One taste of her poison, and he was addicted
"You've always said I'm full of venom, maybe it's time I bite." -JR
#12 in riverdale
#4 in archie
#1 in Jughead
#1 in serpent
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Jugheads birthday was nearing and the air felt untouched around the pair. They hadn't conversed much since their kiss, out of embarrassment or anxiety neither knew. But Bella still planned on doing the same thing she did each year, and she needed to make up for the two years she lost whilst traipsing outside of Riverdales borders.
Her roller blades skidded on the floor as she skated down the cafe, excited that Pops had finally allowed the waitresses to start more theatrical table service.
"Jughead Jones, another year older. Care for an early bird special?" Bella beamed, sliding toward his table with a burger in hand. She dropped it in front of him, swatting away his hand as he went to devour it within seconds.
"Hey!" He muttered, eyebrows knitted together and face sunken. All Bella did was chuckle before placing a candle in the centre of the bun.
"Really Bella? Every year I tell you not to worry and every year you do this." He moaned, but let the girl light the candle none the less. Bella nudged the food basket forward as the wax began to drip down the candles spine, a small smirk resting on her lips.
"It's tradition. Like going to the bijou later, which i have been excited for for weeks I'll have you know." She reminded him, dropping down next to him with a skid of her heels. Jughead smiled begrudgingly and quickly blew out the lit candle, puffing his cheeks with an over exaggerated blow.
"You're so dramatic." Bella commented with a roll of her eyes, yet her happiness was still unshrouded. Jughead smirked as he turned to the girl, still awestruck by the way her eyes sparked underneath the dim light of the red neon sign outside.
"Oh yeah?" He asked as his hand slipped behind her. Bella quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, her eyebrows raised.
"Yeah." She croaked out, her gaze flickering down to absorb every inch of his face. His head dipped down, eyes fluttering closed as Bella followed suit. She could feel his breath against her skin and it sent shocks to her bones like a burst of electricity.
And as she thought his lips would touch hers, a handful of chips were shoved into her mouth. Her eyes opened in shock as she scowled at the boy, slapping him away and chewing away the food now lodged in her throat.
"Oh, you dick." She growled, grabbing a fistful of food and preparing to start world war three. And for that small moment, Jughead Jones and Jessebelle Rhodes were able to forget why that time of year had caused the dissent of the Jones' family.
———
The trailers glistened in the morning sun as the young boy woke to the smell of warm pancakes and the famous maple syrup. At the end of his bed sat a beaming brunette, a small present in hand and black ribbon tied so carefully in her hair.
"Bella, what time is it?" Jughead groaned as he glanced at the battered alarm clock left brokenly ticking on his dusty shelf. The girl laughed a light laugh and clambered forward, shoving the box into his face and waving it in excitement.
"Time for you to shut up and take the present." The seven year old bickered, landing on the boys knees with an oomf. Jughead rolled his eyes, but none the less he took the small black box from the girls tiny hands. In the midst of pulling away the ribbon tied neatly into a bow, the door to the trailer slammed shut and the entirety of the trailer shook.
Bella pursed her lips and kept a tight smile as jughead looked back to his creaking door, which was still shuddering from what felt like fear. Bella quickly nudged his head back down to look at her gift, her legs acting as an anchor to keep him still. She could see his shaky hands tremble as they played with the ribbon, his mind racing with rapid and tainted thoughts.
"Where have you been?" Rang a shrill voice through the small container like home, piercing the walls as if they were made of paper. Bella closed her eyes for a moment, feeling a weight fall heavily on her shoulders as she listened to the two adults scream.
When she opened her eyes she saw jughead still fixated on the crumbling ribbon, attempting to pull out a thread that was licking the edges of the box. Tears watered his eyes, yet he fought them back because this day wasn't meant for him to cry, he couldn't let his emotions break the thin tether holding their family together.
"Its okay Juggy, come look what I got you." Bella soothed, a small smile falsely aligning her cheeks. The boy nodded and opened the box, peering inside to see an array of tissue paper and a small trinket hidden underneath.
"It is your sons birthday, and what? You think being absolutely off your face will make him like you more?" The voice echoed through the room once again, followed by disgruntled yells and a clatter of objects. Jughead hiccoughed away the stone left lodged in his throat and picked up what seemed to be a small badge.
He could sense Bella's fake smile growing and soon he was chuckling too. The small grey badge looked handmade but beautiful, with a black outline of a crown roughly drawn onto the surface.
"Do you like it Jug?" Bella asked hoarsely, watching his hands falter as he reached for something underneath his bed. She furrowed her eyebrows as he picked up his beanie, fiddling with the dirtied material before turning to show her.
There, pride of place, sat her badge. And she knew then that just like the badge, she would always be by her bestfriends side.
"I love it." He grinned, pulling the beanie on to his head with excitment only ever associated with a child. The two smiled at one another, a small bubble of innocence surrounding a broken home. just as Bella's lips parted to speak, the door to his room creaked a jar, forcing the two to turn in silent horror. Two adults stood beaming by the doorway, a plate of pancakes in their hands and a ferocious smile on their lips.
