Bughead multifandom

Vanilla Milshakes (Bughead)

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12411227/1/Vanilla-Milkshakes

Jughead was occupying his usual seat in his typical booth at Pop's Shoppe, fingers flying over the keys of the laptop he has had for too long but still hadn't updated since it functioned just fine as a place to write and store his stories on. With concentration creasing his brow and two now-empty cups of the coffee that Pop always freely supplied Jughead with within reaching distance, was how Betty found him. She had spotted him instantly, his colorless ensemble and crown beanie standing out amongst the pops of color and cliques of friends. Betty debated for a few fleeting seconds whether she should seek out his company, but Jughead's particular dose of reclusion was exactly what she wanted. So, she made her way over to him and slid into the booth across from him without making her presence known beforehand or asking.

Jughead's head tilted up only the slightest amount as he regarded the fair-haired and fair-skinned girl, noticing the minor pout her lips held, the redness that lingered in her eyes and the way she kept her limbs close to her body as if she could turn herself invisible by simply doing so. She held onto the silence, not disturbing him until he was ready, something he had always appreciated dearly when it came to her. Finally, after finishing the paragraph in front of him, Jughead met Betty's eyes over his laptop, hands already at the top of the screen so he could push it closed. "You're not looking so lively over there, Betts. What's the matter?"

She pulled up her shoulders, shrugging off whatever she was dealing with because she was having second thoughts about burdening him with it. It was right there in her body language and blue eyes that have always been overly expressive. It still annoyed him to no end when she backpedaled like this. "I don't want to interrupt your creative process."

He closed his laptop with a roll of his eyes. "You wouldn't have sought me out if that had indeed been your intention. Now, tell what it is that has managed to steal your sunshine away."

He didn't formulate it as a question, but more as a demand, knowing that this was the best way to incite her.

Betty crossed her arms on the table, resting her chin on them as she looked up at him, a miserable look dulling the bright blue of her eyes. "I'm not sure how much of this you actually want to hear."

Jughead leaned one elbow on the table, cupping his hand and making a 'bring it on' gesture with his fingers. "Give it to me anyway."

She sighed, lifting her head from her arms. "So, I don't know if you know this, but I've basically had this crush on Archie ever since I was old enough to have them, crushes," she blurted out without taking a breath.

One of his eyebrows quirked up in amusement, though he managed to keep a serious expression on his face. "You holding a torch for the town's heartthrob is news to me."

She narrowed her eyes at the blatant sarcasm in Jughead's voice. Flattening her palms against the table, she made to get up. "Never mind," she murmured. "Happy writing," she added as a lackluster afterthought while getting up. She tapped her nails against the hard surface a few times as she stood there, lost in thought as if she already forgot what she was doing.

The guilt hit him instantly and he cursed silently at himself for not being able to read people better and recognizing the idiosyncrasies that made up Betty Cooper, even though he knew that he was simply not paying enough attention. He felt an influx of disappointment skitter down his spine and his body reacted on impulse as his hand shot out and his fingers wrapped around Betty's wrist, keeping her right where she was. "I'll attempt to reign in my sardonic nature," he offered up somewhat apologetically. "Stay?"

She bit her lip, considering him. In the end, she only nodded and sat back down, crossing her arms and not looking at the boy who had hair so dark it reminded her of a starless night. The lack of light had always suited him. "I know we're only friends because of Archie, but I need you to not be biased."