Title: time bomb
Fandom: Riverdale
Rating: PG-13
Length: 100 words
Contents: unhealthy family dynamics and references to physical abuse; Betty/Jughead
Summary: Betty smiles too much.



Betty smiles too much. She talks around harsh truths, shrugs and drops her eyes. She softens, even when she should snarl.

She digs her fingernails into the palms of her hands instead of striking out.

Sometimes she smiles even when she's crying, her face trying desperately to turn her feelings aside. It makes the tight, angry furnace in Jughead's gut burn hotter. He's seen Betty fight back. He knows what she carries inside her.

Betty's family doesn't hit with their fists, but pressure makes bruises just as deep. They push. They smother. They smile.

Jughead knows: someday, she's gonna explode.