bughead oneshots

two: published

jughead drove silently down the road in his truck, as betty sat beside him enjoying the music from the radio. they were on their way to a meeting with a man who had contacted jughead about his novel. it had been two years since they solved jason's murder, and he finally worked up the courage to send his work off to a literary agent, who then set up a meeting with a publisher.
jughead had asked betty to come with him for moral support, and she was more than willing to accompany her boyfriend.
the couple pulled into a parking spot in front of the office they were scheduled to meet at, and after turning off the car jughead let out a large sigh.
betty grabbed his hand to comfort him.
"jug, you're gonna be fine. i've read your book more than once and it's great, so don't second guess yourself. especially not right now," betty told him with reassurance. jughead said nothing, and continued staring blankly at the steering wheel of his truck.
betty gave his hand a light squeeze. "juggie?" she said, trying to get a response. "you ready?"
he gave a small nod and got out of the car, as did betty. they made their way to the door before he stopped in his tracks. he let out a sigh once more and removed his beanie, running his hands through his hair. he placed the hat back on his head and turned to face his girlfriend.
"i don't know if i can do this," he spoke softly, showing how nervous he was by not making eye contact.
betty cupped his face in her hands to focus his attention on her. "jug, you wrote a hell of a story, and they'd be crazy not to publish it. and i'm not just saying that to make you feel good," she told him with a laugh. seeing her smile calmed him down, and he engulfed her in a hug.
"thank you," he whispered in her ear. he then grabbed her hand and they entered the office together.
•••••
they took seats in the waiting room after checking in at a desk near the entrance. every few minutes betty would say something to raise jughead's confidence, occasionally running her hand through his hair or rubbing his back.
after waiting for about thirty minutes, the lady from behind the desk stood up and said, "jughead jones? mr. browne is ready for you."
jughead stood up and subconciously wiped his palms on his pants, regardless of if they were sweaty. betty stood up with him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
"good luck," she called out to him as he made his way through a door and down a hallway.
•••••
jughead entered the waiting room once again with a huge grin on his face. betty walked towards him, anxious to hear what had happened.
"how'd it go?" she asked him.
"surprisingly well," he told her, the smile not leaving his face.
"that's great! i'm so excited for you, juggie." betty wrapped her arms around his neck and he immediately hugged her back.
as they left the office, he explained the further details.
"mr. browne said he would arrange to meet with an editor and then a designer," jughead ranted on. betty noticed that this was the most excited she'd seen him in months, and this made her happier by the second.
"i'm proud of you, jug," she told him. and she meant it, for she'd known how much work he had put into this book. it had been like his baby, and every free moment he got he spent on perfecting it. to see him now, thriving in something that he enjoyed, gave her a feeling that couldn't be replaced by anything or anyone else.
"i couldn't have done it without you, betts. the book never would've had an ending if not for you finding the flashdrive," he retorted.
she started, "jughead, i didn't-"
he cut her off. "please don't crush my dreams of us being a romantic, crime-fighting, journalist duo," he joked.
"fine then. you owe it all to me," betty said sarcastically with an eye roll, causing them both to laugh.