Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the comic books or the TV show. All I own is my imagination and the laptop I wrote this on.

A/N: So, after the last episode, I too jumped on the Bughead bandwagon and it's where I'll stay for a while. I am aware that in the comic books, Jughead is asexual, but in the TV series it seems to not be the case. And if it is in the future, I'm merely using my imagination and writing scenes for a pairing that I enjoy seeing together. I've been reading through a few Bughead stories myself and found a few really good and in character ones. I hope this story will act as a way to pass the time until the next episode, and that you'll like it.

Human Touch

Does he love you like I would?

Betty found herself walking down the hallway towards the Blue and Gold office, having a key and thus around-the-clock access to the high school a perk and responsibility. Her date with Trev had gone well enough, but the sparks were missing, like firecrackers that didn't end up going off. He was really nice, with a good heart and kind eyes, but it wasn't what she had been looking for, or enough. Not enough to move yet another step forwards and further away from her feelings towards Archie. There was no friendship to use as a base, no deep-rooted loyalty, and trust – two things she thought were incredibly important in any relationship. Even though Archie had contaminated those elements when he had kissed Veronica, rejected her. Mistakes she forgave him for. It was just who she was, but it still hurt, a throb that caused her stomach to contract. So she had politely sat through her date, smiled at the right times and even touched Trev's hand and arm every now and then, in an attempt to gain ground.

Yet, instead of going home afterward to relish in the aftermath of said date, she had come here, knowing that there would be no place for her emotions at home. Nor was she ready to find herself on her bed and looking out her window into Archie's room.

Betty felt the anger, betrayal, and sadness as they attempted to claw their way up, yet she forced herself to blink away the tears and focus on turning the key in the lock. She pushed into the small office space. It was pitch black and the light switch not within immediate reach, and her mind was elsewhere, somewhere she didn't want it to be, even though she was trying so hard. She wasn't paying attention. She stumbled into the dark, tripping over something in her path and down she went. Her bag and key went flying as she freed her hands to catch herself, landing hard on hands and knees on the cold tiles. She bit back a curse, or maybe it was a sob, it was hard to tell at the moment.

Behind her, Betty heard footsteps scrape against the floor and she gasped, one hand blindly reaching for the phone she had tucked in her skirt's hidden pocket while maneuvering so she was now on her back instead of her front. She scrambled into a sitting position while flicking her thumb over her phone's screen and illuminating the space around her, catching a glimpse of blue and green. A second later the lights flickered on and she found herself staring up at Jughead.

"Betty?" he questioned, his lean frame towering over her now that he stood at his full height. "What are you doing here?"

She felt her bottom lip tremble and before she could pull herself together, she had dropped her phone and clasped both of her hands to her face, covering it in embarrassment. "Oh, Juggy."

Forgetting the cover-story he had begun formulating in his mind, Jughead dropped to his knees in front of the fair-haired girl. "Are you hurt?" was his first question, referring to the tumble she had taken mere seconds before.

Betty simply shook her head, unable to speak through the tears as she chose to silently bear them.

Slightly taken back by her answer, he straightened his back and let his eyes pass over her form in assessment, taking unneeded note of the pastel pink tint of her skirt and how it complimented the fairness of her skin and the make-up around her eyes that made them seem even more blue. "Then, what's wrong? Tell me," Jughead urged. "I'm sure it's not as bad as it may seem, the female mind—"

"It's not," Betty mumbled in agreement, barely audible through the hands she still had pressed to her face.

"Is it fixable?" was his next rational question.

She shrugged, needing a few more seconds before she took a deep breath and then dropped her hands from her face one by one. "It's nothing new. And you don't have to pretend to actually want to know."

His forehead crinkled into a frown as he considered her words. "I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't genuinely interested in the answer. Now, I'm aware that the majority of our peers would have inquired without wanting to hear the actual state of your being, but the majority of our peers are also mindless—"

Betty stopped his rant by placing her hand on the one he had rested on her knee, fingers dipping beneath the fabric of her skirt. "I get it, Juggy," she began softly, "you mean what you say and say what you mean." Her eyes dropped to his attire, a dark t-shirt and jeans, shoes and beanie missing. Behind him, she made out a sleeping bag and a duffel bag. Eyes widening in sudden realization, she met his gaze once more. "Are you sleeping here?"

"That's not really the issue at the moment, Betty," Jughead minimized her inquiry. He made to get up, but she held on to his hand and held him in place, eyes afflicted by her own troubles yet also holding compassion and concern for his current situation as she kept them on him. "Tell me. What's going on?"

"Tit for tat?" he offered.

Betty's look turned inquisitive.

"I'll explain my presence if you explain yours," he elaborated with a slight smile pulling at his lips.

She nodded instantaneously, dabbing at her face with the sleeve of her blouse while Jughead sat down on the floor right next to her. He picked up her cell phone and held it out to her. "Ladies first."

Betty took the phone, rounding her fingers around it as she spoke, "I went on that date with Trev."

"It must have gone horribly wrong if he made you cry."

She shook her head Jughead'sd's remark. "It was great. He was great. Perfect even."

Jughead scoffed. "Perfection is a fallacy."

Betty shot him a look that had him holding up both of his hands. "Hey, I'm just saying." He lowered his hands and folded them together in his lap, long legs stretched out comfortably in front of him. "Go on."

She bit her bottom lip for a second or two. "There was just something missing." She sighed, putting the phone down beside her. "The butterflies, you know."

Jughead rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah, he isn't Archie."

Betty allowed the words to sink in before responding, "No, I guess not." She lowered her legs, stretching them out in the same way as Jughead, even angling them so that her knee was grazing his thigh. "But it's not just that. Archie and I have been friends for so long, we created our own world. I trusted him."

"And he broke said trust."

Betty could only nod, finding it difficult to breathe for a few seconds.

"Well, he is a guy."

She gave his shoulder a gentle push. "That isn't an excuse, Jughead."

"I would have to agree," he said, setting his eyes on her just as hers dropped down, distracted by thoughts or memories, maybe even both. "But he is also human. And as we are not, alas, a perfect race, we are all susceptible to screwing up."

With a frustrated exhale of breath, Betty gave a single nod of her head before resting it against his shoulder, listening as Judhead continued. "He loves you, Bets. And you love him. Perhaps not as solely a friend. At least, not yet. However, you know, with time, the highly unlikely is known to occur," he finished with an exaggerated wave of his hand and a smirk.

He felt her shift a little closer at his words, to the hope he was offering as well as the temporary alleviation of heartbreak. It was the exact mark his words had been aiming to hit. It caused something inside her to flutter at the glint of a possibility.

"Your turn," she finally broke the comfortable silence between them.

Jughead cleared his throat in an overly dramatic manner, looking to lighten the weight his words would have. "I am sleeping here, have been. Ever since the Twilight Drive-In closed," he admitted.

Betty raised her head from his shoulder to look at him, following the movements of his jaw as he went on. "It, that, was my home, for lack of a better word. It's where I laid the proverbial hat."

"Why?" she asked the question he had been bracing himself for.

"Let's just say that my family situation was less than idyllic and this is what's best. For now," Jughead added tentatively, having trouble believing his last words himself.

"If you told Archie…"

"It's not his problem to solve," he told her. "It's a decision I made. I can take care of myself," he assured her.

Betty met his eyes, blue and green connecting. "I don't like the idea of you being alone." She reached for his hand and took it.

"I don't want your pity," Jughead stated, moving his hand as if to pull it free, but Betty wasn't having any of it, weaving her fingers through his and solidifying her hold. "It's not pity," she said, sounding almost exasperated by his suggestion. "It's compassion. We're friends," she vocalized matter-of-factly.

He arched an eyebrow in response. "Are we? Our single similarity is Archie."

Betty defiantly looked up at him, squaring her shoulders in a manner that was indicative of her stubbornness. "You've been there for me lately. So I'll be here for you. It's how friendships work," she decided for the both of them, sounding so confident that Jughead was simply inclined to believe her. Her gaze softened. "What can I do, Juggy, for you?"

"Saying what you mean and meaning what you say," he replied while looking her directly in the eyes.

"That's easy," Betty announced softly but surely.

"For some, I suppose."

"It is for you."

He pressed his lips together, wetting them. "Well, I'm not like most teenagers, am I?" It was a rhetorical question. "I'm the nonconformist kid with unconventional ideas and unpopular opinions. An outsider looking in," Jughead finished describing himself.

"Wrong," Betty told him with a shake of her head, pushing a loose strand from her face so it wouldn't obstruct her view of the dark-haired boy in front of her. "You're the introverted boy who's incredibly perceptive, resourceful and reliable." She squeezed his hand as if the action could add even more validity to her words. "I'll keep your secret, Jughead. Okay?"

He glanced back over at her, yet another smile tugging at his lips, close to revealing itself completely. "Okay."

Betty nodded, mouthing the word at him once more before relaxing her posture, pulling his hand, which she still had clasped, onto her lap. "I would offer for you to stay at my house, but this place is preferable. Trust me."

"I believe you," he delivered conspiringly. He leaned back against the wall. "Still, knowing your mom, you should probably get going."

"Probably," Betty concurred.

"Absolutely," Jughead returned.

"Undoubtedly," Betty fired back whilst cracking a smile, and so did he.

Now it was Jughead who squeezed her hand, lifting it to his mouth and pressing a kiss to her knuckles in the gratitude he abruptly felt at Betty's presence and existence.

A laugh bubbled from between Betty's lips as she rested her head against Jughead's shoulder once again, knowing full well she should go, but staying put nonetheless.

Please Review? :) I'm working on the characters, since this is my first attempt at a Betty/Jughead story, so they might not be entirely the way I intended them to be. But practice makes perfect, so I might be back with another story when inspiration strikes. Suggestions for Bughead stories I can't miss as well as feedback is highly appreciated and always welcome.