Knock, knock, knock.
Betty jolts awake at the noise. For a moment, she can't work out what it is. It sounds familiar, but isn't it the middle of the night? Normally, nights on Elm Street are very quiet...
And then it clicks. Someone is knocking on her window. She checks the alarm clock on her bedside table. 4:02. Who is knocking on her window at this time of the night?
There's only one person she can think of: Jughead.
She smiles to herself at the thought but quickly remembers that it's 4am! Why is he knocking on her window at 4am? He's meant to be at prep school on the other side of town!
Sighing, she moves herself out of her warm bed and plods over to the window, turning the bedside light on as she goes. She pulls her curtain back to find Jughead, just like she thought, so she opens the window up and moves to the side to let him enter.
At this moment, she can't help but remember the first time he knocked on her window. Hey there, Juliet, he had said in that soft, reserved-for-Betty voice she had grown to love. That was the day he kissed her for the first time. The day she knew he was the one for her.
She smiles slightly at the memory.
While she took a trip down memory lane, Jughead stumbled into her room over the window seat and stood opposite her, looking rather nervous.
"Jug, what's up? What are you doing here?" she says, trying not to sound too harsh.
His hand moves up to fiddle with his beanie, only to find hair and memories of leaving said beanie at his prep school dorm before making the trek to Betty's (his) house across the other side of town.
Betty recognises his nerves and immediate feels bad for being the cause of at least some of it. She gives him a soft smile in an attempt to calm him down, making herself feel better in the process.
Regardless of her actions, he stumbles over his words. "I, uh, I want- uh." He sighs in defeat and rubs his face, avoiding her eyes at all cost.
"What's wrong, Juggie?" she asks, softening her expression, now genuinely concerned.
"I missed you," he whispers, looking down at the carpet. "And I wanted to cuddle."
Betty almost laughs. But, oh, is he adorable.
"So, just to get it right," she says, mildly amused. "You come to my room and wake me up at 4am, to cuddle?"
He glances back up at her, but doesn't answer.
"You drove all this way across town just for a cuddle?"
He nods innocently and she rewards him with a massive smile.
"Jughead Jones. Who knew you were such a softie underneath all that leather and plaid?"
She's teasing him and he knows it.
"Only for you, Betty Cooper," he retaliates.
In response, she gets back into bed and pulls the covers back, patting the space besides her.
He grins stupidly big and begins taking off layers to finally get what he's been wanting.
Leaving just his boxers and undershirt, he quickly jumps into bed next to Betty and immediately cuddles up to her.
"Serpent King, huh?" she jokes.
He mumbles something incoherent in reply and cuddles in even closer.
She cuddles back, of course.
They lay as close as humanly possible cloaked in darkness and only the sound of their breathing until surprisingly, Jughead is the once to crack the quiet.
"I've missed you so much, Betty. I don't want to do this prep school thing anymore. Not when I could be here with you." His voice is small and he sounds almost child-like.
"Juggie," she begins softly, moving over to turn her bedside light so she can properly look at him. "It's not long, and then we can get out of this Godforsaken, horror town."
He sighs. "I know, I know it'll all be worth it in the end. But for now, it's awful."
Cuddling closer, Betty looks up at him and whispers "I love you so much, Jug. I'm glad you're here, even if you did wake me up at 4am."
He flashes her a big grin, before reaching over and turning the light off once more.
"I love you too," he whispers into the darkness. "Now let's get some sleep before somebody realises I'm here."
