efflorescence || bughead oneshots [SLOW UPDATES]

{ only you }

[ Requested by @WritingLover456 ]

"Surely you must think I've crossed a line, or that I've lost it. I honestly can't remember what happened that night at Ethel's, but both V and Chuck seem to tell me the same thing, that I pretended to be Polly. Diary, what is wrong with me?"

    Her phone buzzed and Betty quickly deposed her pink pencil upon the page of the diary she had been scribbling in. Once it was in her hands, she glanced to the screen which indicated Archie was calling her. Weird, she thought after realizing what hour it was. Curious, the blonde closed her notebook and unlocked her phone.

"Betty?" The redhead asked as soon as the girl picked up.

"Archie, why the hell are you calling so late? It's almost midnight—is everything alright?" She frowned lightly, trying to figure out the reason of his call. The last time it occurred so late was when Jughead's mom left with Jellybean. Archie had called Betty immediately after finding a crying Jughead sitting on the porch of his house, and they had both attempted to comfort him. That night, the three of them stayed in the Andrews' basement wrapped of sleeping bags and blankets, and stayed up until the early hours of the day trying to cheer up the beanie boy, which at the time was slightly too large for his little head. They were only 8 years old, and the blonde cherished the memory along with many others which all included her two childhood best friends.

"I, um, I need to talk to you."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Betty glanced out her window, and as the two lived right next of each other, their windows gave a pretty good view on the other's room. The redhead was already staring at her, his eyes almost begging. "Can't it wait till tomorrow? I was about to go to sleep."

"It can't wait, Betts. Please. Meet me outside your house, okay?"

Exhaling deeply, the blonde nodded softly and hung up. What did he have to tell her that was so important it couldn't wait till the morning? Pushing the thought away, she slipped a salmon pink hoodie on and tied up her hair in a messy bun before carefully making her way downstairs, doing her best to not wake up her mother.

As soon as she got outside, Archie stepped closer and she could've sworn his eyes held many worries. But what were they about? "So, tell me what's wrong, will you?" She wrapped her arms around herself, finding the weather rather chilly at this time of the evening.

His eyes fell to the ground after the question was asked, nervously running a hand through his hair. "I..."

"You what, Archie?"

"I love you, I really do love you."

She chuckled softly. "Wait, are you drunk? You know, sometime you really behave like a drama queen, Arch–"

"No, you don't get it, Betty! I love you more than a friendly way, and I'm sorry I couldn't realize that till now but... I really do."

His words rang through her ears and her heart clenched in her chest. This couldn't be happening right now, just when she had finally found peace and love in Jughead. Just when she had finally managed to move on from Archie Andrews. She felt anger climbing up her chest, but she really needed to keep it inside. She couldn't pull another "dark Betty", and certainly not in front of him. Soon, her eyes builded up with tears as her mind brought her back to a few weeks ago, when they both stood in the same position and he had broken her heart by telling her he wasn't good enough for her. After telling her that she was perfect. She hated that word more than anything else, mostly when it was used to describe her own self. And then, he had just walked away, leaving her all alone feeling rejected, unwanted.