𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐒

𝐗𝐕|𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀: 𝐅𝐔𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐃

"Having you right here in my arms will always be worth burning it all down."

Veronica's heart will not stop trying to fight it's way into Jughead's chest as he holds her close. It's beating so hard between them that surely he must feel it, all of this. It's overwhelming in every way. This is definitely it, love, it has to be. Nothing else ever made this much sense. His heart is beating strongly against her ear as she lays on his chest. Maybe it's all in her mind, maybe she's losing it, but she swears his heart is beating in time with hers. It all feels like a dream she's destined to wake up from. It makes no sense how many Angels are waiting for them outside of these mountains. Jughead's stomach rumbles like thunder and it's a reminder of how fast Veronica needs to bring down her father. Hiram cannot have this one.

The quiet between them is heavy but somehow still peaceful. Bonding in silence. It makes her a little stronger, a little more able to put her armor back up. The longer she's with him the more capable she feels about handling the rest. Here they are together after all the chaos so far. One more truth, and Veronica is starting to believe she won't lose it all. Hope. It's so unfamiliar and scary. She lets her thumb trace over Jughead's flat stomach as it growls again. His resolve is contagious. She used to think nobody in the world was as determined to get what they wanted as her father, nobody's will was ever as absolute, not even hers. Getting to know Jughead has changed that. He will not back down. He'd die first. Getting to know Jughead has changed her. She won't back down either, she already decided she would die first this time. Hiram won't have his way with either of their lives.

"What's on your mind?" Jughead asks softly as his fingers trail through her hair.

"You." She answers honestly looking up at him. His smile could set heaven alight. She feels that fire everywhere. "You make me want to be better." She has never in her life felt safe enough with someone to admit that insecurity out loud. She has never felt good enough, and her father only ever echoed that to her every chance he could.

"There was never anything wrong with you in the first place." Jughead says with a smile that says she's silly to think so.

Veronica chuckles darkly at that. "You should of seen me in middle school."

"Oh yeah? You couldn't of been that much different." He says with mirth in his eyes.

"Jughead you already thought I was a bitch." She reminds him. "and I was worse before I came here."

"Hey I can be wrong sometimes you know." He tells her. "Wrong a lot actually."

"Well you weren't." She disagrees. "I was and I still am a cold bitch."

"No you're a human being trying to cope under extreme and unfair circumstances." He tells her in a tone of understanding. She can feel it's something he's probably grown used to telling himself too.

"I was a bully, pure and simple." Veronica confesses more light-heartedly than she feels by the memory. "I demeaned girls, stole their boyfriends, turned them on each other and made them take my shit on the off chance that I would call them my friend." She's almost scared to meet his eyes, but when she does she doesn't see judgement.

"Considering my penchant for belittling Archie's intelligence our whole lives, I can't really be one to judge." Jughead assures her with a mischievous smirk.

"I had one friend Cynthia Saint John. She was one of the few people ever really there for me, and all I did was abuse her loyalty. I think I kind of just learned from my dad how to treat friends like enemies." Veronica confesses. Her original intent upon arriving to Riverdale was to treat Betty the way she should of treated Cynthia. Another failure, she's done the exact same thing again. Stole a boyfriend and wrecked lives.