perfectible | (no subject)

Then maybe I shouldn't be with you. ☺️

That's good. [ She really likes Gansey too.]

Or maybe you should be with me all the time so I can work on my concentration. [Or just be with him. As for Gansey: ]

He's pretty cool.

Well, I like that option a lot better.

He's a good guy with a good heart. And he's an even better researcher than me.

C'mon. That's not possible.

No, seriously. Gansey is thorough. Granted, he's been obsessed with one topic but he's got an amazing work ethic.

Wow. You think we should recruit him for the paper?

It could hurt to ask him.

If he's as good at research as you say he is, it'd be a shame not to.

Maybe it'll be good for him to research some other subjects.

Exactly. When you think about it, we'd be helping him out.

How thoughtful we are.

Regular samaritans.

I g2g, boss here. c u l8?

Okay. See you soon.

[ And about forty-five minutes later he's finally clocking out. As exhausting as it is to be on his feet the entire day, the prospect of spending some time with Betty is enough to re-energise him all over again. ]

[ Betty had texted him to meet her at a park in De Chima, near a statue of some founding father she'd never heard of who looked suspiciously like a superhero. She's sitting on a bench across from it, reading a true crime book featuring the very town they're in.]

[ Porters are convenient but also somewhat of a hassle now that he's officially unsettled. Regardless it doesn't take too long before he shows up, smile creeping up on his face the closer he gets to her. ]

Hey.

[ She glances up when she hears his voice, her furrowed brow of concentration gives way to a bright smile. Closing her book and quickly tucking it into her purse, letting him close the distance between them and taking a few steps of her own to help. She moves to grip his jacket, fingers curling in the lapels as she draws him closer.]

Hey. [ She leans in to press a gentle kiss to his lips in greeting, her arms moving to lazily wrap around his neck.]

[ He missed this, and by missed I mean really missed this in the time since they last saw each other. It's kind of crazy how much he loves her, how much he can feel that he loves her now that they're not constantly distracted by all of Riverdale.

He returns the kiss, hands going to her waist and sliding over her back. ]

Did I keep you waiting?

Not too long. [ It was why she had the book. She'd gotten there a little early so she could enjoy the day, luckily the weather was holding nicely.

And well, she'd wait forever for him, she finds herself thinking. She also wonders if love always feels this intense, without distractions or heartache. It feels good, really good.

She lets one hand slip into his hair just beneath his beanie, fingers massaging his scalp lazily, not caring a lick of anyone might be bothered by their PDA.]

Thanks for coming all this way.

[ Hey, if anyone has a problem with teens kissing then that's on them. It's not like they're being indecent in any way. ]

Of course. I want to see De Chima. [ And her. Mostly her. Okay, entirely her. ] It's weird. Back home I barely left Riverdale and now we can go almost wherever on the east coast in no time at all.

I know. [ She smiles at him, reaching up to touch his cheek just because she can.] Before coming here, I hadn't even been on a plane. Now... I've been to space. [ She laughs a little before she presses a light kiss to his lips and then pulls back to take one of his hands so they can walk.]

If you could go anywhere here, where would you go?

[ He holds her hand, thumb rubbing idly over the back of it as they walk. ]

Is it weird if I say New York? Archie always talked about us moving there after high school. I've never even visited.

[ They were going on a road trip on the fourth of July weekend, but we all know how that turned out. ]

It's not weird, [ she says, glancing at him with a gentle expression. She'd done an internship there last summer. It's an amazing place.]

We should go sometime. We can take my car and go stay in the city overnight.

I like the sound of that. [ He smiles, gives her hand a little squeeze. ] What about you? Where do you want to go?

New York, actually. I want to see what it's like here. If it's different. [ She'd been to the city back home, she imagines it's different here.]