Song Credit: "Apocalypse" by Cigarettes After Sex
NSFW
The nightmares had been happening for weeks. Jughead knew it sounded childish; scary dreams keeping him up at night just like how ideas of the monster under the bed did to children. Although, while children dreamt of the fairytale monsters, Jughead dreamt of the real ones.
The worst part, he thought, was after waking up. Sometimes there'd be a weight on his chest and he couldn't move. Sometimes his eyes would deceive him and make him hallucinate.
But just like the weeks prior, nightmares and fear visited him again tonight.
"Hey, hey, you're okay. You're okay, I'm right here," Betty eased, her arms wrapped tightly around Jughead as her hand ran through his hair comfortingly. She'd woken up when he did; lunging forward and gasping for breath.
"Everything's okay," she whispered against the top of his head before he sat up slowly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," Jughead sighed as Betty readjusted the comforter. "It's okay, baby, I'm not upset." "
Do you think you can get some more sleep? Or do you want me to leave the light on?" "I don't think I can go back to sleep," he replied softly, staring straight ahead. "But that doesn't mean you have to stay up, you should probably go back to sleep--"
Betty interrupted him with a kiss before pulling back slightly and whispering, "Calm down, baby." "Do you want me to help take your mind off of it?" Jughead knew what she meant; it's something she's done plenty of times for him.
Whenever he was upset or stressed, she'd ask the question-- "Do you want me to help take your mind off of it?" And he always knew it'd work, mostly due to how well she took care of him. "Do you think it'll help?" he asked with vulnerability in his eyes.
"I think it wouldn't hurt to try," Betty replied, leaning on her extended arm to sit up. "But it's your call." With a nod, Jughead answered her question, his eyes following her movements as she repositioned herself to sit on her heels.
A gentle hand found its way to his cheek as she said, "I want you to try and relax for me, baby. Can you do that?" He nodded again before she smiled and replied, "Good," punctuating her praise by latching her lips to his.
A trail of kisses was made by Betty's lips, starting at Jughead's and ending up at his abdomen before gentle fingers were making their way beneath the waistband of his pajama pants. "Okay?" the blonde asked, looking up to meet his gaze.
Jughead nodded with a reassuring, "Okay," before Betty was moving herself to lay next to him, her hand still attentive on the elastic band. He laid his head on her shoulder as soft skin found more soft skin.
Betty's free hand grasped Jughead's in support as she slowly moved her hand underneath his pajamas. He sighed against her shoulder, eyes closing as she continued. "It's okay, baby. You're okay."
Betty ducked her head slightly, placing a chaste kiss on the top of his head as he inhaled sharply. "What do you want, baby?" she asked softly, her cheek against his head as her thumb ran across the back of his hand.
"Maybe...a little bit...faster?" Jughead asked shyly. Betty smiled, humming softly and giving in to his wish. He sighed again, his eyebrows furrowing at the new speed as he tightened his grip on Betty's hand.
"It's okay, baby boy. You can let go," she spoke softly. With a slow exhale, he finally reached bliss, taking a few breaths to calm his heart rate. "You did so good for me," Betty smiled, pulling her hand away and using her tongue to clean her fingers. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm...I'm good," Jughead answered before the blonde was getting up slowly, placing a kiss on his forehead before saying, "I'm just gonna go wash my hands real quick. I'll be right back," before leaving for the bathroom.
Jughead never understood how Betty was comfortable walking around in the middle of the night without paranoia forcing on every light in the house but dismissed the thought as he lifted the comforter to his shoulder, laying on one side.
"Okay, I'm back," Betty said softly as she walked through the door, a glass of water in her now clean hand. She smiled sweetly as she realized Jughead had fallen back asleep, walking over to her side of the bed and placing the water on her nightstand before reaching for the lamp.
"Sweet dreams," she whispered, taking him into her arms once more and wishing he didn't have any more nightmares.