perfectible | (no subject)

[ Her lips twitch with disappointment. A part of her had hoped he'd be able to move closer to her. The porters made traveling easier and faster but it was still a commute. Still, she can't be unhappy if he's happy.]

Tate? Tate Langdon?

[ If Tate wasn't currently sleeping on rooftops so he could go to work, maybe Jughead would consider De Chima. As it is, it's Maurtia Falls or nothing. ]

Yeah, that's him. You know him?

Yeah, [ Nodding, she feels her cheeks flush, not for good reasons.] He offered to help me... When I first got back here, I was kind of a mess. I posted asking for help, looking for a therapist.

Oh, right. He works at the hospital, of course you know him. [ Very much not making a big deal of this. Betty's working so hard to get help and get better, he'd hate to do anything that would make her feel bad about that. ]

I'm glad he was able to get you that connection.

[ Her lips quirk a little.] Reggie Mantle was actually the one who got me in to see Dr. Chilton.

Reggie? [ Okay, he has limits to what he can take and anything involving Reggie is asking too much. Sorry. ] How did that even happen?

[ Sorry, Jughead. Betty can't help but feel a little grateful towards him.] Reggie is Dr. Chilton's personal assistant.

Again, how did that happen? [ He sighs, tries to steady himself. ] Sorry. Reggie's just... not the most sensitive person in the world.

I know that, [ she says, understanding. Reggie was always really terrible to Jughead, it bothered her before they were dating and now it bothers her even more. And yet, Archie was dating Reggie, there was something about him that was redeemable, apparently. Reggie had reached out to help her with as little judgment as he could muster.

That meant something too.]

The post. He reached out to me.

Out of everything I've heard since arriving here, I think this is the weirdest. [ Then again, who doesn't like Betty? It's impossible to not like Betty. Even a bonehead like Reggie understands that. ]

Do you talk to him a lot?

[ Riverdale is a small town. She's likely known Reggie her most, if not her whole life.

At Jughead's question, she frowns.] We talk more here than we did back home. He gives me rides from Dr. Chilton's office sometimes. And he lived with Archie.

[ He nods, tone short. ] That I knew. [ And also one of the reasons why he didn't talk to Archie this whole time. Not because he was mad, but... who knows. Living with Reggie? He's not sure how to deal with that and so he didn't and now it's too late.

That thought makes him soften a bit. ]

I guess... since we're not in Kansas anymore, we're not exactly the same people we were either.

[ He knows her well enough to know by her expression, there's something more she needs to say but doesn't know how to say it. Her lips press together and she nods at his words.]

It's more than that. [ She doesn't look at Jughead.] Reggie and Archie were... a thing here. They were... [ She makes a face.] dating.

Oh.

[ At first he's not sure he's heard her right. A thing? Dating? It doesn't make any sense - as far as he knows Archie isn't into guys but also, how well does he actually know his best friend? When was the last time they talked about anything, let alone something personal? Even more so, why should he question what Betty is saying? Why would she lie about this of all things?

That said, he has no idea what to do with this information. If he heard it from Reggie he could brush it off as nothing, if Archie was around he'd be able to have That Conversation, but none of those things are happening. It's like the world has shifted off-kilter just from this tiny bit of information that, in the grand scheme of things, is such a non-issue. He doesn't know what to do with this, so he doesn't, just stands there for a moment and tries to process.

It may take some time. ]

[ It's a lot to take in. Betty never knew that side of Archie existed, that he was ever interested in guys. He was always sort of hopelessly bouncing from one girl to another. Maybe that was the problem all along?

That thought feels like a betrayal to Veronica, though.

What she thinks about it doesn't matter, she needs to be here for Jughead as he processes the fact that his best friend was living with and dating a guy he hates(?), at minimum dislikes strongly. It was confusing to Betty too but this place was different than home, it was a different world. It was a world that had her dating another guy when she was hopelessly still in love with Jughead.

It was a place you could be endlessly lonely in. She can't fault Archie for finding companionship.

Either way, she glances at him, tentatively.] That was my reaction too. I didn't... know. And he never told me. I only found out a day or two ago. I wasn't sure if I should even tell you.

[ This changes, perhaps not everything, but a lot of things. Different friends fill different purposes and looking at it like that, he could understand why Archie didn't mind Reggie so much. Sports, partying, all the things that Jughead couldn't care less about. That made sense. You can tolerate crap for that sort of outlet, but he never thought it was a real, meaningful friendship. Even living together here wasn't too strange, there's hardly any from Riverdale here, so you hold on tighter to the ones that are.

But a relationship? That's different. That requires actual feelings and if Archie couldn't even tell Betty about it? Man. He doesn't know what to make of that either. If anything, it only serves to make him feel like him and Archie slipped further apart than he initially thought. He thought he'd tell Betty, at least. He thought a lot of things that's looking more and more wrong. ]

I'm glad you told me. [ Let's start there, that's something he knows. ] I don't really know what to do with this information.

[ Betty doesn't know how to sort it out in her head either. Archie didn't tell her everything, he hadn't told her about Grundy, after all. Maybe he was ashamed and that makes Betty sad to think about.

At Jughead's words, she smiles softly, sadly.] I don't really know either.

[ That's a good point. It's a shame Archie isn't around so they can discuss it, another thing that didn't really happen with Grundy at all. ]

I mean... he's not here, so it's not like this matters. Except it does. [ Reggie's here and now he may need to reevaluate everything he knows about the world. ]

[ If Jughead were any other guy, she'd have to remind him not to let this change his opinion of Archie. But Jughead is Jughead. He's sensitive and open-minded, understanding and accepting, those are some of the many reasons she's head-over-heels in love with him.]

It does. [ She confirms. It won't matter back home but here, it does.]

[ Most of all he believes there are more important things to worry about than who wants to bang what and all the interpersonal drama that comes with it. It'll change the way he sees Archie, but his opinion of him? Nah. Never. ]

So, what do we do? Not that I'm planning to hang out with Reggie anytime soon.

You don't have to. [ She gives him an earnest, hopeful expression.] No one expects you to be friends, Jug. [ She can only bridge the gap so far. If Archie were here, maybe there was a chance Reggie and Jughead would be able to tolerate being in the same room.

But no one is asking them to do that now.] Maybe just call a ceasefire.

Yeah, I don't see that happening. Ever. [ Anything is possible, except that. ] I can try. It seems kind of dumb to keep all that up when there's just the three of us.

[ Not that it was his fault. Reggie is the asshole here. ]

You're the bigger man. [ She reminds him, bumping his shoulder with her own, giving him a loving smile.] If he doesn't accept it, then he's still a jerk and you can at least say you tried. [ She glances towards a nearby fountain, her expression thoughtful for a moment.]

But it feels like he's changed a little. I think that was Archie's doing.

[ He smiles a bit. It feels good that she knows he's not actively doing anything to fire up this animosity - he's just giving back what he gets. ]

If anyone can make that happen, it's Archie. [ He sighs. ] It's going to be weird to not have him around. We didn't spend a lot of time together back home, but... he was always there when you really needed him.

[ Nodding sadly in agreement, she feels the same way. It'll be hard not to have him around but--]

He'll be there when we get back, at least.

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wrap?

yep!