Author's note: Lunch time at home, peeps. New chapter (will most definitely have mistakes here or there. My bad). Enjoy! Xxx

Jughead stood in front of Betty on the metro, hand grasping the pole lightly as she sat on a seat across from him. She had a content smile resting on her lips as she watched the different people in the city getting on and off the ride, causing his own smile to quirk his lips upwards. Her eyes trailed firstly over the elderly couple, smiling softly at the way the man had his arm wrapped around who, Jughead assumed, was his wife, before moving towards the father and his little girl. A tender expression came over her face as the man gently tickled his daughter, the little girl's giggles being heard even from the distance separating them.

Watching Betty, Jughead understood that she may have been thinking about when Hal Cooper hadn't succumbed to the darkness of his mind. Afternoons filled with the two of them sneaking off for a milkshake at Pops when Alice was running the Register for an afternoon by herself. Or, perhaps when Hal would take her, Jughead, and Archie to their library, letting the three children have time to pick books they wanted and read quietly amongst themselves under his watchful eye. He hadn't always been evil and, god, Jughead hoped that was what Betty was reminiscing about as she watched the pair on the metro.

Eventually, they reached their stop and he tapped her on her arm, tilting his head towards the door and offering her his elbow to hook hers' through when she met his look. Smiling, she stood up and linked their arms, letting him tug her gently through the rather crowded train. He made sure to keep her tucked into his side so other people didn't bump into her because, well, New Yorker's were infamous for their rushing demeanors and couldn't promise that if she bumped into someone and the other person got frustrated and said something, he wouldn't get in their face. Keep it cool, man.

Stepping off the metro after no altercations, he spoke, making sure to face her so she'd be able to see what he was saying.

"Okay, so there is a local burger place that makes burgers almost as good as Pop," he said, and she chuckled, shaking her head as she tucked a lose tendril of hair behind her ear.

"Not possible, Juggie. And, weren't we supposed to be getting brunch?" Betty asked, quirking an eyebrow. He noted she wasn't signing at the moment and wondered if it had to do with the fact that their arms were still linked together or if she just felt comfortable enough to speak freely. He wasn't sure but he wasn't going to question it either. Not when they were still reacquainting themselves with one another.

Laughing, he spoke once more. "I mean, yes, I did offer brunch. But, hamburgers count as brunch, right?"

"Not if Ronnie is involved," she said, lilt to her tone.

Jughead felt a flash of irritation at the mention of the brunette woman and thought about his earlier visit to her and Archie. He was…fuck, he was mad at the two of them. They, firstly, shouldn't have ever done what they did to Betty to any individual who was hard of hearing. The fact that it was Betty that was on the receiving end of their blatant ignorance just made him want to scream at them. She watched him curiously and must have recognized something in his expression.

"You talked to them, didn't you?" Betty asked knowingly, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk abruptly.

"Watch it, assholes!" A woman cried irritably as she swerved around them to avoid walking into them. Jughead glared at her back for a moment before tugging Betty to an alcove tucked away and looked at her as he weighed his words. Eventually, he sighed and nodded, maintaining eye contact.

"I went and talked to them, yeah. Archie told me about the night you guys had dinner. I…lost my cool, I'll admit. But, Betty, I will not apologize for that. It was wrong, the way they acted as if…you're not the same person you've always been. Fuck their insinuations and fuck them if they can't see anything wrong with how they acted," he said firmly. He was surprised to see her laughing.

"Jughead, you're acting like you have to defend your actions to me. Trust me, I'm just as upset as you are. Hell, Sweet Pea and Claire – Claire especially, since she was at the dinner – are mad, too. Sweet Pea, who didn't know about the explosion and resulting hearing loss, automatically started learning sign language to become a better friend and help make my living environment as easy as possible. We weren't friends in high school. I was with both Archie and Ronnie and yet Archie ordered a meal for me because he didn't think I knew how to still do that," she replied, shrugging a shoulder. "I gave up on them wanting to right their wrongs. If they want to, they will. I can't force them to, however. Has to be up to them."

Jughead searched her eyes for any hint that she was being dishonest towards herself and finding none, he grinned and pulled her away from the corner they had ducked into, leading her back in the direction of the hamburger joint he wanted to take her to. "So, these burgers…"

XXX

"Okay," Betty sighed, signing after taking a bite of her burger and smiling happily. "Fair comparison to Pops standards. Jesus."

He laughed, watching as she took another bite and closed her eyes in what could only be described as burger appreciation. He experienced it often so knew it well.

"Told you," he exclaimed. "Not awful for not being a Pop Tate original." He paused before continuing on somewhat guilty. "Just don't tell Pop I said that next time you go home."

Betty laughed and zipped her lips. "Secret's safe with me, Juggie."

"They always have been," he agreed with a warm smile, taking quiet pleasure as she smiled shyly into her coffee mug as she took a sip. Looking back up at him, she began signing as she spoke, and he paid attention to the way her fingers moved and curled around each letter and word as a whole she was spelling. At the way she was passionate about what she was speaking about.

"Do I get to play an old favorite card of mine of "being Jughead's favorite person ever", and get to know when the second book of your series will be out? Or, if you're feeling really generous, can I know a little secret about it?" Betty asked, tone eager as she watched him expectantly.

Jughead laughed. "Betty. Always did know how to play your cards right."

She shrugged and wore a shit-eating grin as she waited for him to continue.

"Ethel is currently working on editing it and then we submit it to the publishing company," he replied.

"Ethel? Muggs?" Betty signed and he nodded after a moment, wondering if she was going to be upset that it was a girl who had an open crush on him in high school who was now his editor.

She just simply smiled. "People change." It was as if no time had changed between them because she was still able to read his mind.

"They do," he agreed, suddenly remembering the last round of sign language he had been able to memorize. Slowly, as to not stumble his movements and sign something inappropriate or offensive, he slowly tried to sign his way through what he wanted to tell her.

"Do you have a sign for names? My name?" Jughead asked, looking back and forth between his fingers and her face to make sure he was signing it right. She nodded encouragingly, hesitating for just a second before gently capturing his fingers in her soft and smaller ones.

"Here," she murmured. "I'll help you sign the name I picked. I'll tell you what it is as we spell it out."

The moment was strangely intimate for him in a way that he had never experienced with intimacy between them and he swallowed thickly as he nodded, letting her guide his fingers in her hands.

"Here's the C, then the R, O, W, and N," she murmured, eyes flickering to look at his as his breath caught in his throat.

"My name is crown?" Jughead asked.

"Thought it was fitting," she whispered, cheeks rosy. He hesitantly pressed his lips against her forehead, watching for just a moment as her eyes closed upon contact, before shutting his own, the only thought in his mind: this is home to me once more.

Author's note: Legit hope I made up for the tearjerker that was the latest chapter of Regrets! Thoughts lovely as usual! Xx