Archive of Our Own ^beta

“We’re such soulmates,” Veronica Lodge once said.

She was twelve years old, but she knew just knew that Jamie Cooper was her soulmate. Or, at least, he would be when they discovered who their soulmates were. But she was certain that when she would wake up on her eighteenth birthday and find her tattoo on her wrist, that the tattoo would read: Jamie Cooper. Because who else would it be?

They had been best friends for as long as she could remember, but Veronica knew she loved Jamie too. And Jamie loved her back… probably. Well, it seemed like he did. Their close bond was enough to make Archie Andrews jealous, so there must have been a romantic connection between them.

Jamie smiled, tucking his blond hair behind his ears. He loved his hair and kept it right down to his chin, and probably would grow it right down his back if his mom allowed him. Veronica was never keen on guys with long hair, but she liked Jamie’s hair. She liked everything about Jamie.

“We are, aren’t we?” he said, but he looked a bit awkward and Veronica wished she knew why.

---

They were fourteen when they had their first kiss. Jamie made the first move, holding her hand and leaning his head close to hers as they walked to Jamie’s house on the way home from school.

“Um, Ronnie,” he said, his voice trembling slightly. “May… May I kiss you?”

And Veronica stared at him, stunned but actually delighted. She grinned, moving to hold Jamie’s other hand so they were facing each other.

“Yes, of course you can.”

And as Jamie leaned forwards and gave her a soft, sweet kiss, Veronica knew they were soulmates.

---

Two years after their first kiss, Veronica and Jamie were still dating. But despite how close they were, Jamie still seemed oddly awkward around Veronica. But he never said what was wrong, and Veronica never thought to ask.

One evening, Veronica and Jamie were sat in one of the many sitting rooms in the Lodge’s home, sprawling around on beanbags and eating freshly cooked pizza. They were joined by Archie and Jughead, the latter of whom was eating far more pizza than the rest of them.

Having ruined her lipstick eating her pizza, Veronica held her pocket mirror up to her face and carefully reapplied her dark red lipstick. And that was when Archie, who looked half asleep, asked the strangest question.

“How do girls do their make up so good?” he said, staring at Veronica as she fixed her lipstick.

“Just practise, I suppose,” Veronica said. “I’m sure even someone as clumsy as you could perfect the art of makeup after a while.”

Archie smiled, clearly missing the insult about his clumsiness. “I could, I guess. But wouldn’t a guy look real silly with makeup on?”

“Maybe,” Jamie said. “But it might suit you.” He looked at Veronica and grinned. “What do you think, Ron?”

Realising what he meant, Veronica grinned too. “Yeah, I think make up could really suit you, Archiekins. What do you say?”

Archie stared at her, and then his eyes widened. “No way. You’re not putting makeup on me!”

Jughead started laughing. “Why not, Arch?”

Jamie leaned over and patted Archie’s arm, giving him a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, Archie. I’ll save you. Ronnie, you can make me up instead.”

He grinned at Veronica, who couldn’t work out why he looked so excited.

Half an hour later, Veronica applied the finishing touch to the eye shadow on Jamie’s eyelids. And then she took a step backwards and handed him the mirror. Jamie looked at his reflection, and his eyes just lit up. He stared at his pink lipstick, mascara and pale pink eye shadow, and there is such a lovely smile on his face.

“You know, I think you were right after all,” Archie said. “It does suit some guys.”

Jamie gave Veronica a hug. “Thank you, Ronnie. It looks awesome. And you’re wonderful at makeup.”

And Veronica had no idea why this meant so much to him, but that didn’t stop her returning the hug and kissing the top of his head.

---

When she was seventeen, Veronica helped Jughead through a sexuality crisis. After thinking for years that he might just be a straight man who detested women, Jughead learned that the words asexual and aromantic exist and realised that there was a name for people like him. And the person who told Jughead about these labels was Veronica.

“How do you know about them?” Jughead asked, still looking stunned. “I’d never even heard of asexuality, let alone the split att…”

“Split attraction model?” Veronica said.

He nodded. “Yeah, that thing. I’d never heard of it or the idea of being aromantic.”

“My cousin came out as biromantic asexual last month,” Veronica explained, watching her friend. “And I didn’t know what that meant so he told me and gave me links to websites about being asexual and I just thought of you.”

Jughead smiled again. “Thanks for telling me. You’re right. It is me. I always thought I was just, well… weird,” he said, sighing. But then he grinned, and he looked so happy. “But… but now I know I’m not. I’m just… aro and ace. Thank you, Ron.”

Veronica smiled. “It’s nothing, Jug.”

---

When not eating ridiculous amounts of food, Jughead was always very good at asking deeply philosophical questions.

So it shouldn’t have confused Veronica when he took a swig of coke and said, “Do you think aroace people have soulmates?”

Veronica looked at Jamie, who shrugged. That really was a bizarre question.

“You must do,” Archie said. “I mean, they always say that literally everyone gets a soulmate tattoo. They can’t leave you out.”

“Yeah, but if you don’t fall in love, can you really get a soulmate?” Jughead said.

“But soulmates are more about attraction. It’s about deep love, about being with a person you love so much you want to spend the rest of your life with them,” Jamie said, and he sounded so eloquent that Veronica felt like she could listen to him forever. “And I think you can easily experience love like that regardless of your orientation. Maybe in a queerplatonic way, or just with a best friend. I’m sure you’ll get your tattoo, Jug. Jus you wait and see.”

Jughead looked at Jamie and then started to smile. “Thanks.”

Jamie grinned. “No problem.”

---

Not that long after Jughead discovered that he was aroace, Archie came out as bisexual. He wasn’t remotely embarrassed, simply stating, “I’m bisexual,” as he pinned a bi pride flag badge to his backpack.

“That’s great, Arch,” Jamie said. “Nice badge. Where’d you get it?”

“I made it. Jug’s sister’s got one of those badge makers and she let me borrow it,” Archie said. He turned to Jughead. “Here, I made one for you too.”

He dug into his pocket and took out another pin badge. He passed it to Jughead, and Veronica saw it: half was patterned with the asexual pride flag, the other with the aromantic flag.

“A gift for my favourite aroace foodie friend,” he said.

Jughead grinned, pinning the badge to his own backpack. “Thanks, Archie. It’s awesome. And that reminds me; Jellybean wants her badge machine back.”

Archie chuckles. “Thanks for the reminder. I’ll bring it ‘round tomorrow.”

Veronica smiled as she watched her friends talk, but she began to feel a bit anxious. With all this talk of being LGBTQ+, she found herself wondering about her own sexuality. It had never occurred to her before, but she found herself wondering if she might not be straight. And despite all of her support of her friends, she didn’t know why that worried her.

---

Given that Jamie was her boyfriend (and her best friend – and her soulmate), he seemed to be the right person to talk to about this. She mentions it when she and Jamie are in the kitchen at his house, making homemade popcorn in the microwave.

“Jamie,” she said, listening to the popping sound of the popcorn being made. “How would you feel if I said I was… bi?”

To her confusion, Jamie grinned. But then he calmed his strange expression and said, “I’d be cool with it, Ron. There’s nothing wrong with being bisexual.”

“I know,” Veronica said. She smiled, relieved (if a bit confused), and gave Jamie a quick kiss. “Thank you.”

In the end, nothing came of it. Veronica didn’t discover her true orientation or come out. She just carried on in life, vaguely confused but at least certain of one thing: Jamie was her soulmate.

---

The night of her eighteenth birthday, Veronica was too excited to sleep. So she stayed up until midnight, just waiting for the moment when her tattoo was going to appear on her wrist. She knew where it would be (on the inside of her wrist, just below where her hand joined her arm), because she had seen it on her mother’s arm, and her father’s too. Every adult in the world had a soulmate tattoo on their wrist. And soon she would have her own. And it would read: Jamie Cooper.

At midnight, her alarm clock went off. And Veronica looked away from the TV and down at her arm…

And the words Betty Cooper stared back at her, written in looping black letters. They look so beautiful, but they’re wrong.

Veronica’s eyes widened, and then her vision started to blur with tears. Because Jamie wasn’t her soulmate. All of this time, she had been wrong. And it hurt more than words could ever explain.

---

Veronica was usually quite a calm and controlled person, but that didn’t stop her running into her parents’ bedroom in the middle of the night, crying her eyes out.

“Veronica!” her dad cried, confused and dazed as he sat up and switched the light on.

“Whatever’s wrong?” her mom asked, pulling Veronica into a hug as she sat down on their bed. “Why are you crying?”

Too upset to speak, Veronica simply held out her arm. Her parents looked at the tattoo on her arm and exchanged significant glances.

“Your soulmate tattoo,” her mom said.

They looked at each other again. Veronica sobbed into her mom’s shoulder.

“It isn’t Jamie, is it?” Her dad said slowly.

Trying to calm herself down, Veronica managed to splutter, “I always thought… I love him… we’re dating… but… but we’re not…”

Her mom stroked her hair. “It doesn’t matter, darling. You don’t have to follow the soulmate tattoos. You and Jamie can still be together if you want.”

“But… we’re supposed to be…” Veronica spluttered with sobs, not knowing how to explain just what she meant.

But even if they couldn’t console her, her parents stayed with her for the rest of the night, trying to offer comfort and support. But there was only so much they could do. And Veronica was just so confused and angry. Why wasn’t Jamie her soulmate? They were so obviously meant to be together forever.

---

That day, Veronica felt miserable as she sat next to Jamie and opposite Jughead and Archie in the cafeteria at school. It was her birthday, but no number of presents and hugs could cheer her up.

“Is something wrong, Ron?” Jughead asked, studying the makeup set Archie gave Veronica as her main birthday present (“My mom helped me choose it,” Archie said, grinning as Veronica unwrapped the set. “It was real expensive. I hope you like it.”)

“I don’t know,” Veronica said, sighing. Of course, she did know, but she didn’t feel like telling any of them about it. Anyway, the only one might have needed to know was Jamie, and Veronica still didn’t want to talk about it. Revealing that he wasn’t her soulmate after all might ruin her relationship with Jamie, and Veronica couldn’t deal with that. “I just… don’t know.”

She saw Jamie and Archie exchange glances. And then Archie smiled a rather forced smile as he said, “Well, as a change of subject, Ron, did you get your tattoo?”

Veronica’s stomach clenched. “What?”

“You’re soulmate tattoo,” Archie said. “You know, the one we all get when we turn eighteen.”

Veronica stared at the three guys, her heart racing. She couldn’t say it. It was too upsetting. Her eyes filled with tears, and, one by one, Archie, Jughead and then Jamie all looked away, clearly confused by her sudden look of terror.

“Veronica?” Jamie said, looking at her wrist. Under her tight sleeves, her tattoo was covered by a bandage; that way, there was no chance her sleeve could slide up and accidentally show anyone the tattoo she was so desperate to hide. “What’s wrong?”

Taking a deep breath, Veronica forced herself to smile. “Nothing. Really. Just, please, let’s change the subject.”

The three guys looked concerned and confused, but they respected what she said. And they never asked her about her soulmate tattoo again.

---

A couple of weeks after Veronica’s birthday, Jamie started acting a bit strangely. He seemed anxious, as though hiding a secret. Worried about her boyfriend, Veronica started to ask him about it as they walked up the stairs towards Veronica’s bedroom.

And the moment the words, “What’s the matter?” left her mouth, Jamie looked like he wanted to burst into tears.

He held her arm and steered her hurriedly into her bedroom. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Jamie sat down on the end of her bed, crossing his legs. Veronica joined him, sitting a bit further away than she normally would.

“Jamie?” she said softly. “What’s wrong?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing. Jamie looked so anxious, almost terrified, and she wondered if that was why he was struggling to talk.

Jamie sighed, sounding so scared as he stammered out, “Ronnie, I think… I’m a girl. I’m transgender.”

Veronica stared at Jamie, who had gone red and refused eye contact.

“You’re… trans?” she said.

Jamie nodded. “Yeah, I’m a girl. Are… are you all right with that?”

Emotions bombarded Veronica (confusion and happiness and a bit of anxiety just from if this was going to change their relationship), but she dismissed them all. This was about Jamie, not her.

She reached forwards and grasped Jamie’s hands. “Of course I am.”

A weak smile formed on Jamie’s red face. After how worried she had looked for the last couple of weeks, it was so nice to see her smile.

“How long have you known?”

Jamie shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno, really. I’ve felt weird for a few years now, but I’ve only been certain for a few weeks. I didn’t feel like a boy for years, but I didn’t know what that meant. But now I do. I’m a girl and calling myself a boy is wrong and weird and I hate it. I’m a girl, Ron.” She sighed, looking back into Veronica’s eyes; her eyes shone with suppressed tears. “Does this even make sense? I just…”

“It makes perfect sense, Jamie – do you still want me to call you Jamie?” Veronica asked, not wanting to use her name if that would hurt Jamie.

She nodded. “I think so. For now. I just don’t want to be called a guy.”

“I’ll make sure no one ever calls you a guy, Jamie,” Veronica said. “I promise.”

Relief seemed to flood through Jamie, and she unclenched her fists. And she leaned forwards and pulled Veronica into a tight hug.

“Thank you, Ron,” she said, and Veronica knew she was crying. “Thank you so much.”

---

Veronica needed to talk to someone. Given that he was non-het (and Archie was busy; no offense to Jughead, but a friend with dating experience was her first choice), Jughead seemed like a good bet. So she tracked him down at Pop Tate’s and approached her friend.

“Remember our chat about being aroace last year?” she said, looking at Jughead as he worked his way through a whole stack of burgers. “Well, I need to ask a favour.”

Jughead’s mouth was full, but he smiled and patted the seat next to him. Veronica sat down, waiting for him to swallow his mouthful so he could actually answer her.

“Is this about Jamie?” he said.

Her eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“Because your girlfriend just came out as trans and you know you’re still attracted to her now you know she’s a girl, and you’re wondering what that means about your sexuality.” Jughead looked at her. “Am I correct?”

“Is it really that obvious?” Veronica said, both annoyed and amazed that Jughead had worked out the situation.

Jughead nodded. “Yeah.”

She chuckled weakly. “For goodness’ sake… So, anyway, I just wanted to talk about… what this all means.”

“I think it’s quite simple, Ron,” Jughead said. “If you love Jamie, that means you’re bisexual or pansexual any sexuality that means you like more than one gender. If you don’t love her, you need to tell her.”

“I love her, Juggie,” she said, and it felt so good to say it. “I love Jamie. And that… that means I’m bisexual.”

Jughead grinned. “Welcome to the club.”

---

“We… we’re still a thing, aren’t we, Ronnie?” Jamie asked one day.

Veronica was doing her makeup for her, and Jamie was preparing for her first trip out in public with makeup on. She was nervous about it, understandably, and Veronica was doing her best to reassure her about it. She wasn’t sure how successful her reassurance was, though.

“What do you mean?”

Jamie’s eyes were closed, but her anxiety was obvious. “I mean, are we still dating. ‘Cause, well, now you know I’m a girl… do you still love me?”

Veronica sighed and carefully kissed Jamie’s forehead. “Of course I do. I’ve had a long think, and I know I love you. I like girls as well as guys, and which means I love you still, Jamie. I’m bisexual.”

Jamie opened her eyes and smiled. “Really?”

“Of course,” she said, smiling. “Jughead helped me out. I know I’m bi. And that means I love you. So, yes, we’re still a thing.”

Jamie grinned and kissed her cheek, covering Veronica’s face in lipstick. But she didn’t care.

“And I’ve been thinking about my own sexuality,” Jamie said. “I’ve only ever liked girls, and I’m a girl, so… so I’m a lesbian.”

Veronica smiled. “That’s wonderful.”

And Jamie looked so happy it was like she wanted to cry. And Veronica was so happy too. Everything was wonderful.

Except the thing about her soulmate tattoo, because Veronica just wished it had never happened. Because she loved Jamie so much, and she hated that they weren’t soulmates. She just tried not to think about it, because it ruined an otherwise wonderful moment.

---

When Jamie wore a dress for the first time, she looked so happy that Veronica wanted to cry. It was just so lovely to see her girlfriend getting to present the way she always wanted, and she looked so beautiful. Her dress was dark blue and silky, and she wore light blue tights and black boots with small heels.

“You look lovely,” Veronica said.

Jamie blushed, smiling. “Thank you.”

She sat down on the end of Veronica’s bed, crossing one leg over the other. “I’m not the best at makeup, but I’m getting better every time.”

“It looks perfect,” Veronica said, admiring her girlfriend’s rather skilled attempt at doing her own mascara and lipstick. “But I can give you some more tutorials if you’d like.”

Jamie grinned. “Thanks, Ron. That’d be wonderful.”

Veronica said down beside her. “No problem. Now, is there a reason you came to visit?”

“Yeah, the thing is, I’ve decided to change my name,” she said, staring down at a ladder in her blue tights. “Mom and Dad helped me pick it, and I’m going to get it officially changed real soon. I just can’t be Jamie anymore. I know it’s technically gender neutral, but it just feels like a boy’s name to me.”

“I understand,” Veronica said. She held her girlfriend’s hands. “Have you thought of a name yet?”

Jamie smiled. “Yeah, Mom helped me choose one last night. We had a long chat, and I’ve decided to call myself Elizabeth. But it’ll be Betty for short.”

Veronica stared at her. Her eyes widened, her heart starting to race.

“Ronnie?” Betty said.

Betty Cooper. That was her tattoo, the markings written on her arm that were hidden by her long sleeves.

Suddenly, everything makes sense. Her soulmate tattoo wasn’t wrong, because her soulmate had always been who she thought it was. Betty Cooper was her soulmate. Betty Cooper was who she was always in love with. Betty was her soulmate!

But she tried to suppress all of this, more focused on supporting Betty (because that was what was important: supporting her girlfriend through an important part of her transition). But Betty noticed.

“Ron, what is it? You look like you’ve just won the lottery or something.”

She said nothing, but slid her sleeve up and showed Betty the soulmate tattoo. Betty stared at it, and her eyes widened.

“Is that…?”

“I thought it was wrong,” Veronica said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I cried and cried when I saw it. I didn’t show it to anyone. I thought everything we had was pointless, because the soulmate mark told me we weren’t perfect for each other like I thought. But… now I know the truth. You are Betty Cooper. You’re my soulmate, Betty!”

For a few seconds, Betty was stunned. But then she made a delighted shrieking sound and flung her arms around Veronica.

“We’re soulmates!” she cried, kissing Veronica. “This is amazing!”

“I know. It’s so totally wonderfully amazing.”

It really was. Veronica couldn’t believe it. It suddenly made sense again.

---

A couple of weeks later, Betty turned eighteen. And she called Veronica in the middle of the night just to tell her about her brand new soulmate tattoo.

“Guess what it says!” Betty cried, sounding ridiculously exited for someone awake at half past twelve at night.

And Veronica was pretty certain, but she played along. “I don’t know. Jughead Jones?”

“No!” Betty said, laughing. “It says Veronica Lodge. You’re my soulmate too!”

And, in that moment, it was like everything just slotted into place.