"Morning, Betts," Jughead mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he shuffled into the kitchen, following the wafting scent of pancakes and bacon. She flicked a glance at him over her shoulder, warmth filling her chest at his dishevelled state - he never was a morning person. Ever since they'd moved into their first apartment together, gotten a permanent home, Jughead always made the most of having a warm bed to sleep in that he wasn't worried about getting kicked out of at first light. The fact that it was Betty who was next to him, warming it, was the best added bonus he could have asked for.
"Hey, sleepy head," she cooed affectionately, turning back to the pan to flip the breakfast before it burnt. Betty was already up and ready for her work day, fresh faced and bright eyed, pencil skirt perfectly smooth and put together. Jughead didn't know how she did it - he would be forever grateful that his job allowed him to work from home. "Did you sleep okay?" she asked pleasantly. Jughead hummed in contentment, coming up behind her to rest his chin on her shoulder, wrapping his warm arms around her waist.
"All the better for having you next to me," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss against her temple. He couldn't help it, he couldn't a picture a time when he wouldn't be as in love with Betty as he always had been. She made everything easier, even breathing. It was a high he wasn't willing to give up. A soft pink blush tinged her cheeks, apples prominent due to the bashful smile that played across her lips. He loved that he could make her respond to his words like that. She twisted in his arms, breakfast momentarily forgotten, to gaze up into his slightly hooded eyes, resting her palms on his chest.
"Say what you like about yourself but you're a charmer, Jughead Jones. Always will be," she whispered against his smirk, leaning up on her tiptoes, still bare of her heels for the time being, to place a gentle kiss to his lips, hands moving to cup his cheeks. He sucked in a breath through his nose, tightening his arms around her frame and pulling her harder against his chest as he tilted his head to deepen the action.
"Ow!" Betty pulled back with an unexpected shriek, Jughead releasing her instantly, leaving his arms hovering just inches from her body. She moved her hands to cradle her chest gently, frown pinching at the space between her eyebrows.
"What's wrong?" Jughead asked, concern lacing his tone as his eyes flicked over her every inch, checking for damages.
"Nothing, just... tender," she said, gesturing to her boobs as she shook her head. "Guess it's just coming up to that time of the month," she shrugged dismissively. Jughead exhaled slightly in relief. She glanced up at him from beneath thick eyelashes, green eyes glinting with mirth. "So hands off, mister," she teased. Jughead rolled his eyes, cupping the back of her neck as he dropped a chaste kiss to her forehead before moving to pick up her discarded spatula and continue making their breakfast.
Betty felt sick. And not just queasy sick, like 'run to the bathroom puke your guts out' sick. She tried to take deep breaths in through her mouth to quell the sudden, rising nausea that had settled in the pit of her stomach. All attempts were shot to hell when one of her coworkers walked past her desk, the smell of whatever lunch they were carrying drifting to her nose, making her throat constrict around a gag.
She flew out of her seat, dodging colleagues as she raced towards the bathroom, barely making it in front of the bowl before her pancakes and bacon made a repeat appearance.
Ugh, pancakes... she thought, the idea of any food causing her stomach to turn over once again. She sat back against the cubicle wall, wiping the damp sheen from her forehead with the back of her hand. She'd felt fine this morning. Actually... if she thought about it she really felt fine again now. She mentally prayed that she didn't have some kind of weird stomach bug as she clambered to her feet, desperately in need of finding some gum.
She was absolutely starving. Seriously, her stomach was rumbling loud enough to inform the entire floor of her office about her current needs. Betty shifted in her seat, trying to find a way to stifle the next wave of gurgling that was brewing in her gut. It was entirely perplexing; one minute she was hunched over a porcelain bowl, the next she couldn't stop thinking about what she could get her hands on to eat.
Sighing, she grabbed her phone, tapping on the message icon, Jughead's name right at the top of her list. She knew he was supposed to be focused on writing today, but with the morning she'd had she just really felt like seeing her husband. A wave of unidentified emotions washed over her as she sat staring at the device in her hand. God, she just really missed him. Like, was it always this hard to spend the day away from him? Why hadn't she noticed before?
Wanna meet me for lunch? x She typed quickly, already knowing his answer. The three little dots were gone as fast as they appeared.
On my way.
"Betty? Everything alright?" Jughead asked gingerly as he tapped on the panel of their bathroom door. There was a heavy pause. "Betts, you've been in there a while I just wanted to check-" He was cut off by the door swinging open suddenly, revealing a very dishevelled looking Betty. Her eyes were wide and glistening with tears that pooled along her waterline before following the already wet trails down her flushed cheeks. Loose tendrils of her golden hair fell about her face, some sticking up at amusing angles. Her lips were dark pink and full like she'd been chewing on them nervously. Jughead's eyes went wide as he took in her state, hands instantly going to smooth her hair, thumbs brushing over her damp cheeks. "What is it? What's wrong? Talk to me," he rushed out, eyes scanning her face for any indication of what had upset her.
She opened her mouth, no sound escaping, before just shaking her head, trembling hand pointing to the bathroom counter. His gaze followed her finger until it landed on the little white stick that was resting on the smooth granite. He walked towards it with numb legs, picking it up with hands that were now shaking just as much as hers. The word stared back at him, clear as day.
Pregnant.
He turned to look at her, lips parted in silent shock. Her bottom lip with tucked between her teeth again, a nervous habit, fingers twisting with each other as she looked at him with apprehensive eyes. He could see something else simmering beneath the surface though, waiting for the right moment to burst free.
"Are you really...?" he trailed off, eyes shining, every inch of his body tingling with adrenaline, hope tinging his voice. Betty couldn't stop the corners of her mouth tilting up slightly at his tone. She nodded, lips quivering as she took in a breath.
"Yeah," she whispered, smile growing as a full blown grin spread across Jughead's face. He rushed towards her, scooping her up in his arms and twirling her round as she giggled gleefully, arms coming up to wrap around his neck tightly. He placed her back on the ground, not moving to release her from his hold at all. She was positively glowing in his embrace. He couldn't believe how lucky he had gotten. "You're happy?" she asked timidly, fingers playing with the short hairs at the base of his neck. He let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head slightly.
"Betty, I don't think I've ever been this happy in my life," he gushed, slipping one hand round her waist to settle over her still flat abdomen. "You are the best gift that life has ever given me, and now you're giving me another one. You're incredible, this is incredible. I love you so much," he whispered, leaning in to press a bruising kiss against her lips as a fresh wave of happy tears cascaded down her cheeks.
