Author's note: Enjoy! Xxx

"You said you're not exclusive with your client list for the yoga studio, correct?" Jughead asked, watching Betty expectantly. She nodded.

"No, why?" Betty asked, signing as usual as she did so.

"So, and go with me here, I was thinking I could sit in on a class? I'd obviously pay," he hastened to add so she understood he was expecting preferential treatment. He never would but especially not when it came to one of her jobs. She tilted her head to the side as she studied him curiously, a hint of a teasing smile pulling at her lips.

"Juggie, do you even know how to do yoga?" Betty asked, voice filled with amusement and he had to laugh right along with her. Shrugging a shoulder, he shook his head somewhat sheepishly but not ashamed, either.

"Well, no," he admitted. "But I would like to learn so we can have something else to do together – if you're alright with that, of course."

Betty closed her eyes, a soft smile resting against her lips as she pressed her face into his chest. "So good. Always so good."

Jughead wasn't sure how much of her statement was true regarding other people but for the blonde Hitchcock who had stolen his heart years ago and never given it back? He always would be towards her.

As he got ready to reply, his phone ringing startled him. Pulling it out, he sent Betty an apologetic look as he looked down at the caller ID and frowned. Veronica. If she was calling and not Archie, something must have changed in the brunette woman. Sighing, he looked at Betty, who had seen who was calling as well and simply nodded.

"Take it," she encouraged gently. "I'll just go sit over there." Betty pointed to the bench across from them, but he held onto her hand gently, shaking his head.

"No, you don't need to have to leave because Veronica is calling unless it makes you uncomfortable," he said firmly, eyes searching hers'. "Are you uncomfortable?"

Betty shook her head, relaxing into his hold once more, and he smiled, answering the phone. "Veronica."

His tone was flat, but he didn't give a single fuck.

"Jughead," Veronica's voice was a sigh on the other end of the phone, and he listened intently, not offering up any words until she herself continued. "I-we-want to make this right with Betty. And, the both of you."

He couldn't help but at least respect that Veronica and Archie recognized that until they worked through their fucking awful reaction to Betty, that Jughead wouldn't be around them. Period. "Well, Veronica, that's Betty's call. Not mine or you guys." He looked at Betty as he said this so she could read his lips. He watched as she sighed softly before nodding.

"Tell her I'm going to text to her, see if she's serious about fixing things between us," Betty signed. "If she is, I'll tell her where Archie and she can meet us."

Jughead didn't even attempt to bite back the grin that broke lose at her words. He was fucking honored that she wanted him there. Whether or not it was as a security blanket, lover, or both, he'd gladly wear whatever title she needed him to for the meeting. He nodded, pressing a kiss to her temple as he turned back to the conversation with Veronica. "Betty says if you guys are serious about rectifying your behaviors, text her and she'll schedule a place to meet."

He heard Veronica sigh in relief. "Thanks Jughead."

"Thank Betty, not me," he said firmly before disconnecting the call. As Jughead placed his phone back into his back pocket, he caught Betty's smirk and sighed, soft puff of laughter escaping his lips. "Aggressively disconnecting the call too much?"

Betty laughed, shaking her head. "Not in my books." Her tone was light, teasing in a way Jughead would always associate with her being genuinely carefree and he couldn't stop himself from pressing a kiss to her lips, reveling in the fact that she melted into it so willingly.

"Good, baby," he signed just for the sake of seeing her eyes light up the way they did when she saw the word like before.

"Got game, Jones," she commented.

"When it comes to you, call me Dwayne Wade," he said.

"I'm…very confused you know who that man is," she said, shaking her head slightly.

"I know I'm a reclusive, but I'm not completely transitioned to the stage of, "living under a rock" yet," he replied, eyes teasing which was his equivalent to her voice being teasing. If she couldn't hear his tones, he'd show them through his expressions. Always.

She shook her head fondly, looping her arm through his. "So, we're going to meet Ronnie and Archie. Where do you want to do that?"

Jughead sighed as he looked down at her, thinking about his response. "A place you feel comfortable and not where a memory with them is tainted by their fucking idiotic ways."

"Juggie," Betty sighed, but he shook his head, turning to face her completely.

"No, baby, I will not let you think you did anything wrong. I know that Archie can be a bit ignorant when it comes to social cues but even he knows better than to behave the way he did. And Veronica can fucking fuck off for all I care. We both knew she has a judgmental streak to her – learned that in high school – but for as many times as she said she didn't want to be like her father in any regard and then she judges you of all people? No, no respect for her in this moment. Not even sure it'll be there if and when you forgive her."

Betty sighed, playing with his flyaway curl as a myriad of expressions flickered across her face and he waited, (somewhat), patiently for her to speak up once more. Nodding a little, she did so eventually.

"I'm not going to…pretend like I wasn't hurt because I was and it'd be disrespectful to myself to sweep that under the rug," Betty began. "But, if they were both genuinely remorseful and showed it to me, I-I think I can move past it."

Jughead placed a tender kiss to her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her small frame and nodded his head, waiting for her to finish sorting out her thoughts.

"That being said, I will not meet them at a restaurant. I will not put you or myself in a situation where Archie can show ignorance," she continued. "I'm going to meet with them at the coffee place I met you at with Claire. If you're good with it, I'll have you come instead of Claire. I know she's my interpreter and was offended that night, too, but I think this is something I need to do for myself. And, I think it's something you need to be present for because I cannot promise to hold any punches if Archie puts his foot in his mouth again."

Jughead laughed as he nodded. "I'll hold him down while you're throwing said punches. We'll have Sweet Pea and Claire bail us out of jail."

Author's note: Next chapter is Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead. Warning here: it's not going to be a super pretty chapter for Varchie fans. I'm not going to make them be the villains of this story, but I am going to highlight on ignorance with people, no matter how unintentional, because I think it's important. So, heads up. Would love thoughts per usual! Xxx