#allskynostars 1k

[allskynostars]

40, pls!

Thanks lovely @sweaters-and-crowns

40. exes meeting again after not speaking for years au

The ceremony had been beautiful, but of course, Veronica Lodge was the bride after all. And even though Jugheads tie felt like it had been strangling him the whole damn ceremony, he had kept it on and behaved like the perfect Best Man. He didn’t even bring up in his speech that Archie got so drunk on his Stag night, that all he did was sit and cry about how much he missed Ronnie. But, he did tell them about how many girlfriends he had in High school, a new love of his life every week, it seemed. Until Veronica had shown up from New York and ruined any chance another girl may have had. 

The newly weds had smiled at him in gratitude as he spoke about their youth, about the four musketeers. As Jughead looked out to the crowd of people for the fourth, he found her down the back, a small smile on her face. The one that moved clear across the country, leaving them all behind. Or so it had felt to him at the time. He knew better now, he understood. But if he let himself think on it too long, he could feel the pain flare up again. He cleared his throat. 

“To Mr and Mrs Andrews, proving to us all that true love really does exist,” he raised his glass in a toast before downing the contents, hoping to swallow back the heavy feeling in his chest. What a load of bullshit. 

He sat back to let the groom speak. Jughead hadn’t seen Betty during the ceremony, not that he had been looking. At least that’s what he told himself. He waited patiently as Archie spoke, clapping and laughing in all the right places. Joining in the cheers as he finished. He even managed to sit still as they danced their first dance. He noticed Betty slip out of the ballroom half way through, so instead of following tradition and asking the maid of honor to dance, he managed to sneak outside. 

Betty was sat on the stairs, alone. In fact there was no one out here except the cold. He walked quietly down the stairs behind her, stopping as he got to the one where she was sat. 

“And they say first loves don’t last, right?” He joked, trying to break the tension. He realised the stupidity of the words a moment too late. But still, Betty looked up at him and smiled. That smile, the one he pulled from his memories when he was having a bad day. Or when he was sad. When he missed her. Which, was always. 

He hadn’t seen the smile, or the girl attached to it, in years. 5, to be exact. But who was counting? He was. 

“Hey, Juggie,” the old nickname was a knife in his heart, but he smiled back and sat next to her anyway. “Your speech was great, you were the ideal Best Man, Veronica will be proud,” she joked, nudging his shoulder with her own. 

“Thanks, Betty. I’m glad you came.” He stared out into the night, the only noise he could hear was her breathing. He could feel all the unsaid words between them, just hanging heavy in the air. 

“I wouldn’t have missed it,” she replied, her voice low. Jughead figured it must be an odd feeling, watching the best friends of your youth all together and being the one left out. Whenever Jugehad had thought of this day, he just presumed Betty would have been at the main table with the rest of them. As the maid of honor. As his. 

But things had changed and even though Betty was still friends with Archie and Veronica, it was a shadow of what it used to be. 

“Listen, Betty -” 

“This is fucking weird, right?”

They both spoke at once, laughing as they looked at each other. Jughead gestured for her to carry on with his hand. She sighed, wringing her hands in her lap. 

“I can’t shake this feeling, I haven’t been able to since I got on the damn plane. I don’t know what it is. Nostalgia? Jealousy?” She wasn’t looking at Jughead, but he was watching her face. 

“Jealousy?” He asked in surprise, “why would it be jealousy?” Betty shot him a look that told him enough, but she spoke anyway. 

“Because this, this could have been me,” her voice dropped so low he almost missed it, “could have been us.” 

“Betty, -”

“It should have been.” She was whispering into the night now, but he could still hear every word as if she was yelling at the top of her lungs. It was as though she was speaking his own thoughts, stealing his words from him. But he found himself feeling angry, it crept up slowly, and then hit him all at once. She was the one that left. 

“You’re the one that left,” he told her as much. She squeezed her eyes tight, willing herself not to cry. She didn’t open them again before she spoke. 

“I know, Juggie. Believe me, I fucking know,” she sounded broken, it crippled Jughead. 

“You think I haven’t been having these thoughts too? Fuck, Betty,” he sighed in frustration, roughly running his hands through his hair. “You can’t, you can’t do this. Not here, not now. It’s been 5 years.” 

“Jug, -”

“Please don’t do this to me,” his voice broke. She looked at him then, a thousand apologies in her green eyes. 

“I have spent those last 5 years missing you, Jughead. And hating myself.” She reached for his hands, grasping them desperately between her own. She squeezed so hard it hurt, but Jughead welcomed the pain. 

“Then why didn’t you come back?” He knew he should be shutting her down, telling her to stop being foolish. Whatever they had, it was in the past. But he hung to her every word, aching for them. This was going to fuck him up all over again, he knew it. It was too much. But he had dreamed of hearing these words, of just seeing her again, so he wouldn’t stop her. He couldn’t pull away. 

“Because I figured the damage was done. That was my punishment. Losing you.” She was crying now, there were mascara tracks down her cheeks. 

“Betty,”

“I haven’t been able to even look at anyone else, Jug. And being here, seeing Archie and Veronica get that happy ending that belonged to us, too,” she paused to let out a heavy breath, “Seeing you. It made me realise how tired I am of fighting it. You might think this is rushed, but it’s not. I promise. I’ve been thinking this for a long time, ever since I got the damn invitation and knew you would be here. I don’t want to waste anymore time,” 

“Fighting what?” He was too far gone. He couldn’t deny it anymore, He was weak, look at how quickly he gave in to her, he scolded himself. 

“I’m sorry, and I know I should have come back a long time ago. But I am here now, and I still love you, Juggie.” The words hung in the air between them as Jughead held his breath. His heart was beating so loud in his chest he would have sworn she could hear it. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a voice called out from the top of the stairs. 

“Jughead?” 

His eyes snapped in the direction the voice had come from, and in his realisation of who it was, he yanked his hands from Betty’s. 

“What are you doing out here, babe?” She called out. “Who’s your friend?”

His gaze flicked back to Betty, her eyes were brimming with tears and Jughead felt his own heart break in his chest. This time, irreparable. Betty began to nod slowly, biting down on her bottom lip to stop the tears from falling. 

“I’m too late, aren’t i,” she whispered low enough for only Jughead to hear. It wasn’t a question, either, but a statement. So she shook her head lightly, quickly wiped at her eyes, and stood to introduce herself to Jugheads girlfriend. 

He sat on the stairs a moment longer, trying to gather his thoughts and the broken pieces of his heart from the floor. 

[allskynostars]

7, bughead

7. fake relationship au

“Oh, god,” Betty groaned as her head fell forward to bang against her work desk. 

“Betts?” 

“Sorry, Jughead,” her voice was muffled as she spoke into the hardwood. “My ex is pestering me to meet up with him for dinner. He’s trying to get me back, again.”

“Chuck? The asshole?” Jughead was pissed. He had watched Betty cry over that waste of space one too many times. “Absolutely not, Betty.” 

“I know, I’m not stupid.” She raised her head to look at him. “I’ve tried everything to get him to leave me alone. What is left to do? If I ignore him he just rings and fucking rings.” 

“Flush your phone down the toilet,” he joked. It earned a laugh from Betty at least, as she rolled her eyes at him. 

“If it wasn’t for work, I totally would.” She was right, her phone was her lifeline as a journalist. He racked his brain to think of something to help her. They had been working together for 4 years now, and he considered her one of his best friends. Enough so that he had introduced her to his own friends, whom she kicked it off with instantly. In fact, his best friend Archie’s girlfriend Veronica had become best friends with Betty. 

“Just tell him you’ve got a new boyfriend or something,” he suggested. After a moment Betty’s face lit up. 

“Juggie, you are a genius.” She clapped her hands in excitement. Her gaze fell to him as she threw him a look, one he knew very well. 

“Betty, no. No no don’t you dare get any ideas.” He raised his hands in defense. Betty stood from her chair and walked around her desk to his own, lowering herself onto one knee and taking his hand. 

“Jughead Jones, will you please be my fake boyfriend? Just for tonight?” She gazed at him with her best attempt at a puppy dog face, which was actually pretty good. He sighed. The irony wasn’t lost on him. If he had a dollar for the amount of times Archie had told him to ask Betty out, he wouldn’t even need to work this job. But then he still would, just to see her every day. “Please?” she drawled. 

“But, Chuck knows me,” he tried an excuse. But Betty just nodded her head in agreement. 

“Exactly, it’ll make it so much worse.” And he knew it would be a bad idea to agree to this, but he was a sucker after all. For Betty, at least.

“Fine, fine!” He gave in. Betty squealed in excitement as she threw her arms around his neck. 

“You’re the best, Jug.” 

“I know,” he replied, tapping her arms as they strangled him. 

- 

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Jughead shook his head. It was too late to turn around, they were in the damn restaurant already. He could see Chuck at one of the tables, waiting for Betty. He was about to get the surprise of his life. 

“Oh shut up, stop being a baby,” she scolded, yanking his hand that was encased in her own, she pulled him along with her. Jughead took in a deep breath when he saw Chucks face rise at the sight of Betty, and the fall when he noticed whose hand she was holding onto. 

“Well, what do we have here, then?” Chuck asked, his face morphed to a smirk.

“Chuck, I didn’t want to have to do this because it’s really none of your business. But, I’ve moved on.’ She raised their joined hands. “See.”

“So, you finally grew some balls then, Jughead?” 

“Yeah, tha- Wait, what?” Betty’s eyes flicked between the two men. Jugheads jaw was tight as he gave Chuck his best version of a death stare. He shook his head lightly, pleading with his eyes not to do this. Chuck just smiled wider. 

“That kid has been in love with you for years, Betty. It’s kind of pathetic, really,” Chucks voice was full of poison. Betty was suddenly uninterested in trying to convince her ex, instead her full attention was on Jughead. 

“Juggie, what is he,- is it,-?” Her voice was almost a whisper, and Jughead felt his heart drop as he watched her do the math in her head. This was  not at all how he wanted to do this. In fact, he never wanted to do this. He was going to live the rest of his life without ever telling her how he felt. 

“Yeah, Juggie,” Chuck spat the nickname between his teeth, “tell her I’m wrong.” 

Jughead couldn’t take his eyes from Betty, trying to think on his feet of how to shut Chuck down. He should be telling him he’s a liar, that he’s just trying to get under Betty’s skin. 

But he couldn’t lie to her. 

“I knew this was a bad idea, I told you,” he murmured, defeated, before dropping Betty’s hand and running from the restaurant. Chuck laughed as he watched him leave. 

“Well, this didn’t go to plan, did it mini Coop?” 

“Fuck you, Chuck,” she spat at him before running after Jughead. 

 Jughead hadn’t made it all that far, he was hunched over on the corner of the street, contemplating an excuse to resign from his job tomorrow. 

‘”Jug!” Betty was coming up the street after him. For a second he thought of fleeing, but there was no point. The damage had been done. 

“Betty, I’m sorry, okay? I knew this wouldn’t fucking work.” Betty just stood there, watching him fret over finding the right words to say. “There’s no point in denying it anymore, I guess.”

“Jughead,”

“You know, it’s actually been pretty obvious if you think about it,” he continued, not letting Betty get a word in. “In fact, I don’t know how you didn’t notice any earlier.” 

“Jug, will you just-”

“Betty, it’s okay. You don’t need to give me any excuses, trust me. I’ve spent a lot of time making lists in my head about why you’re too good for me. I already know the reasons why -” 

Betty finally managed to get him to stop talking as she grasped his face and pulled it to her own. Jughead held his breath as her lips pressed against his own. He would kick himself about this moment in years to come, wishing his reflexes had been quicker. They deserved a better first kiss than that. 

“Shut up, Jughead.” She spoke against his mouth, her lips a whisper over his. 

“Sorry, I just, wow,” he laughed lightly. He raised his hands to her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Her eyes searched his. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Sorry, Betty, but have you seen yourself? And me?” Betty nuzzled her nose against his, and Jughead felt warm all over. “You are so out of my league.” 

“You’re an idiot,” she sighed. “You’re the best person I’ve ever known.” Jughead smiled warmly at her, one she returned tenfold. And just as Betty brought her lips against his again he had a thought.

“Oh my god, Archie is going to have a field day,” he whispered, breathless. 

“Did you just name drop your best friend in our moment?” 

“Me? Nope, I said nothing.” She laughed, a sound Jughead wanted to swallow. “Come here, you,” he demanded, crashing his lips to hers once again. 

[allskynostars]

50

50. going through a divorce au (just a warning, mention of miscarriage)

Betty had been having the day from absolute hell. She was cutting it fine with the deadline this week, and all she had managed to write down were notes. Nothing substantial had managed to come from her endless hours of typing. She also had her mother breathing down her neck, sending her prospective apartments for the inevitable move. Even if she got the house in the split, how could she live somewhere that held only the happiest memories? Memories that ran fissures along her heart every day. 

Her mind had been flooded with him ever since she had told him to leave. Every time she lay in their bed she reached for him, out of a 10 year habit. That one would be hard to break. When she stood in the kitchen she could feel his arms around her waist, humming in her ear while she cooked. There was even a night she couldn’t bring herself to get into that bed, so she wrapped herself up on the couch and watched all his pre-recorded shows on the DVR. Shows she hated. But she didn’t sleep that night. 

And so, to top the day off, there was a brown A4 sized envelope waiting for her on the doorstep as she got home. He hadn’t even gone in the house, yet he still had a key. Betty felt her heart sink in her chest as she picked the envelope up. It was heavy, thick with pages. Ones that she presumed would now be inscribed with his signature. 

*

“Betty, please don’t do this,” Jughead was begging, pleading with his wife not to pull back into herself again. “I’ve lost too, you can’t just push me away.” 

“I can’t give you what you want anymore, Juggie. My body is useless. I am useless,” she sobbed through her tears. Jughead grabbed her face between his hands, forcing him to look at her. 

“You are not useless, you are the furthest from that. Don’t ever say that.” Jughead was crying too, they had matching tear tracks down their cheeks. “We can work through this, babe, I swear it.” 

“No, this is my fault,” she shook her head fiercely. “There is nothing wrong with you, this is on me.”

“Betty…”

*  

So although Betty couldn’t control her own body, something that would never sit well with her, she could control her choices. She knew how badly Jughead wanted children, it had been something they always spoke about. When she told him she was pregnant, his eyes had never grown so wide.

Except maybe that fateful morning, the one where she woke in pain like she had never felt. The Doctor informed them both what had happened, but Betty was hardly listening. All she could think of was what she lost. Had it been a boy, with eyes like hers? Or a little girl with a shock of black hair? 

But then came news that caused her world to crash and burn around her. 

*

“We can try, or we can adopt. We will get through this, I promise.” 

“You heard the Doctor, Jug. I can’t have children. You shouldn’t have to ‘get through this’.” Betty knew she was being ridiculous, but in that moment she didn’t care. “It’s all you’ve ever wanted, I-”

“No,” he interrupted, his fingers were digging into her cheeks. “All I’ve ever wanted is you.” He watched her face, felt her shudder with uncontrollable sobs against him. 

“I won’t do this to you, I won’t,” her voice wavered, so she cleared her throat and pulled away from his grasp. She wiped at the tears under eyes, looked Jughead dead in the eyes and told him, ‘I want you to leave.” 

*

They spent the next month after the news floating around each other, and every time Jughead tried to broach the subject Betty would shut him down. It was no way to act in a marriage, and she knew it. But she was so broken inside, no matter how many times he tried to comfort her she knew she was keeping him from a life he wanted. One he could have with someone else. So she took matter into her own hands. 

*

”Excuse me?” His head jerked back in surprise. 

“I said, I want you to leave,” her voice didn’t falter this time. Not even with the way his face broke under his words.

“No, no fucking way. This is my house too, you can’t just kick me out,” he shook his head, as if he was trying to gather his thoughts, “We’re not doing this. We are stronger than this, you are stronger than this, B-”

“Don’t you dare tell me how strong I am, don’t fucking dare,” she spat at him, anger coursing throughout her. “My body doesn’t work like it is supposed too, what is strong about that, huh?” Jughead had no words, so she continued, “Exactly! This can’t work anymore, it just can’t. You will look at me in another ten years and just resent me. I know it, and don’t try and tell me otherwise.”

“Betty, please, I could never resent you,” his voice broke over the words. “We can go and see someone, get some help, for us.” Betty laughed then, it was cold. Harsh. 

“Just get out, Jughead.”

“Betty, please, I love you, just let me,-” he was pleading, begging. 

“GET OUT!” Betty had never once raised her voice to him, not once throughout their 3 year marriage, their 10 years together. 

*

It had been 3 months since she told him to leave. 2 months since she sent him the divorce papers. The ones she held in her hand now. Jughead had fought against it, determined not to sign. He told her countless times that he was not going to give up on them so easy, that he understood she was broken but so was he. He was going to wait for her, no matter how long it took. 

But then she told him they should put the house on the market. She had even started packing up his things, there were boxes piled in the garage containing all the life they had made together so far. Simply inscribed on the side with either a ‘J’ or a ‘B’, each lining opposite sides of the garage. A true divide. 

Betty walked into the house and chucked the envelope on the coffee table. She sat on the couch and stared at it for a moment before ripping it open. There was a note on the top, Jugheads scribe across the page. Betty put it down before she read it, instead flicking through the stapled pages first. And there it was, his name signed in permanent ink. She couldn’t even bring herself to cry or feel anything, this was what she wanted after all. Wasn’t it?

She pushed the fact that she hadn’t even signed them to the back of her mind. Her eyes fell back to the note. And with a deep breath she picked it up and began to read. 

Betty Cooper. All those years ago my heart chose you, and not the idea of what you could give me at any point in the future. I could live happily every day for the rest of my life, as I have done to this day, just knowing you exist. Whether it be by my side, or not. You are the most spectacular person I will ever know, you are my heart and I have no say in the matter. I would work through anything the world throws at us, battle any storm,  just to be with you. Nothing and no one else, just you. That is more than enough for me. You are enough.

But I respect your wishes, all I ever wanted to do was keep you safe. Keep you happy. But just remember; 

I still choose you. I will spend my forever, choosing just you. I love you, and it’s endless. 

Jug. 

She went upstairs, leaving the papers on the coffee table but taking his note with her. She read it countless times, his words bringing an endless flow of tears. But they were different than the ones she had been crying the last 4 months, ever since that horrible morning in the doctors office. They were tears of hope, of love. She missed Jughead with her whole being, and she couldn’t believe how stupid she had been. It had taken those signed papers for Betty to realise that she could not lose him. 

 And yet here he was, willing to love her for eternity, no matter how reckless she had been with his heart. She didn’t deserve him. So, before she really realised what she was doing, there was a dialing tone in her ear. 

“Betty?” Hearing his voice, the way it broke around her name, caused a fresh wave of tears to flow down her cheeks. 

“Juggie, I know it’s not enough, b-but, I’m so sorry,” she cried, “Can you come home, please?” 

[allskynostars]

17, bughead

17. meeting at a party whilst drunk au

“Who wants a go?” Betty’s head snapped around a the booming voice. It had come from a boy with a shock of red hair in a Letterman, he was eyeing the crowd for a challenger. His gaze landed on Veronica, who was stood next to Betty. He had been watching her ever since they arrived, anyway. 

“Say, B,” Veronica mused, “You up for it?” 

“Uh, actually V, I-” She didn’t even manage to reply anyway before Veronica grasped her hand and pulled her to the beer pong table. Gross, Betty thought. She hated drinking games. And given that she had already had one drink more than she was planning tonight, this could end terribly for her.

“Ladies, welcome,” he motioned towards the cups. “You know the rules?” Both girls nodded. Betty had seen the game enough times to understand the concept, but she never really felt the urge to participate. “Jug, come on,” the boy gestured to his friend. This boy was dark haired, a beanie like a crown perched on his head. He shook his head in a no. “Dude, come one” the read head whined, nodding to the girls, a hint not to embarrass him. 

“Fine,” the other boy threw up his hands as he walked towards the table. He was cute, Betty thought to herself. 

“Atta boy. I’m Archie,” he introduced himself, then slapping his hand to his friends shoulder, “And this is Jughead” Betty smiled a greeting. Huh, she thought, an odd name. It suited him somewhat more than one would expect. 

“I’m Veronica, and this is Betty. Enough niceties, lets play.”

-

With the shot Archie just landed, they were down to the last cups respectively. Betty glanced at Veronica as she downed another drink. She handed Betty the ball without even looking at her. She hadn’t realised just how competitive her best friend was until right now. 

“You got this, B.” But Veronica was still eyeing Archie across the table, a small smirk on her face. The had been eyeing each other this whole damn game. Betty gulped, feeling absurdly nervous for a stupid drinking game. She glanced at Archie who just raised his brows at her, taunting. And then at Jughead. He had been reasonably quiet to start with, but with every cup he had to drink, Jughead gained a bit more confidence. 

“Don’t choke,” he challenged. Betty rolled her eyes at him before she threw the ball. It bounced from the rim of the cup, on the table and into Jugheads hand. Betty sighed in annoyance. He smirked at her before he threw it, missing his shot as well. 

“Oh sorry, what was that about choking?” Betty teased. He narrowed his eyes at her, but still held his smirk. She had found her own confidence, the ability for flirt with the cute boy in the beanie coming easier with each drink. Betty handed the ball to Veronica to take another shot, one she missed. Archie overshot as well. 

“Oh, no,” Veronica pouted, “I hope you don’t overshoot when it counts, Archiekins.” Jughead snorted at the nickname, earning a punch to his arm from Archie. 

Veronica leaned in close to Betty and whispered, “B, you gotta get this shot. Because I really want to make out with hipster Prince Harry over there. But only in victory.” Betty nodded. She was determined to get this shot. “Plus,” Veronica continued, “I really wanna see beanie boy pick his jaw from the floor once you sink it.” 

“Enough game play, miss the damn shot already,” Jughead remarked. It earned him an impressed look from Archie and a bro-shove. It also gave Betty the last bit of confidence she needed as she held his gaze and took her shot. Her eyes didn’t even leave his as the ball landed in the cup. Jughead just nodded slowly at her, but his eyes were glowing. 

“Yes, B!” Veronica squealed, pulling Betty into a tight hug. Betty managed to pull her eyes from Jughead and hug her back, relishing in her moment of victory. Neither of the girls noticed how Archie had come around to their side of the table. 

“Good game, ladies,” Archie smiled, his eyes all over Veronica. 

“Come, fine sir, and get me a drink that hasn’t been defiled by some gross ping pong ball,” Veronica demanded as she grabbed his collar, shooting Betty a encouraging smile with a nod towards Jughead. 

“So,” she drawled, turning her attention to the boy who now stood beside her. “What was that about missing the damn shot?” Betty acknowledged that she had been tipsy before the game, and now she was truly on her way to being drunk. But she liked the air of confidence it gave her. Especially at a party, where she would normally be parked in a corner nursing the same warm drink all night. Jughead held his hands up in defeat. 

“I admit defeat, you are not just a pretty face,” he smiled. Betty felt her cheeks darken under his heavy gaze. 

“But are you?” she queried, tilting her head to the side slightly. The move suddenly made her feel queasy and stopped her train of thought, it must have shown. 

“You okay?” Jughead asked, concerned. Betty nodded, but the more she moved her head the sicker she felt. 

“I just, oh..” and in that moment she knew she was about to be sick. Probably from all the drink mixing, she reminded herself. “Excuse me,” she covered her hand and hurried her way to the bathroom. She hadn’t noticed Jughead following her until she went to close the bathroom door and he pushed against it, letting himself in. 

“The best thing to do is just to let it out,” he said, an almost apology in his voice. He knew how horrible it was to throw up when you’ve been drinking. Betty didn’t even have time to reply before she bent over the toilet and heaved. Jughead knelt next to her, holding her hair away from her face and rubbing her back in soothing circles. Once everything had left the contents of her stomach, Betty closed the lid of the toilet and leaned against it. Jughead pressed the flush.

“I am so sorry, this is gross,” she groaned. “Great way to flirt with someone, Betty.” 

“You were flirting with me?” Jughead asked, a tone of surprise in his voice. “Damn.”

“Sorry,” she looked at him then, a small smile on her face. “I know I just ruined the illusion that I was someone cool. When, in fact, I am just a lightweight” Jughead shrugged, shaking his head. 

“I hate parties. In fact, I actively avoid them.” He was still rubbing gentle circles in Betty’s back. “But, in saying that, I am glad it was this one I decided to come too,” he said bashfully. Betty looked at him over her shoulder. 

“Why, so you could lose at beer pong?” She teased. 

“Meh, I can handle losing,” he remarked, “As long as I can watch you win. Seriously, Betts, that face when you got that shot,” he laughed, not noticing the way Betty’s breath caught at the new nickname, “I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“I guess I’m more competitive than I thought,” she smiled. “You can go back to the party Jughead, I don’t want to keep you from the fun.” He shook his head. 

“It’ll be more fun hanging out in a bathroom and getting to know you, anyway.” He smiled, and Betty was kind of gone for already. 

[allskynostars]

24 or 28 for bughead? 💙💙 also congrats on the followers! you desvere them and you are a wonderful person!!! *showers you with love* ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Thank you so much :) I’m going for 24 because something came to me quicker than the other, and it kind of ran away from me xx

24. literally bumping into each other au

Betty was running late. To her standards, anyway. This interview was important so she had timed her commute with 15 minutes to spare, but the train was late and so full it had thrown her off her game. She glanced at her phone quickly as she basically ran up the street, her portfolio of work in her arms, held close to her chest. She still had time, but she was definitely not going to be early now. 

She willed herself to breath, counting to 4 on the inhale, 8 on the exhale. It didn’t help whatsoever, and her nerves had her glancing at the time as it changed every minute. Being late did not sit well with her, it had been ingrained in her very being that it was always better to be early. But as long as there were no further hiccups, she would make it on time. 

The thought came too soon, as she glanced yet again at her phone and not at all at her surroundings, only becoming aware of her foolishness as she walked into something hard, dropping everything she had been holding onto the concrete pavement. 

“Fucking hell,” the distinctively male voice brought to her attention that it had been a someone and not a something that she had walked into. She scrambled to pick up her things from the ground, opening her mouth to begin a sincere apology as he spoke again. “It helps to watch where you’re walking, you know.” There was a sharp edge to his voice that pissed Betty off. Under any other circumstance she would have been over-the-top apologetic, but then again, today was not going in her favour. And bumping into a jerk was not helping the cause. 

“Speak for yourself, if you had seen me coming you could have moved,” she was taken aback by way she spat her words at him, but there was no time to think about it. She quickly gathered her papers and her phone, gave the guy a bitter smile and pushed past him into a run. 

“Hey!” She heard him call out to her, but in her new found rudeness, she just flipped him the bird behind her head and turned the corner. She didn’t dare check her phone to see the time. She was definitely going to be late.

-

She had managed to make it with no time to spare, and the interview had gone as well as she could have hoped. Now it was just a waiting game, one she was becoming awfully familiar with since she had moved to the city. She sighed, remembering she had promised to call her best friend Kevin to let him know how it went. She decided she would leave out the unfortunate beginning, she was still pissed at how rude that guy had been but she didn’t want to let it ruin the high from a successful interview. She pulled her phone from her pocket. 

Except, it wasn’t her phone at all. 

“Fuck!” It came out louder than it should have, given she was in the middle of the street. “Fuck fuck fuck,” she continued under her breath. She must have picked up the guys phone instead of her own, what an idiot. How could she be so stupid? Serves you right for rushing Elizabeth, she scolded herself. She stood for a moment and thought about what to do, she couldn’t even remember what that guy had looked like. Only the feeling of his blue eyes shooting daggers at her. She sighed, looking at the lock screen. How was she supposed to figure out how to unlock this stupid thing? On the plus side, his screensaver was a picture of a rather cute, fluffy sheep dog. It made her smile, however briefly. 

Much to her surprise, and disbelief, the phone unlocked on her first attempt. His four digit code was just 1234. She must remember to tell him he needs to make it less obvious, once she gets a hold of him. She punched in her own number, and held her breath as she listened to the dial tone. 

“Please pick up, please pick up,” she whispered to herself. 

“Hello,” relief washed over Betty at the sound of his voice, even though it was softer than earlier she could tell it was the same guy. 

“Thank god, listen. I think I must have mixed up our phones in my rush, earlier.” There was a short pause, and then a low laugh. 

“You think? Seeing as you just rung me from my own phone, I’d say you definitely did,” he joked. Betty couldn’t help but laugh back, realising how silly she must have sounded. 

“Okay, yes, obviously I did.” There was another pause, she was waiting for him to respond. When he didn’t she continued, “so, how do we do this? I can come to you, and we can swap again.” 

“Sure, I’ll text you where I’m at.” 

“Okay, thank you,” she realised she hadn’t introduced herself. As weird as this situation was, she still had her manners. “I’m Betty, by the way.”

“Nice to kind of meet you, Betty,” she could hear the smile in his voice, “I’m Jughead.” 

Once he had text her where he was, she hailed a cab and gave the driver the address. She couldn’t stop thinking about his name, she sure as hell had never met anyone with it before. The cab pulled over to the location Jughead had given her, so she paid the driver and stood out from the car. Huh, she thought. He had given her his home address. As she walked the stairs she suddenly felt conscious of how she looked, which was probably a mess from her hell of a morning. There wasn’t much time to fret, as the door opened before she could raise her fist to knock. 

Jughead leaned in the doorway, a smirk on his face and her phone dangling from his fingers. He was cute, she realised, shockingly so. Even the crown shaped beanie on his head didn’t take away the appeal of his face. Of all the people to bump into in the street and have this awkward encounter with, at least he was hot. 

“Betty,” he said lowly, smiling down at her. He was a fair bit taller than her, which would explain why it had felt so hard when she walked into him. 

“Jughead,” she replied, holding out his phone to swap. He took his own from her, and suddenly she wanted another excuse to stay longer. There was something about him, she didn’t want this meet to be so fleeting. “Sorry, about earlier. I was in such a rush, I wasn’t looking where i was going.”

“It’s okay, you were right,” he shrugged, “I wasn’t exactly looking ahead either. I’m sorry I was so rude, it hadn’t been my morning.” Betty smiled, nodding her head. 

“Mine, neither.” They stood there for a moment, holding each others gaze, before Betty broke the silence. “Cute dog, by the way,” she gestured to the phone in his hand. He smiled bright. 

“That’s Hot Dog,” he told her. There was a look on his face, as if he were challenging her to ask about the name, but she figured someone with a name like Jughead couldn’t exactly name his dog anything boring now, could he. 

“You need to change your pass code, too, by the way,” he raised his brow, “1234? Far too obvious.” He laughed then, and Betty enjoyed the way it sounded. 

“Fair enough.” They both stood there for another few moments, before Betty realised she was the one who should make to leave. This was his place, after all, he wasn’t exactly going anywhere. “Well, thanks, anyway.” She gestured to the street, starting down the steps. 

“It was nice bumping into you, Betty,” he replied, smiling at her as she retreated backwards down the stairs. “Feel free to do it again.” She could feel the blush in her cheeks, so with a nod and a shy smile she turned and walked down the street. Damn it, she thought. If only she had the confidence of Veronica she would have asked him for his number.

But wait, she realised, she had it. It would be in her call log. As she walked down the street, she smiled at a message that had just come through. Clearly, Jughead had the same thought. 

So, Betty, would you like to meet Hot Dog sometime?

[allskynostars]

23

23. meeting on a train ride au 

“Excuse me?” Jughead had his headphones in so didn’t notice the blonde trying to grab his attention until she tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He pulled one from his ear and looked up to her. 

“Sorry, is this seat taken?” She asked politely, nodding to the chair opposite him. He glanced around quickly, annoyed when he noticed there were literally no other free seats. He liked to have time to reflect on this train ride to see FP, to think of the things we was going to tell him. And those he would leave out. But his thoughts were now going to be interrupted by the girl sat opposite him. It’s not as if he could say no, he didn’t own the damn train. 

“Sure, please,” he gestured to the empty seat. He made to put his headphone back in his ear, but she reached her hand out in and introduction. 

“I’m Betty,” her voice was sweet, with a smile to match. Jughead normally didn’t pay much attention to such things, but this girl was gorgeous. 

“Jughead,” he replied, taking her hand and shaking it. Her skin was warm to the touch, it tingled his palm. He waited for the standard response that came with an admittance of his name, but it didn’t come. She just sat back in her seat and pulled out some papers from her bag. 

“Do you mind?” she asked, motioning to the tiny table that sat between them. She shook his head in a no as she placed her papers down. He figured she was the type of girl who would get hurt and still ask if you were okay. “I just need to sort these papers out,” she muttered to herself. Or so he thought anyway, so he went to yet again replace his ear bud. “Would you like a cookie?” 

He sighed, giving up on the idea of being alone with this thoughts on this train. Plus, he really would like a cookie. They looked homemade, he noticed, as she pulled the tupperware from her bag. 

“Oh, thanks,” he replied, taking a double chocolate chip cookie from the container she held to him. He couldn’t contain the moan that slipped from his mouth, this was the best thing he had ever tasted in his life. “Wow, this is amazing.” 

“Thanks,” she smiled, offering him another. He wasn’t about to say no. She took one for herself before returning the container to her bag. “The inmates always demand I show up with some home baking.” 

It was then that Jughead noticed the logo at the top of the pages she had on the table in front of him. She had the same destination as he did. Betty noticed him looking down at the course work she had to go over. 

“I volunteer at the prison,” she explained. 

“You volunteer? At a Prison?” He was taken aback. What kind of girl, especially one as pretty and seemingly innocent as the one sat opposite him, would volunteer to step foot in any kind of prison? Betty nodded her head.

“Yup, it’s a tutoring program to help the young men in there with getting their GED s, the ones that have learned their lesson and want something out of life when they are finally released,” she said it so breezily with such a sweet smile that Jughead was suddenly overcome with surprise that someone so pure existed. Especially in such a circumstance. 

“And your parents?  Are they happy with you stepping foot in a correctional facility?” He asked, incredulous. She couldn’t have been any older than 20. She laughed, a melodic sound, and he decided then it was the sweetest he had ever heard. 

“What they don’t know won’t hurt them,” she said lowly, tapping her nose. 

“Yeah, it might just hurt you.” Betty rolled her eyes at him. 

“Honestly, Jughead, they are a good bunch of guys,” when he raised a brow at her she huffed and continued, “Okay, a good bunch of criminals.”

“Ironic,” he commented. 

“They know they’ve done wrong and they are working to better themselves. Who am I to deny them that?” Betty tilted her head, waiting for Jugheads arguing point. But he didn’t have one. At least, not about that. He was, after all, on the train to see his own criminal father. 

“I’m sure your boyfriend loves the idea of you sitting in a room full of unruly mean,” he queried. There was a sudden flush across Bettys cheeks. 

“Well, lucky he is non-existent then,” she said bashfully. Jughead tried to push back the feeling of relief at learning she was single. For god sake, he’s only known her for 5 minutes. But there was something about her, a pull that he couldn’t deny. And the more he learned about her, the more he wanted to know. 

“You’re brave, I’ll give you that, Betty.” 

“Truth is, I love doing it,” she said wistfully. And he could tell she meant it. “There’s something rewarding about it.” 

“Well, I admire you. I couldn’t do it,” he said, sincerely. She smiled her thanks at him, so warm and appreciative it made his breath catch. 

They spent the rest of the journey talking about any and everything. Betty told him all about her sister Polly and her best friend Veronica, who she assured, was the complete opposite of her but still the best person she knew. Jughead told her that he had a friend just like that, he made a joke that they should set them up. He told her about his sister Jellybean, about how he was going to school and currently wrote for a paper but wanted to be a novelist. 

Betty lit up at the news, informing him that she too wrote, but more journalistic pieces. The conversation flowed so easily it took Jughead off guard. Normally he kept his walls up, especially to people he barely knew, but he was so comfortable around Betty the words just fell out. Her manner was so genuine and trusting he couldn’t even question it.

But too soon they arrived at their stop, and it was then that he realised he hadn’t actually admitted his own destination to her. She looked at him in surprise as he, too, gathered his things and made to stand in front of the doors beside her. She didn’t pry as he walked beside her from the station, only becoming curious as he didn’t bid farewell at the corner of the street, instead following her down the same one. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. 

“Okay, are you following me or what?” The lightness in her tone assured him she wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea, nor worried that some weird guy in a beanie seemed to be following her from the train. 

“About that,” he started, looking at his feet as he scuffed his shoes together. “I’m ah, going to see my Dad.” He gestured towards the end of the street. 

“Oh. Your Dads in..” she asked, to which Jughead nodded his head. He faltered for a moment, worried that she was going to pull away from him now. But he should have known she would never lay judgement. Her face fell silent for only a second before she smirked at him. “Wait, and you were giving me shit back there?” She laughed, swatting his arm. She started to walk again, and he followed suit. 

“Yeah, sorry about that. I just don’t normally disclose that kind of information when I’ve only just met someone.” Betty glanced at him from the side of her eye, placing a friendly hand to his arm. 

“It’s okay, Jug. No judgement here.” He decided he liked the way the nickname sounded in her voice. There weren’t many he allowed to call him any kind of nickname, but maybe Betty could be one of them

“Any onlooker would be more surprised at you heading this way, not me.” Jughead remarked. 

“Why?” She drawled, tilting her head to look at him as they neared the visitors entrance. 

“Betty, I look like someone you would be coming here to visit his inefficient  father. You, on the other hand,” he gestured as his sentence trailed off. 

“Look like a belong in a brochure for a girls only boarding school?” 

“You said it,” he laughed, admiring the way her face lit up at her successful joke. They had reached the entrance now, and Jughead reached forward to pull the door open for her. Before she walked through the door she turned to him. 

“What’s your last name?” She queried.

“Jones.”

“You have a Facebook?” She asked rather shyly. 

“I do, I mean I don’t use it, but I-I could make an exception,” he rushed his words out, sounding eager even to his own ears. She just laughed that damn gorgeous laugh again and smiled at him.    

“Okay,” she replied, finally walking through the door Jughead still held open. 

“Okay,” he said under his breath, only for himself. 

When he finally got to see his dad, he was curious to know if he knew about the pretty blonde who frequented the prison. 

“Betty?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Sometimes I go to the recreation room when she’s in there, she lets me sit in. I mainly just read in the back, I know it’s for the younger guys but I’ve learnt some stuff from her.” FP thought for a second, “Why?”

“Oh, I met her on the train. We kind of hit it off.” FP beamed at him.

“Son, marry her. She bakes a cookie like no other.” 

[allskynostars]

EEEEEEK!! I'm so excited about this :) I love every single one of you, thank you so much for thinking me worthy enough to follow ❤️ I'm about to reblog that short fic au list that went around a little while back. I wanted to reblog it then, but I've saved it for now! Keep an eye out, send me a request! 😘

[allskynostars]

hey congrats on 1k followers!!! #19 bughead? ✨

Thank you so much! :)

19. parents meeting when they take their kids to class au

“Alfie, come back here,” Betty called out hopelessly to her son who had run away from her and slipped through the school gate, which was being held open by a man trying to convince his daughter to step foot onto the school grounds. 

“Millie, baby, you have to go to school. Come on,” Betty overheard him as she slipped past, flashing him an apologetic look for her son who had just bowled past them. Alfie’s eagerness wouldn’t have helped the cause. But her son always loved school, and given that today was the first day back after summer break, nothing could hold back his excitement. As Betty walked across the courtyard she spotted Alfie on the playground beside his class room. Of course.

‘”Alfie Cooper, you come here this instance,” she put on her best impression of her own mother, trying to sound stern as she walked over to where he swung from the monkey bars. It didn’t often work. “Just because you’re 7 now does not mean you can just run away from your Mother. And you bowled past that man at the gate, do you have no manners?”  

“Sorry, Mama,” Alfie grinned, breathless as he swung his arm out for the last bar and dropping onto the platform. “You walk too slow.” Betty huffed and rolled her eyes, but couldn’t stop the smile growing on her face. She turned to see the man from the gate had managed to coerce his daughter into the school. Her little red face didn’t look happy about it, and Betty suddenly felt very sorry for the man. The strain was obvious on his face. She turned her head back to her own son. 

“I know you’re just excited about school, buddy. But you need to go and say sorry to the gentleman,” Betty held her hand out for Alfie, “come on.” He took it without argument. 

“Excuse me,” she called out after the man and is daughter, walking at a pace to catch up with him. Both he and his daughter turned to the sound, and as they got closer Betty was struck with how similar their faces were. This little girl favored her father something crazy, with her dark hair and striking eyes. Betty wondered if she looked like her mother at all. When they reached them Betty pulled Alfie to stand in front of her, resting her hands on his little shoulders. “My son has something he would like to say to you.” 

“I’m sorry, sir. For not saying excuse me at the gate.” Alfie was looking at his feet, twisting one against the concrete. The man crouched down to Alfie’s level, still holding onto his daughters hand. 

“Don’t sweat it, dude. I won’t hold it against you for being excited about school,” he pulled on his daughters hand and shrugged towards her, “I wish Millie was as excited as you.” A blush crept on Millie’s cheeks as she tried to hide behind her dad. 

“I’m Alfie,” he grinned, “and this is my Mum, her name is Elizabeth.” Betty smiled at the man as he rose from his feet, holding his free hand out to shake hers. 

“Elizabeth, I’m Jughead,” his smile was almost dazzling enough to distract Betty from the oddness of his name. “It’s a nickname.”

“Oh, well you can call me Betty. Nickname, also,” she said, realising she was still holding his hand. She dropped hers to her side quickly. He smiled at her again and she heard her heavy heart beat in her ears. Jesus, Betty, get it together, she thought to herself. He’s probably married. 

“Millie, do you want to come play with me?” Alfie asked, and Betty felt a surge of pride. Millie looked up to her dad in question. 

“Yeah, go play baby. There’s still a while before the bell goes,” he reassured, ruffling her daughters hair before she ran off to the playground with Alfie. He moved to stand next to Betty, both of them watching their children. “She’s a shy kid, so it’s nice to see her playing with someone her own age.”

“No other children, then?” Betty inquired. Jughead shook his head, no. “Neither, but Alfie has twin cousins older than him. I think that’s where he gets his confidence from.” 

“I wish Millie was more outgoing, I feel like she misses out on a lot because she’s so shy, you know?” Betty nodded. “Ever since she lost her Mum she’s gone into her shell a bit.” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she instinctively reach out and placed her hand on his arm in condolence. Jughead shook his head. 

“It’s okay, we hadn’t been together for a long time. She had, she had her own issues,” his voice was low, and Betty wondered how he felt comfortable enough around a stranger to tell this too. But she, too, felt compelled to tell him her own story. 

“Alfie has nothing to do with his dad. He just up and left one day before his first birthday, I’m not even sure where he is or if he’s still alive, to tell you the truth.” She could see Jughead shaking his head from out the corner of her eye, and noticed the way his jaw was flexing. 

“Asshole. Sorry, but how can anyone just leave their own child like that?” He asked, his voice incredulous. 

“No, please, don’t apologize. You’re right. He was a fucking asshole,” she laughed lightly, causing Jughead to laugh with her. 

“Well,” he nodded towards their children, where Alfie was currently pushing Millie on the flying fox, “he’s a great kid, that much I can tell already. You’re doing a great job on your own.” His face fell suddenly as he looked towards Betty, a look of alarm in his eyes. “Sorry, here’s me just presuming you’re single.” There was a flash of pink on the height of his cheeks that Betty found adorable. 

“No, you’re bang on,” she laughed. “Alfie was enough of a handful, I didn’t have time to date.” 

“Neither,” Jughead sighed. “It’s been a while.” His eyes locked with her own, and both of them began laughing again. Betty couldn’t remember the last time someone had made her laugh, or the last time conversation had been so easy with a guy. 

“Say, Jughead, would you maybe want to -” The ringing of the school bell cut her off half sentence, taking with it her confidence in that moment. Both of their children reached them then, and the question was definitely gone from her lips. Jughead smiled at her wistfully as he took Millie’s hand. 

“Well, Betty, it was lovely to meet you. And you too, Alfie,” Jughead smiled down at the boy. 

“Wanna play with me at recess, Millie?” Alfie asked hopefully. 

“Yeah, let’s play at recess,” Millie spoke for the first time, her voice light with excitement. 

“Okay, let’s get you to class,” Betty sighed, pulling Alfie with her. 

“See you tomorrow, then?” Jughead called out with a smile that caused her insides to twist. She nodded. 

“Tomorrow.” 

And as she walked Alfie to her class, she decided the school runs were about to become less of a chore. 

[allskynostars]

Guys! I am 10 followers away from 1k!

That is so flipping crazy to me. I really want to do something to celebrate! I’m thinking prompt fills??