AN: I've completed the fic, everyone! There may be a short epilogue posted after this, but for all intents and purposes consider this the final chapter.

Jughead didn't go to bed that night. Instead he fell asleep in front of his laptop and woke up the next morning with a heavy head full of half-remembered facts.

He'd written about as much as he could about the evening into a text file, in case he needed to remind himself of these things on a later date. Then he made the mistake of going online afterward for a bit of 'background research' on what it truly meant to be aromantic, which ended up taking the whole night.

It was interesting though. And it was probably a good thing he avoided Twitter and Facebook in his search for the truth and kept instead to some of the weirder parts of the web. As a result of this, he now knew that aromantic people were no different from anyone else really... except for the fact that they were strong, smart, brave, awesome, super-cool and undeniably deserving of love. Jughead rolled his eyes at the saccharine stream of positivity as he scrolled past all the blogs; surely this couldn't be referring to him?

He learned that a great many aromantic people abbreviated it to 'aro'. He vaguely remembered the other Jughead using this word, which he pronounced as 'arrow' – an odd choice considering the allusion to Cupid's love darts, but he liked it nonetheless.

By now it was about 1:30 in the morning, and he had about 20 different browser tabs open.

In his quest for knowledge, Jughead had found that there were at least three competing designs for the aromantic pride flag, and he already had strong opinions on which one was better.

He also took note of some essential differences between aromantic and asexual. And as if there weren't enough contradictions for his late-night brain to handle, he learned that it was possible to be both of these things, even at the same time, while still enjoying a life of sex and romance.

The realization took hold of him, slowly at first, that it wasn't so much about what you do or don't do with your life. It was more a question of who you are. Though it seemed counterintuitive at first, he searched high and low for a better explanation and found none. Every glossary entry for 'aromantic' seemed to say more or less the same thing: a person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to others. It said absolutely nothing about the amount of romance they had in their life.

None of them ever truly explained the meaning of 'romantic attraction' either, or how much of it you needed to have for your experience to be valid, but for the most part it didn't seem to matter.

So where did Betty come into this? He wasn't sure if his true feelings toward her were romantic in nature, but they definitely hadn't started that way. Some essential quality about their relationship had just become more romantic over time. He wondered if he had unintentionally changed himself to become the boyfriend she needed most. Was it really possible for one's orientation to change like that? Had Betty turned him straight?

Jughead hated to think of it this way. He'd rather just appreciate their relationship for what it was: a soap bubble – so beautiful and simple; but the more he tried to mess with it or change its direction, the sooner it would inevitably break.

He showed up late for school the next day, mostly due to lack of sleep, but also because the glare from the computer screen had messed with his circadian rhythm and caused him to wake up late. He got about halfway to the school gates before realizing it was, in fact, a weekend. Weird. The last few birthdays had been ordinary days in the middle of the week, so it did stand to reason this one would be too.

But since he'd already left the house, he decided it was a good enough excuse to meet Betty at someplace other than Archie's bedroom. Living next door was nice, but it felt almost like he was sharing her with Archie. Or did it just not feel... romantic enough?

No, it wasn't that. He merely needed to be somewhere he could think clearly, and that wasn't home, much as he liked staying there. That didn't leave many other options besides Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe.

He sent a quick text to Betty, telling her he would be there. He spent way too long thinking about which emoji to sign off the message with, and eventually decided it wouldn't be the end of the world if his finger slipped and tapped the yellow heart instead of the red one. It was a subtle gesture, but to him, the yellow heart was associated with friendly and platonic love. All the same, he wasn't sure if Betty would pick up on it.

There. He sent it.

Wait, wasn't that the same emoji heart that caused a stir a couple years back because it appeared on some people's phones as a hairy pink pair of...? No, stop it Jughead. You're overthinking this. He'd seen Betty's phone a thousand times before. It was the same model as his one. So there was no chance whatsoever of the tiny yellow heart being mistranslated as something else.

Just to be sure, he looked at the app to double-check for the blue bubbles. Okay, now you're definitely overthinking it. Just stop! There really wasn't any need to overthink it. Why did he have to make it so hard? It was just a conversation with Betty.

Without even realizing, he'd walked right past hers and Archie's houses. He might have wanted to save the conversation for later, but it was a little late for that now. Betty was standing in the front window. Her face lit up when she saw him. Only a moment later, she was hurrying out the front door.

"Hey Jug."

Jughead couldn't help it. Her smile was contagious. Within seconds they were holding hands and walking in step with each other, and Jughead had almost forgotten what it was he needed to talk about.

Almost.

He could have still waited until they were both seated and waiting for food, but now seemed as good a time as any. Besides, the talk he really wanted to have was probably going to take take a while. He might as well start it now.

No wait, this was not going to be 'the talk'. It wasn't even going to be 'a talk'. He was not going to build it up in his mind to be more than it was supposed to be.

"So where were you?" Betty said, prompting to Jughead to turn his head. "Last night was kind of hectic for me too."

"Yeah, the reason I was weird last night... I kind of bumped into a relative of mine, who was... shall we say..."

"Your clone from an alternate dimension?"

"What?"

"Nothing. There was this rumor going around after the party, which just goes to show that people in this town will believe anything. I'm pretty sure either Chuck Clayton or Cheryl made up that rumor to get back at me."

"Get back at you? For what?"

Betty paused, and briefly stopped walking.

"I need to come clean to you separately about that," she said. "But tell me your thing first. It sounds more interesting."

Jughead tried his best to look concerned, which was not difficult for him.

"Well I also need to come clean to you about... okay, I wish I didn't have to tell you this. This, uh, relative of mine. He told me he was aromantic and asexual. That is to say, he isn't attracted to girls, or anyone else for that matter."

"Right, an aro-ace. I get that. "

"You do?" said Jughead, impressed that she knew the term.

Betty nodded. Maybe this would be easier than he thought.

"Yeah. So what's the issue?"

"Well, the weird part is... he seemed beyond convinced that I was one as well."

At this, she raised an eyebrow.

"But how would he know that? I mean, you're not. He can't be right, can he?"

"He's also not wrong."

Slowly, Betty opened her mouth and closed it again.

"You mean you're...?"

"The short answer is: I don't know."

For the first time in this conversation, Betty seemed lost for words.

"Um, yeah. That's cool I guess. I mean I wasn't expecting that. So, uh, what did you think you were before?"

That was a good question. It took Jughead a moment to consider the answer.

"Hmm. Sexuality-wise, I suppose I always leaned a bit towards ace. With regards to romantic orientation... it's hard to say. I think for a while I managed to ignore the issue altogether. But then this guy shows up and opens a whole Pandora's box of things I'd rather not think about. Because I'm terrified of saying out loud that I might not be attracted to you, for fear that it might be true, but I still want to be your boyfriend. And if I can't figure it out by myself and pretend to you that everything's okay, then yeah, damned if you do, damned if you don't."

"Jug, I understand."

"You do?"

Betty nodded.

Then she both stopped walking and put her arms around him, loosely at first but when Jughead hugged her back, she pulled in tighter.

After some 20 seconds of hugging, Jughead accidentally inhaled through his nose in such a way that it made a sniveling noise.

"You're crying?"

"A bit, yeah," said Jughead.

Betty didn't need to ask why. She knew Jughead well enough at this point that she could just wait until he said it on his own.

They hugged it out for a little while longer, until eventually:

"I don't want to lose you," he said in a small voice. "I worry that if I explore these things too deeply, I might find there's something about me that means we don't fit."

Another moment passed before Betty spoke again.

"Juggie, with all due respect, the only thing you have to fear is... coming to the conclusion that you're better off alone, or in a different type of relationship. Either way, I think you're better off knowing this than not knowing it."

"No no, you don't understand."

"Juggie, I understand. Really, I do. Veronica gave me the alphabet soup talk a while back. So—"

"Wait. What's 'alphabet soup'?"

"Okay, when we'd just started dating, she took me aside and told me what to do in case my boyfriend ever came out to me as LGBT. And yes, that includes asexual and aromantic identities. I'll be honest, I found it a little condescending, but I listened, because I would not want to hurt you for any part of who you are. And I will do anything in my power to make sure I never do. So yeah, I would love the hell out of my aromantic partner. If you want me to, that is."

Jughead broke from the hug and looked her in the eye.

"Are you possibly just saying that to make me happy?"

"No Jughead. I'm saying it to make us both happy."

Jughead wasn't quite sure what she meant by that, but he thought it best not to question it for now. The time for over-analyzing everything was later. For now, he leaned in closer and hugged her again.

"Thank you," he said.

They went on walking. Betty smiled and said:

"Well, that is such a relief."

"Why?"

"Um, when you said you didn't want to tell me, my mind immediately jumped to something much worse. Like, what if it was something that's actually bad?"

"Really? Like what?"

"For all I know, you could have got yourself indebted to one of the Southside Serpents for some Sins of the Father bullcrap and have to... I dunno, run drugs for them."

Jughead couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Yeah," he said. "As if that would ever happen."

They walked the rest of the way holding hands. Pop's was almost empty when they arrived and ordered their usual milkshake flavors. By this time, Betty had almost finished telling Jughead about the incident with Chuck. Then he began the difficult task of talking to her about how he might not be as straight as he thought he was.

"I mean, I'm still happier with you than not with you," he felt the need to clarify again, just in case that wasn't already clear.

Betty listened to everything he said after that, interrupting only to ask him the meanings of certain words. But more often than not, it was Jughead who interrupted himself.

Am I sure I want to say this? What could it mean for our relationship?

When Betty had noticed him doing this a few times, she finally interrupted his interruption:

"Juggie, whatever it is you're about to say, it's okay. I want us to be able to talk about this, about us. I don't really feel we do that enough."

Jughead, on the other hand, was starting to wish they could change the subject altogether.

"What? So you're overcompensating by having me tell you everything?" he said.

"No. I wasn't saying that."

"Then what were you saying?" asked Jughead, not that he cared very much for the answer. He felt annoyed at having to discuss these personal matters relating to his orientation. None of them were things he felt ready to say yet. And here he was, not even a day later, spilling the beans to his girlfriend. Perhaps this whole discussion had been a mistake.

"I mean, just in general. Like you could have told me you didn't like parties."

"Oh, don't make this about—" Jughead began to say. But before he could finish that sentence, a glowing green vortex appeared on the wall opposite table.

Betty's gaze followed his, and she saw at the same time as him. Someone was walking out of that vortex, still carrying the barcode-scanner-looking-thing that was actually a portal gun. He also looked an awful lot like Jughead, which may have been was because he was.

"Oh my..." Betty said.

The other Jughead looked around and spotted the young couple in the corner having an argument. When he saw additionally that one of them was himself, he walked up to them and asked:

"Have you guys seen my hat? I think I might have left it here."

Betty and Jughead took a glance at each other, then back at him.

"I mean, I don't remember leaving it here," he continued, "but I've retraced my steps and this is the last place where I definitely remember having it."

"It's on your head," Betty and Jughead said at the same time.

The other Jughead's eyes rolled upward, as if trying to see out the top of his head, but his skull got in the way. He put his hand there instead, and confirmed by touch that it was indeed there.

"Oh yeah. Thanks!" he said, then offered out a hand to Jughead and Betty. "Name's Jughead Jones by the way. I believe I've already met you. And uh, you must be Betty. Pleased to meet you."

He shook hands with this universe's version of Betty, whose mouth dropped open.

"No! Way!" she said. "Out of all the rumors started by Cheryl Blossom, how this the one that ends up being true?"

"What?" said the other Jughead.

"Someone must have seen you here last night, and word got out," said Jughead.

"But I was discreet. You and me were pretty much the only ones here apart from Veronica and..."

Their heads turned toward the bar. Pop Tate was whistling to himself as he dried off a sundae glass with a rag.

"Anyway, it doesn't really matter," said Betty.

"Wait. It doesn't?" said both Jugheads in unison.

Betty's eyes flitted back and forth between them, as if to confirm that yes, Jughead's good looks were a constant in both universes.

"No," she said after a moment's hesitation. "Pretty much everyone thinks it's just a rumor, nothing more."

Jughead breathed himself an internal sigh of relief. It would save him the trouble of explaining the whole parallel universe situation to people he would never otherwise talk to.

The other Jughead seemed to take it as his cue to leave, until Betty spoke again.

"But wait," she said. "The people I heard it from. They both said you came from some kind of alternate dimension that's... better somehow? Like, it didn't have any of the bad things that happened to us in the last year. Because if so, I want to know more about that world. What can you tell me?"

That's my Betty, thought Jughead, because if there was one thing about her that could always be relied on, it was her journalistic curiosity.

"I can't tell you, but I can show you."

Betty's face lit up for the second time today. She looked to the left at her Jughead, as if searching for approval.

"And what about you?" said the other Jughead, gesturing at Jughead with his other hand.

Jughead thought about it for a moment. He almost didn't want to go with them. From what the other Jughead had said about this world, there was a good chance that he wouldn't want to go back when he saw it.

"I'm probably going to regret saying this," he said, "but what the hell, but why not?"

There was of course much he could learn about his own world by seeing what a parallel universe was like. And he knew he'd regret it even more if he didn't go.

Maybe the same could apply to another area of his life. Exploring his orientation was a daunting prospect. But whether or not he turned out to be ace, aro, straight, or something in between, he would perhaps gain a better understanding of himself by considering orientations besides his own? Nah, too cheesy.

"Awesome," said the other guy. "I'll give you two the guided tour. But hold up! Before we head out on our adventure, let me just bring along a little something from this world."

And he sauntered up to the bar. Pop looked faintly embarrassed to see him again, given the role he'd played in spreading the rumor, but he still smiled when he saw the other Jughead.

"I'll have three hamburger meals to go, sir. Extra fries."

"Jughead," Betty called over from their table. "I actually don't eat—"

"Yeah..." he said. "Those are for me,"

AN: It's been great, folks! Special thanks to KatherineRide on Wattpad for suggesting the idea of having Betty meet both Jugheads. The ending turned out rather differently as a result.

I never would have guessed I was going to be here when I first brainstormed this story idea in a Twitter thread last year. (Gosh, has it really been that long?)

What started off as a cute idea to write something that both #AroAceJugheadOrBust folks and #Bughead shippers could get on board with has since spiralled into a monster-project that took up way too much of my free time - but I regret none of it! This has after all brought me to a significant milestone as an author - my first ever completed fanfic.

(Yeah, I know how many promising fics there are that never ever get completed, which is part of what determined me to finish it so hard.)

And, just to peel back the curtain a bit, this section was originally supposed to take place on a school day, with Betty and Jug meeting at Pop's after class. But then I watched the first season again on Netflix and realised that the title of the birthday episode was 'The Lost Weekend'... so I had to re-do the entire first part of the chapter for continuity. Sigh!