xistentia | audio

[ he knows that voice automatically. he doesn't even need to be told who it belongs to as soon as he heard her voice he knows and while on one hand he's never been more relieved to hear her voice, he's also worried about her being here. still another part can't help but think saving their world will be a lot easier with the two of them together. which means he needs to get to her, asap. ]

Betty? It's me. Where are you?

Juggie? [ the relief in her voice is probably palpable. she breathes out his name like a prayer and for a moment, she lets herself hope. god, she hopes this isn't trick.

her daemon speaks before she can answer:] We are located at the Central Citadel, Jughead Jones.

[ he can hear it, the relief in her voice, and it's echoed in his own. this isn't a dream, he tells himself. this is real and she's here. ]

I'll be there in a bit. Wait for me and then we can talk.

[ and he grabs his bag with his laptop and daemon and heads out, all but running to central citadel in order to see her again. when he gets there, he requests his daemon to pinpoint her location so he can hurry there. ]

[ betty is about as fresh off the boat as you can be. she's been here a few hours and has been wandering the city, feeling lost and overwhelmed and grieving for their home, thinking it might be lost if she can do what she can to save it. it feels like an impossible task, a burden she might not be able to shoulder. solving jason blossom's murder feels like childsplay compared to this.

suddenly, it feels less unlikely, knowing jughead was here.] Okay, I'm not going anywhere. [ she sits down on a bench near what seems to be a dance club, arms folding and unfolding over her chest, her eyes scanning the crowd. and when she sees him, she doesn't hesitate and making her way towards him.

and the moment she can, she pulls him into her arms, tears welling up in her eyes because god, she's so glad he's here.]

[ as she wraps her arms around him, he breathes a sigh of relief. his own arms easily come up to surround her and soon enough, he's tilting his head to kiss her. because it's been a couple weeks for him without her and it's been an ache in his chest wondering if she survived the storm or not. ]

[ she kisses him back, completely unaware of the time that has separated them. the last thing she remembers is the storm that started that night she was at the trailer, when they'd been so close to...

her hands move to hold his face, drawing out the kiss for a little longer.] God, Jug, we have to do something.

[ a small noise escapes him as she lengthens the kiss, making him settle his hands on her hips to pull her closer. they'd come so close to being together in every way imaginable before being interrupted. but he's not thinking about that now. he's thinking about how soft her lips are and what she says. ]

We do. I've been trying to find out more since I've been here, but a war broke out. This place is dangerous, Betts. More dangerous that anything I think we've ever encountered.

[ she looks at him, confused, her brow furrowing.] I just saw you, last night. [ her hands move to his chest, fingers curling at the fabric of his jacket, looking worried and feeling more than a little unnerved by his words.]

How dangerous?

Yeah, and that's another thing. Timelines here are a little weird. That was a week ago at least, for me.

[ taking her hands in his, he squeezes them gently. ]

A dangerous as a war can be. But it's over now. Still, we'll have to be careful. I'd like to get to the bottom of this D.E.S.T.I.N.Y and F.A.T.E.S. thing.

A week, [ she breathes out, the shock of hearing that reddening her cheeks. less than six hours ago, she would have said that was impossible but now...

she doesn't know what is anymore.

however, what he says, she agrees with wholeheartedly and she can't help the way her lips quirk with pride.] I was about to say the same thing.

No doubt our resident girly gumshoe will solve the mystery no one yet has. [ brings her hands up to his lips and kisses them. ] C'mon, I'll show you where I'm staying. It's not the Pembrooke, but it's better than my dad's trailer.

[ and his eyes are on her, watching her response, because they'd come so close last night and he's thinking about the serpent jacket sitting in his apartment. the reason they were interrupted in the first place. ]

[ at the mention of his dad's trailer, her mind goes back there. to last night. and then to the reason it stopped. and when she sees that jacket, she'll want to talk about it, for now, it feels so unimportant.]

Do they assign us housing or... do we have to figure it out on our own? [ she takes his hand, ready for him to lead the way, happy to be somewhere more private but also nervous about being alone with him again.]

[ he gets the nervousness she feels. feels it as well because it means being alone with her again. but he's been alone with her many times, he tells himself. so this'll be fine.

leading the way, he never drops her hand. he wishes he had the motorcycle that had been at the trailer, but with how close everything seems to be in town, he figures walking will also be fine. his apartment is in the center of the town that, according to his sleuthing, has sprung up thanks to the efforts of the residents already there. he explains all this to betty as they walk, talking about how intimacy apparently fuels the self-building city. ]

So, basically, F.A.T.E.S. brings people it thinks will benefit it, this place, and our worlds.

[ she's already wandered the city a little but his words are news to her, basically. she glances at him when he mentions intimacy, letting him finish what he's saying before she presses on that issue. they walk and she feels a lot better than she did before, knowing that together they'd be able to handle this.]

Intimacy? How... intimate do you mean?

[ for a few seconds, jughead merely presses his lips together. this shouldn't be embarrassing considering how close they came to having sex the night in his father's trailer, but for some reason he feels awkward. maybe it's because the heat of the moment is gone. he knows he has no reason to be nervous—betty loves him—but it's the fact they're no longer in the privacy of the trailer that makes him sigh with mild irritation. ]

Anything from kissing to more.

[ he stops walking to stand in front of her, hand still in hers which he entwines their fingers. he lets his dance along her knuckles for a few seconds as he gazes at her. ]

It's a lot to ask of some people, but I love you, Betty Cooper. I want us to save our world for our friends. Veronica, Archie, Kevin. We came close that night, last night for you. But if you're not ready for anything, let me know. This shouldn't be the only reason we're together.

[ while she'd asked the question, a part of her knew the answer before he gave it. it made her stomach twist with nerves. not because she didn't love him, didn't want to be with him (they'd might have gone all the way last night if they hadn't been interrupted) but because now there was a pressure to do it. any apprehension or butterflies could possibly mean the end of their own world.

it's difficult to meet his gaze fully at first (she wonders how far he would have gone if she hadn't come here) but then she does and she's steady. she presses her own lips together and nods in agreement. it shouldn't be the only reason they're together and it isn't.]

Nothing's changed. I feel the same way about you as I did last night, Jughead Jones. [ okay, sure, the jacket is an issue but it feels so small compared to this.] I want to be with you. [ the rest of what she has to say, she'd rather say in private.]

[ the smile that blooms on his lips is anything but sardonic. rather, it's pleased, glad as he hears her admit what he's known in his heart all along. he cups her cheeks, palms warm against her skin, and pulls her in for a slow kiss. it's not meant to be anything more than a show that he feels the same for her too, but because of what it is, so much emotion can be felt in it. ]

I feel the same way too, Betty Cooper. Thank God you're here.

[ her cheeks are cold compared to his hands and they feel good against her skin, his lips feel even better against her own. she wonders if she'll ever get tired of the way it feels to be kissed by him. she thinks not. by the end of that kiss, any apprehension she feels has melted away and she has an almost giddy smile on her lips.]

Why? [ she teases softly, letting her hands move to bury beneath his coat, at his sides, to warm themselves.] Did you find someone else to kiss while I was getting here?

[ that very nearly prompts a scowl on his lips. to think he could ever betray betty. the thought has never once crossed his mind. but he knows that if she hadn't arrived, he'd have had to find some way of rebuilding their world, and that would mean being intimate with someone who isn't her. the thought rankles. ]

Who me? C'mon, Betty. You know I wouldn't get anywhere close to saving our world without you. Hell, my father would still be blamed for Jason's murder if it wasn't for you.

[ she didn't think he had or else she wouldn't have teased him about it. granted, there was a little voice in her head that told her that he might have. after all, he was incredible. but when he doesn't seem to find the joke in it, her fingers curl at his sides.]

I didn't really think you had, Juggie. I trust you.

[ noting the way her fingers begin curling, he reaches for them again in hopes of preventing her from possibly harming herself. he knows it's a weakness she has, the occasional doubt. but if she could only see what he sees, she'd never doubt again. she's amazing, fantastic, and it's no surprise he loves her. archie missed out on something wonderful, he thinks. but that's just all the better for him. ]

C'mon. We're almost to my place and you can crash. I'll tell you about the theater I've been working at.

You've been working at a theater? [ she looks beyond pleased as she lets him start them on their way, one of her hands settling in his. ] A movie theater or theatre theater?

A movie theater. I'll leave the stage for Archie and Veronica.

[ it doesn't take long for them to reach his flat. it's modest looking, not much in the way of decoration or anything, but it suits him. it's got a bed, a desk, and a small kitchenette for him to make himself stuff to eat. all in all, not much bigger than the trailer, but jughead doesn't need much.

as he opens the door, he waits to let her go in first, giving her the opportunity to check it out. ]

I don't know, I thought maybe you'd been writing a play or something, [ she says with a soft smile. okay, so he hadn't really done something like that before but betty cooper knew that jughead could hang the moon if he wanted to. and once they get to his place, she's not surprised by the sparse decor and simple living. alice cooper would die.

betty, on the other hand, thought it was pretty perfect for him as she steps inside and looks around, letting of his hand. of course, when she glances towards the kitchen, her stomach growls, a little too loudly. and her cheeks flush.]

Sorry... I haven't really eaten since I got here.

Well, since I've arrived, I haven't had a whole lot of time to write. I did a bit during that big blowup—the battle. But then my laptop died and, get this, Thor, Norse god? Offered to charge it. I figured it was safer to keep my laptop here so it wouldn't get fried by a far too generous immortal.

[ flashing her a smirk as her stomach growls and sets his bag down by the desk. on the back of the chair sits the serpents jacket, but he makes no effort to draw attention to it. instead, he almost pretends it isn't there as he heads to the kitchenette. ]

In that case, we have two options. There's a copy of Pop's Choc'lit Shoppe downtown we can head to, or you can suffer through my cooking. Unless you want to try a hand yourself.

[ he gestures at the series of small cupboards above the stove where things like macaroni and cheese are stored. ]

audio; daemon; crowned

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