Bughead oneshots!

The Arcade

Since Jughead was little the local arcade was his home, sometimes literally. The video games helped him forget, there was food, and neon and strobing lights. That's all a guy really needed, in his opinion at least. He had the highest scores in all the video games he loved the most, even in some of the pinball machines, all without tilting it. That is until one day someone had beat his score in Pac Man. The anger was radiating off of him, who the fuck would even dare? This person in question had the name BETS on the leaderboard. That was one game though, so he let it slide, but as the weeks went by the leaderboard of all the good games now said BETS, not JUGJ.

Out of anger he spent his time at the pinball machines, taking it all out on the small metallic ball. His focus was at a high, but at the same time it wasn't. That is until a blonde walked up to the machine next to him, she had headphones hanging around her neck that was still playing some band he had never heard before. She didn't look the type to be listening to that music though, it was confusing. Fascinated by the girl next to him he watched her use techniques he never thought of before, and when she beat his high score he immediately knew who she was. Even before his suspicions were confirmed when she inserted BETS, to replace his once victorious score. He watched as she walked away, like this score was worth nothing to her. It took him weeks to understand this machine and she did it all in a matter of seconds, this really pissed him off. He slammed his hand on top of the seemingly glass top of the pinball machine.

Months went by, Jughead was wasting all of his quarters on game after game, all trying to keep his title as the best arcade gamer in Riverdale. It was goddamn frustrating, he was battling while she was just barely trying. He always felt like the second choice to people, so when he got his first high score it became like his drug. He was finally first at something, but she was taking it away, and it could not be tolerated at all! To calm himself he went to his default game, Pac Man. The arcade had recently gotten a second hand game, Ms. Pac Man, they bought it from a failing laundry mat. He was about to start round two when a familiar blonde stepped up to the Ms. Pac Man game, she inserted some of the shiniest quarters he's ever seen. He decided to pick his game up, he didn't know if it was to impress her or intimidate her. He looked over at her screen for a mere second, then he heard the deafening sound of one of his lives being used.

"Fuck!" He yelled in frustration, he thought he might have scared her but he didn't see her jump.

"Listen to music you like, it normally helps me relax, playing while mad doesnt' help with gaining a high score, that is if that's what you're going for" she told him, her eyes never leaving the old screen of the game.

"What?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed together.

"Music helps relax, but it could also kick up your adrenaline during a game, I suggest you try it" she replied, glancing at him quickly before going back to her game.

Jughead exhaled, mauve she was right. And maybe she wasn't so bad, she did share something with him that might actually be helpful.

"Yeah, I just might, I'm Jughead by the way"

"Betty, so you're the notorious JUGJ?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And you're the notorious BETS, right?"

"Look Jughead, I'm sorry I took your titles, but I don't know, it's just video games help me escape" she shrugged "I know how much a high score means to any gamer, and to have that taken away so suddenly has to hurt"

He understood, he knew the feeling of getting away from his issues. Video games were a coping mechanism for the both of them. He focused his attention to her game play, it was almost like she knew this machine by heart.