the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now

“Ouch!”

Jughead snaps his attention to his girlfriend, who’s clutching her hand and wincing in pain. He hurries toward her, grabbing her shoulder and gently turning her to face him. “Tabitha, are you okay?”

She nods, but he grabs her hand nonetheless, gingerly holding onto her. “Just a burn. I deal with them all the time at Pop’s. It’s no big deal.”

“I can clearly tell that you need help,” Jughead states, tracing the area around the burn with his thumb carefully. “I’ll get the bandages.” 

He releases his grip after moving her to the dining table and placing her hand on the surface top. He quickly steps back into the kitchen to turn off the stove, waving his hand over the stovetop to make sure that it is in fact off. 

Once the stove is off, Jughead walks over to the bathroom, opening the mirror and reaching for the first aid kit. 

He hates to see Tabitha in any pain. She didn’t get hurt too much but sometimes, on rare occasions like this one, she would. She doesn’t talk about it when she is hurt, and Jughead usually has to pry it out of her, but she talks in the end, and he’s always there to support her.

Once he’s retrieved the first aid kit, he makes his way back to her and opens the kit. “This might sting a little,” he warns, although he’s sure she already knows.

With a wet cloth, Jughead dabs at the red mark on her hand. Tabitha releases a sharp breath. “Hey, it’s okay. Just breathe,” he comforts, moving extra carefully now. 

She nods, still exhaling a few painful breaths but she calms herself. 

“How’d you burn yourself anyway? You’re always so careful,” he asks, finishing up with the first step and pulling out bandages from the first aid kit. 

Tabitha keeps her hand out and lifts it up so he can wrap it. “My hand slipped while I was wiping the stove down.”

Jughead smiles. “When did you get so clumsy?” he teases, the burn now fully covered. 

“Shut up, Jones.” 

He looks up to see her smiling, and he can tell that her mood has somewhat lightened up. “Okay. You’re all good now.” 

Tabitha moves her hand towards herself and covers the bandage with her free hand. “Thank you, Jughead,” she says softly. 

He leans forward to cup her face. “Of course, Tabs.” It’s all he can do to show his support now, let her know that he’ll always have her back when she needs it, from the simplest things to the complicated ones. He just wants to be there for her, to hold her when she was hurting, comfort her as much as he can.

Jughead pulls her in for a quick kiss, which she returns softly. When they pull apart, Tabitha picks up her lips into a smile. “I’m guessing I’m off kitchen duty until this heals?”

ty for the ask! I’m very out of practice with writing so I hope this is what you were looking for :)

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Tabitha’s the kind of woman to take on a hundred hobbies at once. Jughead has seen her come home with armfuls of oil paints or with bags full of doll parts, covering their coffee table with scraps from each new venture, until it felt like she had no more hobbies to try.

They have mugs that she’s sculpted with Cheryl and CDs piled in the corner from her karaoke days with Toni. They have an ever-growing bundle of yarn on the chair in their living room and an equally ever-growing stash of crocheted beanies tucked in Jughead’s corner of their closet. They have LEGOs and wood carvings and models of the buildings around town, and their house has slowly become something akin to an art museum, but Jughead absolutely loves it.

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