one-shots || bughead + sprousehart

"you need to sleep." - bughead

if Jughead grabbed Betty's key in lock&key

"I'll go next." Jughead offered, standing up and taking another sip of his drink. He tripped over his own feet to reach the bowl but managed to refrain himself.

"I'll take him home." Tabitha decided, quickly following behind the stumbling boy.

"No one else is leaving without picking a key. I don't care how inebriated Jughead is, he has to draw." Cheryl demanded, her hands in the air.

"No, no. I want to. Let me do it." Tabitha rolled her eyes but didn't make any more protests.

Jughead bluntly reached into the bowl, taking out the first set of keys his hand landed on. He grinned when he recognised the pink chain attached to it.

And as he turned around, so did Betty. "Oh  God." She mumbled before standing up.
"That's mine."

"Well, well, well, Betty and Jughead, maybe a little reconciliation from the past?" Cheryl said with a glint in her eyes.

"Alright Jug, guess I'll take you home then." Betty spoke, walking over to him and wrapping her arm around his waist to keep him from toppling over. She saw Cheryl was about to protest. "He took my key, I'm taking him home with me. Can't argue with that Cheryl."

"You're soft." Jughead mumbled, leaning against her completely. "And you smell nice."

"Thanks. Now let's go." The blonde ordered, quickly taking his keys from the bowl as well.

With her arm enclosed around his waist and his entire weight leaning against her, they stumbled outside the door.

She managed to get him in her car, unharmed. Quickly she climbed into the driver's seat and started driving.

When they were on the road, she could feel Jughead's stare burning in her side. "I'm sorry." He slurred, his lips prowling.

"Don't be."

"But I took your key and now you have to deal with me." He apologised. For a second it seemed like he was sobering up but then some inhumane sounds came from him again.

She wanted to be upset with him, for getting druk, but instead she felt sorry.

"It's really fine, Jug. I didn't really want to go to this party anyway." She gave him a gentle smile before parking in front of Archie's house.

"You're not fine." He mumbled, looking up at her with big, wide eyes.

"What? I'm fine Jug."

"No you're not. You haven't been sleeping well." His comment was direct and she swallowed to hide her tensity.

How did he know that?

"How— what—?" She stumbled to let out a coherent sentence.

"I saw it this morning. You're exhausted, you need to take a break." Seven years later and he still read through her like no one else.

She stayed quiet for a while, unsure of what to say. "Let's just— let's get you inside."

A grin landed on his lips before he climbed out the car, barely managing to keep himself upright. As she helped him get inside the house, she mumbled to him, "Why'd you do this, Jug? This isn't you." With the key she opened the door and led the two of them inside the house.

"I don't know who I am anymore." She'd never experienced a drunk Jughead before, but it turns out alcohol is like a potion of candor to his blood. "I never knew who I was, until I was with you."