Jabitha Oneshots

Secret Ingredient

Tabitha teaches Jughead to make the special Pops burger.

"Hey Jones, I have a surprise for you," Tabitha announced, breezing into the Pop's kitchen, and nearly giving Jughead a heart attack.

He jumped about a foot in the air, narrowly avoiding tossing the contents of his coffee cup onto the front of her waitress outfit.

"Good god Tabitha, sneak up on me again why don't you," he whined, "I swear I'll never trust you again with all the times you've caught me off guard since I started working here."

She laughed in amusement, drumming her fingers on the edge of the counter. It was late on a Sunday night and the diner was empty aside from the two of them, thankfully allowing them to avoid the scrutiny of nosy customers as they talked. It wasn't the first night shift they'd found themselves sharing that week, but despite the lack of sleep, neither of them was complaining. They both enjoyed each other's company more than they would care to admit.

"You're gonna forgive me when you hear this: I've decided that it might be time for you to get promoted from doing milkshakes and dishes to burgers and fries! Starting tonight."

Jughead's eyes lit up, "You trust me to make actual food, for actual customers?"

She gave him a coy smile. He really is cute when he's excited, she thought to herself, before shaking the feeling off.

She'd been hoping that her offer would lift his mood. On her weekly phone call with her grandpa that morning, Tabitha had filled Pop in on Jughead; the feint scent of liquor that always hung on his breath, the way he typed furiously at his laptop all throughout the night, though he often closed his screen and rested his head against the table, seemingly struggling to form coherent thoughts. She told him about the way he made her feel, a fluttering in her chest that she couldn't seem to place.

And her grandpa had told her about the version of her now-friend that he'd once known. He regaled the tale of a ten-year-old "Jug", who loved comics and his best friend Archie; and promised Pop that when he grew up, he'd someday learn the secret recipe to make a burger as good as his. He told her to talk to him, assuring her he was a good person who probably just needed to get his spark back.

From the moment she put the phone down, Tabitha Tate had made a decision: tonight, she would do something, anything to make that happen.

"Well, that all depends on whether you can cook us dinner tonight and not give me salmonella. So, you better bring your burger flipping A game," she replied to him, the corner of her lips flicking up to form a smirk.

He nodded eagerly and Tabitha clapped her hands together.

"You turn the stove on, I'll grab the ingredients from the back. Do NOT burn the diner down while I'm gone."

...

Half an hour later, all was going smoothly in the Pop's kitchen. Jughead was turning out to be a natural chef, aside from one little mix-up involving raw meat and the floor that Tabitha brushed off as a "beginners mistake". They had long since turned the radio on and were singing along together to each song, both shocking each other with their unexpectedly similar taste in music.

Finally, they ended up with two, reasonable looking burgers. Tabitha carried them over to an empty booth while Jughead washed his hands in the sink, still revelling over his success.

"I can't believe I actually made a Pop's burger. God, that's on been on my bucket list since I was in middle school," he said, sliding into his seat and immediately picking his up from the plate.

She smiled, "Yeah, my grandpa mentioned that you've been wanting to try it for a while, so I figured, no time like the present."

"Tabitha Tate, have you been talking to Pop about me?" He teased, licking the sauce off his fingers, and taking another bite of his burger, watching her with a mischievous glimmer in his eyes.

Tabitha felt a slight blush creeping up her neck, so she decided to change the subject.

"Well, what do you say? Was the experience worth the wait?"

Jughead nodded, his mouth full.

"Totally was. But, you know, there's one thing I still don't understand. Your grandpa would always tell me that Pop's food has some secret ingredient, the reason it tastes so good, but what we just made just seems like a standard burger. So, was he just joking around the whole time?"

Tabitha smiled gently, resting her burger down on her plate.

"Love, Jones, everything we make is made with love."

Suddenly, Jughead found himself looking at his co-worker's lips. Then at her eyes, watching him with an unplaceable expression. Then back at her lips. There was a little smudge of barbecue sauce on the corner of her mouth, and he felt a strange urge to wipe it off for her. He glanced up, an unspoken question hanging between them.

"Can I?" He whispered after a moment.

Tabitha nodded, hesitantly at first, and leaned forward in her seat.

Jughead cupped her face, closing the gap between them across the booth. He pushed his plate aside, both of their meals now lying forgotten. The kiss was gentle, Tabitha's hands drifting up to sit on his shoulders as his slid under her jaw. But it only lasted for few moments.

Hesitantly, they both pulled away from each other, flopping back against their respective seats. Neither of them spoke for a moment, Tabitha smiling down at her lap shyly and Jughead looking around the diner, stunned at his own brazenness.

Finally, he whispered hoarsely, "you had something on your lip, so I figured, what better way to get rid of it?"

"Sure, Jones." She replied, before beginning to laugh.

After a moment Jughead started laughing too.

"I'm serious!"