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“You’re sure no one is out there?” Tabitha asked, craning her neck to try to get a view of every corner of the seating area through the serving hatch.
“I’m sure, Tabs,” Jughead assured her as he flipped the open sign to closed. The diner was usually open 24 hours a day, but about once a week they’d close for an hour or so to do some deep cleaning or so the staff could take a break.
“And the bathrooms are clear?”
“Yep. Just finished them up. We’ve got the cleanest bathrooms frequented by truckers on the Lonely Highway for miles.”
“And no one’s in the Wyrm?”
“At 8pm on a Tuesday? Yeah, I don’t think so.” He looked over toward the kitchen with a puzzled look. “What are you so worried about?”
Tabitha appeared in the window again, holding up a burger flipper authoritatively. “I just want to be sure that no one is here for what we’re about to do.”
Jughead raised an eyebrow as a mischievous smile crept onto his face. “Really? And here I thought Tabitha Tate was a good girl who never broke the rules.”
Jughead quickly made his way back into the kitchen, but froze at the sight that greeted him. Instead of finding a totally clean prep table ready for whatever Tabitha wanted to do with (or to) him, he found a table covered in neatly arranged burger ingredients. “Okay, I give up. What exactly is going on here?”
Tabitha smiled and handed him the burger flipper. “Today, Jughead Jones, is the day you learn how to make an official Pop’s burger.”
Jughead’s confusion instantly transformed into childlike joy. “Woah, really?”
“Yes, really.”
“You’re sure? I just want to check because I’ve wanted to learn how to make a Pop’s burger since I was six years old.” Because six years old had been the point when Jughead had realized that people made Pop’s burgers and they weren’t just something that Pop made appear by magic.
Tabitha softened a bit, both touched and amused by how much this meant to him. “Yes, I’m sure, Jughead. I talked to Grandpa and we both agreed it was time we let you in on our family secret.” She gave him a small, almost nervous look as she paused for a brief moment. “After all, you are basically family now.”
For a moment, Jughead’s enthusiasm dissipated and he stood there, stunned, as the warmth Tabitha’s words inspired in him spread across his features. He smiled at her, then pulled her in for a quick, affectionate kiss. They looked at each other as they separated, each allowing the moment and its meaning to sink in.
Eventually, Jughead pulled back a bit, regaining his composure. He gave her a slightly flirtatious look as he returned to his earlier playfulness. “Well, all I can say is that I’m honored. And I promise not to do anything to ruin the family legacy.”
Tabitha smirked at him. “Oh, I know you won’t. After all, Jones, this is just a test run. You’re still a long way from cooking for actual customers.”
At this Jughead put his hand on his chest and pulled back a bit. “Oh, ye of little faith, Tabitha. Still, I won’t be discouraged. In fact, I take it as a challenge.”
Tabitha shook her head slightly at his antics. “Alright then, let’s see how you do.”
Forty-five minutes later, Tabitha watched as Jughead went through every step she’d shown him.
“First, we shape the patties,” Jughead said. He placed the plastic wrap over the lid for the pickle jar that they’d just emptied and also happened to be slightly larger than the buns they used. A coincidence that Pop had noticed years ago and allowed him to make the perfect-sized burgers for his buns.
After shaping the meat into the lid, Jughead flipped the patty onto a square of parchment paper and placed it on top of a stack of other patties. He then wrapped them carefully in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge. “Then, we wrap them so they don’t dry out and put them in the fridge.”
“And why is that?” Tabitha leaned over him, allowing the hair she'd freed from her ponytail to flow down over his shoulder.
He thought for a moment, before answering her with confidence. “So that they hold their shape when we cook them."
Jughead then turned quickly away from her to head back over to the fridge, leaving Tabitha to look somewhat confused and disappointed at him failing to notice her signals. “...You really were paying attention.”
Jughead looked at her, his expression suddenly deadly serious. “Tabitha, this is a Pop’s burger, of course I was paying attention.”
Tabitha watched as he removed another plate of patties from the fridge and brought them over to the grill. She picked up the spatula and walked up behind him, pressing up against his back with a small smile. "So, do you remember what comes next?"
He turned to look at her for a moment, his eyes lighting up a bit at her obvious flirtation. "Ahh… I see, you're trying to distract me, foul temptress."
"Foul temptress?" She laughed a bit and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Is that any way to talk to your muse? I'm here to inspire you."
Jughead laughed as well and took the spatula from her. “Oh no, Tabitha Tate, I'm not falling for that. Making a Pop's burger is a pure pursuit. I can’t allow anything to disrupt my focus. Even if this is ‘just a test run.’”
He turned back to look at the grill again. “Now, we heat the grill to 380 degrees. I sprinkle the spice blend on the outside of the patty so it crisps up on the outside, and then I—”
Tabitha let out a small sigh, realizing that Jughead was taking this way too seriously to have fun with it. “You win. I apologize for doubting you. I’m going to go make us some milkshakes, I’ll meet you at the counter when you’re done.”
Another ten minutes later, Jughead was sitting next to Tabitha, full plates in front of them. Even though his own burger smelled delicious, he couldn’t bring himself to eat it until she’d tasted hers and let him know how it was.
He watched, transfixed, as she took the first bite, examining her face for any hint of a reaction. She swallowed the bite, put the burger down and then said nothing.
“And?” Jughead asked, when he couldn’t take it anymore.
Tabitha looked at the burger for a long moment, then back at Jughead. “You could have gone a little lighter on the mayo, but I have to say, I’d be happy to serve this to any of our customers as a genuine Pop’s burger.”
Jughead’s face broke into a huge, genuine smile and he clenched his fist in victory. “Yes! Childhood dream, achieved!”
Tabitha laughed, almost in disbelief at Jughead’s reaction. “I’m sure Grandpa will be very proud of you, too. I had to talk him into letting me teach you instead of him.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He always says that no one loves his burgers more than you do.”
Jughead was quiet for a moment, suddenly much more serious. “It means a lot for me to hear that. This place… it was basically a second home to me… or maybe a first home, really. It was my one constant. And a Pop’s burger was the ultimate comfort food. No matter how bad things were for me, whenever I came here and had one, I knew everything would be okay. So, I’m really glad that you taught me how to make them.”
Tabitha looked at him for a moment. She was touched, but wanted to give him the space to decide if he wanted to say more about his past, or just enjoy the moment they were sharing now. A few seconds later, Jughead gave her a small smirk before picking up his own burger. “After all, how else could I uphold the Tate family legacy of keeping the darkness of Riverdale at bay one burger at a time?”