perfectible | duplicity ic inbox

Yeah, okay. Whatever you have in the fridge. Seriously. You don't even have to warm it up. It's late. ( she doesn't need to go out of her way for him. ) I want to see you, too.

The door's open. I'm going to get cleaned up. I'll be quick.

[ please. betty's gonna bring him a warm meal and fuss over him.] Twenty minutes long enough?

Plenty of time to ditch this wannabe beard. I'll see you soon, okay? ( he deposits the glass on the counter and goes about feeding vegas and getting him fresh water, before he pads to the shower to make himself look human. the steam makes him feel a little lightheaded but he manages alright,
stepping into drawstring pants and whatever vneck shirt he has hanging in the closet by the time he hears the front door open.

the flush from the hot water puts color in him and he's damp but grinning as he meets betty halfway, approaching from the hall. ) Did I wake you?

I'll see you soon. [ while he gets ready, she does the same. pulling on a robe over the shirt and pajama shorts she'd been sleeping in. she makes quick work of making breakfast tacos for him, stuffed with scrambled eggs and bacon and cheese. it's something quick and easy. and she doesn't bother cleaning up the dishes, those can wait.

wrapping them in foil, she grabs one of the treats meant for moose and makes her way to his apartment, taking the elevator to his floor. of course, she starts when she sees him standing there and she lets out a breath, trying to keep herself from crying at the relief of seeing him again. ]

No. [ that's mostly true, she'd just dozed off.] I was just getting in bed. [ she moves to hug him, slinging the small bag holding his breakfast around his back so she can.]

( either her poker face has gotten worse or he's finely attuned to catching the cracks in her composure. he feels like someone's squeezing his heart when she's upset. archie tries not to look too sympathetic as she gets closer but he can feel his grin softening when the concern rises. when he first called her, she sounded angry and confused. he can't blame her. he would feel abandoned regardless of what was to blame. there's knowing something and there are feelings, which don't always listen to logic.

he encircles her fully in his arms, giving her the control of deciding when to pull away. it was a day for him, like passing out after a rough day of training and waking up nine to twelve hours later. a lot can happen in a month anywhere but here especially. ) You can crash here if you want. I don't want to keep you up at all hours.

But I'm glad you're here.

[ honestly, she's never been good at hiding things with archie. despite her best efforts, he's always been the one she can shed her armor with. and if she sounded angry, it was that she was angry with the way this place messed with them, never ever archie. she'd been worried that he'd been taken away from her but with all the communication issues with the devices, she'd also worried he thought she was ignoring him.

for a moment, she just breathes him in, her nose buried in his chest before she pulls back enough to look up at him.] I don't mind. I'm just glad you're here even if that makes me selfish. [ she offers him a tired smile before she pulls back and offers him the little bag.] Breakfast tacos. It was the fastest thing I could think of that wasn't a sandwich. And there's a treat from Moose to Vegas in there too.

( he's content to stay that way with betty's face tucked into him and his cheek resting near the top of her head. it's not an embrace, for him, that ever goes on too long or gets uncomfortable. it's the opposite. being near her has always been a source of comfort and sometimes, he's taken that reliability for granted. )

You're like the least selfish person in our friend group. ( if he's quick to reassure her, then it's because he knows what she means. he wouldn't wish duplicity and its ups and downs (hah) on anyone, yet there's something to be said for not experiencing it alone. he doesn't know what he'd do with his friends absent. ) Thank you. I would have taken the sandwich or leftover pizza. Do you want any?

( vegas, who was already shuffling in to investigate the smell of bacon and betty's voice, comes trotting up to push his snout into her hand. he means well and archie goes about walking around to set the bag on the counter, searching inside for the treat first and foremost. )

You want to give it to him? It feels like I'm stealing all the glory when I didn't even think of him. ( he'll offer it to betty but if not, he'll call vegas over prior to tearing into said tacos. )

[ honestly? she probably would have hugged him a lot longer, held onto that feeling of stability and strength if she didn't know how hungry he must be.

and she doesn't know if that statement is true. sometimes she feels pretty selfish. but all the same, she moves to follow him, shaking her head when he offers her some.] They're all for you. [ she snacked a little as she cooked and besides, he needs it more than she does.

she gives vegas a good pet when he greets her, murmuring a grateful greeting as she looks him over to make sure he wasn't starving. after all, when she'd gone to archie's apartment, she hadn't heard a peep from either of them.

and when he offers it to her, she takes the treat and moves to kneel down and give it to vegas, giving him a few good scritches and pets before she stands again. ]

I'm just glad you're both okay. [ she lets out a breath.] It's really good to see you.

( she says they're all for you and she thinks she's being greedy for wanting him around. he gets where she's coming from though, archie would willingly put himself in harm's way or at a disadvantage to give betty everything she deserved. he doesn't want her to go home, he doesn't want to be here without her, but he thinks he would try if that's what she wanted. if there was a way for him to go about making that happen. there's not, he can't, and it's just as well.

if anything he feels like the selfish one for calling her in the middle of the night and having her come over after she told him they were going to try to be in a relationship and he shot her down. not that he's dwelling but it might come to him eventually when he's not trying to devour egg and bacon filled tacos. he finishes one of the tacos by the time she's back standing nearby. he swallows and wipes his hands on a dish towel. )

I'd say I missed you but other than stiff muscles and a headache, I feel like I only missed the regular eight hours. Did I? ( he wonders now that betty's in front of him and it's not lost in translation. ) Miss anything?

( he could ( probably will ) eat more but he hovers, lingering on her as his priority first. )

they have no say in who stays or goes, what their fate is here. she's come to accept that after being here on and off for over two years now. and while he scarfs down the first of four breakfast tacos, she feels like she's done something at least to help him after feeling completely helpless this past month in being unable to help anyone.

at his question, she lets out another breath.] The world kind of exploded. I don't really understand exactly what happened but gangs in the Down started to rise up, the government, I think, started messing with our devices to stop communication. They blocked people from traveling so I was stuck up here while everyone else I cared about was trapped in the Down except you. [ she moves to pace a little.] Reggie can probably explain it better than me because they weren't telling us anything up here.

Edited 2021-05-14 18:26 (UTC)

They left you guys in the dark? ( it’s not surprising that a system that slots them into boxes and treats them like property would further separate its people, it’s that things got bad and they made them worse. betty must have been terrified. ) Was Reggie hurt while he was trapped there? Did he tell you anything?

( he can ask reggie about it on his own, though considering the guy’s track record for keeping a low profile, he wonders if he got mixed up in any of it while in the Down. he knows he personally would have been neck deep in the thick of it, probably bleeding out somewhere.

betty, on the same hand, is equally as awful as sitting on her hands while people suffer. ) How did you stay busy? What happened here?

Sorry. I'm not trying to interrogate you. ( it sounds that way, mr. 20 questions. he should have been here. conscious. around for her. )

You know how Reggie is, he downplays everything. [ and to be honest, she hadn't been able to ask him because getting in touch with him while he was stuck down there was impossible. not that she didn't try, desperately.]

I tried everything I could to get to the Down, even bribery. [ none of it worked.] My friend Inara left me her house and her business so... I just tried to get things organized there. [ but she exhales at his last words.]

It's fine. I wish I had more answers.

Yeah, I know. ( maintaining an image is important to reggie and archie won't presume to know why, though deep down he has his suspicions. he's their friend and no matter what issues he has, he should be able to come to them when he's ready. if not them, someone. ) I'll talk to him.

( whether that's shooting the shit or actually getting to the heart of the matter is anyone's guess. he picks up his second taco and takes a bite, chewing while he listens to betty's side of the situation. )

I'm sorry about Inara. ( he never met her but it's not as if he can't see why that would suck, here, where everything feels so fragile. ) Do you need a hand with any of it?

( she's probably fifty kinds of organized if she was isolated the whole month but it's the least he can do. )

And I don't expect you to have all the answers, just like I'm not expecting Reggie to want to touch on what happened to him too much. ( he shrugs. ) We don't have to talk about this stuff. We can watch a movie or pick it up in the morning?

( it's whatever she's up for. he's going to chomp down the rest of the taco and wipe his hands off. he could probably sleep the grogginess off but he doesn't want betty to feel like he's going anywhere. )

Okay, good. [ she looks relieved at that because as much as she's managed to get reggie to open up to her, it's nothing compared to what she imagines archie can. and she already knows better than to push reggie too hard.

at his offer, she shakes her head.] She ran a pretty tight ship, I think the business kind of runs itself to be honest. [ for which betty sounds and is thankful. betty doesn't know anything about running that kind of business but she's trying to learn.

she brushes off his offer to drop the subject in favor of: ] Are you okay? I know you just woke up but... do you feel okay? That's only happened to me once and I didn't feel particularly great when I woke up.

What is it? ( anything interesting? it's wild to think of any of them running businesses when they should be graduating or in college. betty's more levelheaded than he is so if anyone can do it properly, she can balance it. not having to maintain grades here is one perk. admittedly, the family business and the center cross his mind here and there, but he'd been stumbling through those from the beginning. )

I feel like I could pass out for at least 8 more hours. I shouldn't be tired. It's like when you feel a cold coming on, all these aches and your head doesn't feel right. ( he shrugs off any sympathetic glances from betty. ) I'll be okay.

( he's not trying to be tough about how he feels. he has an easy confidence about his health, assuming that youth is on his side and he'll bounce back in a few days. )

It's a spa. [ although a part of her wonders if it was a bit more given the state of the city and the profession that inara had back home. ]

You should go sleep then, [ she urges him with a gentle smile, reaching down to give Vegas another pet as butts her hand with his head.] I don't want to keep you up.

You can have unlimited spa days? ( he suggests, knowing that it's about as useful to betty as having a hair salon would be for archie. it's not that she isn't feminine ( she is ), it's that he can't see her hanging out there all the time. )

I know but I just woke up and you're here. You're not keeping me up. ( it's the same argument he has for dragging her out of bed. ) I'm choosing to be awake to see you.

( the truth is that his place is too quiet with only vegas around. )

[ she laughs softly at that. it's true, she's not veronica when it comes to being pamper-yourself-forward but she could have a spa treatment or two for free whenever she wanted. ] That is true. But so could you. [ free massages for everyone!]

If you're sure, [ she says, glancing at the couch.] We can sit down at least, put on a movie or something. [ she suspects that maybe he doesn't want to be alone and she can relate to that pretty hard. especially right now.] It's nice not to be alone.

Yeah. Will I get cucumber slices for my eyes? ( that's what hollywood tells him happens at spas. girls in towels with nothing underneath and cucumber slices. ) I've never had a spa day.

About having you here? ( that's rhetorical but he'll answer it anyway. ) I'm always going to be sure about that. ( he abandons the last two tacos for now and crosses the room, moving on over to the living room while vegas pads after him to turn on the television. ) I didn't think I'd miss having my mom around.

( considering what missing her would mean here. he definitely doesn't want mary in duplicity. )

But I guess that's one positive to signing a contrat. Someone's around. ( vegas is the best company, there's no doubting that. he's archie's one reminder of his dad. ) What do you feel like? Action, comedy?

( probably they have enough horror to go around. )

I'm sure we can have that arranged-- [ she grins at him, at his notion of what spas are. it's only fair because she can't imagine he's been to a spa except maybe with veronica and even that is doubtful to her.]

I miss my mom. [ this is the longest she's ever been away from alice in her whole life and she even misses her now.] But I'm glad she's not here. [ for countless reasons.]

Whatever you want, to be honest. [ she doesn't really care, as long as they're hanging out and she moves to plop down on the couch.] Maybe not true crime though.

Yeah, having our parents here? ( mind you, he's not including hal in this ) Eugh. Does it get any easier?

( maybe archie means losing your dad. he won't ever outright ask betty that unless it's something she brings up because it's beyond complicated. the guy might have been a monster but for the longest time, before everything changed and he was inspired by betty's speech, he was her dad. he's okay with her inferring the surface level — alice and mary, although fred's the one archie wishes he could wake up and see stirring around. )

Something light. ( he drops next to her, snatching one of the throw pillows from the middle and resting it on his lap, under his elbow. they don't need dividers. ) They do have regular movies here, right? Not just x-rated versions of The Hangover?

Not really, [ she means about missing their parents but losing parents doesn't get any easier either. her father had been a monster. he'd tried to kill archie, he'd tried to kill a lot of people and sometimes he'd succeeded. he forced her into his game, scarred her. but before that, he'd just been her dad. he'd been her ally against her mother's intense nature. she loved him... loves him. it's all so complicated.

and despite all of that, she knows he's the last person she'd want to see show up here even if it meant seeing him again. and that only makes her think of how she just lost the only people she considered family here, in this city. it makes her jaw tense a little, her eyes close even as she answers archie.]

Okay-- [ she agrees, settling into the sofa as he asks her a question.] Yeah, there's normal stuff. Most of it's not... the best but it's good for shutting your brain off.

Edited (because things happened in game before this that me, the dummy, didn't know until now.) 2021-05-27 06:46 (UTC)

If it's awful, you can change it. ( he can be dense. archie's guilty of getting so wrapped up in his own world that he misses the signs that his friends are also struggling sometimes. he chops it up to being so gloomy and steering the conversation the wrong way, scraping over some sores. he catches betty closing her eyes but he doesn't know what to make of it. she could be lying about being tired.

he settles on what's described as a comedy, figuring they could use something light and mindless. he's not sure whether the feel-good messages hit the right places in this city but it's the thought that counts? ) And if it's not doing the trick for shutting your brain off, you can tell me and I'll talk so much you won't be able to focus on anything else.

( he's not prying but he's curious. )

[She draws in a slow breath, glancing at him and desperately trying not to cry again. She's already cried about this so much. ] I'm just glad you're back. [ She lets out another breath, trying to temper her emotions.]

Bellamy and Emma got sent home. [ There's no doubt that she's told Archie how Bellamy was more than her boss, that has been like the big brother she's never really had. When Reggie was wrapped up in Nick and Betty was without Archie and Jughead, Bellamy and Emma were her family, her support system. ]

They've been here even longer than me. And I thought you were gone, I thought I was going to be alone again.

Edited 2021-05-27 20:50 (UTC)

Betty... ( he turns inward, facing her with one leg planted on the floor. he doesn't care if his knee bumps her thigh. he's trying to show his support for her without treating her like glass. she can handle it, of course she can, but archie wants to help. ) I'm sorry. I know that might sound empty because I've said it so much tonight and apologizing doesn't change the fact that they're gone. That I was.

I can't make that okay. ( and honestly, he doesn't want to force her to be okay. she has to feel what she needs to. he reaches for her hand across her lap, squeezing gently because otherwise he's going to drag her into another hug. ) But I'm here now. You're not alone.

And I am sorry about Bellamy and Emma. I know they were both important to you. I don't have words for that. I just want you to know that you can come find me or you can call me, and you can be sad or you can yell. You don't have to pretend that you're fine with me.

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POSTING THE COMMENT WOULD HELP

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wtf i didn't get this notif

RUDE dw

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