Jughead was never one to show emotions all that often. Certainly not panic.
That was...until he lost his hat.
Okay, okay, let's backtrack: Jughead didn't lose his hat—don't be ridiculous—but...he didn't exactly know where it was. That hat was special, and Jughead couldn't help but feel vulnerable without it. Maybe that was crazy to think—after all, it was just a hat, plenty more where that came from—but to Jughead, it wasn't just a hat. This was one of the first gifts FP had bought him, and Jughead cherished it dearly.
How could he have lost it?
With a long sigh, Jughead stowed his hands into his pockets and headed off to the Whyte Wyrm. As he entered, he couldn't help but feel as if everyone was watching him, even though that blatantly wasn't the case. His brow furrowed as his gaze sought out... There she was. Toni Topaz noticed him and signaled him over with a brief movement of her graceful fingers. There was a decidedly mischievous smirk on her face—but then again, when wasn't there one?
He headed over and glanced over at the intense game of who can get knocked out unconscious first by two older Serpents.
"How long have they been at it?" Jughead muttered distastefully. "'Cause one of them getting knocked out might just cheer me up."
"Hey now," Toni chastised. "That's not how you should behave—at least, aloud." She grinned. "So, why so glum, Juggie?"
He scowled at the ground. "It's nothing."
"Nothing never means 'nothing.'"
"Fine then," he retorted. "It's stupid."
"I'm betting it is," Toni said testily. She stroked his arm briefly before turning back to the game, her natural locks lighting up in the dim light. She reached into her duffle and appraised him coolly. "No, tell me," she urged. She raised a finger to her lips, smile hiding her extremely white teeth. "I won't laugh." She mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key.
He cracked a dry smile at her. "Yes, you will."
She tilted her head. "Yeah, you're probably right."
"Then why would I tell you?" he scoffed.
"'Cause I'm a good person."
He raised a brow. "No, you're not. In Riverdale, you're not even in the top million—never mind that there aren't even a million people here."
She pouted. "You didn't let me finish. You should tell me because no one else in here will listen."
"That doesn't even count as finishing—you basically just started another sentence."
"Juggie," she groaned. "Why can't you just tell me? It can't be that—"
"I lost my hat."
"Wait—what?"
He glanced over at her, scowl deepening. "Save your morals, your opinions. And you said you wouldn't laugh!" Toni pressed her lips together, trembling as she tried to force the laughter from spilling from her lips. It was quite a ridiculous sight. Her cheeks were turning crimson with the effort, and Jughead found himself laughing at her as she did so. She laughed, clutching at her stomach, and then hastily backtracked into a mock-stern expression.
"Not laughing," Toni choked out between bouts of laughter.
"Are you trying to deny laughing when you're laughing?" he inquired.
She smirked. Her fingers dipped back into her duffle. "It's cold in here, isn't it? Oh, hey—looks like the game's over."
Jughead turned towards the Serpents. One was standing, obviously victorious, over the other, a broad smirk on his face. Jughead couldn't suppress a dark smirk from rising on his lips. Jughead might not be one for inflicting damage—of course, he knew he could be very capable when he wanted to be—but it was quite enjoyable to watch it. It was a sport to the Serpents.
He turned back to Toni, grinning. "Good match, eh?"
She nodded, smirking. "Definitely." There was a sly edge to her voice.
"Do you think—?"
He stared, eyes wide in disbelief. Toni's smirk grew. "Speechless, Juggie?" she murmured slyly. Then, she leapt to her feet. "By the way, gotta go!"
"TONI TOPAZ, COME BACK RIGHT HERE, YOU HAT THIEF!"