#bljwrites

[honey-tea-and-lemon-trees]

update

Cat Paws and Love Laws - eight

READ NOW ON AO3

thank you so much @bettycoopr for the aesthetic and a huge thanks as always to @daisy-chain-gardens for being my beta. 

enjoy <3

[bughead-fic-request]

I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @bettyluvsjuggie work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

http://archiveofourown.org/users/bettyluvsjuggie/works or my taglist on tumblr https://bettyluvsjuggie.tumblr.com/search/bljwrites

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m 18 years old, and I live in England (I don’t have a posh accent and I don’t like tea- sorry for betraying the stereotypes). I’m a pretty artsy person, I love drama and especially dance- I’ve been dancing since I was like 3. You know that leg stretch thing Madelaine does as Cheryl, I can do that. I also love photography- I don’t have a great camera or anything yet, I just like taking pretty pictures.

3. What do you never leave home without?

My phone for sure.

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Night owl definitely, my sleep pattern is so messed up.

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

Gosh, that’s a tough one. I’d love to visit Wonderland, as in ‘Alice in…’ because I’ve always loved that story, but I wouldn’t want to live there!

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met.

I’ve met a couple of British Olympic and Paralympic medal winners but I don’t remember their names… clearly they weren’t that famous?

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

I love classic 80s movies like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, St. Elmo’s Fire. I’m also a sucker for romantic movies like the first time, The Notebook, Me Before You.

TV shows? Obviously Riverdale, also Teen Wolf, Orphan Black, Brooklyn Nine Nine and Skins.

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

Varies so much across so many genres but some favourites currently are Oh Wonder, Ed Sheeran, Christine and the Queens, Halsey, All Time Low etc.

9. Favorite Books?

Anything sappy and romantic lol, and it’s a little clichéd tbf but the Fault in our Stars by John Green is one of my favourites I think, not that I’ve read it in ages, but I remember thinking it was really well written. A childhood favourite is Ballet Shoes by Noel Fielding.

10. Favorite Food?

Chicken, a broad category I know, but that’s what’s great about it! I also love spicy food.

11. Biggest pet peeve?

People who are assholes for no reason, it costs nothing to be kind.

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

I wanted to be a ballet dancer lol, how clichéd but like I said, I’m into dance. Now I want to work in psychology, probably working with children. Mostly I want to do something that makes me happy and might help make others a little happier too

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

I am f’ing terrified of needles- which sucks because I am desperate for a tattoo, but I have a panic attack when I have to get injections? Also, thunderstorms. I don’t understand how people love them because they terrify me!! I fully have to hide under a blanket and try and drown out the thunder and lightning

14. When you are on your deathbed what would be the one you’d regret not doing?

I hope that when I die, I can look back and see a full and happy life. I know that there will inevitably be ups and downs, but I hope that I will let the light outweigh the dark. So if anything, I would regret not allowing myself to be happy.

Okay… lets talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

A one-shot I wrote called Lovesick - Betty and Jughead are both sick after Jughead catches a cold from Betty. I really loved writing Jughead because he’s very over the top and whiny and it was just fun to do!

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Currently my only multi-chapter is called He Was Gone - it’s set in two different timelines, sort of like flashbacks vs present time. I guess I don’t really struggle with the plot, but sometimes the words just won’t happen the way I want them to.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

Sometimes for my one-shots I look at prompts but I never really follow it exactly, that’s why I never credit one. Does that make sense? Like I put my own spin on it. For example: if the prompt is Person A takes care of Person B while they’re sick. I say nah, make them both sick.

The rest of the time, it’ll be an idea that has manifested in my brain. Some fluffy situation that I can’t stop thinking about all day and have to put into words as soon as I can.

Sometimes I write while listening to music but it’s not essential.

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

I’m not good at smut but then again I haven’t really tried, maybe I will, maybe it won’t. I’m really enjoying writing fluff right now so it doesn’t bother me too much.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

I can't really pinpoint an exact thing but I have definitely posted chapters of my multi-chapter that I wasn't completely satisfied with.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

From Lovesick again (I really do like it): “You’re very hot Jug.”

“Why thank you, my dear. And I love you very much, but I am in no state to fool around today” he deadpanned. I like sarcastic Jughead

21. Favorite character to write?

Jughead and Betty, can’t separate them sorry. I mostly only write those two anyway in my one-shots. I’m just in love with those characters and their love story.

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

Jughead waited for Betty’s eyes to flutter open and meet his, meadows of green locked with floods of blue. He sighed quietly, “there is nothing in this world, or the next, that will stop me from kissing you.”

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

Literally every comment I receive makes my heart sing and puts a smile on my face. There are no favourites because they all mean the world to me. Whether it’s three words or thirty, I can guarantee any comment will make me happy.

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

I’ve had none so far thankfully, but I imagine I would try and not let the bad outweigh the good. I understand that’s sometimes easier said than done though.

25. If you could change anything in any of your stories, what would it be?

Sometimes I post a chapter and then when I’m writing the next one and I think of something and I’m like ‘damn that would have been so much better’ but I can’t really pick out something specific.

What is your favorite story you’ve ever written? Any fandom?

Before I entered the bughead fandom I didn’t even read fanfiction of any sort, let alone write it so there are no fics from other fandoms. I’ve already said Lovesick a few times (Really? Hadn’t noticed.) so I’ll pick another one. I am really loving writing He Was Gone to be honest, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone else do the Now/Then thing that I’m doing and I’m just enjoying exploring that.

27. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

Not really reading any general fiction at the moment sadly, I need to start reading again for sure. But in terms of fanfiction, I literally am LOVING Serpent and the Swan @jugandbettsdetectiveagency, meet the morning, which has just finished but it’s one of my favourites @sylwrites, OF COURSE The Stacks by @malmo722, a long time favourite (shout out to its brilliant author who also thought of this awesome idea, thanks for letting me be a part of it <3), there’s definitely loads more and literally tons on my need to read list.

28. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared?

I’ve seen a lot of people talk about comment culture and reaching out to others so I’ll try and write something a little different.

When you put your work out there for the first time, it is super scary and it can make you feel super vulnerable, I can remember the exact feeling because it feels like barely anytime has passed since I posted my first fic. Try not to expect immediate success, unfortunately it doesn’t happen for everyone. I know it can be intimidating to see a much smaller number of notes on your post than the most well-known writers get, but try and not let it affect you. Instead, try and appreciate every note that you get. Every like, kudos, comment or reblog, no matter how few or how many, means that someone read what you wrote and appreciated it, isn’t that awesome?! I think it’s epic.Also, if there isn’t an immediate or huge response to your fic, don’t let it discourage you. Don’t stop writing, keep going, write more.

And finally, don’t write for other people, write for yourself.

[honey-tea-and-lemon-trees]

I wanna hold your hand.

My bughead secret santa gift for @ryanalexandermadej I know it’s a few days late but I hope you enjoy! <3

Thank you to my darling Alex for being my beta <3 @daisy-chain-gardens

Fic continues under the cut or available on ao3.

AO3

–

“Jug, please!” Jellybean crooned, leaning up against the barrier, opposite Jughead. She was giving him that look, that pleading pout and the puppy-dog eyes accompanied with the mischievous glint in her iris - she knew she could twist him around her little finger with that look. Well, not this time.

“Absolutely not,” he said firmly, shaking his head and folding his arms across his chest just to make himself extra clear.

“You promised Dad that you’d do it with me,” she whined, her pout become a little more genuine as she realised he might not budge on this one.

“No,” Jughead said, raising an eyebrow at her, “I told Dad that I would take you. I said nothing about taking part.” He smirked as Jellybean huffed, slumping to rest her head against the top of the barrier - he wondered whether he might actually win this time. “Besides, I brought Toni to do it with you so I didn’t have to,” he added smugly, throwing Toni a charming smile as he noticed her roll her eyes.

“Am I not enough for you, kid?” Toni teased, nudging Jellybean’s shoulder playfully.

“Mhfmhf.” Her mumbles were impossible to understand from beneath the layers of tangled raven curls that had splayed around her head, as she had made no effort to move from her slumped position.

“Well, if you’re not even gonna talk to me, I might as well go home. Maybe I’ll watch some tv or something,” she said lightly. She chuckled fondly as Jellybean shot up, wide eyed and shouting her protests. Toni reached out and ruffled the messy curls on top of her head, laughing again when Jellybean swatted her away quickly. “Fine, I guess I’ll stay,” she said, a wide smile on breaking out on her face. “But how are we gonna get this dummy out on the ice?”

She briefly gave Toni a beaming smile before it melted into that classic Jones smirk, turning towards Jughead with an impish glint in her eye.

--

As soon as she’d found out that there would be an outdoor ice skating rink at the Christmas Festival some of Riverdale’s residents were hosting in the park, Jellybean had been beside herself with excitement.

“Please, please, please ask if we can go, Jug!” she’d squealed, grabbing onto Jughead’s arm and quite literally pulling his attention away from his laptop. “I’ve never been ice skating before and I really, really wanna go! Please, please, please!” she babbled.

Jughead had smiled fondly - seeing that childlike enthusiasm, so eager and excited, had become a much rarer sight nowadays, she tried so hard to be ‘cool’ and grown up (as does any pre-teen). But it was nice to catch a glimpse. He must have been watching her for too long, because she had stilled, looking back at him expectantly.

“Why don’t you just go with your friends?” he had asked, with nothing worse springing to mind than going ice skating at a whole festival dedicated to holiday merriment - not exactly his cup of tea.

“Because my friends think it’s lame and if I make it look like you dragged me then I’ll still be cool,” Jellybean had whined, while Jughead rolled his eyes. “Pleaseee, Jug!” she repeated, moving behind him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly.

Nice move, JB, he had thought as he relaxed into her hold, placing a hand over the joined hands that rested against the top of his chest. Again, in her efforts to grow up, hanging out with her big brother had become something to be avoided - so moments like those had become few and far between, and Jughead couldn’t help but be softened by her affection. “I’ll talk to Dad,” he murmured with a small smile after a few moments, wanting to hold on for a while longer.

But she had tore away, pumping her fists in the air and shouting in excitement. Jughead had laughed softly, before she grabbed his hand and dragged him up from his chair, pulling him into their tiny trailer’s living room. Under any other circumstance, Jughead would not be caught dead dancing to Christmas music, but he didn’t mind it so much then.

--

“Never gonna happen,” Jughead said firmly.

“Come on, it’d be so funny!” Jellybean pleaded, clasping her hands together. “He’d fall over on the ice so much that he’d lose all his street cred like that,” she said to Toni, snapping her fingers for affect.

“That’s not persuading me at all, Jellybean,” Jughead muttered, but seemingly going unnoticed by the two chatting girls in front of him. He just scowled silently instead.

“First of all, Jughead doesn’t have any street cred,” Toni drawled playfully, leaning towards Jellybean as if she was whispering but making no effort to lower her voice. She didn’t glance in his direction, but Jughead was pretty sure Toni knew he was glaring at her.

“I knew it,” Jellybean gasped dramatically, but let out a soft giggle seconds later.

“Secondly, he would definitely fall over on the ice, like 100 times,” she teased, smirking with Jellybean as she placed a hand on the barrier for balance, hot pink fingernails peeking through her fingerless gloves. “That boy flails like a mad man in gym class… take away the friction and he is never gonna manage,” she said, sucking her teeth and shaking her head in mock disappointment.

“You’re probably right, he’d suck at it anyway,” Jellybean sighed, catching onto Toni’s reverse-psychology act. “Come on, Toni, let’s go,” she said, eagerly holding out a hand and grinning widely when Toni took it. If he was in a better mood, Jughead would have smiled at that - Jellybean’s unfaltering admiration for Toni was, for lack of a better (and less cringey) word, adorable.

“I know what you guys are trying,” Jughead muttered, still frowning, slumped against the bench he was sat on. “It’s not gonna work,” he said, gently shaking his head.

“We’re not trying anything,” Toni said, her brow creasing as if she were oblivious. “More fun without you anyway,” she shrugged nonchalantly, “right, JB?”

Jellybean smiled at the nickname, eagerly nodding at Toni and not even bothering to glance at Jughead. It seemed she had quickly forgotten her motives, too readily basking in Toni’s attention.

“Cool, see you in a bit, Jug,” Toni chirped sweetly, waggling her fingers at him and turning as if they were about to skate off.

“Wait,” Jughead groaned, standing up with a frown, disappointed in how easy he was to manipulate. “Three things.”

Toni swivelled smoothly and raised her eyebrows in a go ahead gesture.

“One, I have tonnes of ‘street cred’,” he scoffed, mostly joking but a little aware of the fact that the Serpent emblem on his back wasn’t born out of nothing. “Two, fuck the both of you but mostly Toni,” he added, ignoring the jubilant smiles that the two of them exchanged, probably guessing where he was headed.

“And three?” Jellybean prompted with a mischievous smirk.

Jughead huffed out a sigh, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Three, where do I rent the god damn fucking skates?” he huffed, repressing the urge the smile when the two of them cheered way too enthusiastically.

“It’s easy really,” Toni reassured him a few minutes later as Jughead was lacing up the ridiculous footwear. “You’ll get the hang of it in no time,” she said, patting his shoulder as she made her way back towards the rink. The amused smile that was already forming on her face made her words a lot less convincing.

“Thanks, Juggie,” Jellybean said, shooting him a genuine grin. “Come on, it’ll be fun. I promise,” she beamed, holding out her hand to him.

With a sigh, he took it and wondered why the hell he had agreed to do this.

--

“This is neither easy, nor fun, you pair of fucking liars!” Jughead half yelled, consciously aware that there were children in close proximity, but a little bitter that they were so much better at skating than he was. “Shit,” he cursed under his breath, his hand shooting out to grab the barrier as he felt himself begin to lose balance again.

It had barely been twenty minutes, and Jughead had fallen on his ass more times than he could count. Jellybean had been laughing so hard that she’d fallen over herself a few times, once even dragging Toni down with her - it was pretty funny, and it almost made it worth it. Almost.

“Quit your whining,” Toni scolded, doing some fancy twirly thing that Jughead could barely handle watching without feeling like he was going to fall. I bet she’s showing off on purpose, the little shit, he thought to himself, catching the barrier again as one of his feet slipped out from underneath him. He blew his hair out of his face with a frown, wondering how much longer he was going to be forced to endure this.

“It’s not that hard,” Jellybean said, clearly making an effort to stifle her giggles, but not doing a great job. “Here,” she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him slightly away from the side. “Just keep your knees bent and your weight forward,” she explained, demonstrating with a small encouraging smile. It wasn’t meant to be patronising, but having his 12 year old sister explain this to him wasn’t exactly the most flattering situation Jughead had found himself in.

Jughead frowned, indeed feeling any cool status he may have had disappearing further with every second - just as those shitheads predicted. Though when he actually tried it out, repeating knees bent, weight forward over and over in his head as he went, it was actually going a lot smoother. He couldn’t help but grin with pride. Okay, it’s much more fun when it actually goes well.

“Finally!” Toni huffed sarcastically, but a fond smile broke out on her face soon after.

“Yeah! Go, Jug!” Jellybean cheered enthusiastically, swinging their joined hands a little - causing Jughead’s eyes to widen in panic, terrified it would make him lose balance. Turns out his fear was misplaced, because a few moments later, she let go completely.

“Jellybean, what are you doing?” he said, his voice coming out far more panicked than he would have liked. “Get back here right now, young lady!” he yelled, noting the increasing distance between them and feeling furiously opposed to that development.

“You’re a pro now!” she teased. “Time to spread your wings and fly on your own, Jug,” she giggled, her pace quickening a little so she was skating slightly ahead of him.

“Keep practicing,” Toni said with a smirk, “and I’m sure you’ll catch up with us soon enough.” She let out a loud laugh as Jellybean grabbed her hand and began skating a lot faster, shooting further ahead than was possible for Jughead to reach, while he shouted after them and muttered expletives under his breath.

He was stranded, away from the barrier and without Jellybean to hold onto. He suddenly became aware that if he fell over now, there would be no way for him to get back up, nothing to grab onto for leverage. That added panic did not help his technique.

“Shit, okay,” he muttered, trying to psych himself up. He reached to adjust his beanie with one hand, holding the other out hoping it would provide him with balance. He began trying to move again, gently sliding one foot forward and repeating the mantra in his head: knees bent, weight forward. He could have moved back closer to the barrier, but maybe it was his stubbornness telling him to keep going without, determined to be just slightly shy of awful. He was moving along, if a little slowly, but he had yet to slip so he considered it a success.

Somehow, Toni and Jellybean had managed to circle back around to him, but they were clearly enjoying their own special kind of torture for him - instead of helping him, they just cheered and whooped patronisingly as they passed him, before speeding off again.

The determination to last for just a few more minutes had worn off, the novelty was gone, and Jughead didn’t want to be on that ice for another fucking second. He looked up, scanning the space for the nearest little gate leading to safe land. The rink hadn’t seemed so big from the sidelines, but now he was in the midst of it, Jughead wondered how the organisers had wrangled such a fucking massive one.

Before too long, his eyes landed on a gate to exit the rink not too far from where he was standing. He sighed in relief, not even caring where Toni and Jellybean had gotten to, only wanting to get away from all the ice and skates as soon as possible.

He straightened up unconsciously, just for a second - it probably wouldn’t have even mattered if a kid hadn’t accidentally brushed past him, barely even touching him… but it was enough to tip his balance. He fell onto the ice, hard.

“Shit,” Jughead groaned, scrunching his eyes shut as a dull pain spread through him and pushed himself up slightly. He spotted a boy standing a couple of feet from him, peering at him worriedly - probably the one who inadvertently caused his fall. With a somewhat forced smile, Jughead waved him off, knowing it wasn’t his fault really.

“Uh.. hi.”

Jughead looked up, squinting his eyes against the harsh sunlight. There was a girl swaddled in a large grey knit scarf and a pale pink pea coat standing over him, with her hand outstretched.

“Would you like help up?” she offered, a warm friendly smile painted on her lips.

Jughead hesitated for a second, before realising there was so other way he would be able to stand on his own, and placing his hand in hers.

“Thanks,” he said gratefully. He grimaced a little as he stood, being gently pulled up by the vaguely familiar looking blonde in front of him. She pulled them slightly further towards the centre of the rink, so they were just away from the stream of people passing. She dropped his hand, but stayed close, her hand hovering in the area below his elbow, poised to catch him if he slipped.

A look of genuine concern crossed her face as her wide green eyes ever so briefly skimmed over him. They seemed to linger briefly on the leather jacket before flicking back up to meet his own, but that was no different to what Jughead was used to by now. She was polite enough not to sneer at him like some Northside took great pleasure in doing.

“Are you okay? That looked like it hurt…” she said, seeming to be legitimately worried for a complete stranger. Stumbling across that kind of fierce compassion had become a rarity for Jughead. It spread a warm, unfamiliar feeling through his veins.

“I’m never going fucking skating again,” he muttered bitterly under his breath, carefully wiping his hands against his jeans, before looking up at her with an apologetic smile. “Can we just pretend it didn’t happen?” Jughead breathed a laugh, adjusting the beanie on his head. “You seeing me fall on my ass is a really shitty first impression,” he joked, wincing slightly in his embarrassment.

“It sort of isn’t,” she let out an awkward laugh, before spotting Jughead’s confused expression. “I mean, I know you… No, I don’t know you! Well sort of, I’ve seen you before,” she stammered nervously, her gaze fluttering around to avoid his own. “I work at Pop’s,” she sighed, collecting herself with a tight-lipped smile and a slow nod - her ponytail swaying softly behind her. “You always get a fries, a burger and black coffee,” she explained with a meek smile, still a twinge of nervousness lingering around the edges of her expression.

After a second of initial surprise, Jughead suddenly felt awful that he hadn’t immediately recognised her; now recalling vague images of her in the pink neon lights of Pop’s, pouring out his coffee with a friendly smile as he furiously typed away on his laptop, barely acknowledging her. God, I’m such an asshole.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry!” he said, kicking himself internally. “I’m Jughead.” He scoured his brain, wondering if he could recall the letters written on the name-badge but coming up blank.

“Nice to meet you properly,” she said, breathing a quiet laugh, “I’m Betty.” For a moment, she looked like she was debating something, her pale pink lips slightly pursed as if she was going to say something else. A few moments later, she cleared her throat and asked softly, “Would you like some help over to the side?”

For the sake of his pride, Jughead desperately wanted to say no - he probably already seemed ridiculously lame at this point, definitely not living up to the ‘hardened gang member’ stereotype (not that he ever had before). On the other hand, his dumb pride was what landed him in a pile on the floor in the first place; so he found himself nodding with a grateful smile.

Betty extended her hand again and Jughead slipped his palm against hers. When their hands met, Jughead smiled, feeling the warmth of Betty’s skin gradually trickling heat into his numbing fingers. She shivered slightly, the reverse effect happening on her end.

“Sorry,” Jughead chuckled, his thumb lightly stroking the back of her hand absentmindedly.

“That’s alright,” she said with a smile. She began to skate forward carefully, her gaze flitting back to Jughead nervously when he winced. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, I can just feel myself waking up tomorrow with a thousand bruises,” he said, groaning in a slightly over-dramatic manner, stirring a quiet laugh in Betty which made him grin.

“If you don’t mind me asking...” Betty said softly, pulling them forward again with a natural, graceful ease, “you don’t seem overly fond of skating…”

“So why the hell am I here?” he offered with a low chuckle, recognising that it was a reasonable question. “My little sister is floating around somewhere, she and my friend forced me onto the ice and then abandoned me. They think it’s funny that I suck,” he explained, as it occurred to him that he hadn’t spotted those rascals in the past few minutes, though he was aware that his attention had been focused elsewhere - a kind, beautiful blonde with cheeks flushed pink from the cold air.

“Snap,” Betty chuckled. “My sister asked me to come with her, but she’s off flirting with some guy she likes,” she shrugged, brushing it off, but it looked like it bothered her.

“But,” Jughead said in a light tone, “you don’t suck at skating.”

“I had lessons when I was a kid,” she explained with a fond smile. “You should have seen me when I first started, I was terrible,” she said, shaking her head softly as she let out a melodious laugh. “I was much worse than you… no offence,” she turned to him quickly, eyes wide as if she’d said something awful.

“I don’t believe that for a second,” Jughead scoffed, watching her glide across the ice beside him while he sort of clunked and shuffled. “Nope, I just don’t buy it.”

“It’s true!” she insisted enthusiastically. “My first few lessons, I could barely stand on the ice… One time, I almost gave my mom a heart attack because she thought I’d fell and knocked a tooth out… which I actually did, my last baby tooth,” she said, breathing a laugh.

“How long was it before you realised?” Jughead asked with a smile.

“During the emergency dentist appointment, thirty minutes after the accident. My mother called in a favour.”

“That’s insane,” Jughead said, placing his other hand on the barrier that they had drifted towards. The gate wasn’t far from them now, and as much as he wanted to sit down and rest his aching limbs, he didn’t really want to stop listening to Betty talk… she seemed interesting. He wanted to let go of her hand even less.

“Yeah, she can be a little intense sometimes,” Betty said, lifting her head and spotting the gate ahead of them “I guess the lessons paid off though,” she said, looking up at him with a bright smile.

“Yeah, how else would you have come to my rescue?” Jughead chuckled, squeezing her hand a little.

Suddenly, Betty let out a small squeal and crashed into his side; he instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist to make sure she didn’t fall as he awkwardly collided with the barrier, wondering what the hell had just happened.  

Jughead’s head snapped up just in time to see a hurricane of pink and raven locks, shouting “Oops, sorry!” over their shoulders as they sped away giggling.

He turned back to Betty, seeing that she had followed his gaze to the culprits. He became suddenly aware of their position: Jughead was sort of leaning with his back towards the barrier, his arm still wrapped so tightly around Betty’s waist that her body had been practically pulled flush against him. She must have realised around the same time she did, because a light blush was slowly creeping across her cheeks.

“Your sister?” she asked, a little breathless from the surprise of it all.

“Yep.”

She hadn’t pushed him away yet.

“Is the now the time when I’m supposed to make some cheesy joke about how you ‘fell for me’?” Jughead asked, a boyish grin spreading across his face. Betty giggled, pressing a hand over her mouth and shaking her head.

“Technically,” she said, her own charming smirk forming on her face, “you fell first.”

“I guess you’re right,” he said, nodding. “Hey, Betty?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I have your number?”

[honey-tea-and-lemon-trees]

She Burns - one 

Where’s the fun in starting a story from the beginning? This story starts in the middle, on the ever-ominous night before school started again. Maybe, piece by piece we’ll uncover what happened during the summer, when the perfect girl next door met a mysterious boy from the southside, working together amongst the books in the library. Maybe things would be different if her childhood crush hadn’t confessed his feelings at the beginning of the summer. Maybe it seems like all the forces in the universe are trying to keep them from each other - maybe that makes them want it more.

[honey-tea-and-lemon-trees]

Cat Paws and Love Laws - six 

thank you to my beta @daisy-chain-gardens

[honey-tea-and-lemon-trees]

Does anyone want to beta my next chapter of Cat Paws and Love Laws?? I'm not sure about what I've got, I need some help.

[honey-tea-and-lemon-trees]

Congrats bb ❤️❤️❤️ 10 & 32 for the prompts!

Thank you, lovely ❤️ One of these is fluffy, and one turned out unexpectedly angsty… whoops 🤷‍♀️ 

32. “This is, by far, the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.”

“A five year high school reunion? What the hell is all that about?” Jughead scoffed, tossing the invite down on the kitchen island between them.  

“What do you mean?” Betty chuckled, picking up the piece of paper, smiling fondly as she caught a glimpse Veronica’s beautiful penmanship sloping across the back of the page. She turned it over to see a handwritten note for the two of them.

Tell Jughead he has to be there, no negotiation! And B, you’ll need to prepare a speech. Much love, V x

“Well, it’s hardly any time at all is it, five years?” Jughead shrugged before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Jughead! People’s lives have changed in the five years since we left high school, our own included,” Betty breathed in a laugh, shaking her head at him in her disbelief.

“How so?” he said quizzically, placing his coffee mug down and leaning his elbow on the counter, shooting a challenging stare her way.

“Well, for starters, we didn’t live together in high school!”

“I slept in your bed every night,” he pointed out, his tone very matter-of-fact and his stance unchanged. It was true that by the time senior year had rolled around, Betty was leaving her window propped open every night so that a certain someone could crawl in and slip between the covers once it was dark. They were foolish to believe that their arrangement had gone undiscovered, until Alice asked Betty one afternoon whether Jughead would be coming over tonight, and staring her down until Betty withered. After a few days of yelling, Alice thrust a box of condoms into Betty’s hands and muttered that one pregnant teenage daughter was enough.

“Okay, but you don’t have to sneak in anymore,” Betty challenged. “And, we didn’t live in New York City five years ago,” she continued, waving her hands in gesture to their modest - small but with a desperate attempt to be nicely decorated - apartment.

“Yes, but-”

“And you weren’t a published author!” she interrupted him, resisting the urge to jump up from her chair and point in his face accusingly, determined to prove him wrong.

“Yes, but I was writing a novel!” he laughed, clearly not taking her seriously. It went on like that for a while, going back and forth Betty pointing out the ways their lives had drastically changed since they had graduated and Jughead doing his best to shoot her ideas down, all while their coffees went cold.

Jughead sighed, running a hand through his hair whilst Betty smirked, a victorious feeling creeping up inside her. He looked back at her with narrowed eyes and what could almost be considered a pout. “Does this mean you’re going to make me go to this stupid thing?” he asked stroppily.

She grinned, biting down into her lip to stop herself laughing at his tantrum and rubbing salt in the wound. “I’m not going to make you do anything,” she muttered sweetly, but they both knew that meant the two of them would be in attendance.

–

Not for a moment had she seen this coming.

Jughead had continued to drone on for weeks about how much he didn’t want to go to the dumb reunion thing, constantly begging for a way to get out of it, Betty shooting him down everytime and yet they had ended up here.

Jughead had made a point of droning on for weeks about how much he was opposed to the ‘dumb fucking reunion thing’ and begged at every opportunity for a way out of it, mostly just earning eye rolls from Betty. It was either a tremendous bluff or this was a last minute plan.

Betty’s widened eyes flitted between him and the auditorium full of their former classmates, all staring back at the stage with a similar shade of shock on their faces.

“This is, by far, the dumbest thing you’ve ever done,” she whispered under her breath, loud enough for only him to hear, after a few short seconds of silence that dragged on like hours, - though, in her peripheral vision, she could see the first row’s ears straining to hear, and a fair few of the rows behind that too, really.

She’d given him a questioning look when he’d walked out onto stage a few moments before, just as she’d finished her speech, visibly sweating and wiping his palms on his pants. She’d opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing before he’d dropped onto his knee and pulled out the most beautiful ring she’d seen her life. Then, in the most steady voice he could muster, he’d had the nerve to utter, “Betty Cooper, will you marry me?” with a smile beaming on his face.

“Isn’t it just?” he muttered with a nervous laugh, frozen in his position.

“What if I say no?” she said challengingly, quirking an eyebrow at him. The intention had been to be really convincing but the facade probably wasn’t helped by the smile that had slowly started to make its way to the edges of her lips.

“You won’t say no,” he said firmly, though judging by the thick lump in his throat he was seemingly swallowing, her question had panicked him.

“How do you know?” she whispered devilishly, enjoying teasing him for just a moment.

“Because Veronica managed to convince me that this was a good idea and if she was wrong then I’m going to kill her,” he muttered, his tone grave and sincere.

Betty let out a laugh at that. Of course, Jughead wouldn’t concoct a grand romantic gesture of this scale without someone pulling the strings behind the scenes. She dared to look away from Jughead for a moment and into the wings of the stage where, sure enough, her best friend was bouncing up and down and waving her arms, furiously mouthing ‘SAY YES’ with a gigantic smile on her face. Somehow, with all her flailing limbs, she seemed to be holding onto Archie’s arm, who looked to be in pain but still managed a smile (or a grimace) and a thumbs up.

“Why did you do this?” she asked, a soft smile settling onto her features - almost forgetting that there was an entire room of people watching her and waiting on her answer.

“Something to talk about at the next reunion,” he smirked, shrugging. “But also because I love you, and I always have,” he whispered, softer - a moment for only the two of them.

“I love you t-”

“Put him out of his misery, Cooper!” A voice that she vaguely recognised as Reggie Mantle yelled from the back of the auditorium. Betty giggled, her gaze following the voice so she was squinting into the stage lights.

Beside him, Josie McCoy had jumped up from her seat and was now yelling “SAY YES, GIRL!” A few others had started yelling from the seats below them - Ethel Muggs, Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty, Valerie Brown, Kevin seemed to have rushed backstage to join Veronica and the two of them were screaming their own encouragements - until the whole auditorium was alive with chatter and chanting.

Betty allowed herself to laugh and the spectacle of it all before turning back to look at Jughead, the boy she fell in love with amongst these very walls. That hopeful smile had returned to his lips, slightly softer, and the whole gesture made her eyes well up with tears.

The answer was literally being screamed at her from every angle.

“Yes.”

 10. “I might have had a few shots.”

“Jughead.” He turned to see Betty pushing herself off the floor as she called him softly, half skipping over to where he was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Are you okay?” she asked, her hand coming to rub his arm soothingly, concern swimming in her eyes.

“Of course,” he murmured, giving her a quick tight lipped smile that was anything but convincing. She raised her eyebrows at him, a silent way of calling him on his bullshit and he sighed, fully aware that he couldn’t keep anything from her. He leaned in closer, so no one would hear and muttered, “I’m worried about my dad,” in her ear.

A sad, understanding smile settled on her lips after she sighed. “Have you heard from him?” she asked in a hushed voice. Veronica called her name and she turned around with that brilliant Cooper-watt smile and said she’d be there in a minute, before looking back at Jughead expectantly. He still didn’t know how she did that so easily.

“No, I haven’t,” he mumbled, pulling his phone out his pocket like he hadn’t checked it a thousand times in the last half an hour.

“He’ll be here, Jug,” she whispered softly, gently taking the phone from his hand and slipping it into her own pocket. “He’s not going to miss his granddaughter’s first birthday party,” she said with a little more of a genuine smile, trailing her hand down his arm until her fingers laced with his. “And neither are you,” she said firmly, tugging him back towards the centre of the Cooper’s living room, where the floor was as crammed as he’d ever seen it, everyone sitting cross legged and crowding around the beautiful bundle of blonde curls and blue eyes.

“Hello, my sweet Amelia” Betty cooed, lifting her out of the spotlight, despite the protesting whimpers of their friends and family. She brushed her fingers through the thin curls on top of her head, smiling when she let out a babble of laughter.

Jughead smiled, literally feeling the worry melting away as he looked at the little family he’d helped create. He wrapped his arm around Betty and allowed himself to forget about his dad for a moment, he just wanted to be here.

His head snapped up when he heard the click of a camera lens, unsurprised to see the culprit was Toni, standing at the edge of the room and pointing the camera their way. “No, Jones! Go back!” she whisper-yelled at him, bouncing on her toes and waving her hand at him.

Betty laughed when Jughead made a face at Toni. Click.

Jughead shook his head, Betty pushed away the curls from his face. Click.

Betty passed Jughead Amelia. Click.

Jughead laughed when his daughter tugged at the edges of his beanie, like she had a hundred times before. Click.

Alice rushed in and begged Jughead to give her back to her. Click.

Alice kissed every inch of Amelia’s tiny face. Click, click, click.

“You’re going to have to send me those immediately!” Betty laughed, rushing over to Toni and begging to see the photos.

Jughead smiled fondly, watching the two of them squeal as they flicked through the pictures. He looked around the rest of the room, happy to see so many people mattered, showering his daughter with all the love she deserved.

It was this part of the day that he tried to remember, looking back at the pictures and remember the moments while they were being taken, instead of the way FP stumbling through the front door brought all the chatter of the party to a halt.

Jughead immediately shot up from where he was settled on the couch and darted towards the front door, reaching his hand out to stop his father from collapsing on the floor.

“Hey, I’m fine,” FP slurred, swatting his hand away and standing up as straight as he could manage. “Sorry, I’m late,” he sniffled.

“Dad, are you drunk?” Jughead hissed under his breath, though it was a stupid question because everybody in the room knew the answer, even though they were pretending not to look over at them.

“I might have had a few shots,” he chuckled darkly. “Hello Alice,” he shouted, waving past Jughead and into the living room to where Mrs Cooper was sat, shooting FP the darkest glare he had ever seen her muster. Admittedly, most of the other guests were giving it their best shot to mirror her. Except Betty, who looked like she might cry.

“I think you should leave, Dad,” Jughead muttered calmly, but daring to shove him slightly when he tried to take a step towards the living room.

“Why the hell would I leave?” FP spat, offended by the suggestion.

“Because you came to a one year old’s birthday party, hammered, at 2 in the afternoon,” Betty said softly, suddenly appearing by Jughead’s side - she didn’t sound angry, or even upset but the water brimming her eyes said the contrary. He noticed that Archie had followed her over, giving Jughead a quick nod of assurance - he’d come in case they needed they needed to physically remove him.

Jughead glanced back at the other guests, relieved to see that Veronica had Amelia wrapped up in her arms like she was shielding her from the scene and Alice was slowly ushering people into the backyard. Her eyes met Jughead’s for a moment and she stopped, giving him a weary smile and mouthing ‘good luck’.

“Mr Jones, you ought to go,” Archie said calmly, taking a step towards the door. He seemed to have inherited a kind of steady, quiet authority from Fred, because FP looked like he was almost considering it, though he didn’t move.

While Archie tried to peacefully steer him towards the still wide open door - gaining a small shove in the chest in the process - Jughead ducked down close to Betty’s ear and softly whispered, “Go with your Mom. This doesn’t have to be your problem.”

“Your problems are my problems. I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered, staring at him a fierce determination in her eyes. “Mr Jones?” Betty called, walking towards him like she had nothing to fear.

“How many times have a told you, Betty? Call me FP!” he said, an expression crossing his face like he’d even surprised himself with how hostile he sounded. Yet Betty remained steady, not letting his harshness knock her.

“Okay, FP,” she said cooly, reaching out and touching his arm warily. “First of all, are you alright?”

He blinked a few times, his forehead creasing until he nodded.

“Good,” she said, offering him an almost-genuine smile. “Why did you come here like this?”

FP’s jaw hardened, looking away from her for a moment like he was ashamed, like he was being scolded. “I’m not good at playing happy families,” he said when he looked up, his eyes connecting with Jughead’s.

Betty nodded slowly, looking past him slightly. “Well, I’m not feeling very alright,” she said with a humourless, gesturing to her own face, the one quiet tear that had escaped. “Because I’ve been looking forward to this day for months, and I invited you because you promised, you swore to us that you were sober. You remember?”

He looked down again. Jughead had a growing sick-feeling in his stomach, and his own eyes were starting to well up.

“So, you’re welcome to go home, sober up and come back tomorrow to wish your granddaughter a happy birthday,” she murmured, the first wobble breaking into her voice. As that sound always did, it caused a strange tremor in Jughead’s heart. “But today, I’m asking you, begging you, to leave… and leave quietly,” she sniffled.

Archie was standing holding the door open, his own face full of emotion, and he, like Jughead, let out a sigh of relief as FP turned and began to shuffle through the doorway. “I’ll drive him home,” he muttered to the two of them, before gently pulling the door closed behind them.

Jughead turned to his wife, who looked like she might collapse with exhaustion, and wrapped her up with the tightest hug he could summon. She didn’t sob, like he was half-expecting, but her face was wet with tears as she pulled away, much like his own.

“I love you,” she whispered hoarsely, swallowing thickly.

“I love you too… so much,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her again.

FP didn’t come back the next day, but Jughead didn’t care. He had all that he needed.