#and while neither of them liked me back. it was still noce

[jonny-b-meowborn]

Dude I miss the feeling of being in love. Like no one ever loved me back and I've never been in a relationship, so I can't miss that, and while I'd love to date someone, I just really miss the feeling of having a crush on someone

[roseinthenight]

Back to town [Jughead x OC] - Chapter 2

[Summary] | [Ch1]

2| Old best friends 

Later that day, around 6 pm, Archie knocked on the door of his sister’s room. April opened it rather quickly and looked up at the ginger boy.

”I was wondering if maybe you’d want to meet up with Betty, Jughead and Veronica at Pop’s?” Archie asked right away.

At the mention of Jughead April’s heart instantly started beating faster. She tried not to show too much interest, but honestly, she failed miserably.

”Yeah, sure,I’d love to! Buut... who’s Veronica exactly?” April tilted her head to the side as the question left her mouth.

”She’s new to the town, came from New York. I met her on the last day of the summer vacation.”

”I see. Well, why the hell not?” the girl shrugged. ”Just a sec,” she held up her index finger, singalling Archie to wait.

April looked at herself in the front camera of her phone. She wanted to look her best if she’s going to meet Jughead -and of course the others. After a few seconds, she put it in her back pocket, ran her fingers through her hair and turned back to her brother.

”Alright, I’m ready to go.”

----------

The red neon lights shined brightly in the warm August evening, bringing every bypasser’s attention to the diner coated in blue wooden panels. April could already see the familiar blonde ponytail and grey beanie from the window. She felt her palms beginning to sweat as she and Archie got closer and closer to the entrance. She fiddled with the hem of her flannel shirt nervously, not knowing at all what to expect from he best friends.

Finally, the bells above the door chimed, indicating that someone had entered. When the siblings turned towards their friends’ booth, Jughead was already on his feet, pacing towards them with disbelief in his eyes as he stared at April.

He didn’t change that much since April saw him the last time. He was wearing black boots, a gray pair of jeans, a darker grey T-shirt with an ’S’ on it and a thin black denim jacket. He also had a flannel shirt tied around his waist, and of course his signature beanie. Locks of his raven hair have lightly moved as he walked towards April.

She couldn’t help but let a huge grin appear on her face. She was so, so relieved to finally see her best friend (and crush, but that’s not really important, right?) again. Even Jughead seemed surprised at his own actions when he reached the girl; everyone knew that Jughead Jones was not a fan of PDA. Yet, he hugged the girl so tight and close to himself that you couldn’t even fit a piece of paper between them. April, of course, had nothing against this. She wrapped her arms around his waist and let her head rest on his chest. Jughead put his chin on the top of her head and just enjoyed the closeness of the smaller girl with closed eyes and not a word spoken between them.

They stood there, in the middle of the diner for what seemed like hours. The two girls who were still at the booth looked at them just as shocked as everyone else. The first to break the awkward silence, which seemed to have slipped the pair’s noce, was none other than Veronica Lodge.

”Excuse me for disturbing your cuddling,” she started with an edge in her tone, ”but you have your girlfriend right over here, Jughead.”

The mentioned boy lifted his head up from its previous position, but before he could even turn around and say something much likely rude as a response, Betty has already stood up for him.

”It’s okay, V,” she placed a hand on the black haired girl’s shoulder, a calming smile on her face showing that she really meant it.

”What? Are- are you fine with Jughead hugging another girl like his life depended on it?” Veronica asked with furrowed brows, not understanding the situation one bit.

”She isn’t just some girl, Veronica,” Jughead spat, every single word of his dripping with venom.

The raven boy looked at her like she had committed some kind of felony. He has now let go of April, but still stood close to her, their arms touching. His piercing eyes burned a hole on Veronica’s face. He unconsciously clenched his fists, which were slightly trembling with anger.

”Juggie, calm down,” April gently squeezed the boy’s shoulder. ”She doesn’t know me, remember?”

Jughead looked down at the girl, took a deep breath and slowly calmed down with April’s hand still on his shoulder. When it felt safe to leave his side, the brunette stepped in front of Veronica.

”Hi! I’m April Andrews, Archie’s sister. Jughead and I have been best friends literally since we can remember, so hugs like this aren’t really extraordinary. Plus, we haven’t seen each other for 2 years!”

While explaining the situation to the girl, April could feel Jughead stepping close behind her. She felt the warmth radiating off his body, his protective aura practically surrounding her. Even though she didn’t need any protection from a girl like Veronica, she wasn’t about to complain; she loved it.

”And I’ve already told you V, I’m okay with it,” Betty stood up from her spot and came over to April. ”Hi! I’m so glad you’re here again!” she smiled at the girl.

”It’s been so long, Betty,” April grinned and hugged the blonde, who returned the gesture.

When they let go, everyone sat in the booth, Jughead, Betty and April on one side and Veronica and Archie on the other. April saw that the ”new girl” still wasn’t really okay with her, but she did apologize and introduced herself as Veronica Lodge.

Pop Tate came over to their table to take their order.

”Well, well, what a surprise, little Andrews is back to town!” the man chuckled as he took his notepad in his hand.

”Hello!” she greeted him joyfully. ”Umm, I’ll have a strawberry milkshake please.”

The others also gave their order.

”So, April,” started Jughead when Pop Tate went away. ”What about your new style? I mean, you look cool, I’m just a little surprised.”

”Yeah, same here,” chimed in Betty.

”What could I say? Pinterest does wonders, especially when you have lots of freetime on your hands,” she replied with a soft giggle.

That was when the door opened again. April turned her head towards it, and saw the well-known faces of Riverdale High; the Bulldogs with Reggie in the middle. She wondered though, where could Jason be?

As Reggie scanned the place for an untaken booth, he noticed April and smirked at her, immediately starting her way.

”Wow, April Andrews,” he clicked his tongue. ”How come you’re back?”

”You know Reggie, there’s this thing called moving. Maybe you should try it,” April said. The distaste she felt for the boy was evident in her cold eyes and sarcastic tone, but her sickly sweet fake smile said otherwise.

The other people who sat at the table laughed quietly.

”Still the old brat, I see,” he laughed. ”If you change your mind, I could always take you on a ride,” he winked at the girl.

”Hey, watch it! You’re talking to my sister, for god’s sake!” Archie yelled protectively.

”Calm down, Andrews. I’m just sayin’,” with that he left and sat in a booth far away from April and her friends.

April shook her head while chuckling and didn’t notice that Pop brought them their drinks and food.

----------

It was about an hour later when April needed an escape from Betty and Jughead, so she excused herself and almost run to the bathroom. Until then, she could keep herself from feeling miserable and heartbroken, but it was just getting too much. They were stealing each other’s food, stealing kisses from one other and so on. It shattered April’s heart into pieces. She always thought she didn’t have a chance with Jughead, but there was at least a little bit of hope; now it only became clearer that she was never going to end up with her secret crush and she just needed to get over it. He was with Betty and April would never want to break them apart. They were so perfect together, she couldn’t even imagine how she could compete with someone like Betty. She was not an excellent student, she could never be as strong and pretty as Betty. April could go on and on about why she would never be enough for someone like Jughead, but she figured that she’ll have time for that when she gets home.  

These thoughts didn’t help her hold back her tears, but at least she could keep down her sobs. After minutes of trying to dry her tears, she finally succeeded. After getting herself together, she left the restroom and went back to their table like nothing had happened.

----------

At 10:23 pm, April was laying in her bed, staring at the white ceiling and thinking about today’s events. Suddenly, a loud thud shook her up from daydreaming. She looked over to her window and cautiously walked over, to be greeted with Jughead’s face and a ladder leading up to her window. She stumbled back a bit, before sighing in relief and opening her window.

”You scared me, shithead,” April looked at him angrily, crossing her arms.

”Sorry,” he smirked, not at all looking apologetic. After climbing in, he casually walked over to her bed and sat down on it, April following him.

”Soo, what you doin’ here?” April asked him.

”I just happened to be walking around this part of the town, you know, like in the old times.”

”Mm-hmm,” she hummed, putting her head on his shoulder. ”Well, I’m sleepy, Jug.”

”Yeah, I can see that much,” he chuckled as he looked at her face, noticing how she could barely keep her eyes open. ”It must have been tiring, travelling for so long.”

April nodded, then put her head back to its original place. Neither of them talked for a while, just enjoying the calm quietness. In the end, Jughead broke the silence.

”I missed you, you know?”

”I missed you too, Juggie. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t think about you.”

”I can say the same. I also thought a lot about the old times. When we were still kids, with no real problems.”

”Yeah, those were nice times,” April agreed. ”Oh, by the way. What happened to Jason? I didn’t see him with the Bulldogs at Pop’s.”

”Uh... he- he was murdered. His body was found a few days ago,” Jughead thought it would be better to say it simply.

”O-Oh, I’m...” April couldn’t find the right words. She wasn’t really close to the Blossom boy, in fact, she never even talked to him, but it still scared her a little bit. But mostly, she felt sorry for Cheryl, she knew how close the twins were.

”I’m writing a novel about it,” Jughead stated casually.

”Oh, so you’re still into writing? I’d love to read it someday.”

”I guess I can show you,” Jughead grinned. ”But right now you should sleep. I’ll go, okay?”

April definitely did not want Jughead to leave, but she was just so tired and it wouldn’t be nice if her father or Archie met with Jughead in the morning in her room.

”Okay, but be careful. A murderer’s on the loose.”

”Sure thing,” he stood up and walked to the window. ”It’s good to have you back, princess,” he smiled genuinely at the blushing girl. April didn’t expect him to call her by her old nickname. Only Jughead had called him this.

”You too, Juggie,” she whispered, his words still repeating in her head.

It filled her with joy, knowing that Jughead remembered and still used it. She got this nickname when she was about 5 and Jughead was 6.

Archie, Jughead, April and some other kids were playing hide and seek and the girl hid in a small, unfamiliar wooden cabin. When she entered, she didn’t notice that the lock has slammed down. Soon, she could hear that they were about to start another round, loudly arguing about who the seeker should be. She panicked and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. She shouted for Archie and Jughead, tears running down her red face.

Jughead rushed to the door first, but when he didn’t succeed in opening it, he went over to the side and broke in the window with a branch from the ground. He helped April climb out, then hugged the sobbing girl.

”It’s okay. You’re safe now,” he whispered.

After long moments of calming the girl down, he let go of her.

”You were like a princess from a tale,” Jughead laughed softly. ”And I saved you.”

That night, April fell asleep with Jughead’s words on repeat in her head.

”It’s good to have you back, princess.”

----------

Word count: 2162

[powerdragonmoon]

Lightning

My final on time piece for Chlonath week Day 7 - AU. (Yes that means I’m coming back to do some prompts later!!!) 

A continuation of my previous chlonath prompt, Thunder (ao3 link). Beetle Rouge finds himself relaxing one evening, watching the stars in the sky, the reflections along the Seine, the twinkling lights of the city...when he hears a familiar sound that brings a smile to his face and a faster rhythm to his heart.

(ao3)

Beetle Rouge sat atop the roof of the Louvre, settled above the Denon Wing as he stared over the city once more, contemplative in his thoughts. He thought about all the works of art below him: Veronese’s Les Noces de Cana; the Victoire de Samothrace; Canova’s statue of Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss; and of course, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. He literally stood on the shoulders of giants. And unlike when he was fighting to protect the City of Paris, he didn’t feel quite so burdened or overwhelmed.

He felt inspired.

While his hands itched for a pencil, a brush, a pen—even a crayon would do!—mentally Beetle Rouge felt relaxed and serene in the moment. Having battled against an akuma earlier that day, he took advantage of the night to rejuvenate.

Beside him the ripples of the Seine glowed in the Parisian evening light. The silence was a nice change of pace and Beetle Rouge enjoyed the moment of tranquility. Nothing—not even the familiar thud of heavy boots from behind him—could interrupt the moment. If anything, he welcomed the company. A small smile easily crept up onto his face in response. But, he didn’t need to let her know that. And so he didn’t bother turning around. Knowing that he’d only find a pair of brilliant blue eyes shining bright neon against the dark night. Instead he just waited, feeling her eyes on him. He painted them in his mind.

“Evening, Yeux Bleus,” he called gently.

He chuckled at the sound of a surprised squeak, picturing the fierce Black Cat jumping at a simple greeting.

Eventually she came out from the shadows and he saw her out of the corner of his eye. She stood at his side, looking down at him.

He chanced a glance up at her.

“Red,” she nodded.

“Bleue” he replied, nodding back.

Black Cat smiled, her blue eyes sparkling against the black of her mask, bright stars against the night sky. She stared down at the rooftop, pursing her lips, and she finally sat down by his side. Her blonde ponytail swung out behind her as she sat down, and with a smile she said, “I knew you’d be here.”

The duo shared a brief glance, blue eyes meeting blue, both hidden behind two very different masks. While his brought out the green in his eyes, her mask—along with what must have been Miraculous magic—caused for the entirely of her eyes to blink blue, flashing like ice, cold and beautiful. He returned her smile easily. “And I knew you’d find me,” he returned.

In the space between them, atop the roof of the Louvre, their hands found each other as easily and naturally as they found each other in battle. It was common practise for them to be close to each other, for her to jump into his arms after he purified an akuma, for him to spin her in victory.

And so they sat like that, holding hands, partners, side-by-side, enjoying their view together in peace. Together they basked in the evening light, safe in the knowledge that for today, their job had been done.

Eventually, he felt her creep closer, as she scooted near towards him. He raised an eyebrow behind his mask as she let go of his hand in favour of moving close. And he laughed, welcoming her with another smile. She bumped him with her hip, pouting a little, before playfully dusting off his shoulder. He scowled in jest and she laughed, winking at him before resting her head against his side.

Together they stared out across the city they continually fought to protect. Again their hands found each other once more and settled atop their pressed together laps. Beetle Rouge couldn’t tell what he liked looking at more: the starry night before him, their interlocked hands, or her—her bright blue eyes, the silly gold bell at her neck, her adorable cat ears, the bright pink lip-gloss on her lips, absolutely everything about her. He tried to soak in every last detail, another piece to add to each and every sketch, every drawing, everything, until he had something worthy of her likeness. And while he studied the Parisian night and her everything, they bantered away, speaking up every once and awhile, asking silly questions like:

“Favourite sport, Bleue?”

“Oh, oh no…me? In sportswear? I don’t partake in that sort of thing.”

“Oh good! Me neither.”

or:

“What’s your favourite colour?”

“What!? You can’t have a favourite colour! I could never pick…”

“Oh…”

“What?”

“Nothing…I just thought…”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Oh, um, well…do you have a favourite colour?”

“Blue.”

"Then Bleue is the perfect nickname for you!"

and:

“Favourite season, Red?”

“Hmmmm…I like spring.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, like when the flowers are in full bloom. Everything starts to feel alive. I like that.”

“Oh...me too!”

until finally:

“May I kiss you?”

Black Cat froze. Her hand squeezed his a little too tightly as she slowly raised her head from off his shoulder. A deep red blush peeked out from behind her mask, and Beetle Rouge revelled in it. It was a rare sight to see his partner being the flustered one.

She was always the one flirting and winking at him at every opportunity, leaving him to become the reddest superhero in existence: red suit, red hair, red cheeks—something she see loved to point out as well. This time it was her turn to blush, and he gently rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand, wishing for not the first time to feel what it was like to hold her hand, without their superhero suits in the way.

So as she stared at him with her mouth partially open in shock, Beetle Rouge lifted his other hand off the rooftop, leaning towards her to caress the side of her face.

She gasped.

“That is…if you-if you want to…” he continued suddenly nervous, leaning away from her slightly, “kiss me, I mean.”

Like a zap of lightning, a spark of life seemed to pass through her. Her eyes opened wide, blinking at him. And suddenly she was nodding her head.

After a few seconds, her nodding seems to die down and they were left staring at each other, stupid grins on their faces, holding each other’s hand.

And just like always, they moved to balance each other out. Both of them turned to better face one another. And he leaned forward, while she brought her free hand to the back of his neck and immediately filled the empty space between them. Their lips meet and he felt her tense up at the touch. Gently, he let go of her hand that he held, and he felt her lean in closer, wrapping both hands around his neck for purchase. She tilted her head to the side to better meet his lips and he sighed, feeling all his worries and doubts leave him. They both smiled into their kiss, as their legs seemed to tangle over the edge of the building.

The kiss was sweet and awkward, but for Nathanael he wouldn’t have had it any other way. He may not have known who exactly the girl was under the mask. But she was his partner, and if he knew anything—

He jumped. A drop of rain sprinkled against his cheek. Black Cat pulled away just as the sky seemed to open up, unleashing a gentle shower of rain across the city. She wrinkled her nose cutely—her cheeks still blushing—as she blinked at him with a smile. Behind her, he saw a flash of lightning, and it made her bright blue eyes glow in the night.

Somehow in her eagerness she had practically moved until one of her legs was bent across his lap with the other nestled between his. With her hands still locked around him and his own arm wrapped around her waist, his hand still on her cheek, they looked like quite the pair, a tangle of black and red.

She giggled, eyes squinting as rain continued to pour. Together they met again, foreheads touching as they bowed towards each other, their laughs filling the air before their lips met once more, neither one quite ready to seek refuge from the rain. In between each kiss, each loving caress, they continued to giggle and laugh, still working through their balance with a few bumps and snags along the way.

And it was perfect. Even as her hand reached up to tangle in his hair, her ring getting slightly caught and pulling him back away from her for a moment. He wouldn't have changed a second of it. Even as he leaned back in, hair plastered against his face by the rain, and missed her lips, kissing her nose instead. She laughed before kissing his nose in response. Even as she mumbled a comment about her hair and makeup getting ruined, he simply shushed her with his lips—with her lips still moving against his in protest before finally dropping the subject in favour for exploring the warm of his tongue.

And he knew, he knew no matter who she was under that mask—

She bit his lip—

—he loved her.