Bughead Oneshots

you don't have to feel this way anymore

oof sorry I took such a long break I was super busy with school ending and summer starting. anyway I'll start writing a lot more soon so enjoy this little thing

It had been another night of restless sleep for Betty Cooper. She was too scared to sleep alone in her home that once housed a serial killer. She was too paranoid at the nightmares that haunted her in the late hours. She couldn't stop thinking that something bad could happen to Jughead in the night. She was her own worst enemy.

But she hadn't told anyone how scared she was, not one person. She was too ashamed. So, she treated everyone with silence. Someone would try to talk to her, but she would barely mutter a few words, let alone phrases. Polly and Mom weren't a big deal, they were always talking to each other. She would occasionally get a "how are you" or a "are you okay," but that was about it. Betty couldn't even talk to Jughead that much without fearing that she might break down into tears. He had already faced so much, he didn't need the burden of her emotional stability on his shoulders too. She didn't want to do that to him.

Betty had no idea that Jughead would stay up in the late hours of the night thinking about her. All he could think about was how strong she seemed. How she had put up with her dad being the black hood, how she had been there for him after he got beat up by Penny. She was always there for everyone, but didn't someone at least needs to be there for her? He was so, so worried about his girl. He didn't know if she was getting enough sleep or eating enough. With her anxiety and depression, a time like right now might just be the worst for her. Jughead had noticed that Betty had big dark circles under her eyes and that her sweaters were stretched down so that they closed her hands, which he didn't know were there to cover the blood stains on her clenched palms. She seemed so... broken. And he wished she would come to him, but she knows he needs time to heal on her own. At least he thought that until she called him at 1:30 in the morning.

——

Betty couldn't handle the stress. She had been up for hours, trying to fall asleep but failing. She was just too scared. All she could think about was her dad. She would see him killing her or her mom in her dreams and it terrified her. Right now at this very moment, she wanted nothing more than a distraction bigger than her nails and her palms. She almost walked into the bathroom and pulled out a razor blade, until she remembered his words, Please, call me if you need anything, or if you feel like hurting yourself. I'm always here for you. Jughead made her forget everything. Jughead made her sane. So at that very moment when she took a step towards the bathroom, she stopped as his voice ran through her head. Betty called him.

He picked up on the second ring, "Betty?" His voice was raspy, she had woken him up.

"Juggie? Oh, I'm sorry I woke you up... Whatever, this isn't important. Good night-"

Jughead interrupts, "No, it is, Betty. Especially since you called me at this hour. Whats wrong?"

Tears sprung to her eyes. "I just... I just need you right now." Her voice was breaking, nothing came out but a whisper, "Please..."

"Oh my god, Betty, I'll be over soon. Is everything okay? What's happening?" He questions her.

She takes in a shaky breath, "I almost did it again, Jug... I almost..."

"I'll be over in three minutes, hold on." Jughead ends the call, not needing to hear anymore, and rushes over to her house. As he climbs the latter to Betty's bedroom window, he sees the poor girl pacing around in her room, her fists tight and tears glistening on her face. God, even when she's crying she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, Jughead thinks to himself.

He opened the window and crawled as fast as he could into the room. When she hears him, Betty turns around swiftly, biting her lip to keep from crying out. "Juggie," Her voice comes out as a whine. The emotion behind it is heart-wrenching and bone-chilling. You can hear all the layers of hurt, fear, sadness, exhaustion. Her broken pieces were finally falling apart. Right in front of him, laid out so he could see all the damage that was done. The way she said his name made him want to cry. It was heartbreaking knowing all she was feeling through one word. It was all crashing down on him.

Jughead didn't say anything, he just ran to the girl an wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could. Betty was silent. Not another word was said and not another breath was taken. She was frozen. Frozen in place until he said those three words to snap her out of it. "It's okay, Betts." His voice was raspy from sleep, but still soothing to her. He would always be the one who makes her sane. Always the boy there for her when she needed him.

Her body racked with sobs as Jughead held her. "I almost did it. I almost did it," Betty kept repeating over and over again. Instinctively, Jug pulled away to look at the skin on her wrists. No new scars, thank god, he thinks. But her hands are still tightly in fists. "It's too much, Jughead. It's all too much. I can't do this anymore. I can't handle this anymore." She sobbed louder and clenched her hands tighter.

"Yes you can, Betty. It's gonna get better, I promise. Everything will go back to normal. Everything will be okay," He soothed her.

"But what if it doesn't? What if my life is meant to be horrible? What if I never get to be happy again?" Betty yells, breaking Jughead's heart.

"What about me, Betts? You still have me, don't you? And I make you happy. I can be your light in all the darkness surrounding you. I'll always be here for you. Always," Jughead says, wiping the girl's eyes.

She nods her head yes and looks into his dark blue eyes. "I can't handle everything that's going on with my dad right now," Betts whispers, "The people at my front door, angry families yelling at us, him haunting me in my dreams. Everywhere I go I see him and I can't stop it."

"Hey, hey, listen to me," Jughead puts his hands on her shoulders, "It'll all get better soon. All you need is time, and you have all the time in the world. One day after high school, we're going to leave this godforsaken town and all the dreadful memories with it behind us. It will all be worth the wait. I promise you that, Betty. I know everything is going to be okay. Okay?" He strokes her soft tear-stained cheek.

Again, a nod, "Yeah... okay."

He grabs her tightly closed fists, "Let go, Betty. It's okay."

She shakes her head, "I can't, Juggie. I can't. It's the only thing getting me through this... I need a distraction." Tears flow down from Betty's heavy eyes.

"But you have me. I'm here for you, Betty. You don't need to do this to yourself anymore. I love you too much to let you do this," Jughead tries to convince her.

It workes. She pulls her nails out of her skin slowly, blood all over her palms and fingernails. The sight made both of them gasp. Betty started to cry all over again. Jughead leads her to the bed and sits down, holding her tightly. "I hate myself," He hears her whisper.

"Betty, don't say that," Jughead bolts up, hoping she doesn't mean it.

There's a long pause. "I hate every fucking thing that's wrong with me... I'm hurt, I'm alone, I'm depressed, I cry myself to sleep and I hate myself, Jughead. That's all I can ever think about. It haunts my mind day in and day out, reminding me that I'm nothing. I'm worthless." She looks up in his now watery eyes and sobs. "Why do I have to feel this way?" She whispers.

"Oh baby, you don't have to feel this way anymore. We'll get you some help, you'll be okay," Jughead reassures her, "You don't have to be alone, I'll be here for you. You don't have to cry yourself to sleep, I'll be right there beside you in bed. You aren't worthless. You aren't nothing and don't you ever think that you are because you are nothing close to that, do you understand? Betty Cooper, you are my everything and I love you, so so much. All I want is for you to be happy so please, just let me help you."

His words put her into another fit of sobs, "Okay... okay," She manages to get out. "I love you so much."

"You're okay, baby. I've got you, you're okay," Jughead keeps repeating as he whispers sweet words into her ear. "I'm never going to leave you, I promise." He pulls her under the covers and wraps his body tightly around her. He holds onto her hands, begging her not to close her fists again.

He stays as her sobs turn into cries, which turn into quiet gasps and soon to steady breathing. They fall asleep intertwined, acting as if they could never let go. And they never would. Ever.