#verarchie

[barchiefanfiction]

Archie and Betty through the years (from teenagers to middle-age?) being each other's support systems when things get a little tough in their relationships with Veronica and Jug.

Anchor 

by keiraknighted

AO3 // ff.net

“Ronnie, you have to talk her out of it,” Archie begs forthe third time that day. Veronica slides her deep purple dress on and turnsaround, waiting for Archie to zip her up. A bridesmaid dress, for all intentsand purposes. Archie drags the zip up and Veronica turns around, placing herhands on his shoulders.

“Like I said, Archiekins,” she says. “If you think it’s sucha bad idea, then you should talk themout of it.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bad idea?”

Veronica laughs. “Of course I do. But it’s their life.”

“So as Betty’s best friend—” Archie starts, until Veronicacuts him off.

“You’re Betty’sbest friend, remember? And Jughead’s,” she reminds him. Archie looks pained. Veronicastraightens his tie. “You know they won’t change their minds now. They’ve beenplanning this ever since Betty became the so-called serpent queen,” she rollsher eyes.

“But what if they’re making a huge mistake?” Archie presses.And he’d try to convince them himself he would, it’s just—to talk to Betty outof it would feel like betraying Jughead, and to talk Jughead out of it wouldfeel like betraying Betty. And to try and talk to them together is just alosing battle.

Veronica shrugs. “It’s only marriage. And no one knowsbetter than the four of us how well that canlast.”

Archie still has his doubts. But to Veronica, it’s caseclosed. She puts her heels on and heads for the hotel room door.

“Come on,” she says, tilting her head. “The bride and groomare waiting for us.”

  At a chapel in Vegas, two weeks after graduation, Betty andJughead tie the knot, with Veronica and Archie as their witnesses.

Alice had forbidden it, and FP had warned against it. Thathad only made Betty want to do it more. She’s queasy as she walks down theaisle in a dress she bought months ago, not exactly a wedding dress, but it’swhite. Her serpent tattoo is fresh on her hip.

She gets through the vows, and Jughead through his, and thefour of them head to the hotel bar. They’re only eighteen, but they get servedanyway.

Four drinks in, Betty is on top of the world. Surrounded byher friends, married to the love of her life. She’s pretty sure things couldn’tget more perfect.

Six drinks in, she’s outside, desperate for fresh air,feeling claustrophobic, her white dress too tight. Archie’s hand grazes herback.

“Hey,” he says softly. Her head spins. “Are you okay?”

Betty nods. “Too much to drink.” A light breeze tousles herhair, and she closes her eyes, grateful for the coolness of the wind on herface. Archie stays beside her.

“Perhaps it’s time for bed,” Archie suggests. “Mrs Jones,”he adds. A joke probably, but she doesn’t laugh.

“Did I make a mistake?” she whispers, so softly she’s sureArchie hasn’t heard, especially since he doesn’t respond right away.

He takes a deep breath. “Of course not,” he finally replies.“You and Jughead were bound to get married eventually. What difference does itmake if it’s now or in a few years?”

Betty nods. She leans against him, and he wraps his armsaround her.

“Let’s get you to bed,” he says.

The last thing she remembers is him pressing a kiss to herforehead before she drifts off to sleep.

  Moving to New York was always the plan. Archie never thoughthe’d be leaving Betty and Jughead behind in Riverdale. But Jughead says heneeds to get things sorted with the Serpents before he leaves, and Betty, ashis wife, is staying to support him. They both swear they’ll join him andVeronica in New York next year.

Archie loves living in New York, but the thing is, it’sfreaking expensive. He manages to get a job waiting tables, but he kind ofsucks at it, so the tips aren’t great. Veronica, on the other hand, is alreadya successful business owner, and she’s even thinking about turning Pop’s into achain. She’s currently studying business while Archie studies music on ascholarship.

It’s not exactly how imagined it. He lives in a dorm with aroommate he doesn’t particularly like, instead of the nice apartment hepictured sharing with Veronica or Jughead. Veronica refuses to spend any timein his dorm, and he’s always travelling back and forth across the city to seeher. Her apartment is nothing fancy, but the fact that she can afford to livein it alone is impressive enough.

“We should go travelling in the summer,” Veronica saysdreamily, playing with Archie’s hair as they lay in her bed on a Saturdaymorning. “Europe, maybe. Or Australia.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be possible, Ronnie,” Archiesighs. He’d love to give her everything she wants, honestly. But he doesn’thave the money.

Veronica pouts. “Why not? Haven’t you always wanted to go toParis?”

“I’d love to see it with you,” Archie says. “But I’llprobably be working for my dad over the summer.”

“Does he really need you?” Veronica complains.

Archie tries not to sigh again. She just doesn’t get it. “Idon’t know, Ronnie. But I need the money. New York is expensive.”

“Oh,” Veronica says, understanding finally dawning. “I’llpay for your flights.”

Archie groans. He pulls away from the hand twirling in hishair and sits up. “I don’t want you to do that.”

“Archiekins, come on,” Veronica coos, sitting up beside him.“It’s just money.”

Archie tries not to be frustrated with her, but he can’thelp it. “Of course it is, to you,” he huffs. He throws himself out of bed andgets dressed.

“Don’t be such a proud man,” Veronica snaps. “Does it reallybother you that I make more money than you? That I’m more successful than you?”

Her words sting. “Of course not,” Archie says. “I’m proud ofeverything you’ve done. But I don’t want to have to rely on you to pay forthings for me. If you want to go to Europe, that’s fine. But I can’t affordit.”

He thinks he’s explained himself well, that she’llunderstand. But she gives him a pained looks and says, “That’s ridiculous,Archie. I’m happy to pay.”

Archie shakes his head. “Forget it,” he says. “I’ll see youlater.”

Veronica doesn’t bother trying to stop him as he leaves.

On the train home, he calls Betty.

“Hey,” she says brightly. Archie can feel some of thetension drain out of him at the sound of her voice.

“Hey,” Archie replies. “What’s up?”

“I’m just doing the dishes, nothing interesting,” Bettylaughs. “What’s up with you?”

“Veronica and I kind of had a fight,” he says.

“Oh, what happened?”

“She wants to go to Europe this summer and I told her Ican’t afford it. She said she’d pay but…” he trails off. Maybe he’s being dumb.Maybe Betty will tell him he’s being an idiot and he should take a free trip toEurope from his girlfriend.

“Of course she did,” Betty snorts. “I love V, but she reallyhas no clue what it’s like to not have any money.”

“So you don’t think I’m being stupid?”

“I completely get it, Archie. I’m the same, I don’t want tofeel like I owe someone something, even if it’s someone I’m in a relationshipwith. You want to stand on your own two feet. It’s perfectly understandable.”

Archie breathes a sigh of relief. Someone gets it. Someonegets him. “Thanks, Betty. You always know exactly what to say.”

“Anytime, Arch.” 

Betty is pretty sure she shouldn’t be feeling this anxiousright now. Archie is home for the summer and he’s coming over in an hour fordinner at the little unit Betty and Jughead have been renting this past year.She can’t wait to see him. She’s missed him a lot this past year. They spoke onthe phone a lot, and he came home a few times, but it’s not the same as seeinghim every day.

She’s been working for her mom all year at the Register,while Jughead works on his novel and leads the Serpents, doing odd jobs forpeople or writing a story for the Register every now and again for some extracash. But it’s not what she wants to do anymore. She’s ready to get out ofRiverdale, go to college, see the world. She keeps seeing Veronica’s Instagramposts, in a bikini in Greece, or on top of the Eiffel Tower, and she can’t helpbut feel jealous.

She’s got a million things she wants to do in her life, andthe truth is, now she doesn’t know if she’ll ever get to do them.

Her hands shake as she opens the little box containing thepregnancy test. The cashier had congratulated her when she bought it. Betty hadsmiled like she was excited, when in fact she just feels sick. Sitting on thetoilet, she reads the instructions, and follows them to the letter. Now all shecan do is wait.

Her stomach churns. This could be a good thing, right? It should be a good thing. She’s married tothe man she loves, possibly pregnant with his baby. This isn’t some teenpregnancy like her mom or Polly. This is different.

Except she knows she’s not ready. Kids are for after she’sfinished college, after she’s travelled, after she’s had a career and a life.Not now. Jughead will probably bethrilled. She’s beginning to suspect he’s not that interested in collegeanyway, and would rather stay here and lead the Serpents. And a baby would makehim so happy.

She watches the test, praying for a negative. Her prayersaren’t answered.

She decides not to tell Jughead yet. It can wait until afterdinner. She throws the test in the trash and covers it with tissues, then getsto making dinner. She usually cooks, Jughead isn’t that great at it. He alwayssays he’ll do the washing up, but he rarely gets around to it. There’s alwayssome gang issue he has to resolve. Betty had been excited to be part of theSerpents at first, but she’s already bored of it, skipping most of theirmeetings in favour of reading a book on the couch.

The doorbell rings just as Betty is dishing up the chicken.Jughead gets it, and Betty listens as he greets Archie, and then the two ofthem join her in the kitchen. She turns around, and before she can even sayhello, Archie is pulling her into a hug. She laughs, squeezing him tightlyback, forgetting for a moment the worries on her mind. But then he pulls awayand Betty glances at Jughead and the churning in her gut returns.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” Betty tells Archie. “Dinner’sready, go sit down and I’ll bring it to you.”

Archie obeys, grinning, and Jughead follows, leaving Bettyto bring the plates out.

If either of the guys notice that Betty isn’t quite herself,they don’t say anything. Betty is pretty quiet the whole time, letting Jugheadand Archie keep the conversation. It’s not that she doesn’t want to join in,it’s just that she can’t seem to take her mind off the revelation she’dreceived in the bathroom earlier.

They discuss Archie’s college life, the Serpents, Betty’sjob, and Veronica being in Europe. Archie swears he isn’t jealous, and thathe’s not worried about Veronica hanging around those hot European guys.

“She can flirt as much as she likes,” Archie shrugs. “I knowshe’d never cheat on me.”

It’s at that moment Jughead gets a message, and he’s alreadystanding up before Betty can ask who it’s from.

“Sorry guys, gotta run,” he says. “Emergency Serpentbusiness.”

“Seriously, Jug?” Betty pleads. “Can’t it wait? We have aguest.”

“No, one of the new recruits thought it would be a greatidea to graffiti one of the Ghoulies’ cars, so I have to go and deal with that.Besides, it’s just Archie.”

“Surely Toni, or Sweet Pea—”

“I’m the Serpent king, Betty,” Jughead huffs. “It’s my job.”

“Fine,” Betty mutters. Jughead gives her a kiss on the headbefore running out the door. Betty looks to Archie, who looks a littleembarrassed at having witnessed the argument, pushing his peas around hisplate. “Sorry about that,” Betty says.

Archie looks up. “You don’t have to be sorry,” he assuresher. Betty watches him gingerly put a pea in his mouth before she snorts withlaughter.

“I forgot you hate peas,” she says. Archie laughs. “Youdon’t have to eat them. Here.” She stands up and takes his plate, stacking iton top of hers and Jughead’s, then takes them to the kitchen.

“You want me to wash up?” Archie calls after her.

“It’s okay,” Betty says. “I’ll do it after you go.” She putsthe plates in the sink. She stands there a moment, trying to gather herselfbefore she goes back out to face Archie. She won’t enjoy is company properly ifshe keeps dwelling on her pregnancy.

She doesn’t hear Archie enter the room, but then he’s besideher, his hand on her shoulder. “Hey,” he says softly. “Is everything okay?”

Betty squeezes her eyes shut, trying to will the tears shecan feel forming to retract back into her tear ducts. But then they’re spillingout, and she lets out a sob, shaking her head. Why did he have to ask? Shecould have held it together if he hadn’t asked.

He immediately wraps his arms around her, pulling heragainst him tightly. Her shoulders shake as she cries into his chest, unable tostop now that she’s started. He rubs her back, and he lets her cry until shepulls away, wiping her eyes.

“You want to talk about it?” he asks, eyes full of concern.

She isn’t planning on telling him, but somehow it just slipsout. “I’m pregnant.”

He stares at her, not sure what to say. Betty keeps talkingso he doesn’t have to say anything.

“I haven’t told Jughead yet. I just found out before you gothere and I—” she sobs again. “I should be happy. But it probably means I won’tget to go to college next year, or join you in New York.”

Archie pulls her into his arms again. “Hey, hey,” he sayssoothingly. “You have other options. And whatever you choose, I promise I’ll bethere for you. And maybe you can still go to college.”

Betty nods, and somehow, she’s comforted, even though shedoesn’t really believe what he’s saying. She could never afford a baby and college. And if she gives the babyup, or gets an abortion, Jughead will hate her forever.

But for now, she lets Archie let her believe everything isgoing to be okay.

  Archie has had the ring for a while now. He’s been carryingit around in his pocket, waiting for the right time.

But he and Veronica are both finished college now, and hehas a bit of money saved, despite buying the ring. Veronica now owns a Pop’sand speak easy in three locations, and Archie is getting gigs almost everyweekend, plus his day job selling furniture.

They’re in Riverdale for the weekend, for theirgoddaughter’s fifth birthday. Archie can hardly believe little Matilda Jones isready for school already. Betty and Jughead throw a little party for her atAlice’s house, and afterwards, Archie and Veronica take a walk along SweetwaterRiver.

And suddenly Archie can’t think of a better time or place todo it. In the town they fell in love, where Archie hopes the can raise childrenand grow old together someday.

“They looked so happy. I’m going to be honest, I didn’tthink Betty and Jughead would even last this long,” Veronica is saying. “I’mhappy to be proven wrong—” she cuts herself off when she sees Archie loweringhimself to the ground on one knee. “What are you doing?” she asks, eyes wide.

“Ronnie,” Archie says, pulling the ring box out of hispocket. “From the moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of mylife with you. We’ve had our share of ups and downs, but there is no one I’drather have by my side than you. Will you do me the honour of becoming mywife?”

Veronica stares at him. She stares so long, and without asmile, that Archie begins to feel anxious.

“Ronnie?” he prompts, nervous. He swallows.

“Archie…” she starts, her voice soft and sympathetic.Archie’s stomach sinks. He stands up, trying not to let his eyes betray thehurt he feels. “I’m sorry,” Veronica continues. “I just… I’m not ready to getmarried yet. I don’t want to break up, and I still love you… but marriage?” she balks. “I… can’t give youthat kind of commitment.”

Archie nods, clenching his jaw. “I get it,” he says, thoughhe’s not quite sure he does. But what else can he say? He doesn’t want to breakup either. But he really wants to get married one day. And what if Veronicanever gets there? He doesn’t voice his thoughts out loud though.

“I’m really sorry, Archiekins. We should have talked aboutthis, I should have realised you would want to propose soon.”

“Ronnie, it’s okay. I’m just… I just need a minute.”

Veronica nods. “Should we go back to your dad’s?”

“Yeah,” Archie says. “Yeah.”

He goes up to his old room when he gets back, and Veronicastays downstairs with Fred to give Archie some alone time. He shuts the doorbehind him, and when he looks up, his eyes lock with Betty’s through thewindow. She seems surprised to see him, but she smiles and waves. Archie wavesback, but he can’t bring himself to return the smile.

Betty reaches for her phone, and moments later Archie gets atext.

Everything okay?

Archie looks up. He shakes his head. Betty turns back to herphone, and then his phone is ringing, Betty’s name on the screen. He smiles tohimself as he answers.

“What’s wrong?” Betty asks immediately.

“It’s too embarrassing,” Archie sighs.

“You can tell me anything.”

“I proposed to Veronica and she said no.”

Betty winces. “Ouch.”

“I’m such an idiot.”

“Don’t say that,” Betty scolds. “She’s the idiot if shedoesn’t want to marry you. Any girl would be lucky to have you as a husband.”Archie snorts. “I’m being serious!”

“So you’d marry me if you didn’t already have a husband?”

“You know I would.” Betty chews her lip. “She’ll change hermind.”

Archie nods. He hopes Betty is right.

“Love you,” she says.

“Love you too, Betty.”

  Betty is pregnant again. This time, it’s planned. Eightmonths ago, it had seemed like a great idea. Matilda wanted a sibling, Bettyand Jughead were both ready for another child. Jughead had just finished hisnovel and was sending it off to publishers. The Serpents had been drama freefor a year.

But Jughead had received nothing but a string of rejectionletters. It hit him hard. And at first, he was just having a drink or two tolet off some steam. But now…

Well, it’s 2am and Betty hasn’t seen him in hours. And sheknows there wasn’t a Serpent meeting because Cheryl has been posting picturesof her date night with Toni on her Instagram story. Betty hasn’t been a part ofthe Serpents since she gave birth to Matilda.

Betty can’t help but worry. He’s been drinking more andmore, and it’s getting harder and harder to hide from Matilda. She was askingfor her dad when Betty tucked her in earlier, and it made Betty’s heart ache.

There’s a crash at the front door, and Betty sits boltupright in bed. The front door slams, and she can hear Jughead banging around,making no effort to be quiet. She winces when he kicks open the bedroom doorand flicks the light on.

“Would you be quiet?” Betty hisses. “Your daughter isasleep.”

“I’m going to wake her up,” Jughead says, turning around.

“Don’t you dare!” Betty snaps. “I don’t want her to see youlike this.”

Jughead stops in the doorway, turning just his head to lookat Betty. He’s wearing a cold sneer on his face. “Like what?”

“You know what.”

“Like what, Betty!” he growls.

Betty flinches. She hates him like this. He never getsviolet, but he gets mean. “Drunk,” she snaps. “You’re awful when you’re drunk.”

“Oh, I’m awful, am I? Well excuse me for trying to have agood time now and again.”

“Now and again?” Betty repeats, incredulous. “You’ve beenout late drinking every night for the past two weeks! Do I need to remind youthat you have a daughter and a pregnant wife at home waiting for you?”

Even in his drunken state, Jughead has the decency to looksheepish at that.

“You have to stop, Jug,” Betty pleads. “Don’t become thefather you hated when you were growing up.”

Those words seem to trigger something inside him. Hesoftens, walks towards her with apologetic eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, kneeling on the ground beside thebed. He puts his hand on Betty’s swollen stomach. “I’ll quit, I promise.” Hekisses Betty’s stomach. Then he stands up and crawls into bed beside her, noteven bothering to undress. Within minutes, he’s snoring beside her.

She picks up her phone and continues her conversation withArchie.

He’s home. Thanks for keeping me sane. Xx

  Archie wants to think he’s crazy, paranoid. But he’s beensuspecting something for a while now, and every time Veronica tells him she’sworking late, or she’s out with friends, he can’t shake the feeling that she’slying to him. That there’s someone else.

He hasn’t said anything, because he keeps convincing himselfhe’s wrong. It’s just his imagination. He doesn’t want her to think he doesn’ttrust her. And even if it’s true… well, he’s not sure he’s ready to face thatyet.

But she’s not here again, and he’s lonely, he’s been lonelyfor months, so he picks up the phone and calls Betty. He doesn’t want to say itout loud, but he can’t bear the thoughts inside his own head anymore. And Bettywill talk him down, reassure him that everything is fine. Veronica can’tpossibly be cheating on him.

“What’s up, Arch?” she answers.

He hesitates. He doesn’t want to burden her with hisproblems if she’s having problems of her own.

“How’s—how’s Jughead?”

“He’s good,” Betty says. “It’s been two months since hislast relapse, and he started writing again. Something new.”

“That’s great, Betty. And the girls?”

“They’re great too,” Betty says. Her voice always growsfonder when she talks about her daughters. She loves them so much.

“I’m glad.”

“Arch?” Betty says, and she sounds a little concerned now. “Iseverything okay?”

Archie shakes his head, though Betty can’t see him. “I think—Ithink Veronica might be cheating on me.”

Betty doesn’t say anything.

“I’m just being crazy, right?” Archie asks.

“I don’t know, Arch,” Betty whispers. Not what Archie wasexpecting. “I mean, if you feel like something’s wrong… maybe something iswrong. Even if the thing that’s wrong isn’t that she’s cheating. But you shouldtalk to her about it.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I mean… don’t like, accuse her of cheating. But lether know you’re unhappy. That you feel like something is off.”

Archie swallows. “I really thought you’d tell me I was beingparanoid.”

“Trust your instincts, Arch. They’re usually pretty good.And you know I’m always on your side, right?”

“I know.”

The talk ends in a fight. And the fight ends in Veronicaadmitting it. She’s cheating on him. And even though Archie has suspected itfor months now, the truth kills him.

He feels like a complete fool. He should have ended it whenshe said she didn’t want to marry him.

Veronica apologises over and over, tears in her eyes.

“I never meant for it to happen. I never meant to hurt you,”she tells him.

“But you did anyway,” Archie says bitterly.

She doesn’t stop him when he leaves.

  Betty loves having Archie back in Riverdale, though shehates the circumstances that brought him back. He seems sad about Veronica, buthe also seems happier in some ways too. She knows he always saw himself comingback here someday.

She sees him a lot now, and he loves looking after Matildaand Alison so that she can have a bit of a break from her ten-year-old and her five-year-old.She loves them to bits, but to say they’re a handful is an understatement.

The four of them, Betty, Archie, Matilda, and Alison, are ontheir way back from a trip to the movies. Jughead had been supposed to come,but last-minute Serpent issues had arisen. Betty has long since stopped caringabout anything Serpent related.

They’d had to drive a couple hours, to the closest cinemathey have these days. It’s way past the girls’ bed time, and they’ve bothfallen asleep in the back seat. Betty and Archie talk quietly in the front, soas not to wake them.

When Archie drops them back at Betty and Jughead’s, Jughead stillisn’t home. Betty’s stomach sinks. She tries not to think the worst. Shecarries Alison to bed, while Archie carries Matilda.

“Thanks, Arch,” Betty whispers.

“I’ll see you… tomorrow, probably,” Archie laughs. Heglances to the door. “Do you want me to stay until Jughead gets home?”

Betty hesitates. She shakes her head, even though she doeswant him to stay a little bit. But if Jughead has fallen off the wagon again,it’s probably best if she deals with it alone. Archie nods, and Betty gives hima goodbye hug. It’s at that moment that Jughead chooses to make an appearance.

The front door swings open, and Betty can already smell thathe’s been drinking. She tenses, and Archie is stiff beside her.

“What are you doing here?” Jughead slurs, glaring at Archie.

“Just dropping your wife home.”

“You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with my wifelately.”

“Jughead, stop it,” Betty snaps. “Go and take a shower. Don’twake the girls.”

“Fuck off, Betty,” Jughead snarls. “Don’t tell me what todo.”

Betty flinches, and she can feel Archie get his hackles up.

“And you can fuck off too, Archie,” Jughead adds.

“I’m not leaving her with you like this.”

“Get out of my house, Archie!” Jughead yells. He goes toshove Archie, but Archie doesn’t back down, and Jughead stumbles back.

“Betty,” Archie says. “You and the girls should stay with metonight.”

“That might be best,” Betty agrees. She goes to move towardsthe girls’ bedroom, and Jughead grabs her by the arm, squeezing tightly,pressing bruises into her upper arm.

“No,” he says.

“Jug,” she says. “Let me go. You’re hurting me.”

“Let her go, Jughead.”

Jughead glares at Archie. He takes a swing, stumbling overhis own feet, hitting Archie, and elbowing Betty in the face in the process.

“Fuck!” he yells, shaking out his hand. Betty clutches herface. “Betty,” Jughead says. “I didn’t mean to hit you. I’m sorry.” He soundsweak and pathetic now. Tears form in his eyes, and Betty can feel herselfcrying as well. She stares at him in shock. He hadn’t meant to hit her, sheknows that. But she can’t trust that we won’t accidentally do something worseone day. Like hit one of the girls.

She knows this is it. With one glance at Archie, he knows ittoo.

“Are you okay?” Archie asks. Betty nods. “Get the girls.”Betty nods again, hurrying to the bedroom. She wakes them quickly, and theyfollow her sleepily out of the house and to Archie’s car.

“Betty, wait!” Jughead calls after them. “I’m sorry. I swearit won’t happen again.”

Archie slides into the driver’s seat.

“Betty—”

“Just drive, Archie,” she says, swallowing her tears.

  She’s awake early, in her old bedroom at her mom’s house.Archie had dropped her off last night, and she’d cried into her mom’s armsuntil three in the morning.

She gets up, glancing out the window to see that Archie isawake too. She gestures for him to meet her outside.

They stroll along the street, no destination in mind.

“Are you going to go back to him?” Archie asks.

Betty shakes her head. “I’ve tried too many times, Arch. Ifhe can sober up, I’ll let him see the girls. But he and I are done.”

“I’m sorry.”

Betty shrugs. “I think it’s been coming for a long time.”

“Did you ever think this is where we’d be at thirty? Back inRiverdale, living with our parents?” Archie snorts.

“God,” Betty laughs. “Not at all. I guess life doesn’talways work out like you planned.”

“It’s not all bad though,” Archie muses. “At least I’vestill got my best friend.”

Betty smiles. “Yeah. Thank you, Arch.”

“What for?”

“Being my anchor. No matter what I’ve been through, you’realways there to ground me.”

Archie grins. “Back at you.”

He slips his hand into hers and gives it a squeeze.

“Pop’s?” Betty suggests.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

#barchie #barchie fanfiction #fanfic #prompts filled #ratedt #future #canon divergence #blughead #verarchie #short onehot #angst #hurtcomfort #friendship #t:anchor #a:barchiefanfiction #a:keiraknighted #Anonymous

[eca19875]

Riverdale 2018

Predictions for this half of the season:

Betty and jugs get cock blocked again

Hiram and hermione try bully Fred out of his business again

Archie and Veronica have sex after she lies and tells him that his song is good

Cheryl steals someone’s cat

Archie almost fucks the black hood

And Kevin’s remains the sweet gay angel he has always been

#im riverdale trash #riverdale #riverdale memes #riverdale season 2 #bughead #verarchie #betty x jughead #betty cooper #jughead jones #archie andrews #veronica lodge #archie x veronica

[otters-shall-take-over-the-world]

#riverdale #archie x veronica #verarchie #camila mendes #kj apa

[kerryweaverlesbian]

I am LOVING Hiram manipulating Chad to fuck off and leave Veronica with everything, it's so funny

#riverdale #also. don't use a song I like for a verarchie sex scene #worlds best kisser is for gays and robots ONLY

[pleasinglockscreens]

Riverdale🏈 IGNORE IT IF YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN IT ✨Please give credits if you repost this • follow for more lockscreens • feel free to request your ideas • please like if you save or screenshot

#riverdale lockscreens #riverdale #riverdale aesthetic #archie andrews #betty cooper #jughead jones #kevin keller #veronica lodge #cheryl blossom #josie mccoy #verarchie #bughead #barchie #beronica #jarchie #football #tv show #cheronica

[river0vixen-blog]

Episode 11.

I have a confession to make, after the “I’m a weirdo” speech in episode 10, Jughead was soured for me. A combination of poor writing and uncharacteristic dialogue took away some of the realness that Jughead had, and for me, as soon as that happens I struggle to get back on board with a character. However, episode 11, especially when Jughead was to learn of Veronica and Archie’s betrayal, and by extension Betty’s as well, I felt a lot of that familiar “I heart Jughead” fan-girlishness come rushing straight back.

(Also, on that - why didn’t anyone *ahem* Veronica, stand up for Betty and point out that she had flat-out refused to betray him? Betty’s a family gal, and it should have been pretty obvious that she was trying to please everybody, but someone could have at least had her back.)

Moving right along… I feel like this episode was drenched in so much exposition that it physically screamed at you “Here’s the end of the episode at the beginning” - I am of course referring to the fact that in the first scene, where Jughead is sitting opposite FP, we see Jughead’s face as clear as day, but FP’s is shrouded in a haze of fog and dust, obscuring his expressions and acting as an expositional wall between the two characters. As soon as I saw that, I knew that something was about to rip them apart.

I got kind of annoyed by the fact that instead of going straight to the sherif, Archie and Veronica chose to look for Jughead. They were in the trailer, they knew the evidence wasn’t there, they could at least say as much to the police. But no, in TV land we have to create suspense. We all know FP is going to be exonerated for it. The real killer is going to be revealed. Why put the characters (and the audience) through an emotional roller coaster like this?

Less on FP now.

Could there be cracks forming in Cheryl’s belief in her family? Could I be misinterpreting the scenes? The answer to both is probably. Cheryl seems to be realising things aren’t all they seem with her parents, moreso than she ever had before. I’ve long since come to realise Cheryl is almost exclusively up to the exact opposite of what she appears to be, and my logic doesn’t change here. Keeping the ring. Making sure Polly was alive. Lying to her parents. It all seems (in its own way) very un-Cheryl.

Also Betty admitted out loud that she loves Jughead. I don’t even give a fuck if it wasn’t to his face. Finally someone fucking said it.

I have a couple of theories/predictions that are backed up by zero evidence-

- Hal is guilty of something. Maybe not killing Jason, but definitely something. Maybe he’s just an asshole though. I guess we’ll find out.

- Betty is cracking. So bad.

- We already know who the killer is, but we don’t know that we know.

- Jughead and Betty’s relationship will be fine.

- Cheryl will betray her family.

- FP will be released by the end of the next episode.

- Joaquin isn’t as evil as we think.

- Alice Cooper genuinely thinks she’s protecting her daughter.

- “I love you” “I love you too”

- Betty will find out about Archie & Veronica. She’ll be hurt. Jughead will be pissed and say something akin to “I was the second choice, but at least I was one. Now I just feel like this whole thing was a lie”. More drama. truth will be she’s hurt because they lied, not because it’s archie, and she’s so happy that nothing happened with her and archie because it gave her jughead. jughead will feel like an idiot.

- Archie doesn’t move to Chicago with his mother (the show is literally based on the comic that shares his namesake….)

- He will however consider it and his parents will fucking fight.

- FP will try to bargain with the evidence he has hidden (that will likely go missing) (“That’s our insurance policy”) ———

My mother has a theory that Jason isn’t actually dead, that he’s holed away somewhere on the blossom estate, and the whole thing was arranged and bought by his parents for some fucking reason.

I like it, but I’m not hellbent on it. Too many plot holes.

She told me I had to share it with you guys though.

(Blog has moved to river0vixens)

#jughead #Betty cooper #bughead #varchie #verarchie #riverdale #cheryl blossom #the blossoms #archie andrews #Fred andrews #Veronica lodge #Polly cooper #Alice cooper #fp jones #jughead jones #betthead #riverdaletheories #recap #riverdale recap #episode 11

[agreytracksuit]

as much as i want jughead to be ace, that scene where he and betty were making out was hella hot

#and i still feel zero chemistry for verarchie #riverdale #bughead

[river0vixens-blog]

Wrong vs right.

So I've seen a lot of posts about episode 11, and the morality of everyone involved in the plans laid by Alice Cooper and played out by Archie and Veronica, and I just felt like sharing my thoughts in a little more detail. First we need to talk about Betty. She's responsible for her own part in all of the conspiring. Let's not forget that. She could have warned Jughead what was about to happen, she could have made sure it didn't in some way (it is, after all, Betty Cooper we're talking about). That being said, she was stuck in the impossible position of betraying either her mother or her boyfriend. In that situation, who do you choose? It seems that Betty and her mother were finally starting to be in a good place with one another, and the idea of betraying that, and losing that (or just simply betraying her mother in general) wouldn't be an easy pill for Betty to swallow, nor would it be ideal for her to disrupt things further in her family than they already had been. As far as betraying Jughead goes, there wasn't an easy way to go about it either. Honestly, I'm surprised by the inquisition FP faced at dinner that Jughead's inherent cynicism and eye for detail wouldn't have immediately had his spider senses tingling. Regardless of that, I genuinely believe Betty was trying to shield Jughead from any unnecessary hurt that she possibly could. It wasn't an active betrayal, but an omission of the facts is still generally considered lying, and that IS a betrayal. I feel like Betty was caught in a no-win situation here, and I really hope they [the writers] allow Jughead and Betty to handle the situation at hand with the same control and maturity that we've (generally) come to expect from them. That being said, nothing they've endured together has been even remotely close to as complicated and emotional as what they're dealing with as far as FP's arrest is concerned, so perhaps we are going to see a little bit less poised, stoic, bughead conflict resolution than we're used to. As far as Veronica and Archie are concerned, I am so genuinely irritated that they didn't step into her defence, but at the same time, it wouldn't have made a difference really, except perhaps to demonstrate to Jughead that Betty had actually known about it all for slightly longer than he assumed, and upset him more. In a way it may have been a blessing. I know in their own unique style, Archie and Veronica were trying to protect the people they care about, but ultimately they did the wrong thing, and I'm not cool with it. You know who's most abhorrent in all of this though? Alice Cooper. Of course it is. Just as she's starting to win fan favour, she goes and plants the seed in the head of teenagers that they should break into someone's home and raid it. She literally encouraged that they not only break the law, but that they betray Her own daughter, and their friend. That's next level bullshit, if you ask me. She couldn't do her own bidding so she had kids do it for her. What the hell.

#Alice cooper #Betty cooper #fp jones #bughead jones #archie andrews #Veronica lodge #bughead #verarchie #varchie #betthead #riverdale

[bigtiddiegangwrite]

– Riverdale inspired plot or teen tv series ish thingy?

Ok, this is sound super cheesy but it’s so cute! Anyways, I dreamt of a Riverdale episode (idk why). The football team has an away game and of course they win, so everybody is hooking up or something. Verarchie is happening and Betty broke up with Jughead recently, she’s so torn, very sad, in one point says “why can’t nobody love me for me?”. And she’s just walking aimlessly in the hotel, enter Froy Gutierrez (or muse B) who just follows her, curious about her. Turns out, he’s been crushing on her since forever, but knows she only has eyes for Archie. He still tries to woo her and they have this sweet night just talking and laughing. It was so cute that I woke up and I was like “I HAVE TO WRITE THIS”

#plots

[shadowsinsweetwater]

HAPPY RIVERDALE DAY!!!!

May your night be filled with meaningful Verarchie glances and Bughead's hand wandering thing they do c:

#riverdale #bughead #archieronnie #thursday #new #cw riverdale #cole sprouse #lili reinhart #camila mendes #kj apa #madelaine petsch

[barchiefanfiction]

i’ll try not to stare by brinaspellmans

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Riverdale (TV 2017), Archie Comics Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge Characters: Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews, Veronica Lodge Additional Tags: Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, 30 Day OTP Challenge, Sad Archie Andrews, Jealousy, Implied/Referenced Sex Series: Part 2 of 30 Day OTP Challenge: Barchie Summary:

Archie and Betty have been best friends since preschool, but something's changed.

Read on AO3

#barchie #barchie fanfiction #fanfic #drabble #ratedt #canon compliant #jealousy #blughead #verarchie #s1 #t:i'll try not to stare #a:brinaspellmans

[eca19875]

Riverdale will be the end of me tbh

#riverdale #bughead #verarchie #riverdale memes #im riverdale trash

[barchiefanfiction]

(i like me better) when i’m with you

by kinselllas

Sometimes, dating Betty is so easy, Archie lets himself pretend it’s real.

Post 2x08

prompt:  fake dating fic where they have to pretend to be together for some weird reason 

“This isn’t going to work.”

Betty reaches up to push a lock of his hair back, fingers gentle.

“Yes,” she meets his gaze, “It is.”

Archie swallows, giving her a quick nod in return. They face the double doors of the school and he sucks in a breath, can feel Betty tense against his shoulder. Her hand searches next to him, finding his fingers and gripping tightly. Archie squeezes back.

“Ready?” He asks, barely a whisper.

“Ready.”

Okay, let’s rewind—

Archie is sitting in the library. This is important because Archie is hardly ever in the library. He’d stumbled his way in there a few times, hands up Veronica’s skirt, toying with her buttons. But he’s never been in the library for its intended purpose, which is to- well, study.

But here he is.

Betty manifests at his work table, seemingly out of nowhere, and gives him a soft nudge.

See, Archie and Veronica have been broken up for almost three weeks now, Betty and Jughead for the same, minus an hour or two. Archie won’t admit that he’s kind of…okay with it. He finds new ways to keep busy, although he definitely finds himself spending much more time alone. So alone that when Betty shows up next to him, he nearly jumps in his skin.

“How’s it going?” She asks, and Archie can almost feel how hard she’s trying to be casual.

He notes that she’s been wearing her hair down lately, after everything with the Black Hood and their respective break-ups, Archie hasn’t seen much of Betty. She’s been a blur in the hallway, moving from one activity to the next.

“Not bad,” he shrugs gently, “You?”

Betty shrugs back, but her gaze drops to the table. She opens her mouth to speak, but seems to be contemplating her words. Archie raises his eyebrows before she finally responds.

“I want Jughead back.”

Archie mumbles an “Of course you do” under his breath and pretends to focus on the textbook in front of him. Betty reads his response and furrows her brow in confusion.

“I mean,” she offers, eyeing his profile, “Don’t you want Veronica back?”

“Maybe,” Archie sighs, he honestly hadn’t given it much thought. “I guess.”

Betty’s eyes light up at the answer, leaning in closer.

“Great!” she shrieks, “I have a plan.”

Archie can’t exactly argue with her, since he knows there is absolutely nothing that would drive Jughead and Veronica more insane than seeing Archie and Betty dating, confirming their own buried insecurities and pushing them to admit their regrets. Archie found it all to be a little immature, but he also knew Betty’s most ridiculous plans only further proved how much the cause meant to her.

“Favorite color?” She prompts.

“Pastel pink,” he fires back.

“Favorite food?”

Archie smirks, “Pop’s fries.”

Betty smacks his shoulder lightly, a scolding glare.

“Well, they are.”

Archie would quiz her on every fun fact about him, but Betty already knows. It amazes him how easy it is to fall into this “fake” relationship, since they’ve been friends for as long as Archie can remember. He finds that he has an even harder time saying “no” to Betty than he did with Veronica, the pent up loyalty that’s been accumulating over the years.

“And yours is mac and cheese,” she gives him a quick eye roll, “which I know because I’ve been making it for you since we were eight.”

Archie feels his chest swell with a certain fondness.

“Yeah,” he nods, “You have.”

—Back to where we started

Archie and Betty walk hand in hand down the hallway, ignoring the obvious gasps and whispers from the surrounding crowds. For most, it’s not a huge surprise. But Archie does note Veronica’s wide eyes, shock playing over her features. It takes nearly a minute before she’s dragging him into an empty classroom.

“So you and Betty are-“

“Yeah,” he finishes, “We are.”

Veronica swallows, and he sees something flicker in her eyes, a knowing look that forces a sharp pang in his chest. He had played so many scenarios through his head, but it wasn’t the same as seeing her pain first hand.

“Well, I think that’s great,” she nods, but her voice cracks.

Archie wants to reach out, pull her close and hold her the way he had so many times before. But when his hand reaches out, it gets lost in the distance, falling weakly at his side.

He whispers, “Veronica—“

She’s already blinked the tears away, disappearing from the room.

Archie slides into the seat next to Betty’s at lunch, because he genuinely feels like he’s supposed to, and she doesn’t hesitate pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. He flickers his gaze over her face, how easy and normal it is for her to pretend they’re dating.

“I grabbed you an extra snickerdoodle,” he forces, hating how sappy he sounds.

When he holds the cookie up, Betty leans forward and snags a bite, right out of his hand. Archie can’t even bite back his laugh before it’s already out, and he resists the urge to lean toward her and kiss her, an automatic response.

Cheryl’s tray clatters on the table and she rolls her eyes.

“You two are even more nauseating than I could have imagined.”

For the record, Jughead’s reaction had gone entirely undocumented until the night of Cheryl’s party. Archie had assumed he was so caught up in Serpent business he’d disregarded Betty entirely. It actually provided him a big sigh of relief that he wouldn’t have to talk through dating his best friend’s ex girlfriend- who is also his best friend.

Betty is absolutely certain that Jughead won’t be at Cheryl’s party, since she’s on his long list of least favorite people. Veronica still recoils a little every time she sees them, but she also seems more accepting than before. She didn’t love him, after all.

When Jughead and the Serpents pull up to Thornhill, Betty’s nervous energy radiates off of her body and everything she touches. Archie’s first instinct is to reach for her and Betty shrugs him away, following Jughead out to the backyard.

Archie lingers by the screen door, watching their heated discussion. Jughead’s arms are flailing, while Betty flinches gently. He feels his fists clench at his sides and grounds himself to stop from running out there. Betty’s hand comes up to cover her mouth and she gives a tiny nod, Jughead turning his back and walking away from her. As soon as he’s far enough away, Archie slides the door open and makes his way over to Betty.

“Hey,” he whispers, “Are you okay?”

Betty shakes her head, tears rimming her eyes. He’s immediately hit with a wave of deja vu, the broken heart he saw after the homecoming dance, the devastation.

“He knows it’s fake,” she whimpers, softly. “He said it’s time to grow up.”

Archie has a million things that he wants to say, that he could say.

He doesn’t deserve you. He’s a dick. It’s time to move on.

Instead, Archie catches Jughead’s gaze, and does the only thing he can think of that will help. He grabs Betty’s wrist and yanks her forward, crashing his lips against hers. She freezes for a moment, eyes fluttering closed before she kisses him back, a sigh into his mouth. He exhales, releasing a lot of emotions he didn’t know he had, and Betty takes it in, leaning into his chest.

The first kiss was different. It was under different circumstances and alarming for reasons that Archie didn’t have time to explore. Kissing her at a party, in front of all of their friends, he had to wonder if this is the way things were meant to be all along.

“Jughead looked outraged,” Betty beams, nudging against his shoulder during their stroll home. “Outraged!”

Archie glances up at her enthusiasm, a small eye roll. “I noticed.”

He feels his heart beating a little faster, thumping against his ribs, without really knowing why. At the end of all of this, Betty’s endgame is Jughead. He has to continually remind himself that while their fake relationship is fun, it’s not going to end with them together. He can’t quite figure out why that bothers him so much.

Betty takes the three steps up to her house and gives him a quick glance over her shoulder and she smiles.

“Good job tonight, Arch.”

And he swears he catches a small wink from her right eye.

Come Monday, Archie finds Betty at her locker and lets his hands fall to her waist. Betty jumps under his grip, her back colliding with his chest. and she giggles softly.

“What are you doing?” She whispers, almost scolding.

“If Jughead thinks it’s fake,” Archie mumbles, against her ear, “Let’s prove that it’s real.”

He can feel Betty shudder beneath his fingers, and he likes the feeling of holding her, having an effect on her again. His fingertips dig in to her hips just slightly and Betty releases a sigh into her open locker. Her hands continue to flip through her textbooks, but her movements have increasingly slowed.

PDA is not exactly new to Archie, Veronica was a bit of an exhibitionist and most of the time he was the one blushing in embarrassment at everyone staring. But he was starting to understand the thrill, hands skating up Betty’s sides, all the while knowing the entire school could be watching.

Betty turns to face him, swallowing gently.

“Archie…” and she sounds unsure, for the first time since they started this ridiculous scheme.

He smiles, a little amused, “Betty.”

Her gaze flickers down to his mouth, before meeting his eyes. A small nod.

“I’m in.”

Archie and Betty do what they can to become unavoidable. Archie grabs her by the wrist after Vixen practice and presses a quick kiss to her lips, snatching her duffle bag to carry on the walk home. It’s easy, because it’s not too far off from how things have always been, just a change in the context. Sometimes, dating Betty is so easy, Archie lets himself pretend it’s real.

“How was your day?” He asks, Betty’s fingers slipping easily into his own.

“Pretty good,” she shrugs, “Cheryl still doesn’t think I’m capable of a full front flip.”

Archie throws her a grin, “Are you?”

“Probably not.”

Archie swallows his chuckle, pressing his mouth against the crown of her head.

Just a change in the context.

“I’m having a party this weekend,” Veronica grabs him by the arm, “You’re invited, obviously.”

Archie nods, but can feel his body tense in her presence, seeking out Betty’s glance. Instead, he finds Betty’s back pressed against her locker with Jughead in front of her body. Archie’s fists clench beyond his control.

“Cool,” he shrugs, “I’ll be there.”

Veronica is staring at Archie, but Archie’s gaze can’t leave Betty and Jughead down the hall. Her gaze follows his own and she swallows harshly next to him.

“I assume you’ll be bringing your-“ she clears her throat, “Betty.”

Archie nods, can’t see any reason why he wouldn’t. Except that his “girlfriend” is still trapped in the same spot, Jughead reaching up to push a few strands of blonde hair out of her face. And Betty smiles, a little, but her gaze seeks him out, and Archie releases a deep sigh of relief. Veronica catches it and rolls her eyes.

“Can’t fight fate,” she mumbles, under her breath, “Right, Archiekins?”

The night of Veronica’s party, Betty walks over to Archie’s and he drives them to the Pembrooke. He notes Betty fidgeting in her seat next to him and the energy already feels off. He sucks in a breath and stares out the windshield, suddenly certain that Betty will end their arrangement tonight. It was short lived, of course, and only a matter of time before Jughead would realize his mistake, asking for her back.

And there was no doubt it in Archie’s mind that if given the opportunity, she would choose Jughead over him in a heartbeat. He already had his chance and he blew it, he’d have to move on from here. His hand moves to her knee and she nearly jumps in her skin, throwing him a small smile.

“Everything okay?” he asks, voice soft.

“Yeah,” she nods hurriedly, “Yes.”

Archie stands next to Betty in the elevator and glances at her as she sucks in a deep breath. Her eyes meet his for a moment, and she blinks the moment away. When the elevator dings open, Archie is shocked to find Jughead is already sitting on the chaste in Veronica’s foyer, drink sitting nearby. He glances up at them for a moment, before shifting his attention back to Sweet Pea’s animated story.

Archie can practically feel Betty vibrating next to him, the anxious edge of care care care.

“Archiekins,” Veronica approaches them, a beaming smile, “B.”

“Hey Veronica,” Archie gives her a grin, hasn’t been able to call her Ronnie since the break-up.

Betty’s brow furrows, “You’re in good spirits, V.”

“Well,” Veronica continues her flashy proud smile, “I have reconciled my feelings about your new romance. No use in fighting the inevitable, after all.”

Betty is quick to react, eyes widening at the word inevitable, and Archie opens his mouth to retort, but Jughead appears before anyone can get another word out. The red cup in his hand sloshes, and nearly goes over Veronica’s shoulder, but he catches it time.

“BettyandArchie,” Jughead grins, slurring slightly, “ArchieandBetty.”

Archie is suddenly struck with how much Jughead reminds him of his father in that moment, and while FP may have changed his ways, the times got worse before they got better. His arm protectively snakes around Betty’s waist, and Jughead’s gaze follows the movement, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Relax, Arch,” he shrugs, but Archie takes the dig of Betty’s usual nickname for him, “We’re all elated at your new found relationship.”

“Elated,” Betty repeats, and Archie rapidly tries to decipher if he hears disappointment in her voice. She shifts her gaze to meet his, tries to offer something back. What does she want? Her eyes don’t give anything away other than seeking out his comfort.

“After all this time,” Archie says, gaze flickering over her face carefully, “Who would’ve thought?”

Betty swallows, nearly a smile, “Who would’ve thought.”

tbc

#barchie #barchie fanfiction #fanfic #prompts filled #multichap #fake dating #ratedna #canon divergence #s2 #fluff #angst #blughead #verarchie #t:(i like me better) when i'm with you #a:barchiefanfiction #a:kinsellas

[barchiefanfiction]

Guilty Hearts - Chapter 3

by keiraknighted

AO3 // ff.net

Veronica suggests a girls’ date at Pop’s after school on Thursday, and Betty agrees. It will be nice to spend some quality time with Veronica.

“Is Archie okay?” Veronica asks as they wait for their milkshakes.

Betty frowns. “Of course, V. Why wouldn’t he be?”

“I don’t get why he’s staying at your place and not mine. I told him Daddy was perfectly fine with it as long as he sleeps in the guest bedroom. Of course, I’d sneak him into my room but that’s beside the point.”

Betty shrugs. “He said he wanted to be closer to home and school. But if you’re worried about him, maybe you should talk to him?”

“I’ve tried, but he keeps shutting me out,” Veronica sighs. “If he says something, will you tell me?”

Betty nods, though it’s a lie. Veronica is her best girl-friend, and she loves her. But Betty’s loyalty is to Archie first, always.

Veronica shows no other signs that she’s annoyed that Archie is staying at Betty’s. Betty can’t help but think that might not be the case if Veronica knew what had happened between Betty and Archie the night of the Black Hood. Or if she knew what Betty had been thinking about as she touched herself last night.

The girls finish their milkshakes and walk back to Betty’s place together. As they reach the house, they hear the strumming of a guitar and Archie singing from his own garage, and they bypass the Cooper house in favour of seeing what Archie’s up to.

He stops playing immediately when he notices the girls watching him.

“Don’t stop on our account,” Veronica says. “I haven’t heard you play anything new in ages.”

“We practised together at school today,” Archie points out.

“But not something you wrote,” Veronica huffs.

“He’s been writing all week,” Betty says. Archie shoots her an accusatory look. Betty shrugs. What’s the big deal? It’s not like it’s a secret that he writes songs. She’d like to hear it too.

“Come on, play me something, Archiekins,” Veronica bats her eyes at him, and apparently that’s all it takes, because he sighs and his fingers find their place on the neck of the guitar.

Veronica looks pleased, and she drags the stool from the drums over to sit down. Betty remains standing. Archie glances up at them one last time before he starts to strum.

“Your name, gets my heart racing Can’t see the demons I’m facing You’ve always been right there on my side Even when I’ve fucked up, let you down, or lied

I swear you know me better than I ever could I swear you hold me tighter than anyone else would I swear you love me more than anyone should I swear you make me feel, make me feel so good.”

Truthfully, the song could easily be about Veronica. She clearly thinks it is, from the way she’s tearing up. But deep down, Betty knows it’s not. She closes her eyes as she listens to the lyrics, and she knows Archie is singing to her. Maybe it’s that one line. I swear you know me better than I ever could. No one knows Archie better than she does, not even his dad, and certainly not Veronica, who hasn’t even known him a year.

“Don’t want to be without you I always dream about you Look me in the eye and try to say it’s not real And I feel I don’t deserve you But I swear I’ll never hurt you I just want to make you feel the way you make me feel.”

Archie finishes the song, and Veronica applauds, standing up from her stool. Archie puts the guitar down, glancing at Betty. Betty chews the inside of her cheek, keeping her arms folded. Veronica rushes over to Archie and he stands up as Veronica kisses him.

Betty watches, her stomach sick as Archie’s arms circle around Veronica. She has no right to feel jealous, and yet she does.

Veronica pulls away. “I can’t believe you wrote me a song,” she gushes. “It was so good, Archiekins. Right, Betty?”

Both of them look to Betty and she nods. “It was really good, Arch,” she smiles. She’s not lying. The song really was something. But it’s left her feeling hollow. Or maybe it’s the way Veronica is clinging to Archie. The way Archie clutches her waist. The way they kiss like no one is watching. Maybe the song is about Veronica after all.

“I’ll let you two have some alone time,” Betty says. Neither of them even responds as Betty leaves the garage. She heads to her room and throws herself on her bed.

She’s glad she never let herself truly entertain the thought of being with Archie. Sure, she had a couple of fantasies, but she never deluded herself into thinking something might actually happen between them. Not this time, anyway.

After all, he’s never going to leave Veronica. And it’s not like Betty is going to leave Jughead either. And even if they both happened to break up with their respective partners, it’s not like anything could ever happen. Anything that could occur between Betty and Archie, any relationship that might blossom, would be seen as an act of utter betrayal. Which is why that night in the car remains a secret.

And even if Betty had, somewhere deep inside her, imagined that something could still happen between her and Archie, one day, far in the future, she is very much aware now, that no such thing will ever be possible.  And somehow, coming to that realisation hurts like hell.

  It’s warm, the Saturday of the Spring Fete, the warmest day of the year yet. It’s sunny outside, although there is a storm forecast later. Sure she’ll be home by then, Betty puts on a dress for the occasion. It’s a short floral thing, with buttons all the way down the front. She thinks she looks pretty. She feels pretty.

Especially when she walks out of her room and Archie smiles at her and tells her she looks pretty. She tries not to blush.

“Jughead’s picking me up in a minute,” Betty says. “We’ll meet you there, I guess.”

Archie frowns. “On his motorbike?”

Betty nods. “Yeah.”

Archie glances down at what she’s wearing. And okay, maybe it’s not the most suitable motorcycle gear, but he has a spare helmet and it’s only a couple of minutes away. Jughead swears he’ll never crash.

“How about we all just go in Ronnie’s car?” Archie suggests. “She’s coming to pick me up soon anyway.”

Betty nods. “Okay.”

It’s not like Archie to be the sensible one, but she does have to concede he’s right. She’s not sure what she’d been thinking, except that it was a cute dress and that Jughead wouldn’t let any harm come to her. Would he have let her get on the motorbike with her legs uncovered like that?

He says nothing about the dress when he arrives. He gives her a peck on the lips, and puts his bike in the garage when Betty tells him they’re getting a ride with Veronica.

The fete is being held in the park, and there had been people around all week setting up, decorating and organising. Kevin had tried to rope Betty into helping, but she had claimed she had too much to do with the Blue and Gold.

It seems like the whole town is there, enjoying the warm weather and the spring atmosphere. Jughead takes Betty’s hand as they leave the car and start wandering through the stalls of food and drink and games. Veronica and Archie walk behind them. There’s a slight breeze that ruffles Betty’s hair and the bottom of her dress, but even then, the day is pleasant.

The four of them grab some fries and hotdogs and find a place to sit on the grass. Betty struggles to find a position that doesn’t flash her underwear to the whole world.

“I can’t wait to hear what you guys have been rehearsing all week,” Betty says to Veronica.

Veronica beams. “I really think we’re going to give Josie and Cheryl a run for their money.”

“It’s not a competition though, is it?”

“Everything with Cheryl is a competition.”

Jughead chews on his hot dog, not bothering to finish swallowing before he speaks. “What time are you guys performing?”

Betty looks to Archie while Veronica answers the question, wondering why he’s so quiet. Her face heats up when she realises he’s looking at her. More specifically, the expanse of white skin that’s showing beneath the hem of her dress. She glances down, checking if he can see up it. Some sick part of her hopes he can.

“Betty, you really need to get a tan if you’re going to show that much leg,” Veronica says. “I feel like I’m going blind.” Her voice is teasing, but she must have noticed Archie looking, otherwise why point it out?

Betty tugs at her skirt self-consciously. She meets Archie’s eyes, and he flushes, knowing he’s been caught, not only by Betty, but Veronica too.  

“Don’t listen to her, Betty,” Jughead says, placing a hand on Betty’s knee. Archie looks away quickly.

“I’m only joking,” Veronica says. “Betty knows that. Archiekins, get me a drink, will you?”

Archie nods. “Sure,” he says, getting up and heading back towards the food stalls. Veronica watches him go.

“How will he know what to get you?” Betty asks.

“He should know,” Veronica shrugs.

  Jughead and Betty stand in the crowd while Archie and Veronica take their places on the makeshift stage.

They sing Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper. Archie starts.

“Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you…”

Betty feels Jughead slip his hand into hers again and she looks to him with a smile. He looks serious.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” he says. Betty nods, and they weave their way to the back of the crowd.

“What’s going on?” Betty asks as Veronica’s voice echoes through the park.

“You say go slow. I fall behind.”

“You know I trust you, right?” Jughead asks. Betty nods. “And it’s not that I don’t trust Archie, I swear…”

“Jug? What’s going on?”

“I’m just airing my insecurities so they don’t… fester,” he huffs. “So you can reassure me.”

“Okay…”

Archie and Veronica continue singing in the background. “If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me, time after time…”

Jughead takes a deep breath. “I didn’t like the way he was looking at you before.”

Betty’s stomach clenches. So Jughead had noticed too.

“What do you mean?” she asks.

Jughead shrugs. “He was staring at you. A few times.” A few times? Betty had only noticed the once.

“He was probably just spaced out. Not thinking about where he was looking,” Betty says.

Jughead shakes his head. “He was definitely looking at you. Like… like he was picturing what was under your dress.”

“Watching through windows, you’re wondering if I’m okay. Secrets stolen from deep inside. The drum beats out of time…”

Betty flushes. “Jug,” she says, sounding much calmer than she’s feeling. “If he was… and I really doubt he was, then that’s all on him. There is nothing going on between me and Archie. I can’t control what he looks at or what he thinks.”

Jughead nods. “I know.” He lets out a long breath. “So you don’t think I should mention it to him?”

Betty shakes her head. “He’s probably just having a dry spell with Veronica. She hasn’t been around much while he’s been at my place. He’d probably be distracted by any pair of legs.”

Jughead nods. He seems placated. Betty only feels a little guilty. (For what? She hasn’t done anything wrong, has she?)

The catch the end of the performance, and Betty is sure that she must be imagining that Archie is looking dead at her.

“If you fall, I will catch you, I’ll be waiting. Time after time.”

After the performances, the fete seems to be winding down a little, and dark clouds have blocked out the sun. Cheryl approaches, hand in hand with Toni. Strange, Betty had no idea they were together, or even that Cheryl was into girls. Or Serpents, for that matter.

“I’m having a little after party at Thistlehouse if you guys want to come along,” Cheryl offers.

“Sounds great!” Veronica says, at the same time Archie says, “No thanks.”

They look at each other. “You go,” Archie says. “I can walk home.”

“Are you sure?” Veronica asks. She glances upwards. “It looks like it’s about to rain.”

Archie shrugs. “I can make it back in time.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Betty says. “Jug, you want to come and get your bike?”

Jughead shakes his head, also looking somewhat dubiously at the sky. “I don’t really want to ride in a storm.”

“I can drop you home if you like?” Veronica offers. Jughead glances at Betty before nodding.

“Thanks,” he says.

Archie gives his own cursory glance to the sky, as thunder rumbles somewhere in the distance. “Come on,” he says to Betty. “We better go now if we want to make it home before it starts raining.”

Betty risks a glance at Jughead. He nods again, like he’s trying to convince himself there isn’t anything to worry about. Betty smiles at him, trying to convince him the same.

Archie goes to leave.

“Archiekins. Wait,” Veronica says, and Archie turns back. Veronica grabs him and pulls him down to kiss him. Passionately. Possessively. Betty has to look away.

Veronica lets Archie go, and she stalks off with Cheryl and Toni. Jughead gives Betty and Archie one last indecipherable look before he follows.

  There’s no reason for their hands to touch as they walk home. The path is perfectly wide enough for the both of them. And yet with every step, the backs of their hands brush against each other, sending goosebumps up Betty’s arm.

Thunder crashes. Betty looks up.

“Do you think we’ll make it?”

Archie considers. “Probably not.”

Moments later, the heavens open and it begins to pour. Betty squeals and Archie laughs.

“Come on,” he says. He grabs her hand and they sprint down their street towards Betty’s house. They’re absolutely drenched by the time they make it inside. Betty’s heart is racing and she’s sure the grin on her face is as wide as the one on Archie’s.

Archie goes to take a step towards the stairs, but Betty grabs his arm, stopping him.

“Wait, wait!” she hisses. “Mom will kill us if we drip water all over the carpet.”

Archie tilts his head. “Is she home?” he asks.

Betty shakes her head. She supposes as long as it dries before Alice gets home it will be fine. She’s about to say so, but Archie is already slipping off his shoes and socks. Then he pulls his sopping shirt over his head. It falls to the floor with a splat. Betty watches, her heart in her throat, her face flaming. Archie’s eyes don’t leave her as he reaches for the button on his jeans. He undoes his pants and pulls them off, letting them join his shirt on the floor.

Betty lets her eyes trail over his body, the sight of him half naked making her heart pound and her knees weak. She wants to run her tongue over every inch of him.

She looks down at her own drenched dress, clinging to her every curve. She reaches for the top button. Her hands shake, whether from cold or nerves she doesn’t know. She fumbles with the button, unable to get it undone.

Archie steps towards her. “Here,” he says. Betty drops her hands and lets him take over. He’s so close she can feel his breath, see his bare chest rise and fall. Heat radiates from his body and she wants to press herself against him. Partly for warmth, partly because she aches to touch him, to feel his body hard against hers.

He undoes the buttons on her dress slowly. She trembles as his knuckles brush over her bare skin, her breasts, her stomach, and she feels like she might die. It’s excruciating to be this close to him and not be able to do anything about it.

He could stop when he gets to belly button. The dress would still come off easily. But he drops to his knees, and the dirty fantasies that arise in Betty’s mind are almost too much to bear. He keeps unbuttoning her dress, revealing her pink panties. It would be so easy for him to just lean in and kiss her there. Run his tongue along her slit. God, she wants him to. Every fibre of her being yearns for him to touch her there, with his tongue, his fingers. She wants him to suck on her nipples, finger her until she can’t stand it. She wants him to put his cock in her and fuck her until she can’t walk.  

He reaches the bottom of the dress and stands up. Betty bites her lip as he slides the dress from her shoulders and lets it fall to the floor. Her pussy pulses, desperate for attention.

“Your panties are all wet too,” Archie murmurs. Betty flushes. “From the rain,” Archie clarifies.

Betty looks down, barely able to make eye contact. His cock has formed a large tent in his boxers, and Betty finds herself blushing again. Fuck. Has he been thinking about the same things as she has?

She looks back up at him. “Arch,” she says, her voice barely a whisper. “I wish we could—”

“Me too,” he says hoarsely. “You have no idea how much self-control it’s taking not to kiss you right now.”

Betty’s eyes flick to his lips. She feels the same way. It takes every ounce of her being not to give in to her desires.

Why are they doing this? To torture themselves?

Are they still toeing the line, or did they cross it eons ago?

Betty swallows. “We should put our clothes in the dryer.”

Archie nods. They scoop up the wet clothes and throw them in the dryer. They head upstairs and Betty grabs them both towels. They head to their respective rooms and Betty peels off her damp underwear and wraps herself in the big fluffy white towel.

Then she goes back to Archie’s room. He’s got the towel wrapped around his waist and he’s lying on his bed on his phone.

“Hey,” he says when he sees Betty in the doorway. He gestures for Betty to come over, and she pads across the room and lies beside him on the bed.

She doesn’t know why she didn’t get dressed. Perhaps to torture herself a little more. Perhaps to torture him. Perhaps she’s hoping the towel will slip and she’ll accidentally reveal herself to him. She gets a thrill at the thought of it. God, she’s sick.

Archie slips his hand into hers and gives it a squeeze.

“Betty,” he says. “What the fuck are we doing?”

“I don’t know,” Betty whispers.

Archie turns on his side to face her, and Betty does the same.

“Do you want me to—” he starts. “Should I—?”

“Should you what?”

His phone rings.

“It’s Veronica,” he says, pulling his hand from Betty’s. He answers. “Hey, what’s going on?”

Betty watches him.

“Yeah, she’s right here,” Archie says, glancing at Betty.

He jolts upright, looking panicked.

“No!” he says. “Who told you that?... Cheryl? Fuck. No, I swear that’s not what happened.”

He swallows and glances at Betty.

“No… well, we kissed. And maybe—look, can we talk about this in person? I’ll come pick you up… okay I’ll meet you at the Pembrooke then.”

Betty’s stomach churns, guilt and dread eating at her. Veronica somehow found out about what happened the night of the Black Hood.

Archie hangs up, looking angry and defeated. “Cheryl saw us in the car that night. She told Veronica we fucked.”

Betty feels like she might throw up.

“But we didn’t.”

“But we almost did.”

Betty can’t deny that.

“Betty…” Archie groans. He seems torn up. Guilt, probably. “I need you to tell me, before I talk to Veronica. Do you want me to fix things with her?”

Betty stares at him. What is he asking her? Whether she wants to be with him? Of course she fucking does. She’s been in love with him since she was ten years old. Younger, maybe. But it’s way too late for that. They can’t be together. Their friends would never forgive them.

“Of course,” Betty lies. “It’s still salvageable. You guys weren’t together when it happened.”

Archie nods, his jaw tight. “Right.” He gets up and Betty does the same. Betty goes for the door.

“If it goes well I probably won’t be back tonight,” Archie says. Betty nods.

“Good luck, then,” she says. She goes to leave again.

“Betty—” Archie says. She stops, turning back one last time. “You should probably talk to Jughead before someone else does.”

“Right,” she nods. “Good point.”

She steps out into the hallway and closes the door behind her. Time to work out what she’s going to say to Jughead. What can she say to ease the blow? What does she need to do to save a relationship she’s not even sure she wants to save?

#barchie #barchie fanfiction #fanfic #prompts filled #multichap #canon divergence #s2 #jealousy #angst #blughead #verarchie #cheating #ratede #cheroni #pining #mutual pining #music #t:guilty hearts #a:barchiefanfiction #a:keiraknighted

[barchiefanfiction]

Guilty Hearts - Chapter 5

by keiraknighted

AO3 // ff.net

After breaking up with Jughead, there is nothing Betty wants to do more than wrap herself in Archie’s arms. But she can’t go running to Archie yet. She has to keep a safe distance until he’s ended things with Veronica. So, she calls Veronica instead.

Veronica is over in five minutes with two tubs of ice-cream and a bottle of wine she snuck out of her fridge at home.

Betty cries. She cries because she hurt Jughead, because she lied to him, because he hates her and he thinks she doesn’t love him. Veronica hugs her and holds her tight, and Betty cries even harder, because she’s an awful friend who’s plotting to steal her best friend’s boyfriend.

They eat the ice-cream straight out of the tub, and Veronica puts The Duff on, and Betty feels better for a while.

The movie ends, and the tubs of ice-cream are empty, as is the bottle of wine. Veronica turns to Betty.

“Are you feeling any better?” she asks.

Betty nods. “Yeah. Thanks, V. I know it’s dumb to cry because I’m the one who broke up with him. But it still hurts.”

“I know,” Veronica nods. “But I’m here, any time you need me.”

“Thank, V,” Betty says. She hopes her lies are enough to stay friends with Veronica. Because if she ever finds out the truth, Betty doesn’t know if Veronica will ever forgive her.

 It’s torture, waiting for Archie to break up with Veronica. One week passes, and then two. Betty has to act like she’s perfectly happy watching him hold hands with Veronica, watching them kiss, knowing they’re spending their nights together. It drives her crazy.

She’s kept her distance from Archie and Jughead over the past few weeks, throwing herself into working on the Blue & Gold, and hanging out with Kevin or Veronica when she needs company. Kevin seems to have no idea what’s going on between her and Archie, and Betty figures if Kevin hasn’t caught on, they must be in the clear.

After three weeks of torture, Archie grabs her by the arm after school on Friday, while she’s grabbing her books from her locker.

He leans in close to her ear. “I’m doing it today,” he whispers. And then he’s gone. Betty watches him walk down the hallway, but he doesn’t look back.

Betty’s stomach churns. She’s not sure if she’s excited or nervous. She walks home alone, her mind in turmoil. She wishes she knew what Archie was going to say to Veronica. What if Veronica guesses why he’s breaking up with her? What if he chickens out? What if Veronica convinces him they should stay together?

Betty goes to her room with the intent of doing her homework, but she finds she can’t concentrate. She gravitates towards the front window, looking out, awaiting Archie’s return.

Her heart speeds up when she sees him walking down the street, from the direction of Pop’s. Is that where he’d done it? He’s alone, but she can’t make out his expression. She races downstairs and out the front door, beating him to his house. His blank expression doesn’t change as he ascends the steps.

“Well?” Betty asks.

“Come inside,” Archie says, putting a hand on the small of her back and guiding her through the front door. He shuts the door and Betty turns to him, ready to hear every detail of what went down with Veronica. Archie glances around, like he’s afraid someone might be watching.

“Let’s go upstairs,” he says.

Betty follows him upstairs, her stomach in knots. She feels like he’s about to break up with her, and they aren’t even together. But what if he’s about to tell her it’s not going to happen? He’s staying with Veronica? Betty doesn’t think she could bear it.

They reach his room and Betty shuts the door behind them. Archie goes to the window and closes the blind before turning back to her. She watches him in anguish, waiting for him to say something, to confirm her worst fears.

Archie steps towards her, running his tongue over his bottom lip. He looks nervous as he approaches her, and Betty’s heart pounds erratically. He’s an inch away from her.

“Arch—”

He cups her face in his hands. He brushes his thumb over her bottom lip, and Betty feels goosebumps erupt all over her body. And then he kisses her. Betty’s eyes flutter closed and her insides turn to mush. His lips are soft against hers, gentle but desperate, like he can’t quite believe this is real. Betty feels the same.

It’s over too soon, and Betty keeps her eyes closed for a few moments, still reeling from his kiss. Archie’s hands drop from her face and Betty slowly opens her eyes. Archie’s smiling at her. She beams back at him, still feeling all gooey inside.

“I have wanted to do that for so long,” Archie whispers.

“Me too,” Betty says. Archie goes to kiss her again, but she stops him. “It’s over, right?” Betty asks. Because she has to be sure. She can’t do this if he’s still with Veronica. “You broke up with her?”

“Yeah,” Archie nods. “I told her it was because of her Dad. I think she believed me.”

“How was she?” Betty asks nervously.

Archie shrugs. “She seemed fine. She said she saw it coming.”

Betty waits for the wave of guilt to hit her. It never comes. She smiles, and she slips her arms around Archie’s neck, and pushes herself up on her toes so she can kiss him again, harder, longer. Archie responds with fervour, his tongue delving into her mouth, making Betty press herself harder against him, desperate to be closer to him, to feel his touch all over her body.

Betty breaks the kiss, and Archie whines, chasing her mouth with his own.

“What else have you been wanting to do?” Betty murmurs. Betty hears Archie’s breath catch.

“You have no idea,” he says, his voice hoarse. Betty gets a thrill from the words.

“Show me.”

Archie’s lips crash against her own again, his mouth hot but delicate on hers. His lips trail from her mouth, across her jaw and down to her neck.

“I want to kiss you everywhere,” he breathes before he sucks her skin into his mouth. Betty moans, and it feels so good that she doesn’t even care that later she’s somehow going to have to cover up the mark he leaves.

His hands slip under her top, his fingers dancing on her bare skin, and Betty lifts her arms so he can get it over her head. Archie cradles her in his arms as her drops his lips to her collarbone, continuing to kiss her skin, down her chest, the hollow between her breasts. Betty reaches behind her and unclips her bra and Archie pulls away, watching her with baited breath. Her heart hammers against her rib cage as she lets the bra fall from her chest shyly. She stands there for a moment, her nipples hard from arousal, and Archie just looks at her in awe.

He lifts his right hand and grazes her nipple with his thumb. Betty’s breath catches. He does it again, and she can feel a tug between her legs, her panties dampening. She wants him to put his mouth on her straining nipples, but instead he grabs her hands and walks backwards until he hits the bed. He sinks onto it, pulling her with him, guiding her onto his lap. She straddles him, and she can feel him hard between her legs. She bites her lip. It’s all she can do not to grind down on him. Her pussy throbs, desperate for some friction.

Archie distracts her by dragging his tongue over her right nipple, sending thrills through her body.  His fingertips rest against the bare skin of her back, and Betty’s arms circle his neck. He moves his head to her other nipple and sucks it into his mouth. Betty whimpers. The throbbing between her legs only intensifies. She can’t help herself, she grinds down against him feeling the pressure of his hard cock through two pairs of jeans. Archie gasps, releasing her nipple from his mouth.

“God, Betty,” he groans. He sounds wrecked already, and the sound of his husky voice only spurs Betty on. She grinds against him again and he lets out a small moan. He surges up to kiss her again, and his hands reach for her hair, pulling the band from her ponytail and letting her blonde hair fall around her shoulders. His fingers tangle in her hair as he kisses her.

Betty brings her hands to the hem of his shirt and pulls it upwards, breaking the kiss so she can pull it over his head and gaze upon his perfect body. It hardly seems real that she’s allowed to touch him now, that she can live out the fantasies she’s been having for months.

With that in mind, Betty pushes Archie back on to the bed so he’s lying down. She hovers above him for a moment, on all fours, and then she drops her head to his chest, and runs her tongue over his hard body. She trails her mouth down and down until she reaches the waistband of his jeans. She knows he’s hard as hell in there, and she wants to lick his cock, make him groan her name again. She reaches for his fly, but Archie catches her wrist, sitting up.

She looks up at him, tilting her head in confusion. As far as she knows, guys love having their dick sucked.

“I don’t want you to do that yet,” he says.

“Why?”

“The first time my cock is inside you, it’s going to be making you feel good,” he says. Betty’s stomach flips over and her core pulses with anticipation.

“Then do it already,” Betty says. She doesn’t think she can wait any longer. Archie pulls her back up onto the bed and flips her over so she’s the one lying on her back. He undoes the button on her jeans and pulls them off slowly, leaving her in just her panties. She feels exposed all of a sudden, and she blushes at the way he stares at her, like he’s never seen anything so beautiful.

He presses his middle finger to the outside of her panties and drags it down her slit. Betty gasps and rolls her head back.

“Can I take these off?” Archie asks, his voice hoarse.

“Yes.”

Betty holds her breath as he pulls her panties down, lifting each of her legs so he can remove them completely. And then she’s naked in front of him, her heart racing. He leans over her and presses a soft kiss to her lips.

“You are so beautiful,” he tells her. “I love you.”

Betty smiles. She hadn’t realised how much she needed to hear that again. “I love you too,” she whispers.

“I’m going to make you feel so good,” Archie murmurs. He continues looking into her eyes, even as he gently brushes his fingers along the inside of her thigh. His fingers reach her wet slit and Betty spreads her legs for him. He thumbs her clit and Betty whines quietly, arching her back. His fingers delve into her folds and his lips press against her neck again.

Betty’s breathing becomes laboured as Archie’s fingers thrust inside her, and she squirms beneath him. She can feel herself nearing her peak as Archie fingers her and kisses her breasts.

“Yes,” she pants as the pressure builds. “Arch, I—” she cuts herself off with a soft moan, curling her toes as her orgasm hits her. Her eyes squeeze shut, but she knows Archie is watching her writhe in pleasure, his fingers still inside her.

“Fuck, Betty,” Archie says. “I love watching you come. I’ve been thinking about it since that night in the car.”

Betty doesn’t know what to do with that information. That he’s been thinking about her like this for months now.

“Is that when you started to want me?” Betty asks, almost timidly. “After I kissed you that night?”

Archie swallows. He shakes his head slowly. “No, Betty. I wanted you long before that. I just… couldn’t admit it to myself, I guess. That I thought about you differently.”

Betty surges up to kiss him, taking him by surprise. “Make love to me, Archie,” she says, sounding desperate. Archie moans into her mouth, and he finally undoes his jeans and pulls them off hurriedly, while Betty strokes his chest.  She drags her hand down his chest and abs and slips it into his boxers, biting her lip when she feels his hard cock throbbing beneath her fingers.

Archie kisses her messily, hungrily, pushing her back down onto his bed. He removes his boxers, and Betty finally gets to see him naked. His cock is long and thick, and Betty’s stomach lurches at the thought of it inside of her. She wants it so badly.

Archie reaches into the top drawer of his nightstand and pulls out a condom. He rips it open, and Betty watches as he attempts to roll it onto his cock. His hands are shaking. Betty feels her heart squeeze. He’s nervous.

Betty had been nervous herself at first, but she hadn’t expected Archie to be. Betty has only ever done this with one person before, Archie is much more experienced.

“Sorry,” he mutters as he fumbles with the condom. “You’d think I’d never done this before.” His face is red, and he’s clearly embarrassed. Betty reaches over and helps him put the condom on. She kisses him to calm his nerves. His hands are steady again when he presses them against her back.

Betty lies back, pulling Archie with her, still kissing him.

“Are you ready?” Archie whispers. Betty nods, her stomach filling with butterflies. Archie positions his cock at her entrance and Betty spreads her legs for him, pulling her knees up. She watches as he gently pushes the tip of his cock into her, lifting her ass off the bed slightly. He brings his eyes up to meet hers, and she bites her lip, nodding for him to continue.

She knows his cock is big, but she’s unprepared for just how much he stretches her as he pushes into her. Betty lets out a strangled moan as his cock fills her, and she feels as though she might break.

“You okay?” Archie asks, his voice strained.

“It feels so good,” Betty whines. Archie thrusts his hips, tentatively, as if he’s testing out what he can do to her. His cock hits her centre and Betty spasms, fisting her hands in the sheets beneath her.

“You like that?”

“Mmhmm.”

Betty’s eyes flutter closed as he thrusts again. He stills for a moment and Betty thinks she might die from anticipation. She jerks her hips and it’s Archie’s turn to moan. Betty hooks her legs around him, pulling him closer, deeper inside her.

“Please, Archie,” she groans.

He loses control then, driving into her hard. He fucks her desperately, and every jolt of his cock goes straight to her core, winding her tighter and tighter. The sounds that come from her mouth are high pitched an unintelligible, except for his name.

“Arch,” she moans, sounding like a complete wreck.

“Yes,” he pants. “Say my name. Say my name like that.”

“Archie. Archie. Arch. Oh my god, Arch.”

He keeps fucking her, even as she comes beneath him, crying out, arching towards him, her whole body trembling. And then he comes, holding himself inside her as his body goes rigid and he groans. He finishes, and drops his head to her shoulder, panting, the two of them completely shattered. But god, Betty already wants to do it again.

Archie rolls off her, still breathing heavy, and Betty curls into his side. She presses a soft kiss against his shoulder.

“Were you nervous?” she whispers. He blushes again, and Betty loves the way his whole face turns bright red.

“Yeah,” he admits. “Weren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Betty says.

He turns to her. “I just wanted it to be really good. I didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

“I’m definitely not disappointed,” Betty laughs. “You’ve already given me more orgasms than anyone else ever has.”

Archie’s eyes widen. Betty hadn’t really meant to tell him that, but it’s too late to take it back now. “Jughead never…?” he trails off.

Betty shakes her head. Archie studies her for a moment.

“And what about yourself?” he asks. Betty tilts her head in confusion. Archie clarifies. “Have you given yourself orgasms?”

Betty’s face floods with colour. “Oh,” she says. “Yes.”

“What do you think about?” Archie asks, his voice hoarse. “When you touch yourself.”

Betty can already feel the throbbing beginning between her legs again. “You, mostly,” she whispers.

“Me too,” Archie says.

“You think about yourself while you jerk off?” Betty grins.

“Shut up,” Archie laughs. Betty snorts with laughter, and Archie pulls her into a hug, still grinning.

“I need to get a drink of water,” Betty says.

Archie lets her go. “Okay.”

Betty rolls out of bed, enjoying the way Archie watches her naked body as she searches for her clothes.

“Wear something of mine,” he says. Betty glances at him, then makes her way to his closet. She pulls out a button-down shirt and slips it over her shoulders, before buttoning it up, leaving the top few buttons undone.

“Well?” she asks, posing for him.

“It looks so good I want you to take it off so I can kiss you everywhere, like I said I was going to,” Archie says.

Betty smiles, desire pooling in her stomach at the thought of Archie going down on her. “When I get back,” she says.

Betty skips downstairs, feeling light and happy. She walks into the kitchen and stops dead, her stomach dropping when she sees Fred closing the fridge. He spots her and does a double take.

“Betty,” he says, not even bothering to hide his surprise.

“Archie and Veronica broke up,” she says quickly, then curses herself. If it wasn’t obvious enough already what she and Archie had been up to, from her wearing nothing but Archie’s shirt, it sure as hell is now. She may as well have said hey, I’ve been fucking your son but it’s okay because he’s single now.

“Oh,” Fred nods. Betty’s face burns.

“I was just… going to get a glass of water,” Betty says.

“Right,” Fred says. He’s clearly feeling just as awkward and embarrassed as she is. “I’ll just… let Archie know I’m home.”

Betty nods as Fred leaves the kitchen.

“Mr Andrews?” she calls after him. He turns back.

“Yes, Betty?”

“Don’t tell anyone I was here?” she says.

Fred nods. “Of course,” he says. He leaves the room then. Betty hopes he knocks before he goes into Archie’s room.

She gets herself a glass of water and takes a few sips before pouring the rest back down the sink. She heads back upstairs, stopping at the top of the stairs when she hears voices coming from Archie’s room.

“Are you surprised?” she hears Archie say.

Fred chuckles. “I was surprised to see Betty in the kitchen. But I’m not surprised things didn’t work out with you and Veronica.”

“So, you approve?” Archie asks.

“Of course, I do, son,” Fred says. “Whatever makes you happy.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“I’m going to head out for a while, okay?”

“Okay.”

The door opens and Betty continues walking, as if she hadn’t been standing there eavesdropping. Fred nods at her as he passes.

Archie grins at her from the doorway, pants back on, and Betty cringes. He grabs her hands and drags her back into his room.

“Oh my god,” Betty says. “That was so embarrassing.”

“He had to find out sometime,” Archie laughs.

“What if he had come upstairs earlier?” Betty says, imagining the horrifying situation. “He could have heard us.”

“But he didn’t,” Archie says. “And now he’s gone, so you can be as loud as you want while I eat you out, okay?”

“Oh my god, Archie,” Betty says, blushing.

“What? Don’t you want me to do that?”

Betty blushes even harder. “No, I want you to.”

Archie grins. “Come on then,” he says, leading her back to the bed. “And keep my shirt on.”

#barchie #barchie fanfiction #fanfic #prompts filled #multichap #ratede #canon divergence #s2 #blughead #verarchie #smut #fluff #angst #t:guilty hearts #a:barchiefanfiction #a:keiraknighted

[barchiefanfiction]

Guilty Hearts

by keiraknighted

AO3 // ff.net

Summary:  After their clandestine encounter the night they caught the Black Hood, Archie and Betty try to fix things with Veronica and Jughead. Only, they can't seem to stop thinking about each other.

Prompts:  Fred is out of town and doesn't want Archie staying home alone so he has to stay at the Coopers for a week while he's gone. Jughead and Veroncia aren't fond of the idea of Betty and Archie sleeping under the same roof based on the fact they know they still have feelings for one another and during the stay the sexual tension between Betty and Archie is at an all time high, leading to a beginning of a secret romance

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barchie happened while they were dating their current partner. Instead of a kiss in the car that was in season 2 they do more. They try to fix things with their partner ,but realize they want to be with each other please?

Chapter One

Betty collapses on her bed after walking home from school alone. The day has been completely and totally exhausting. With Southside High closing, it seems like a constant battle to keep both the North siders and the South siders happy. Cheryl still won’t let it go. And yet, other than that almost frivolous drama, everything is perfectly normal. It seems strange to Betty, after weeks of being tormented by the Black Hood, of constantly thinking about ways to catch him and ways to keep her friends safe. She doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.

She should feel content, at peace, and she does feel relief to some extent. But after everything she went through, after everything the Black Hood put her through, after that night with Archie, hunting the Black Hood through the night, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever truly feel at peace in this town again.

She badly wants to forget that night. She wants to forget being held at gunpoint, and forget Archie getting into that coffin in the hopes of sparing her life. And God, does she want to forget what had happened with Archie only forty minutes earlier, in a car outside Cheryl Blossom’s house. Somehow that’s the part that haunts her the most.

She groans into her pillow as the memory surfaces.

Archie gripping her hands tightly, looking at her with those deep brown eyes, telling her how much he needed her. The pounding of her heart. All rational thought leaving her brain as she kissed him, the warmth that bloomed in her chest when he kissed her back. Desire swelling inside her. And then somehow, she was in his lap, straddling him, and his hands were in her hair, under her shirt, between her legs. They’d only come to their senses when they realised neither of them had a condom.

Betty cringes now when she thinks about what might have happened had Archie had one on him. It would have been such a mistake. It was a mistake to let it get as far as it did. And maybe as she thinks about it now her heartrate speeds up, and a there’s a throbbing between her legs as her panties dampen. Maybe she can still feel the ghosts of his fingertips on her skin. But it doesn’t mean anything. It can’t mean anything.

Especially since Betty’s very next unwanted vision is the memory of Archie and Veronica stumbling into the common room only a few days later, mouths all over each other. They’re back together. Which is a good thing, of course. It means there is no need for Betty to bring up the other night with Archie like she’d been planning to. They can just forget it ever happened. Or at least, hide it so well that Archie thinks she’s forgotten about it. That works just as well.

But seeing Archie with Veronica had made Betty ache. Not for Archie. For Jughead. She misses him. Misses having someone. She can’t remember now why they aren’t together. She’d spoken to him today at school, and honestly? He seemed like maybe he missed her too.

She calls him. He picks up almost instantly.

“Betty,” he says. He sounds happy she called.

“Jug,” Betty smiles. “Can we talk? Maybe you could come over. My mom isn’t home.”

There’s a silence at the other end, and Betty wonders if maybe she’s made a mistake. But then he says, “Sure, I’ll be right over,” and Betty hangs up the phone and lies back down on her bed, clutching it to her chest.

She hears his motorbike pull up a few minutes later, and she pulls back the curtain on her front facing window to peer down at him. She watches him take off his helmet and shake his hair loose. He has such nice hair. Betty wishes he’d show it off more. He looks up and meets her eyes, and Betty gives him a little wave before skipping down the stairs, two at a time, to meet him.

He lets himself in and he’s waiting just inside the door. Betty stops at the bottom of the stairs. They’re supposed to talk. She should probably tell him what happened with Archie. He should probably apologise for breaking up with her in the first place. But right now, Betty knows those conversations are only going to complicate things, and right now she doesn’t want complicated. She just wants him.

She surges forward, and Jughead meets her halfway, their lips colliding.

“Jug, I need you,” Betty whispers. “I’m ready.”

Jughead swallows. “Yeah?”

Betty nods. She’d almost gone that far with Archie. It should be easy with Jughead.

Upstairs, Jughead’s lips latch onto hers again as she leads him into her room. Betty smiles against his mouth, spinning him around and onto the bed. She’s distracted by movement from the corner of her eye and she turns her head toward the window. She can see Archie standing there in his bedroom, watching her. She can’t decipher his expression.

Caught off-guard by his sudden appearance, unwanted images of him flash through her mind. Underneath her, all over her. Her own voice echoes in her head.

“Touch me, Archie.”

“Like that?”

“Yes. Like that.”

She flushes, remembering how desperate she’d sounded, and how it felt when he put his fingers inside her. She’d gone that far with Jughead already. But with Jughead it had been more careful, more deliberate. She’d thought about it, had time to get nervous and overthink it, and change her mind several times. And then when it was over it didn’t seem like such a big deal.

It’s the opposite with Archie. She hadn’t overthought it at all. She let herself get caught up in the moment, handed herself over to her lust. And now it seems like a huge deal.

“What is it?” Jughead asks, propping himself up on his elbows. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want. I just want to be with you, Betty.”

Betty whips her head back around to face him, feeling guilty. She should tell him.

“It’s Archie,” she says in a rush. She swallows.

“Well, close the blinds so we can have some privacy,” Jughead grins. Betty gives him a forced smile and heads to the window. She makes eye contact with Archie again. He smiles. Betty’s stomach flips over and she hastily closes the blind.

  Archie appears on her doorstep the next morning. Betty freezes when she opens the door. Archie grins at her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too.”

“Sorry. I’m just surprised to see you.”

“I live next door, remember?”

Betty rolls her eyes, and Archie chuckles.

“I thought I’d walk you to school,” he shrugs.

Betty nods. “Okay.”

Betty grabs her schoolbag and follows Archie outside.

“So,” Archie says. “You and Jughead are back together.”

“We are,” Betty says, not looking at him. “So are you and Veronica.”

“She came over on Christmas Day and we worked things out.”

“Good. I’m happy for you, Arch.”

“Yeah, me too. Happy for you, I mean.”

Betty glances at him. His brow is furrowed like he’s deep in thought. He doesn’t look happy.

They should talk about that night. They should debrief about everything that happened, support each other after what they went through together. No one else was there. No one else could ever understand what it was like for Betty to bury her best friend alive.

But if they talk about that it might lead to talking about the other thing. Which they should probably also talk about. But just thinking about it makes Betty’s stomach tighten. Besides, what is there to even say about it? It clearly meant nothing. The whole conversation would just be pointless and uncomfortable.

Archie opens his mouth to speak. Betty cuts him off.

“We should go on a double date! Now that we’re both happily in relationships again. I’ve missed that.”

Maybe her voice is a little too high, a little too eager.

“Sounds good, Betty.”

  They don’t see that much of each other after that. Sure, they see each other. But they never go on that double date, and they don’t walk to school together. They’re both too wrapped up in their significant others, trying to make sure whatever went wrong last time doesn’t go wrong this time.

Archie tries out for the wrestling team of all things. Betty wants to make fun of him for it, but she finds she never gets the opportunity. She doesn’t even see him through her window, and she assumes it’s because he’s spending most of his time with Veronica at the Pembrooke.

Then again, he’s not the only one who’s barely been around. Betty has spent a lot of time with Jughead in FP’s trailer, doing her best to be a doting girlfriend. She’s wracked by guilt for what she did with Archie, and she wants to tell Jughead, to be honest with him. But something holds her back.

Jughead even provides her with the perfect opportunity, admitting to her that he’d hooked up with Toni during the break up. But if the tiny twinge of jealousy Betty had felt at learning that information told her anything, it’s that Jughead would be ten times as hurt if Betty told him she’d hooked up with Archie of all people. Anyone else, anyone, and maybe it would be fine. But Archie? Jughead would never forgive either of them.

So, she buries her guilt and puts on the façade of the perfect girlfriend. Jughead doesn’t seem to notice how hard she’s trying. She thinks it should be easier, being his girlfriend. But she can’t seem to get Archie out of her head, no matter how hard she tries.

If she’s not with Jughead, she’s at the Blue & Gold office, running the paper entirely on her own. Jughead will write a story or two for her, and Kevin, and a few others, but no one else is really interested in actually running the paper.

It’s there that Archie finds her after school, a couple weeks into February, trying to work out some last-minute layout errors. He taps on the doorframe, and Betty looks up.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Betty nods. “Sorry about the mess.”

Archie raises an eyebrow at her and she laughs. Like he cares about the mess. He pulls up a stool across the desk from her.

“What brings you here?” Betty asks.

Archie shrugs. “I feel like I’ve barely seen you lately.”

“Too busy with the wrestling team?” Betty teases.

“Ha. Shut up.”

“Why exactly are you doing wrestling?”

“Just… trying new things,” Archie says. Betty sees right through him. She gives him a disbelieving look. He sighs. “Ronnie thought it might… impress Mr Lodge.”

“And how is that working out for you?”

“Great, actually. Well, he likes me now.”

“But what about basketball?”

“What about it? I can’t do both.”

“But you love basketball.”

Archie shrugs. “Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for your relationship.”

Betty hides her disapproval, ducking her head to look at her layout again. Sure, sometimes you have to make sacrifices in a relationship. But should he really have to give up a sport he loves for one he hates, just to impress some criminal?

“Listen,” Archie says, breaking the silence. Betty looks up again. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.”

“You have?” She feels her heart flutter at the words.

“I feel like I owe you an apology.”

“An apology? Why?”

“For… for what happened the night of the Black Hood. I let things get too far, and then we didn’t even talk about it and I just got back with Veronica without seeing how you felt about it. I’m sorry.”

Betty shakes her head, her eyes welling with tears. “Archie,” she says. “God, that’s nothing. You don’t owe me an apology for that. I buried you alive, I—I still think about it. I have nightmares about it sometimes. I’m so, so sorry, Arch, I—”

“Hey, listen to me,” Archie says fiercely. His eyes flash. “You don’t ever have to be sorry about that. Ever. I got into that grave willingly and I would do it again.”

“Even if I couldn’t save you?”

Archie’s lips curve up, just a little. “Even then. I would die for you, Betty Cooper.”

Betty doesn’t doubt it. Her heart swells, his love for her almost palpable. She hopes he knows how much she loves him too.

“I would never let you.”

“I know.”

There eyes meet, and Betty’s heart is thundering in her chest. Can he hear it? Can he feel the tension between them, or is it all in her head?

“Betty,” Archie says, his voice low. “That night—"

Betty swallows. His eyes rake over her, and she shivers. She knows it’s not all in her head. He feels it too. There’s something between them, some spark that ignited that night in the car.

Archie opens his mouth to continue.

“Don’t say anything,” Betty whispers. He can’t say it out loud. If he says it out loud it might mean something.

Archie looks disappointed, and Betty yearns to reach out and touch him, comfort him, hold him in her arms. She folds her hands in her lap tightly.

Archie nods shortly and leaves the room. Betty exhales as soon as he’s gone. Her hands are shaking, and her heart is pounding.

She groans, putting her head in her hands. It’s nothing, she tells herself. You don’t have feelings for Archie.

Except, she thinks maybe, actually, she does. And what’s worse, is she thinks he might actually have feelings for her too.

#barchie #barchie fanfiction #fanfic #multichap #canon divergence #s2 #ratede #blughead #verarchie #angst #smut #pining #mutual pining #t:guilty hearts #a:keiraknighted #a:barchiefanfiction #prompts filled