After many months of waiting, I present to you part one of two of the otherworldly epilogue...
Part One: the before
It had been two whole months without seeing Jughead. Betty was antsy, anxious, and generally distracted by anything and everything… not to mention that she had begun to not feel well. She had brushed off the sickness at first, thinking it wouldn’t last long when she was halfway through her second month… but as she reached her seventh and eighth weeks in Olympus, it hadn’t gone away.
Though she insisted she could power through, Zeus told his daughter to go home, get well, and finish her work from the Underworld. Hera had agreed, urging her to take some time for herself as soon as she got away from Olympus and its various stresses.
Betty hadn’t told Jughead she was coming home after eight long weeks, wanting it to be a surprise, though she had told him in their daily correspondence that she would be home soon without giving him a specific date.
“The absolute nerve of your cruel mother to not teach you anything about the art of lovemaking disgusts and enrages me so much that I could just--!!!”
Cheryl stopped Veronica with a sharp glance.
“She needs to learn, Veronica. She doesn’t need to be overwhelmed,” Josie told her. “We’ve got your back, Betty.”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Veronica said. “We’ll start with the basics. You poor, sheltered soul, you’ve come to the right place. I assume Hades has introduced you to a form of pleasure that doesn’t infringe on your virtue, no?”
“VERONICA!” Cheryl screeched.
“My gods, we’re just jumping right in aren’t we--?” Josie began, facepalming before taking a sip of her wine.
“WHAT? I need to know these things so I know where to begin!” Veronica defended, turning to her youngest sister. “Was I wrong, Betty?”
Her three sisters stared her down, waiting for her to respond. A bright blush appeared on her cheeks, getting warmer by the second.
“... He has,” Betty admitted quietly. The room went berserk again, but they all calmed down for the sake of their new mission - educating Betty.
“Alright, but seriously, I’m not surprised,” Veronica told her. “He probably didn’t want you being too shocked tomorrow night.” She paused for a moment. “And I bet he enjoyed it as much as you did, B.”
Where Josie and Cheryl were overjoyed for their little sister, Veronica was asking lots and lots of questions.
“What’s Cerberus like?”
Betty thought about the fluffy dog that came whenever Jughead called his name, smiling at the memory of him licking Hades’ face relentlessly.
“Is it dark and cold in the Underworld?”
She thought about how the Underworld’s sky was enchanted to look like Olympus’ sky, and the beautiful sunset she and Jughead had watched from his balcony one night.
“I bet Hades is always working, isn’t he?”
She remembered the day Jughead had ignored all of his kingly duties to take care of her the day after her birthday, then the other few days where he single-handedly taught her how to love herself.
“I bet he’s a good kisser,” Veronica added.
Betty flushed brightly, making the few pink tulips on her vanity bloom violently, petals going everywhere.
He didn’t get any sleep, regretful for his words, mad at himself for pushing Betty away from him… wondering if she was okay.
If he was honest with himself, he was mostly worried for her. What he’d said was harsh if not the lowest blow he could have issued her. He wondered if she cried herself to sleep, if she could even sleep after that. He wondered about the question he’d cut her off on… she was going to ask him something, but he’d been so overcome with jealousy and enraged that Betty seemed to only be using him as a shield against Chuck and Reggie.
The more he reasoned with himself while he was sleep deprived, the more he realized that she probably hadn’t been using him. That was out of character for Betty. She usually had good intentions, always willing to help.
Then he just felt like a jerk.
All Betty had ever done, even before they’d formally met, was help him. She was a good person, Jughead knew that. Even last night, she’d healed the cuts on his face. Tergeo, she’d said softly, then ran her thumb tenderly over the newly healed skin. Sweet Merlin, he missed the touch of her hand on his face.
Maybe I’ll never get a chance to tell her how I feel, he thought miserably just before slinging his legs out of his bed. He trudged down to the common room, still in his sweatpants and Ravenclaw t-shirt. He had cup after cup after cup of coffee until he could finally stand living in his own skin. He was repulsed with himself, with what he said to Betty, with what he’d done.
And then he conjured a trash can and actually threw up because he was so disgusted with himself.
When things became hard at the Jones house, Jughead had always liked taking Hot Dog for a walk. The fluffy white sheepdog was the third of its name, just like him, and even though it was his dad that wanted the dog in the first place, Jughead found himself caring for him most of the time.
His dad has what some would call drinking problems and his mom has what others would call drug problems, and his sister... she was always out with her friends, leaving Jughead the only sober person in the house. Jughead didn’t have massive friend groups that he would stick around, it was mostly just him, his laptop, whatever book he was reading, and the novel he was writing against the world... but Hot Dog was always welcome to stick his cold, wet nose in from time to time.
Hot Dog had naturally gravitated towards Jughead in the first place, but now he was feeding, watering, bathing, taking him to the vet, and walking the sheepdog too. He couldn’t really complain - it got him out of the house from time to time, particularly when his parents were fighting. He’d walk Hot Dog for an hour, and by the time he came back the trailer would usually be empty (and he wasn’t about to tell his parents that Archie only walked Vegas for twenty minutes but he also didn’t think they’d give a damn).
Jughead was walking Hot Dog down the side of Sweetwater River (their usual route), when he saw a teenage girl, blonde hair in a ponytail, reading on the shore. She must have heard Hot Dog’s jangling dog tags because she turned around and set her bright green eyes on him.
Jughead recognized her from school - it was Archie’s next door neighbor and other childhood best friend. He didn’t know her name, but he knew she was beautiful - like, jaw-droppingly beautiful. He was so dazed that he didn’t realize that Hot Dog - the social one of the pair - was gravitating them towards her.
She took her eyes off of him and laid them on Hot Dog as he came closer.
“Cute dog you’ve got,” she said, getting up and walki towards them. “Can I pet him?”
Jughead was knocked out of his daze and could only form a few coherent words, even though they didn’t remotely answer her question.
“Do I know you?” He asked stupidly.
“You’re Jughead, right?” She asked. “Jughead Jones?”
“Y-Yeah.”
“We go to Riverdale High together. You’re in my comparative politics class.”
It all fit together then. She was the blonde ponytail in the front of the classroom that always sat up straight and knew all of the answers to the teacher’s questions.
“You’re right,” he said, though he was still blanking on her name. “Cooper, right?”
“Betty Cooper, the one and only,” she replied with a smile. Oh what a way to go out, he thought. “Now that we’ve got names to faces... can I pet your dog?”
“Oh— Oh, yes. Yeah. Go ahead. He’d like nothing more,” Jughead scrambled.
“What’s his name?” She asked, scratching behind his ears with both hands.
“Hot Dog.”
“Really?” She asked, looking up at him.
“The Third.”
“Oh. Family name?”
“Runs in my blood, doesn’t it?” He joked, coaxing a giggle from her. He could have dropped dead on the spot at the heavenly sound.
“Well, it’s nice to officially meet you, Jughead, and Hot Dog too,” she said, standing up straight again. “Maybe tomorrow you could come sit with Archie and I at lunch? Oh— wait, he’s got to sit with the football team tomorrow—“
“I’ll sit with you at lunch,” he said, a little too boldly for him to believe that was actually himself speaking. “Archie, uh, he doesn’t have to be there.”
“Great!” She replied cheerily. “I’ll see you there, then.” She picked up her book like she was about to leave.
“Yeah. That sounds great.”
“Bye.”
“Good bye,” he said, watching her walk over to her bike.
Once she left, Jughead remembered that thing Archie has told him about using dogs to get girls - works every time, he said.
Jughead seriously considered taking Hot Dog to school the next day. He didn’t, and Betty was still happy to see him anyways.
You hardly remembered how you went from talking about the future - the one that seemed so far away - to Veronica and Archie leaving the room. All you knew was that Betty had leaned down to kiss you once… and then her legs were hanging off the side of your lap, her hands framing your face. One of your hands was on her back and another was gently pushing her skirt up and stroking the skin of her thigh, pulling her closer. Her leg had hitched up across you and you pulled it up higher, taking a handful of the back of her leg. She rocked against you a little as you made out, naturally pushing and pulling.
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a flash of ginger and black hair, then Betty pulled away. You were still looking at her, but you saw what she was looking at and you also watched them retreat to Veronica’s room. When you looked back at each other, Betty smiled at you, giggling faintly as you grinned back. You didn’t really remember how you got up, either. It was more of a mix of you lifting Betty off and her pulling you to your feet as she skipped backwards into the middle of the living room, your lips still attached. She pulled away with one of the brightest smiles you'd ever seen.
Her hot pink sweater, the one that had teased you with that little strip of skin it exposed, was the first thing shed. She helped you get it off as she sunk her teeth into her plump bottom lip - or rather, you tried to help you pull it off of her but she had it handled - and it was gone in the blink of an eye. Your t-shirt followed almost immediately - just after Betty sent the beanie flying - and then your hands were on her neck, pulling her in for a searing kiss. She kissed back, holding your wrists and forearms, trying to pull you closer as you took a few steps closer to the couch.
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She had always wanted you closer, it seemed, ever since the start of the summer. Just before the end of your junior year was when Hal Cooper was buried. There were ten people at most at the service, including you, Betty, and the pastor. The other guests that had been there weren’t there for Hal, they were there for Betty… but no one had really been there for her as much as you had, Archie and Veronica falling in step right behind you.
They weren’t there when she woke up screaming in the middle of the night, gasping and gripping your t-shirt so hard you thought she was trying to rip it off of you. They weren’t there when she had panic attacks in the shower because you’d let go of her hand for the shortest of seconds. They weren’t there when you lulled her back to sleep, or had to bring her melatonin so she could sleep. They had never been a victim of Betty’s death grip, whether she was asleep or awake. That happened when she would try and pull Alice, Polly, or Hal back while she was dreaming that they were abandoning her… again.
Most of the time, you didn’t let her use sex when she was trying to forget about her repeated terror dreams. You would always hold her, always dry her tears, always keep her company, always stay close enough so she knew you were there. There were, of course, a few times where it was unnegotiable that she absolutely did need you like that, and then you would pound into her until you both saw stars multiple times. After two or three rounds, her eyelids would droop halfway and she’d kiss you lazily, sleepily telling you she loved you before her soft, delicate body curled up in your arms. You would reply with the same, kissing her forehead sweetly as you laid her back on the pillows and tucked her in. Only then would you both be able to sleep soundly, your nose in her blonde hair.
Today, however, was different. You both needed each other desperately. You’d even given Archie and Veronica a show and a half before they left, just to prove the point. She pulled you back to reality by diving her tongue into your mouth, sliding her hand down your chest to your waist.
You let her lips go and pulled away, placing your hands on her hips firmly. She seemed sad at the loss of lip contact, but you gently pushed her around, pulling her backside into your pelvis. Her hands wandered towards the front of her skirt, but you got there first, pushing her hands away and undoing the buttons yourself, keeping her solidified to your body. She hummed when you pushed her skirt down and she let the material fall to the floor before she kicked it away.
You could tell Betty wanted to turn around and reciprocate the favor, her hands trying to grab you from behind her, but you kept a solid grip on her waist. You held her with one hand while the other pulled her soft blonde curls away from the back of her neck. You could feel her smile, even from behind her. You knew that she was happy as you bumped your nose against the spot between her neck and shoulder, then kissed there and trailed a few more down. Betty looked like she was going to reach for you before you kissed her sweet spot. She hummed in satisfaction, placing her palm on her shoulder and letting it fall again. She tilted her head so you could have more access and you smiled against her skin, teeth grazing against one of the vertebrae of her spine. She shivered under your hands.
“I love you, Juggie,” she whispered breathlessly, arching back against you, her backside pressing into your hardness. Her hand reached back and gripped your hair, her nails raking against your scalp.
“I love you too, Betty,” you replied against her skin, coming up to kiss her jaw and cheek sweetly.
“I want you on top tonight,” she whispered. Arousal shot down and straight through you. You knew that she felt the change… and you could tell she was happy about it, too.
“Whatever you want,” you said, spinning her back around, locking lips once more. You then scooped her into your arms. She giggled, slinging her arms around your neck and kissing your jaw as you made your way to the couch. You tossed her onto it and she bounced with a squeak and a giggle, smiling brightly as you climbed over her, hovering above her and settling between her legs.
Betty cupped your cheek, pulling you down for a steamy kiss and placing a palm over your Serpent tattoo. You rocked against her before pulling back, realizing you still had your pants on. Betty’s hands moved down to your waistband, popping the button and pulling the zipper down as she bit her lip. You pushed your pants down, haphazardly kicking them off of your legs and across the room. Betty pulled you back in once more, her tongue automatically entering your mouth. You groaned as she wrapped an arm around your shoulders, her other hand gripping your hair and raking her nails against your scalp. You bucked against her and she wiggled her hips in response. She sighed into your mouth and you caught it, only kissing her harder.
One of your arms came down beside her head, your fingers tangling in her blonde hair. You tugged slightly and her chest rammed into yours. You bucked into her - hard. She moaned, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again. The pure green of her irises stunned you, the color swirling with want and desperation. Her hands dropped to your black and white plaid boxers, shoving them down.
“Please, Jug,” she whined.
That one request reminded you of the way she’d woken up that morning. She’d been crying - another nightmare. She woke you up as she clung to you, her body shaking with cries, pleading for you to hold her tighter… to make her feel safe. Your eyes had shot open, obliging immediately as she trembled and whimpered your name into your ear.
Shaking the memory out of your head, you resurfaced, helping her slide your boxers down as you sprung free. Once yours were gone, Betty’s underwear came off next. She wiggled her hips, helping you slide them off before you could throw them across the room. Nudging her, she moaned as you hovered back over her, sliding your hands under her back to undo her ice blue bra. The clasp came undone easily, then the garment was gone in the blink of an eye and your mouth was all over the newly exposed skin. Betty arched into your touch, gasping and moaning as you teased her with your tongue.
“Fuck, Jughead,” she breathed, her chest heaving as she forced herself to breathe. Betty inserted her fingers in your hair again, pulling you away from her skin. “Please just fuck me already.”
“Before I’ve had my dessert?” you asked, giving her your best puppy-dog eyes.
“Please, Juggie?” she replied, returning the same look at him. He usually got what he wanted when he did that… but Betty’s puppy-dog eyes would always win in a fight. “You can clean up after.”
“I’ll take that,” you replied, climbing over her to press a sound kiss to her lips once more. She pulled off the bed, her arms around your neck. You lowered your hips to where you knew they fit with hers. Without warning, you slid all the way into her. She was going to say something, but she choked on her words immediately, moaning. You smiled smugly, knowing that sometimes she hated when you did that, especially when she was mid sentence. She clawed her nails on your back a little at the sudden movement.
“You know how much I hate that,” she said. “But I’ll forgive you because you feel so good.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” you replied, pressing kisses to her pulse point as you gave her only shallow thrusts to tease her. You grinned but she snarled, digging her nails into the meat of your shoulders.
“More,” she demanded, gripping your shoulders painfully. You obliged immediately, keeping a hand grounded in the roots of her blonde hair, your other hand slipping down to her thigh, hauling her leg up and hitching it around your waist. She moaned, cupping your face and crashing your lips to hers as you drove deeper into her, your hand tracing her cotton-soft skin.
She moaned into your mouth as you slid in and out slowly, pushing in deeply and making her choke on her own words.
“F--uhmm,” she fumbled again. “Faster, please,” she clarified, swallowing hard. “Please, Juggie.”
Removing your lips from hers, you buried your face in her neck, gripping her hips soundly. You pushed forward faster and worked up to a speed where you were suddenly afraid of hurting her. Her fingernails dug into your back as you snapped your hips into hers. The sound of skin on skin filled the room, along with her indecipherable noises (she was almost babbling).
You bit into the skin of her neck, feeling yourself getting closer and closer, then soothed the area with your tongue. You kissed a line down her jawbone as she held onto you for dear life while you fucked her into the plush pillows on the couch.
Her hair formed a halo, golden silk splayed around her head, her eyes shut in pleasure. She was positively glowing - the polar opposite from how she’d woken up that morning. Her nails were digging into all of the right places, scraping just harsh enough for it to feel good. Your hands planted firmly on her, your fingers splayed, trying to hold as much of her soft flesh as you could.
You squeezed her ass as you brought your lips back to hers. She squeaked, gripping your shoulders harshly. It was then that a wave of warmth washed over you and you knew that you wouldn’t last much longer.
“Juggie,” she whined breathily, her green irises barely visible in her darkening eyes. “I can’t--” She gulped harshly. “I’m almost--”
“I know, baby,” you replied, lowering your face to her neck again, licking a stripe on her jawbone. She shuddered under you. “Let go.”
“Juggie--”
You pounded into her relentlessly, pulling her leg higher on your hips. You pushed even deeper into her, hitting the spot that made her see white.
“Just a little more,” she breathed. You continued your movements, but lifted her hips slightly, bringing your open palm down hard on the soft skin of her ass in a sharp slap. She shouted your name and you felt her release resonate through your body, triggering your own. Her name fell from your lips softly as you kissed the skin of her neck and let your orgasms run their course.
You gently worked her through it, knowing full well how sensitive she would be after a love-making session like that. You were so close to falling on top of her when she wrapped her arms around your neck, breathily moaning in your ear.
“I love you, Jughead,” she whispered as you slowed, pressing a kiss to your cheek and massaging the back of your head tenderly. You hummed, gently slipping out of her. You trailed kisses, starting by stamping one on her forehead, then moving down to her temple, her cheek, her jaw. You placed a passionate one on her lips.
“I love you too, Betty Cooper,” you whispered, continuing your ministrations. You pulled the skin of her neck between your lips just enough to make her sigh a little heavier. Her shoulder. Across her chest (she held your head there, sighing when your inky hair slipped from between her fingers). Her shoulder. Her collarbone. You cherished her breasts when you made your way down to them, not enough to spark another orgasm, but enough to make her hum in delight.
You continued down her abdomen, feeling her muscles contract under your lips and fingers. You kissed her hip bones, then down to where she wanted you most. You lapped at her tenderly, knowing she was sensitive from your prior activities. You held her legs under your armpits to keep her from kicking you in the face (she’d done it before when you made her come three times in a row with your mouth). You licked and sucked there only long enough to clean her up, not wanting to torture her further by building up another release.
When you were done, you crawled back up her body, your dark hair messy and your eyes halfway closed, still in the haze of your orgasm. She smiled when you hovered over her, then laid yourself on top of her. She giggled as you wrapped your arms around her waist, holding tightly. Betty had to push the hair out of your eyes and you leaned into her gentle touch as she did so.
“You’re amazing,” she whispered, looking into your eyes and stroking your chin with her thumb. “But I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Bettyyyyyy,” you whined.
“I’ll only be a minute, Jug,” she replied. “Promise.”
“Fine.”
You got off of her and helped her up, watching her find her undergarments - and an item you thought was yours - before scurrying away. You couldn’t help but smile smugly. Mine, you thought, reaching down to pick up your plaid boxers, sliding them back onto your hips. Having a little extra time on your hands, you separated Betty’s clothes from yours so she’d be able to find hers in the morning.
When you were done, you noticed Betty standing in the doorway, your burgundy S t-shirt hanging on her light frame, the bottom hem falling just past her underwear. She leaned against the doorframe, biting her lip at you.
“Like what you see?” you joked. She nodded, skipping over to you. “I know I like what I see,” you added. She blushed, smiling brightly. You swung your other arm around her pulling her flush against you so you could leave a soft kiss on her lips. “How do you feel?”
“Wonderful,” she replied joyfully, bouncing on her toes slightly and averting her eyes. You could read her and she knew it. There was something else. “And a little tired,” she admitted. You placed your hand on her shoulder, stroking her caringly with your thumb.
“Come here,” you whispered, taking her hand before you sat on the couch. You laid on your side, back pressed against the back of the couch. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and laid in front of you, her warm body leaning against yours. You brushed your nose against her shoulder and wrapped your arms around her, sealing her against you. One of her soft, delicate hands wrapped around your forearm, holding you there. She shuffled back a little, truly nestling herself in your arms.
“What’s on your mind, Jug?” she asked you, laying her head against one of the plush pillows.
“You,” he replied. “And only you… and maybe that amazing round of sex we just had.” Betty giggled at that.
“Okay, but seriously,” she said, shifting in your arms and rolling over so that she was looking at you. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, Jug?” You’d forgotten for a split second that she could read you as easily as you could read her.
“Your family,” you whispered, pushing a blonde curl out of her face. “Everything that happened last year… and how it’s been affecting you.” She traced your jaw with her finger.
“Charles doesn’t have much of a lead on my mom. He thinks we might be compromised,” Betty whispered. “And my dad… You know...” She gulped. “It’s been hard without them these last few months but… I think I’m gonna be okay, so long as you’re right here with me, Jug.”
“And the nightmares?” you continued. “What about those?” She averted her eyes, sighing.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I don’t know what’ll make them go away. I’m not sure if there's anything we can do…”
“Maybe if you can get your mom back, they’ll go away.”
“Just… please, Jug… don’t leave me… not like they did,” she pleaded brokenly.
“I won’t. I promise, Betty,” you replied, kissing her lips. She folded her arms behind your neck, pushing into the kiss. Slowly, you laid her on her back, your hand wandering down to her waist. She cupped your cheek with her hands, opening her legs just enough for you to settle your knees between them.
This time it wasn’t as fast. You weren’t fucking her this time. You were making love. You took your time, making her fall over the edge once with your fingers, once with your mouth, and once while you were buried inside of her.
You went on and off for the rest of the night, making love, then talking softly until your words triggered your collective lust for each other. Eventually - around two in the morning - you had to stop her, getting her into your t-shirt and her panties, your boxers strung on your hips.
As you spooned together on the couch and could sense the lavender scent wafting off of her, you thought that your senior year would never get better than this, even though it hadn’t even started yet.
You knew that here, laying next to the love of your life, was more than you could ever ask for.
But seeing Betty run around Veronica’s penthouse frantically the next morning in nothing but her underwear and your t-shirt… you smiled smugly, knowing that you could get used to seeing her like that every day for the rest of your life.
