Chapter Text
“What is that?”
“An eyebrow pencil.”
“What’s it for?”
“To fill in my eyebrows.”
“What’s wrong with your eyebrows?”
“They’re just sort of light and sparse. I like to shape them a bit.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Putting a little gel on.”
“On your eyebrows?!”
“To keep the hairs in place!”
“Oh, wow. Look at those eyebrows. Someone put this girl in a magazine!”
“Oh, shut up,” she said with a big smile that gave Jughead the feeling that she really didn’t mind.
As Betty was getting ready for the dance, he sat on the counter beside the sink providing a running commentary of everything she was doing. He was quite fascinated by the whole process.
It kind of sucked that she was primping to go out with another guy, but he was trying not to dwell on that.
“Okay, you might want to leave for this part,” she said as she shook a can of hairspray.
“Ooh, can I do it?” he asked.
She laughed. “Knock yourself out. Just hold it back like a foot or so and do a light spray all over. And try not to get it on my face.”
She put her hands up to shield her face as he sprayed over her meticulously curled hair.
“Okay, that’s good,” she told him as she stepped out of the cloud of spray.
She turned towards the mirror to look herself over. She looked perfectly ready except that she wore a fluffy robe instead of her dress. “Well, that’s as good as it's gonna get, I think,” she said to her reflection.
“You look beautiful, Betty. Your date is a lucky guy,” he told her, really meaning it.
“I think the luckier guy is the one who gets to kiss me,” she said, turning to give him a soft peck.
“Betty! Are you ready to go yet?” her mom asked through her bedroom door. Jughead quickly hopped off the counter and went into his room.
“I thought you said you were going to Veronica’s at five? It’s almost half past!” he could hear Alice saying through the door.
“I’m done! I’m done. I just need to put my dress on,” Betty responded before going back into her room.
He laid on the bed feeling all kinds of feelings about the impending evening. A little anticipation for the Southside scouting mission. A little jealousy that Betty was going to the dance with Trev. A little self-loathing, because he’d done it to himself. A little happiness that she’d probably have a fun night with her friends.
He heard a tap on the door before Betty slowly opened it. She stepped into the room with a nervous smile.
She looked like an absolute dream in a shiny pink dress with little cut outs on the sides.
I can’t believe that girl wants me. I can’t believe that girl is with me. I definitely can’t believe I’ve seen her topless, he thought to himself.
“Well?” she asked with a spin.
He got up from the bed to make sure both doors were locked before standing in front of her. He looked down at her and trailed his fingertips along the exposed skin of her waist.
“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” he told her quietly before leaning in to kiss her.
She pulled back and giggled as she wiped her lipstick off his mouth.
“Betty! I’m leaving in five minutes with or without you,” her mom called through the door.
“ Ugh , I have to go. Please be safe tonight and don’t do anything stupid and text me constantly so I know you’re okay, and-“
“ Betty, do not spend your night worrying about me,” Jughead said, cutting off her rambling. “Go have fun with your friends. I will text you, I promise. And I know Trev is a nice guy and all, but if he tries anything you just knee him right in the-“
“ Jughead, your dad has already had this conversation three times with me this week. I will be fine. ”
“I know, I know you can take care of yourself,” he said pulling her into a hug. He continued, whispering in her ear, “But, if he so much as looks at you the wrong way-“
“Okay, I’m leaving!” she said, pulling back with a smile. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading back through the bathroom. “See ya later!” she called to him.
“Have fun!” he responded.
Sitting down at his computer, he opened his Word document. He stared at the screen for a few minutes before shutting it, figuring there was no way he’d be able to get any writing done.
He needed to do something to keep his mind off things, so he shot a text to Sweet Pea to see what he was up to. Grabbing his jacket, he headed down the stairs to raid the kitchen for snacks to bring over.
“Hey! Where are you off to tonight?” his dad asked from the couch.
“Going to Sweet Pea’s,” he said as he went into the pantry.
“You getting sick?” his dad asked. He’d woken up with a sore throat and his voice had gotten raspier as the day went on.
“Yeah, I think so,” he told him.
“Probably got what Betty has,” he said offhandedly. She’d gone back to school this week, but her mom took her to the doctor on Friday because it had been almost two weeks and she was still feeling sick.
“Yeah. I mean we share a bathroom, so her germs are pretty unavoidable,” Jughead said a little defensively.
He came out of the pantry with his arms full of food to find his dad getting a soda from the fridge.
“You’ve got something pink on your face,” his dad said, looking confused.
Shit. As he didn’t have a free hand, he quickly turned his head to rub his cheek against his shoulder.
“Alright, well I’ll see you later, dad. Don’t wait up, I’ll probably just crash at Pea’s. Bye!” he called as he rushed out of the house.
############
“I can’t believe it’s our last homecoming,” Veronica said as she touched up her makeup. “Can you believe it’s our last homecoming? I can not believe it’s our last homecoming.”
“I can’t believe it,” Betty agreed flatly as she fussed with the pin in her hair.
“You don’t sound excited. Why are you not excited? The whole wrong boy thing?” she asked.
“Yes, the whole wrong boy thing. And also, the boy going to spy on some shady drug dealers thing,” Betty told her as she gave up on trying to get this piece of hair to fall just right.
“It’s going to be fine! They’re just watching them, thanks to you. Toni seemed pretty pissed that you’d talked Jughead out of confronting them. I was just like, well, thank god she did!” Veronica told her offhandedly.
“Really? What else did she say about me?” Betty asked, suddenly curious.
“Oh, not much,” she said, looking like she maybe realized she was veering into dangerous territory. “She’s just worried that you may have undue influence over him when it comes to Serpent affairs. But, I told her that they’re lucky he talks to you about it! Their plan was idiotic at best.”
“She doesn’t know we’re together, does she?” Betty asked. The Serpents finding out was risky, since word could easily spread to FP.
“No! Of course not,” she said, sounding like she wasn’t being completely truthful.
“Veronica?” Betty prompted.
“Well, I mean she may have picked up on a vibe between you the first time you met her. And then when Jughead was being all protective of you at the party. And then I may have made a drunk comment…”
“ Veronica! ”
“She doesn’t know!” she asserted. “I swear she doesn’t. She just thinks that you guys have creepy, flirty step-sibling crushes on each other.”
“She thinks it’s creepy?” Betty asked. Even though it didn’t matter what other people thought, she still hated the idea that people may think it was creepy that she was with Jughead.
“If you want my amateur psychoanalysis, I think she’s just jelly. She’s used to being his only girl friend and now she feels threatened by his obvious affection for you. I’m sure she’ll get over it,” Veronica said as she spritzed herself with perfume.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll-“
Betty was cut off by a knocking on the door before Veronica’s mom called in, “Girls, your dates are here!”
############
“I can’t believe she ditched us for a dance on the Northside, ” Sweet Pea said as they sat on the couch playing Call of Duty. It wasn’t Jughead’s favorite, but Sweet Pea seemed to be in a mood, so he was humoring him.
“I know,” Jughead agreed halfheartedly. He figured it wouldn’t do any good to point out that Sweet Pea would’ve probably been there in a heartbeat if Veronica had asked him instead.
“I mean, it’s not like you had a choice moving to the Northside. And I don’t blame you for hanging out with your hot sister all the time. Hell, I don’t even blame Fangs for going tonight. I know he’s had a hard time finding someone. But, she is just doing this to spite me, ” Sweet Pea said as his guy was killed in the video game, yet again.
“Uh huh,” Jughead responded. He wasn’t really sure that it had anything to do with him at all?
“She should be here, you know? Like, she’s gonna come meet us after the dance and she’s gonna be all happy and shit. It’s just not the right vibe for what we gotta do tonight, you know?”
He didn’t know, but he responded with an, “Uh huh,” anyway.
“She’s all about clothes now. Since when did she ever care about clothes? She never talked to me about clothes. Now, all of a sudden Miss Park Avenue shows up and she’s all fashion this and accessory that. What is that?” he asked with a look of disgust.
“Well, maybe she never talked to us about it because we’re guys who know nothing about fashion?” Jughead proposed.
“She could have mentioned it!” he said, scandalized.
“Well, I mean, she did used to watch that show Project Runway until you made fun of her that one time,” Jughead reminded him.
“Okay, they were all acting like their clothes were so good! They were the ugliest dresses I’ve ever seen! That show made no sense and you know it,” he said, glancing over at Jughead.
“I mean, clearly we don’t get fashion. That’s kind of my point,” he told him.
“Whose side are you on?” Sweet Pea asked.
“No one’s! I’m just playing devil’s advocate here.” Jughead hated getting pulled into the middle of their arguments.
“Whatever. Is it okay with you if I hit up Marina? I’m gonna need to blow off some steam after tonight,”
A visual of Sweet Pea blowing off steam involuntarily popped into his head. Gross. “Why would I care if you hit up Marina?” he asked.
“Well, I mean, she’s been after you for a while. Didn’t know if you were keeping her on the back burner.”
“What about me has ever given you the impression that I would keep any girl on the back burner? ” he asked, offended by the very idea.
“So, she’s fair game, then?” Sweet Pea asked unperturbed.
Jughead scoffed. “Yes, unfortunately for her.”
“Perfect. Thanks, man,” he said, pausing the game to get a soda from the fridge. “And what about your sister?” he called from the kitchen.
“Jellybean?” he asked, confused.
“No. Your step -sister, dipshit.”
“What about her?” he asked, his heart beat picking up.
“Well, everyone else is hooking up with Northsiders. Toni snaked Veronica. So, what about Betty? She’s single, right?” he asked as he looked through the assortment of snacks that Jughead had brought.
“ Oh… I mean, yeah, she’s single. I don’t know that you’re really her type, though,” he said. There was, in fact, no way he was her type.
“Well, it’s not like I’m trying to marry her or anything. She’s not exactly my type either. But, she’d probably think I’m attractive enough for a sexcapade, right?” he asked.
Hey, can you never think about Betty in this context ever again? And if you do, keep it very much to yourself?
“Ya know, I’m not sure she’s the sexcapade type,” he told him truthfully.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out, right?” he said, coming back to join him on the couch with a big box of animal crackers.
“No,” he said simply. It was just too much. He had to say something.
“What?” Sweet Pea asked with his mouth full of crackers.
“Just, can you not?” he asked, hoping he wouldn’t be forced to give any specific reason.
“What, why not? Because she’s your sister?” he asked in response.
“She’s not my sister! ” Jughead reminded him heatedly.
“Oh my god, you’re fucking her! Good for you, man. I didn’t know you had it in you,” he said, clapping his hand on his shoulder.
“What?! No, I’m-“
“No, no. It’s okay. I respect that. You obviously have first dibs,” he told him. “How is she? In bed, I mean? Because she seems like she’d be-“
“ Stop ,” he said seriously. “Do not finish that sentence.”
“Oh, shit. You like her. Oh, man!” he said, looking kind of delighted. “This is wild. You finally get your head out of your ass long enough to notice a girl and it’s your step-sister. God, this is sending me. ”
“Sweets, no one can know, ” he said, figuring it was a lost cause to try to lie about it. “If my dad finds out, we are dead. Please tell absolutely no one. ”
“Does anyone else know? Am I the only one who knows?” he asked happily.
“I think Veronica knows. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s told Toni, but I haven’t talked to her about it. Please keep it between us.”
“Serpent’s honor,” he said, putting a hand over his heart.
“That’s not a thing.”
“I’m making it a thing,” Sweet Pea told him. “But, you have to tell me how you made a move on her. This is too crazy.”
“I didn’t make a move on her, it just kind of happened ,” he said defensively.
“Oh, come on, dude. Gimme the details. You know I secretly live for rom coms,” he said, which was absolutely true.
“Oh, fine. What do you want to know?”
############
“Could I have this dance?”
The night was perfect. The gym looked beautiful (thanks to her and the rest of the decorating committee). Her hair decided to be cooperative and her mom didn’t have any negative comments on her dress.
Her date was very gentlemanly and opened her car door and brought her a drink and told her she looked pretty.
And, yet, it was all so very, very wrong.
Why didn’t she just turn him down? She was so upset with Jughead when he asked her, it had been so satisfying to say yes. Now, she wished she would have just talked to Jughead about it before stupidly agreeing to this.
Yet, here she was, being led onto the dance floor to slow dance with a boy who was very much not the one she wanted.
“Are you okay? You’re really quiet tonight,” Trev commented with his hand on her waist, standing a respectable distance from her as they danced.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m just….” She scrambled for an excuse. “...Still feeling kind of sick. And tired. I don’t mean to be such a lame date.”
“No! No, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he said kindly.
Ugh. This was turning out to be so much more terrible than she could have imagined. She hated that she was deceiving him when he clearly had feelings she could not reciprocate. She wanted to come clean and tell him that she didn’t like him like that, but just laying that on him in the middle of the dance seemed pretty rude.
They danced in awkward silence until she was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. Her mind immediately jumped to the possibility that Jughead had decided to come after all, but she turned to find Veronica and Toni.
“Sorry, Trevor. I need to steal Betty for a moment. Do you see Ethel sitting at that table over by the food?” Veronica asked, pointing in her direction.
“Uh, yeah?” he asked.
“Go ask her to dance, alright? Betty won’t mind,” she told him with a pat on the back before pulling Betty away towards the exit.
“What’s going on?” she whispered to them.
“Slight change of plans,” Veronica said.
“Fangs bailed on us,” Toni said, crossing her arms. “He already left with Kevin and he’s not answering his phone.”
“Isn’t he supposed to go with you guys tonight?” Betty asked.
“Yes, that’s why we’re discussing plan B. We need at least four people tonight. Two to observe, two to stay in the car. We don’t want to leave anyone alone,” Toni explained.
“So I offered to be of assistance,” Veronica said.
“I’m coming, too,” Betty said quickly.
“I figured you would be,” Veronica said with a smile.
“Okay, we want to be in our places by midnight, well before everything goes down, so we don’t risk running into any Ghoulies. We obviously need to get changed, so let’s head to Ronnie’s now,” Toni said authoritatively.
“Should I say goodbye to Trev?” Betty asked, turning to the dance floor.
“Nah, he looks like he’s doing fine,” Veronica said.
The music had changed back to a fast song and he and Ethel looked like they were having a blast together. Thank god.
“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Betty said, relieved to escape this dance and have an excuse to skip Cheryl’s afterparty. She shot a text to Trev with her apologies for needing to leave with Veronica.
She sat in the back of Toni’s old Honda Civic as she drove them back to the Pembrooke.
Jughead wasn’t going to like this. He’d pretty definitively talked her out of going. It was too risky. She’d be a distraction for him. Their parents would kill them if they found out.
But… she still really wanted to go. How could she not jump on the opportunity?
They made their way up to Veronica’s room, telling her parents that they were changing before the afterparty.
“Okay, no offense, but you two are going to need Southside makeovers if you want to blend in,” Toni told them as she locked the bedroom door.
“Shall we dig into the Lopaz Apparel stash?” Veronica proposed, referencing the garment rack of clothes from their little business venture.
“That’s exactly what I’m thinking,” Toni agreed as she walked over to start looking through the clothes.
They put together outfits that Toni assured them would blend in on the Southside. Betty ended up in a pair of Veronica’s black tights topped with some light wash jeans with rips at the knees. They talked her into wearing a lacy crop top that looked more like lingerie than clothing. She found a fitted leather jacket to wear on top and a pair of boots that she tied tight because they were a size too big.
“I think there’s one thing you’re missing,” Toni said, pulling a flannel shirt off the rack and tying it around her waist. “Wow. I can not wait to see Jughead’s reaction.”
“He’s going to freak out,” Betty told her.
“He definitely is and I’m here for it. At least no one will question you being with him, looking like his wet dream come to life,” she said.
“Seriously, Southside Betty is going to blow his mind,” Veronica said, coming to stand next to Toni as she looked her over.
“You don’t think I should put a top on over this-“
“No!” Veronica and Toni exclaimed in unison.
“You are smoking, Betty. And also giving some seriously badass vibes, to be honest. Very biker babe chic,” Veronica assured her.
“Alright, well I suppose I trust your judgement,” she said, turning to look at herself in the mirror. She had to admit, she kind of agreed with them.
It was odd, but really nice to be interacting with Toni without animosity. She was grateful to Veronica for whatever exorcism she was able to perform on her.
They left soon after, telling Veronica’s parents that they were going to the afterparty.
Betty checked her phone when she got to the car and saw several texts from Jughead.
Jughead : Hey
Jughead : How’s it going?
Jughead : Still at the dance?
Jughead : I’m going to assume you’re not responding because you’re having fun and not because something terrible has happened
Jughead : 🖤
Jughead : That’s the first emoji I’ve ever sent, FYI
Betty smiled at her phone. God, he was adorable.
Then, she remembered that he was probably going to react very poorly to her unexpected arrival in the Southside.
Eh, he’ll get over it.
############
He glanced at his phone again and there was still no response from Betty. It was past eleven, so the dance was definitely over. She was having fun. Not looking at her phone. That’s what he wanted, right? He didn’t want her to be moping and glued to her phone. He wanted her to be having fun with her friends.
But, was she enjoying her date too much? Was Trev sweeping her off her feet? He probably brought her flowers and wore a nice suit and kissed her hand all gentleman like.
That bastard.
He knew he was being ridiculous. He knew there was nothing to worry about. Yet, here he was. Fucking worrying.
This was all your bright idea, asshole, he reminded himself.
“What’s your problem, dude? Worried that kid’s gonna pull a Toni and snake your girl?” Sweet Pea asked, still glued to his stupid game.
“ No, ” he responded defensively.
“Don’t worry, man. I’m sure you’re way cuter,” he said teasingly.
“Oh shut the fuck up,” he responded, throwing a Cheeto at his head.
Just then, the door swung open as Toni let herself in. She was followed by Veronica and… what the hell is this?
“Your backup has arrived,” Toni said by way of explanation.
“What the hell is this?” he asked Toni, gesturing to Betty. He couldn’t stop looking at her. He thought they’d agreed she wouldn’t come. Was he angry? Was he relieved? Was he turned on? Very much yes to all.
“Fangs bailed,” Toni explained. “Kevin’s parents are out of town and they are… taking advantage of the opportunity.”
“So you dressed up some Southside barbies to take his place?” Sweet Pea asked, not sounding mad about it.
Veronica immediately jumped in to respond, “Excuse you, Sweet Pea , I am not-“
“All we really need is someone to stay in the car with me while you two go scouting,” Toni said, cutting her off. “Veronica and Betty volunteered. I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“She’s not coming,” Jughead said immediately, not bothering to specify which she he was referring to. She couldn’t. She just couldn’t. He refused to risk her safety like that.
“She is coming,” Betty said, stepping up to him. “We’ll literally just be sitting in a car, Jughead.”
“I’m not leaving you, in a car, in that part of town, in the middle of the night ,” he told her heatedly.
“Why in the fresh hell do you get to tell her what to do?” Toni asked. “She wants to help out, so we will let her. You’re acting like this it’s a suicide mission. We’ll literally just be sitting there waiting for you guys.”
“Sweet Pea?” he said, turning to him. “Tell me I’m not wrong.”
“I mean, if they’re just going to be waiting in the car…” he said with a shrug.
“It’s not your choice to make for her, Jughead. And, really, if some Ghoulies try to hassle us, we’ll just drive off and find another spot to wait for you,” Toni said reasonably.
Jughead huffed out a breath, realizing that he didn’t really have much of an argument. He recognized that he was crossing into controlling, overprotective boyfriend territory and was trying to rationalize that. As much as it pained him, he figured he had no choice but to concede.
“ Fine. But, you’re coming with me,” he said to Betty. “And you’re staying with the girls in the car,” he told Sweet Pea.
“Why do I have to stay behind?” Sweet Pea asked.
“We don’t need him,” Toni said with attitude.
“Toni, you’re a good fighter, but you’re tiny. That’s not sexist, that’s a statement of fact. A couple of guys could easily overpower you both. Sweets stays.”
“Why don’t you have him stay with those two and I come along with you?” Toni asked.
“Because she stays with me, ” he said emphatically, pointing to Betty. “And, if we get caught, our cover can be that we were just trying to find a place to hook up.”
“Wait… are you guys actually hooking up?” Toni asked, looking between the two of them.
“ Okay, we are already later than I wanted to be,” Jughead said instead of answering. This was very much not the time to open that can of worms. “So, we need to go. Let's take Toni’s car. It’ll be the least conspicuous.”
“Are you saying I drive a shitty car?” she asked.
“No, I… yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Everybody, let’s go,” he said, ushering them out of the house.
Toni hopped into the driver’s seat as Sweet Pea and Veronica argued whether he should get shotgun because of his long legs, or if she should because she’s a lady.
Jughead followed Betty into the back seat and they were soon joined by a grumbling Sweet Pea.
“Okay, drop us off at that alley behind La Monica’s,” Jughead instructed Toni as she drove. “Make sure you're back there by twenty after. I don’t think it will take that long. You don’t have to stay parked there the whole time. In fact, it’s probably best that you don’t. But, make sure you stay in the general area , okay? You need to be ready to bail us out if something goes wrong.”
He realized his leg was bouncing with nervousness when he felt Betty’s hand slide over his knee. Putting his hand over hers, he gave a squeeze. He wasn’t mad at her and he wanted her to know that. He was just a little anxious about the whole thing.
Sweet Pea nudged his ribs and he looked over at him. He nodded in the direction of their joined hands and gave a dramatic wink. Jughead rolled his eyes in response.
Toni dropped them off and the street was as empty as he’d expected it to be. He climbed out after Betty and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her back into the alley.
They were in the old industrial part of town, where there’d used to be a factory and some larger businesses that had all since closed or moved. It was now a mix of abandoned buildings, sketchy stores, and dilapidated apartments. All Ghoulie territory.
Staying in the shadows, he led her back behind the old meat packing plant up to the top of the metal fire escape where they could have a good vantage point. From the landing, they could see down over the wall into the loading dock of Casterline’s, a food distribution company that had been out of business since before he was born.
“Well, make yourself at home,” he said, settling in to sit against the brick wall. “We’ll be here for at least an hour.”
“What ever will we do to kill time?” she asked, opening her jacket to expose an article of clothing that definitely did not qualify as a shirt.
“On second thought, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea,” he said, perking up.
She slowly walked over to him until her hips were directly in front of his face, then sank down onto his lap, straddling him.
He ran his fingers along the black lace of her top as he took in the sight before him. She was really hot. He found her attractive literally all the time, but this sexy, grungy version was really doing it for him. Maybe because it was so different from her usual vibe? Either way, this was going to be a great way to pass the time as they waited for the big event.
“Shouldn’t we be prepared to sell our cover story in case we get caught?” she asked coyly as she slipped off her jacket.
“Betty, it’s freezing, ” he said, running his hands along her arms.
“Warm me up, dumbass,” she said against his mouth before taking it in a rough kiss.
“Okay, is it the outfit that’s got you in a mood? Or just the thrill of the whole spying on drug dealers thing?” he pulled back to ask her with a smile. “Not that I’m complaining,” he added quickly.
“Little of column A, little of column B,” she said with her smug little look before leaning in to start kissing again.
He tried to run his hands along all of her exposed skin to keep her as warm as he could, but she didn’t seem to mind the cold.
He kissed down her collarbone as she ground her hips into his. “Leave a mark,” she demanded.
“Why?” he asked between kisses.
“For evidence. In case we get caught,” she said, making him laugh. “But make sure it’s low enough that I can hide it from my mom.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed before getting to work fulfilling her request. He picked a spot on the top of her breast that was exposed by her plunging neckline, but wouldn’t be seen in her normal apparel. Her hands shot to his hair as he nipped and sucked at her soft skin.
“Oh, Jug, ” she murmured, running her fingers through his hair. He let his hands trail under her top and slid them up to cup her breasts. Since apparently he was living in some really phenomenal timeline where his dream girl was so into him that he could just do that.
“ Yes, ” she breathed as he ran his thumbs along her nipples and continued to work his mouth on that particular spot. She threw her head back and rolled her hips against him in just the right way that made him groan against her skin.
He pulled back to admire his work and found an angry red splotch that made him smile.
“That should work,” Betty told him, also stopping to look down at the mark.
She put her hands on his shoulders and climbed out of his lap.
“Hey, where are you going?” he asked as she knelt between his legs.
“Can I… can I return the favor? From last weekend?” she asked shyly as her hands drifted to the button of his jeans.
He quickly nodded and said, “Yeah.” Yes. Yep. For sure. You can definitely, absolutely do that .
He shimmied his pants down a bit and helped her release him from his boxers.
Without missing a beat, she leaned down and took him in her mouth. “ Oh, shit ,” he breathed. “I feel like this is way better than what I did for you on Saturday.”
She popped up, looking concerned. “Is this okay?”
“ Yes, ” he told her emphatically.
She smirked at him before getting back to the glorious task at hand.
He rested his hands atop her head and leaned his head back against the wall. Whatever she was doing felt divine and there was no way he was going to last very long.
God, he was the luckiest motherfucker. He didn’t care what Betty said. She was pure perfection.
After a minute, she stopped and looked up at him. “I’m just winging this, you know. If you want me to do anything different, or if there’s-“
“ No . No, you’re doing great. Don’t stop,” he told her. Looking down at her kneeling between in legs in that lacy bra thing on top of this fucking fire escape was an image that would be indelibly burned into his memory. This girl.
############
She was on the Southside. Dressed like a badass. On top of a fire escape. Giving a blowjob. To her mom’s husband’s son. Who was a Southside Serpent.
She couldn’t say she’d ever imagined that this event would transpire, yet here she was. Living the dream.
Honestly, this whole night was turning out to be kind of amazing. She’d never felt so young and free and wild and adventurous. A taste of freedom that she didn’t know she’d so desperately needed.
She didn’t need a clean cut boy and a stuffy school dance. She needed this.
Who knew you could have such an existential epiphany while giving a blowjob?
She bobbed and sucked per the instructions of the internet and Veronica Lodge. If she was doing it wrong, Jughead didn’t mention it. In fact, he seemed to be quite enjoying it judging by the sounds she was eliciting.
When her jaw was getting tired, she added her hand as Veronica recommended. At some point he spoke up and said, “Tighter. With your hand.”
She did as he asked and he added, “You can go a little faster.”
He put his hand over hers and set the rhythm he wanted. He let go and she continued at his pace.
“I’m gonna come, Betty,” he told her quietly. A few pumps later he did just that.
The taste was… unexpected. Weirdly bitter, almost? She’d been planning to swallow, but instead she quickly sat up and spit it out off the side of the fire escape.
She turned to Jughead, who was watching her with wide eyes. He burst out laughing and she joined him. He started shushing her and she remembered their purpose for being there in the first place.
Their giggles subsided as he checked the time on his phone. “Still have forty minutes to kill. Your turn?” he asked, bouncing his eyebrows.
She bit her lip and nodded with a smile.
“Take it off,” he told her.
“What?” she asked.
“Your pants,” he clarified. “If I’m returning the favor, I’m returning the favor .”
“What?! We can’t do that right now!” she told him. Okay, she was all for reckless Southside Betty, but that seemed like a bit much.
“Why not?” he asked, seeming genuinely unaware of why she wouldn’t want to get naked and eaten out at this particular moment.
“We’re not doing that here!” she told him, smiling. She appreciated his enthusiasm for at least wanting to do that. If they were anywhere else but a cold, public fire escape she’d be very much into the idea.
“Okay! Okay. Your loss. We can just-“
He stopped talking as they’d both heard a noise. One of the old metal garage doors was loudly being pushed up by someone in the loading dock.
Betty and Jughead glanced at each other before turning to watch what was going on below.
There were two men standing at the top of the platform by the entrance to the garage, seemingly waiting for the arrival of more people. Betty had about a bunch questions she wanted to whisper- Did he recognize them? Did they look like Ghoulies? Why was this happening so early? But, she didn’t want to risk being too noisy and get the men's attention.
One of the men got a phone call and they both hopped down to open the gate, allowing a dark SUV into the lot. Without any greetings or conversation, two people emerged from the truck and started passing off duffel bags that Betty felt she could safely assume contained the drugs in question. Two more people came out of the garage to help.
A third person got out of the back of the car and seemed to just be monitoring the whole transaction. They walked over and looked out into the street, presumably to see if they’d been followed. They made their way back over to the loading area and just watched as the bags were passed off.
One person from the garage came up to them and handed over a smaller bag, which Betty figured was their payment.
They had a quiet conversation that Betty wished she was close enough to hear.
“Oh, shit. I knew it,” Jughead whispered, reaching into his pocket.
“What?” Betty asked.
“That one girl down there,” he started as he pulled out his phone.
In his haste, he dropped it. He dropped it. He dropped it and it fell. It clashed loudly through the metal stairs and landings till it settled somewhere in the darkness below.
The two of them stared wide eyed at each other for a moment.
“What the hell was that?” someone said below.
The people from the SUV piled back in and took off down the road.
Betty thought they may be in the clear, but some of the guys who’d come from the garage started walking their way.
“We gotta go,” Jughead said, grabbing Betty’s hand and running down the stairs.
Her heart was racing and her stomach was in her throat. She tried to focus on her footing, so as to not fall down a flight of stairs and make matters worse.
“ Your phone!” Betty hissed when she spotted it on a landing near the bottom of the fire escape. He grabbed it just as they were approached by the two men. They stood menacingly at the end of the stairs as Betty and Jughead slowly came down the rest of the way, hand in hand.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the shorter of the two asked, grabbing Jughead by the collar of his jacket.
“Get your hands off me,” he responded, pushing the man away.
“Hey, you’re the one crossing into our territory, sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong,” the taller, older looking one said, jabbing his finger into his chest. “Does your daddy know you’re here?”
“I’m not sticking my nose anywhere . We were just trying to find a place to hook up. Bad timing is all,” he said.
Betty had to admit their cover story had seemed more convincing in theory. She had a feeling these guys would not be buying such a major coincidence.
“And you picked this fire escape in our part of town on this fine, chilly evening?” the man summarized smugly.
“I’m his step-sister,” Betty said quickly. “That’s why we didn’t want to get caught by any of the Serpents. We don’t want his dad to find out.”
“Why are you outside then, sweetheart?” he retorted.
“I’m an exhibitionist,” she responded coolly.
The shorter man snorted a laugh.
“What? Don’t kink shame me,” Betty said, crossing her arms.
The other began laughing as well. “Answer me this, Jones. If you are out here banging your kinky step-sister, why the hell did you start running? Huh? ” he asked with raised eyebrows.
“I saw you guys coming and didn’t exactly want you to catch us in flagrante ,” he said, putting his arm around Betty’s waist.
“Yeah? What else did you see?” the shorter man asked, sounding serious.
“I was too busy giving him a blowjob to see anything,” she said with attitude.
Jughead gave her side a squeeze. “We were a little preoccupied . When I dropped my phone, I looked over and saw you guys coming. That’s all ,” he told them. “Can we go now?”
“Ya got blue balls, Jones?” the short one asked. “If your sister likes an audience, you guys can finish in front of us.” He licked his lips with an expression that made Betty’s skin crawl.
“Get fucked,” Jughead spat at him. “We’re leaving.” He pulled Betty along with him in the direction they’d come from.
“I hope you’re telling the truth, Jonesy!” one called after them. “If not, you’re in way over your head!”
As they quickly walked away, Jughead pulled out his phone to make a call to Toni. She said she was a few minutes away and they waited in the shadows behind a dumpster next to the building where they’d been dropped off.
Jughead pressed her body against the wall and leaned in to talk into her ear. “I greatly underestimated you,” he said lowly, sending a tingle down her spine. “You did great back there.”
She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“It is. I didn’t have a good explanation to give them, but you totally talked our way out of it. That was amazing. You are amazing.” He kissed her, which quickly progressed to them making out roughly against the wall.
They were interrupted by Toni honking her horn and they quickly ran over to hop in.
############
He spent the night at Sweet Pea’s while Betty slept over at Veronica’s. He missed her. It was stupid how much he missed her. Being across town from her felt so painfully far.
As he drove back in the morning, he tried to think of excuses to get some time alone with her. Maybe they could claim to have a project to work on? Try to find a good sale going on that they could lure her mom out of the house with?
“You’re home early,” his dad commented as he walked in.
“Just left when I woke up,” he told him.
“Oh, Jughead, are you sick, too?” Alice asked as she came down the stairs in her robe.
“Yeah, he’s got whatever Betty has,” his dad said from his seat at the kitchen counter.
“Oh, no! Jughead, I’m so sorry,” Alice said. “I just got off the phone with the doctor’s office and Betty’s blood work tested positive for Mono.”
She squeezed his shoulder as she walked past him. “I’ll get you an appointment this week. I’m so sorry, I’m sure it was unavoidable since you spend so much time together.”
He slowly turned to look at his dad, who was staring at him with wide eyes.
Fuck.