Author's note: I'm on vacation so hopefully stories will be updated somewhat frequently over the week. That being said – I am also hoping to sleep some time, cause fuck me, I'm tired. The world is making me tired. Here's an update. Enjoy. Thoughts lovely per usual. Xxx

Jughead and Betty ended up spending the day together with her teaching him different signs that she used frequently in her conversations with the people in her life. At one point, around evening, they stopped for tacos from a vendor, and he worked up the nerve to ask about her family. Her mother, in particular. Remembering how Alice Cooper was in high school – all sharp edges and blunt words – he wasn't sure if mama Cooper had calmed down with how she spewed vitriol to her youngest daughter. For Betty's sake, he hoped she had. He prayed that Alice had a bit of a wakeup call when Betty lost her hearing and was grounded somewhat more in the present moment and not always thinking into the future of how she could mold her daughter into being the version she wanted her to be and not the version Betty wanted.

To his surprise, (and, great pleasure), Alice had relaxed her outrageously high expectations, having accepted the explosion had happened and, while having taken away her daughters' hearing, it hadn't taken her daughters' life. And that knowledge made her infinitely grateful and more aware of how she handled her expectations.

Needless to say, Jughead was pleasantly surprised with that. And happy that Alice and Betty seemed to have taken great steps to repairing their somewhat shattered relationship they had while Betty grew up. Betty made frequent trips back to Riverdale and Alice travelled to the city when she could, alternating holidays between both their homes.

Betty herself seemed content with the new relationship she had with Alice. Her and Alice, in Betty's adult years, were better than they ever were in her formative years and to know, to see how happy that made Betty, well, it made Jughead happy in turn. Just then, Betty turned to him from where she had been taking a bite of her taco, eyes twinkling as she looked up at him. Tilting her head to the side curiously, he understood her silent question of, "what are you thinking about?", and he hurried to grant her wishes.

"It's just nice knowing that you and Alice -," she paused him, soft smile playing at her lips as she finished the last of her taco before throwing her trash away and walking back towards him.

"Let me show you the sign I have for my mom," Betty said softly before holding onto his fingers like she had in the diner they got brunch from. This time, there was no hesitancy in her movements as she wrapped her fingers around his. Once more, he found himself marveling at how right it felt again. How he was home by just the feeling of her finger's gentle caressing.

She spelled out the word, "monarch", giggling softly at his look of utter understanding.

"Makes sense," he replied with a laugh and she nodded.

"Thought so, too," she replied, signing the words for him and he made sure, always making sure to pay attention to the way her fingers curled and molded themselves around the words. The way she signed – it was an art, in Jughead's opinion.

He offered Betty his elbow, relishing in the fact that she crooked her own through his without a beat and they began walking through the streets once more.

"Do you do anything outside of your job? Outside of writing?" Jughead made sure to sign the word pen, that having been one of the first he learned – he could have learned laptop, he knew, but he remembered both of their appreciation for good old-fashioned ways of writing. His being a type writer; hers' her trusty pen.

She smiled at his use of sign language, eyes lighting up and he felt a flush of pride color is ears. If she saw it, she didn't comment on it, and instead chose to answer his question he poised.

"I teach a yoga class three times a week, in the evenings. It's – not excluding, per se, but my main targeted audience is fellow hard of hearing individuals. I fell in love with yoga in my second year of college – after we broke up. I needed something positive to channel my time into and my on-campus counselor suggested yoga. I really ended up liking the practice – that and meditation – and practice both religiously. "I spent a summer getting my license to be an instructor and have taught at a studio for the past two years. It's really nice."

Jughead couldn't help but be impressed with the way she, yet again, went after what she wanted once she put her mind to it. The fact that her hearing was taken from her hasn't seemed to derail her – not from what he has seen yet. He grinned at her, proud beyond belief.

"You're still every bit the Betty fucking Cooper I loved, you know that?" Jughead asked, maintaining eye contact so she knew how serious he was with the statement. The tell-tale blush that painted her cheeks told him that she appreciated the sentiment laying underneath his tone.

"Thanks, Juggie," she murmured, ducking her head down as she bit on her lip. He touched her elbow gently, ducking to maintain the eye contact.

"Don't do that, Betts," he chided gently. "You don't have to hide yourself. Not from me. That's never been something you've had to do. Don't feel the need to start now, okay?" He signed the word "okay" to her – one of the very first he had learned – and she smiled, opting to sign back the word "thank you" and show her sincerity with her eyes. Afterall, she had always been his favorite book to read.

She rubbed her arms somewhat absentmindedly and he slipped off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders. Again, the signed "thank you", followed by bright eyes and a grateful smile was what he was rewarded with and he kissed her temple as he tucked her into his side. At some point, they had managed to make their way to a little secluded corner and Betty's eyes were watching the skyline expectantly. She seemed to hold a hint of disappointment.

"What is it?" Jughead asked as he turned to face her completely.

"Can't see the sunset in the city. Skyscrapers are too tall," her fingers were working in tandem with her speech, and he heard the genuine disappointment with her statement – she had always liked the sunset. And, the sunrise. Both brought her a sense of tranquility. Checking a glance at his watch, he chewed his lip as he thought.

"It's too late to catch the ferry out to Staten Island – but we, if you want to, can have a sunset picnic this week? Perhaps Saturday night?" Jughead asked.

"Like a date?" Her fingers were moving with a bit more speed and he wanted to believe she was as excited at the prospect as he was.

"If you'd like for it to be," he murmured, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

Her eyes were soft when she asked, "Juggie. What do you want?"

"A date. God, I want a date, Betts," he breathed, eyes on hers' as he pushed their foreheads together. She hummed, fingers tracing his jaw before she gently pressed a kiss to the base of his throat.

"Then, it's a date."

Author notes: Date night soon! (I should really probably warn you guys that this will be my fluffiest Bughead story I've ever written – maybe a smidge of angst here or there, but it'll mainly be pure gentleness for these babies. Honestly, they deserve it at this point). Xxx