Always & Forever | Bughead Oneshots

Short of Faultlessness

is this inspired by my real experience? yes, next question. enjoy!

The front door opened much later than it usually did on nights Betty was working; the blonde not stepping foot into the house until 11:20 at night, her server apron, key lanyard, and tumbler cup all bundled in her arms as she tried to close the door behind her.

"There she is!" Jughead announced with a smile, walking out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn. "Here, lemme help you, baby," he said, taking the items from the blonde's arm as she smiled and replied, "Thanks, Jug, really. I missed you," before kissing his cheek.

Betty closed and locked the front door before taking her black jacket off her arms and hanging it by its hood on the coat rack beside the door. "Looks like you had a whole night planned," she remarked, seeing the TV with a movie queued up and the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

"Oh, not really, but you're more than welcome to join me," he smiled as the blonde walked over. "Hmm, I will, just lemme make us some coffee first," she smiled before turning over to the dimly lit kitchen.

"I'll take just black, please," Jughead called out, leaning back against the couch, getting a "Got it!" called back from the kitchen as the sounds of the Kerig warming up filled the air. Jughead chuckled and looked down at his hand, already buried in the bowl of popcorn.

"You might wanna make some popcorn for yourself while you're back there," he called out, hearing the blonde chuckle and reply, "Or you could learn to share," before the sound of plastic tearing and the microwave door opening was made in the kitchen.

While he waited for the coffee to finish brewing and the popcorn to finish popping, Jughead went through his phone, haphazardly checking his rarely-used social media and asking, "How was work, babe?"

Betty took a while to answer, eventually stammering out, "Um...lackluster. Nothing too exciting." The sounds of the fridge opening and closing accompanied the sounds of the finishing coffee machine while the microwave continued to whir with the sounds of kernels popping.

"How was your day?" she asked instead, presumably starting the other mug of coffee as a K-cup lid popping stood out against the other noises. "Well, not much different than yours. Lackluster, I guess," he answered before readjusting himself on the couch arching his back a bit against the backing cushions.

"Well," she responded with a small chuckle in his voice, "Maybe this'll help make your night better." "My girl, my snacks, my movie; what could be better?" he asked with a smile, looking over to the kitchen table in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Cooper woman as the microwave beeped in completion.

A kitchen cabinet opened and Jughead could hear a plastic bowl being set on the counter before the microwave opened and Betty was humming softly. "I'm missing your pretty face over here," he called out, hearing the familiar sounds of the Kerig completing filling the second mug.

"Just a minute longer, babe," Betty replied and Jughead could hear the chuckle in her voice. The Cooper woman was right, a moment later she was walking out with her popcorn bowl under her arm with two coffee mugs, one in each hand.

Her white, round mug decorated with pink and red flowers circling a bold letter 'B' had its handle in her right hand while her left held Jughead's gray, cylindrical mug with a Times New Roman 'J' topped with a crown.

"Popcorn, mine, and yours," she said, setting each item on the coffee table below her in the order she listed. "Thank you, Betts, you're the best," Jughead smiled, looking up at the standing blonde with love in his eyes before pulling his back from the couch and reaching for his mug.

"Oh," he said, looking down at the mug's contents. "What? What is it?" Betty asked, eyes widened and face flushed. "No, it's fine, don't worry. It's just that mine was supposed to be black," Jughead said gently, tilting the top of the mug towards Betty.

The gray ceramic held saddle-brown coffee and Betty realized she'd prepared both drinks the same. She took a deep breath in before throwing her arms up, hands crashing on her thighs as they swung down, her eyes instantly tearing up, and heavily.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, it's not a big deal, babe, really. I'll still drink it all the same," the Jones man said in an attempt to ease his now sobbing girlfriend, his hand setting the mug down before reaching out to her as she brought her hands to her face.

"No, no, I've done this all night! All night! I keep messing up, every...everything I do, it's--" Betty got interrupted by her own cries. "C'mere, baby," Jughead said sympathetically, welcoming her into his arms as she continued to cry, her face red and hair sticking to her cheeks.

"It's okay, baby, you're okay," he said gently, his lips against the roots of her hair and his palm sliding over her back to console her, "Just tell me what's going on, babe." "At work, I...messed up at least on-once on every...t-table," Betty cried, her face hidden behind her hands.

"And it just kept...getting worse, and worse. I b-barely made any money even th-though I was...there for five hours!" "I'm sorry, honey," Jughead mumbled, wiped away by the blonde continuing to ramble.

"I d-didn't get to l-leave until late and I...kept getting a headache," she explained, trying to catch her breath between crying, leaving little hiccups between her words. "And then, I c-come home and mess up even more."

"Baby, it's okay. I know how hard you work and I'm sorry that you were having a hard time. Mistakes happen, Betts, everyone makes them," Jughead said, his voice gentle as he listened to Betty's quiet hyperventilating, the blonde trying to calm herself down while he consoled her.

"I kn-know, but this is different!" she insisted, only for Jughead to slightly shake his head and respond, "No, baby. You're human. No one is faultless. Even you, Betty Cooper." The blonde sniffled, her hand now clutching the Jones man's pajama tee rather than her face.

After a few moments of sniffles and hiccups from the blonde, she managed to recollect herself, laying on the couch against her lover and feeling grounded once more. She felt Jughead sit up slightly and moved her gaze from the wall trimming to the man beside her.

He reached over for his mug and took a sip and Betty felt like she could start crying again. The fact that he now had to suffer through beige coffee when she knew his favorite was plain twisted her stomach with guilt until he smiled and looked down at her.

"It's perfect."