Still not used to using and reading the name “Hamish” in fics. It’s just so weird and jarring. I feel I may never transition into using his real name. They didn’t even mention it in the movie!
Hi! Here’s another little snippet about Jughead and Betty now being neighbors. It’s mainly just Archie and Jughead bro-ness, but it’s centralized around Bughead. Let me know what you guys think! :)
Ever since Jughead moved into the Andrews residence, his life had gotten predictably better. He didn't have to worry about things like where he would be sleeping every night, when his next meal would be, or when someone would inevitably find out about his elected homelessness.
These thoughts were long gone in the warmth and comfort provided by the Andrews. He now not only had constant food and a roof over his head, but also the brotherly and fatherly companionship he had always yearned for. It was nice entering the house and not wondering what would be waiting for him inside. Hoping and praying to whichever deity would listen that it wasn't too bad.
He found himself happier than usual, though not too happy. Can't be the resident loner/loser if he was happy all the time now. His jaded view of the world and general dislike for anything preceding the 1920’s kept him grounded to his bitter, sardonic personality.
“Jug.” Archie called to him, effectively pulling him out of his reverie, and nodded his head towards the window.
Ah yes. Excluding food and shelter, this was his favorite part about his new living arrangements. He maneuvered out his usual seat in front of the tv and made his way to the window.
“Hey boys, just wanted to say good night. Don't stay up too late playing your games!” She chided with a quiet giggle.
“No promises.” Jughead responded with a wink which caused Archie to laugh.
“Night Betty! I'll make sure Jug gets a full night’s rest” Archie said as he waved and left the room to give the couple some privacy.
They remained in comfortable silence as they fondly stared at each other. Yes, he decided, this was the best part of his new living situation.
“Night Bets. I'll see you tomorrow.” He said as he finally broke their silence.
“Sweet dreams Juggie.” She said as she blew him a gentle kiss and smiled. She got up from her window sill and closed her curtains as she gave him a shy little wave and finally went off to sleep.
He just smiled back and absentmindedly stared at the pink and frilly curtains.
“You got it bad, dude.” Archie interrupted as he was leaning against the doorframe to his room.
Without even glancing back Jughead simply replied with a breathy ‘yeah’. He wouldn't even try to deny it at this point. It felt like they had gone through a lifetime together and yet he still couldn't get enough of her.
Archie just chuckled while he shook his head. “Ok Romeo, I get it. You’re in love with her.” He said with a roll of his eyes as he unceremoniously plopped himself onto bed.
That statement caught Jughead's attention. “L-love? You think I love her?” He asked wide-eyed.
“Yea dingus, why else would you just be staring out the window at the spot she just left with that creepy smile?”
“It’s not a creepy smile” He mumbled begrudgingly as Archie laughed.
Love? He thought to himself. It's not like he was unfamiliar with the term, it just rarely seemed to apply to his life. Deep down he knows that he loves his dad, and his mom and sister. He loved Archie as the brother he never had. But romantic love? That was definitely a feeling he never believed he could associate with himself.
But now that he thought about it, he supposed he did love Betty. As in single red rose, longing gazes from across window sills, white picket fence type of love. The kind that can grow or break your heart. The kind that makes him feel inexplicably happy.
As he let his mind continue to wander, he glanced back at his “brother from another mother” as Archie so eloquently put it, and thought a bit more about this sudden revelation. If even Archie could tell that he loves her, it's got to have some sort of weight to it. Right?? Not that Archie was an idiot, but an expert sleuther he was not.
“Yeah.” He said more firmly, “I guess I am in love with her.” Saying the words out loud still felt foreign to him, but at the same time it felt right, true. A certain giddiness and anxiousness grew within him and he couldn't stop a smile from forming.
Archie chuckled before saying, “Welcome to the club pal. All you need to do now is tell Betty and the whole gang will know.”
Jughead’s eyes widened in panic. Tell Betty? She certainly deserved to know, but the thought of telling someone he cares so much about exactly how he feels was...frightening. The vulnerability of it all. He wasn’t sure if he could handle that kind of rejection. His mom leaving with Jellybean was heartache enough. He wasn’t sure how he would handle it if Betty left him too.
“Don’t freak out man. She loves you too. She’s probably just trying not to rush you or make you feel uncomfortable by saying it first.”
He let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “You think so?” He asked nervously.
“Yea dude. She’s totally in in love with you man. Googly eyes and all” Archie said with a firm nod, his classic All-American smile and a surprisingly calming thumbs up.
It definitely didn’t stop his wayward thoughts completely, but it certainly calmed him down a bit. Archie and Betty knew of his current...familial predicament, and seemed to understand his very real fear of abandonment. Archie practically never left his side unless it was to go to football practice or if he was already with Betty. He appreciated their efforts to make him feel safe and at home again. God knows he needed the stability. But the thought that his incredible blonde partner in crime was reining in her own feelings towards him because she knew that he was too afraid not only hurt him, but made him mad at himself.
Betty deserved the world and then some. She is just as broken as he is, yet she still managed to see the best in people and situations. She still had that beautiful outlook on life and what it could offer. She still hadn’t been jaded like he had. He had given up on being optimistic a long time ago, but being with her made it alright. For once someone didn’t brush him off as another lonely loser weirdo. It wasn’t even that she didn’t brush him off, but that she accepted him without wanting to change him. Even though his birthday party was a total catastrophe, at least it still somehow managed to make them closer. Make them understand each other in a real, honest way.
He loves this girl, no doubt about it. Loves the way she is and the way she makes him feel. He decided right then and there to hell with it. Their entire relationship was based on trust and honest communication, so why would any of that change now? He knew that she wouldn’t leave him. At least not the way everyone else had. He could trust her to speak her mind and also trusted himself to listen to her wholly. He would tell her as soon as he saw her.
“I’m telling her tomorrow.” He announced.
“Good.” Was the sleepy reply of his best friend.
Mind set and regrets at bay, he finally closed his eyes. He was going to tell her he loves her tomorrow and the sooner he resigned himself to sleep, the sooner he could tell her.
Tomorrow’s going to be a good day was his last thought as he drifted off into sleep.
