Underneath The Mask

Chapter 2

Chapter summary - Betty realizes her feelings for Jughead were not just a fleet of the moment thing.

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Betty woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking and she rubbed her eyes. She stayed there for a few minutes before she sat up, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood up out of the bed. She walked into the kitchen, Jughead standing at the stove making something.

He caught sight of her a moment later, flashing her a smile. "Good morning. I don't know if you want anything but, uh, I made eggs. If you don't want that I have cereal and if you don't want that then you can help yourself to anything else in the kitchen, I don't mind."

"Thank you." He nodded and she took the prepared plate of eggs. He handed her a fork and she walked over, sitting down carefully at the kitchen island. There were only two stools there and it made sense. If he lived alone, which she had figured he did, there was no need for more than two. Her eyes scanned around the apartment a second later, looking at everything.

It was bright with the wall of windows opened and the walls were white which made it brighter. He had a couch sitting against the wall in front of her, a TV on a stand across from it. There was also a small desk with a few papers and what she guessed was his laptop pushed up against the wall. He had a small coffee table in the center of the living room as well. The kitchen was small but it wasn't so small to the point it would make you claustrophobic seeing as it was quite open. He kept the place very clean besides the few scattered items that laid about. He had a flood of books sitting in the cubbies of his TV stand, almost overflowing out of them.

She finished eating her breakfast and it was the first time she realized Jughead had also been eating silently against the kitchen counter. She had gotten lost in her own world and had partially forgotten where she was.

With a small flush on her cheeks, she stood slowly, his eyes coming up. "I... I finished."

He nodded, jumping down off of the counter. "You can put it in the sink. I'll clean it now."

"I can do it-" He held up his hand as she cut herself off, passing him the plate when he held out his hand silently.

He washed the plates and forks in silence, Betty standing at the island, not knowing what to do. "I can take you home when I finish these and I change." She nodded and he finished, getting changed quickly. They walked out to his car and she waited patiently as he locked it. He had her put her address into his phone and he started the directions.

"I have a question." He glanced over at her as he got in, nodding. "So you'll go back out to protests?"

"Most likely. Why, you planning on seeing me there again?" She flushed slightly, biting the inside of her cheek. "That was a joke."

She chuckled a little, shaking her head. "My question was regarding that." He gave her a nod and she continued. "Let's say I did see you or someone else at a protest... am I allowed to come up to you?"

"Yeah, as long as you don't say our names." She nodded, biting her lip. "Why?"

She shook her head, giving him a small smile. "No reason. Just... if I get lost or something." He chuckled, nodding.

"You won't be able to tell Reggie and I apart, you know." He glanced over at her and she furrowed her brows. "We're the same height, we're in the same gear..."

"Oh, I didn't think about that." She looked down at her hands almost in defeat. 

"Uh, but Reggie doesn't usually get spotted until teargas comes out." She furrowed her brows again, giving him a questioning look that was filled with laughter. He chuckled, looking back at the road. "He enjoys throwing it back at the cops - he's also a yeller. You'll usually find him and Sweet Pea belittling a cop or multiple. I stay back and usually help people. I try to explain to them what's going on and why it's happening. I protest, I help people who get tear gassed or shot with rubber bullets. I'm more of a "dressed-up" protester than I am a... fighter, I guess."