Jughead stopped the running of his thoughts and turned to look at the still closed doors.
It was a bare second of waiting, before the doors opened, and a white dressed Betty stood there.
Jughead could feel his heart beating in his throat, his hands becoming clammy. This wasn't the occasion he'd imagined seeing her in a wedding dress for the first time.
She was an absolute sight for sore eyes. Hair bunched up in a messy, but neatly folded bun. Lightly applied makeup, not much different than her usual look. It was very Betty, and Jughead could feel the tears come rushing to his eyes.
"Idiot." He could hear Toni mutter from behind him, and Jughead had to agree this time.
As Betty walked by him, Jughead watched her. His eyes were so haunting that Betty could basically stare right down his soul if she'd look back at him.
She didn't.
When she finally reached the end of the aisle, and Archie took her hands, the ceremony began.
It was all officials at first, the priest speaking. Jughead had his eyes glued to the golden blonde.
He hadn't really given a thought to what the priest was saying, until a certain combination of words stood out to him.
"Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."
A deafening silence ran through the venue, and Jughead could audibly hear his own heart beating.
Without actually knowing what he was doing, he stood up. Every guest had their eyes instantly glued to him, but Jughead didn't say a word.
"Sir, do you have something to say?" The priest asked, and it seemed that only then it hit Jughead that he was standing.
"Uh.. no.. sorry." He excused himself quietly before sitting back down.
The priest shook it off and started talking again, but Betty had her eyes still on Jughead. For a second, he though he saw a shimmer of desperation there, but it was gone before he could interpret it.
The ceremony continued, Betty facing Archie again as the couple held hands along with smiles on their faces.
It had been a bare few seconds of the priest talking, before Jughead stood up once again.
This time, Betty's stare was pure frustration as she looked at the dark set of curls that now stood upright in the crowd.
"I..uhh.. sorry, again." Jughead apologised quickly, settling back down in his seat.
"Well, alright then." The priest continued, "Archie, do you take Betty Cooper to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
Archie smiled wide, gave Betty's hand a light squeeze as he answered, "I do."
"Betty, do you take Archie Andrews to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do—"
"I love you!" Jughead yelled from the crowd, standing up once again, this time more determined to finish what he started.
A momentum of surprised gasps and murmurs ran over the crowd.
The priest silenced, and all eyes went to Jughead.
Betty turned to face the curly raven head again, staring him down with an angry frown on her face. "I'm sorry. I-I don't mean to be rude, I just need to say this." It's a little too typical, Jughead apologising for breaking up a wedding.
"Sir, please sit—" Jughead completely ignored the priest, starting to speak for himself.
"Betty," Betty flinched at the use of her first name, "I should've said this, a long time ago, I know that, but I was afraid. Quite frankly, I still am, but I'm more afraid to lose you forever." The blonde had tears suppressing her eyes now, swallowing.
"I'm so in love with you, so deeply in love, that it's making me sick. A-and I need to know, if that's just me." He stopped talking, a sob ripping through him before he could continue.
When Jughead had started speaking, Betty was still holding onto Archie, but now she'd let go of him. The man was staring daggers into Jughead, but Jughead only had eyes for the blonde.
"Because if you feel the same way, please, please don't do this." Jughead finished, looking at her with a fierce desperation.
Betty didn't answer, but her silence said enough. Archie tried to turn her back to him by grabbing her elbow, but Betty had her eyes stuck on Jughead.
He walked over to her, grabbing her hands in his.
Very carefully, he leaned in. Breathing and not breathing and hearts beating between them and he was so close, so close that she suddenly couldn't feel her legs anymore
He couldn't feel his fingers or the cold or the fullness of this venue because all he felt was her, everywhere, filling everything and he whispered,
"Please."
He said, "please don't shoot me for this."
And he kissed her.
Her lips were softer than he'd imagined, soft like first snowfall, like biting into cotton candy, like melting and floating and being weightless in water. It was sweet, so effortlessly sweet.
His body was humming with desperation, desperation for this to last even when he knew it must come to an end eventually.
But when their lips separated, and he saw the tiny smile that had replaced her earlier frown, he knew it was going to be alright.
"Sorry." He apologised, but the smug grin hadn't left his face.
Betty's eyes narrowed, but could barely contain her own smile. "You don't sound sorry."
Jughead bit down on his lower lip, but the corners of his mouth curved up. Not one, but two stupid dimples appeared. "You're so annoying." She mumbled, their foreheads still pressed together.
"Endearingly annoying." He corrected, and she exhaled.
"More like it's a good thing you're pretty." She giggled under her breath.
Jughead tugged her even closer to his body, folding his arm around her. Before she could protest, he lowered his mouth to hers until there were only inches of air left between them. "More like it's a good thing you love me?"
"That, too." She answered, and this time an idiotic bright smile came over his lips.
Betty was the first to realise they were still in the middle of her wedding, to another man.
She quickly let go of Jughead, flushing bright red as she turned to face Archie. He was standing there, all crestfallen with tears coming down his eyes.
"I-I.. uh.. I'm really sorry, Arch." She apologised hurriedly, giving him a quick kiss to his cheek as she pushed the ring back in his hands. The man was about to say something back, but Betty had already turned around, grabbed Jughead's hand and the two were running out the building.
Once they got inside Jughead's rusty citroen, it was hands and lips everywhere, all over each other.
It were short, hungry kisses, but after a while both pulled back in a mutual understanding of their next move. Jughead started the car, and with a gracious speed, the two drove into the distance.
It was a silent 20 minutes of driving, both still breathing hard. Jughead finally parked the car somewhere on the side of the road. He turned to Betty, his hands cupping her cheeks very gently before he leaned in to press a desperate kiss to her mouth.
Betty crawled on top of Jughead, straddling him while her fingers popped open the buttons on his blouse. He started sucking on the skin of her neck, his mouth trailing up toward her jawline.
It was raw passion, scraping teeth, clawing fingers— "Stop!" Betty yelled out with a sudden fire.
Jughead immediately let go, holding his hands up in the air. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" He yelled in response, frightened.
She started rubbing her forehead with her hands, her eyes squeezing shut. "No, no, it's not your fault."
Her hands fell on his chest, pushing on it slightly. "I can't believe we actually did this." It starts to sink in on her now. "I was about to be married to Archie Andrews, but instead I'm in a car making out with you like two horny teenagers."
Jughead grinned widely, his hands slithering to settle on her waist. "Two horny teenagers in love?" He tried, moving his hands to settle on her face and leaning in to kiss her gently.
Her fiery look softened. "Yeah, we do have that."
"Let's get home, shall we?" Jughead proposed, carefully lifting Betty a little from
his lap to settle her back into the passenger seat.
She gazed at the man beside her, "No."
"What?"
"No." She repeated, a little louder this time. "Let's just drive. Drive into the night and see where we'll end up." Jughead was completely astonished by her sudden devotion to adventure. "I don't want to stay here and have to face all that just happened. I just want to go, with you."
"You're full of surprises, aren't you Cooper?"
"Damn straight." She grinned, leaning over to kiss him again and immediately melting against his mouth.
As the kiss started to get out of hand, Betty wrenched her mouth away and tapped on the steering wheel. "Drive." She mumbled, still a little breathless.
"Oh, I like it when you get all authoritarian on me." He grinned, a smug smile on his face while he stepped on the gas, the car speeding off onto the road.
"I bet you do." She answered, smacking his shoulder.
"No harming the driver!" He yelled, grinning widely.
She tried to scoff but she couldn't deny the smile that burst through.