Archive of Our Own

Veronica Lodge walks into the student lounge of Riverdale High, a familiar head of pink hair immediately catching her eyes.

“Toni!” she exclaims, and Toni Topaz swivels round in her chair, a smile on her face, as she looks up from the books in her lap.

“Hey, V, what’s up?” Toni asks, her homework forgotten as she takes her headphones out of her ears.

“Oh, nothing much, I just came in here to wait for Archie, he’s got History. Where’s Cheryl?”

Toni smiles at the mention of her girlfriend’s name before she replies “I actually think she’s in the same History class as Archie, I don’t know how we haven’t crossed paths in here before. You’re welcome to wait with me, I was trying to study but I’ll probably just be texting Cheryl until her class is over, she told me they’re just watching some documentary that she’s already seen.”

Veronica raises an eyebrow at that. “Not to make assumptions but I wouldn’t have thought Cheryl Blossom to be an in class texter,” she says with a slight chuckle.

“I mean, you’re talking about the girl who literally burned her house down, you think she cares about rules?”

Veronica laughs, as she shakes her head.

“Right, I totally forgot she did that! I’m surprised you stuck around after learning she was somewhat of a pyromaniac.”

This seems to throw Toni, who looks at Veronica like she’s just grown a second head.

“Why wouldn’t I stick around?”

“I don’t know, it’s kind of a crazy thing to do, right? Like, if Archie told me he’d covered his big ass mansion in gasoline and torched it with a candelabra with him and his mom still inside, I’d force him to go see a therapist.”

Toni shrugs.

“It’s never been a big deal to me, the chaos that follows Cheryl around. Guess I’ve just accepted it’s part of loving her.”

Veronica opens her mouth to say something, but is interrupted by Toni’s phone going off, and she’s almost shaken by the smile on Toni’s face as she reads what must surely be a text from Cheryl.

“Your girlfriend sexting you or something, Topaz?” Veronica asks, her teasing tone causing Toni to look up from her phone in surprise.

“What? No, we’re not sexting, thank you very much. She just agreed to movies and pizza when we get home, that’s all.”

It baffles Veronica just how much Cheryl has changed in the time that she’s known her. Toni too, but it’s not as dramatic, she doesn’t think. She thinks back to her first year in Riverdale, to Cheryl, crying in the locker room about how alone she felt. And here she was now, planning movie dates with her live-in girlfriend. Oh, how love can change a person.

“It feels like forever since me and Archie have done anything like that,” Veronica sighs, as Toni looks back up from her phone once again, clearly only paying slight attention to the raven-haired girl.

“I mean, it’s easier when you live together, you don’t really have to plan on times and places,” Toni says with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “I thought things were good with you and Archie though?”

Veronica bites her lip, a battle waging in her head. Should she open up about how she’s been feeling in regards to her relationship? Surely, it can’t hurt to tell one person, right? She shifts slightly in her seat as her next words come out quietly, so much so that Toni has to strain to hear her. “I don’t think me and Archie are gonna last past graduation,” and Toni raises her eyebrows and gestures for her to continue.

“He’s been...distant recently,” Veronica says, wringing her hands in her lap. “Ever since the Variety Show actually, and now he’s suddenly deciding to go to the Naval Academy! I mean I knew we were gonna go to different colleges but he didn’t even discuss it with me, he just told me and that was it. I don’t know what I’ve done but I feel like I’m losing him and graduation is just gonna be the final nail in the coffin,” she says sadly, looking down at her hands, and then back up at Toni who’s got a sympathetic look on her face.

“I’m sorry, V, I honestly had no idea you were feeling that way. Do you think something happened, you know, at the Variety Show?”

Veronica shakes her head.

“We got into an argument, yes, but as far as I knew we’d moved past it! But ever since that day things have been different. He’s barely touched me and even you know how important physicality is in our relationship.”

Toni nods.

“Yeah, I try to forget how often I’ve walked into a classroom with you two banging,” she says with a smirk, which causes Veronica to smile at least. “You know me and Cheryl are always here for you, right? I can’t imagine how it must feel to not know why he’s been so distant, I hope he gets his act together soon and realises what a good thing he’s got in you.”

At these words, it hits Veronica that she can see just how stable Toni felt in her relationship to Cheryl. Because it wasn’t just that Toni was here for her, no, it was the both of them - they came as a pair in whatever they did and this doesn’t seem to phase Toni at all. She wonders what it would be like to be so secure in your relationship that you can wake up next to each other every morning, spend all day at school together, and then go home to sleep next to each other every night, and not feel suffocated. Her own relationship was surely becoming proof that high school relationships don’t work out, yet here Cheryl and Toni were, already living together and planning on going to the same college. It’s astounding truly, and she almost feels honoured that she can witness such a love story take place. She’s snapped out of her thoughts by Toni, who’s waving a hand in front of her face with a grin.

“You okay, V? Thought I lost you for a second there.”

“Yeah, sorry, I just zoned out for a sec. Thank you, Toni, I really appreciate that. I’d also appreciate if you didn’t go telling Archie about what I’ve said,” she says sheepishly.

Toni nods once, but she also looks at Veronica like the very thought of her telling Archie is absurd.

“I’m in a gang, I know when to keep my mouth shut,” she says with a toothy grin, before looking back at her phone which has been vibrating periodically for the past 5 minutes.

“You guys are still texting? Don’t you get bored?” Veronica asks, but it’s not said unkindly.

“Nah, I could never get bored with Cheryl, are you mad?” she says with a shake of her head. ”We could watch paint dry together and she’d still find a way to make it entertaining.”

“You know I just have to tell her you said that, ugh, who knew a gang member could be so cute?” Veronica says with a laugh.

“Don’t go calling me cute, Lodge,” Toni says with a pout, which only makes Veronica laugh harder.

“Sorry, sorry, go back to texting your girl, I should probably start this English assignment anyway.”

Toni nods, and puts her headphones back in as she looks back down to her phone, a soft look on her face as she texts her girlfriend. Veronica wishes she could take a photo of this moment just so she could show Cheryl how Toni looks when she’s talking to her, like her whole world is contained in that little phone screen, but ultimately decides that would be creepy, so she gets out her textbooks and buries her head in reading until Archie and Cheryl’s class is over.

Half an hour later, Cheryl Blossom walks into the student lounge, a smile on her face as she spots the pink head of hair she loves so much. Toni looks up as she hears footsteps approaching and upon seeing Cheryl, she grins and moves her books and headphones to one side. Cheryl promptly sits herself in Toni’s lap wrapping her arms around her neck and kissing her softly as Toni rests her hands on her hips. Veronica smiles at this whole interaction, but doesn’t say anything, not wanting to intrude on their moment.

“Hi, baby, how was class?” Toni asks, and it momentarily stuns Veronica at just how gentle her voice is. Clearly this was a tone of voice she only reserved for Cheryl, and Veronica feels slightly awkward even though they’re in a public setting right now.

Cheryl twirls a piece of Toni’s pink hair round her fingers before she says “Boring, as usual, though I find every class we don’t have together drags on. I’m so glad phones are a thing otherwise I don’t know what I’d do!” And Toni laughs before she leans forward and presses a kiss to Cheryl’s collarbone.

“Well, I’m here now, babe,” she says and Cheryl hums in agreement before she’s kissing her again, hands cupping Toni’s face. It’s sweet, but they seem to have forgotten they’re not the only ones in the room, so Veronica clears her throat, causing them to break apart.

“Let’s keep it PG in here, lovebirds, we still have two classes of the day left,” Veronica says as Cheryl glares at her, clearly annoyed that her and Toni’s make out session had been interrupted. Cheryl sighs before she’s manoeuvring herself off of Toni’s lap and into the seat next to her, but Veronica doesn’t miss the way their hands seem to automatically find each other and intertwine.

“Hi, Ronnie, how are you?” Cheryl asks and Veronica flicks her eyes up from Cheryl and Toni’s hands to answer.

“I’m...good. You know, can’t complain!” she says, putting on a slightly fake smile. She’s sure that even if Cheryl sees through it she won’t question it for long; Toni will no doubt fill her in on what she’s said about Archie, and Veronica can’t find it in herself to care.

Cheryl raises an eyebrow but says nothing more, instead turning back to face Toni, who looks at her with a smile.

”Ready for next class, TT?” Cheryl asks her and Toni nods, bringing their clasped hands up to her lips and pressing a kiss to the back of Cheryl’s hand.

“Honestly the sooner this day is over the better, I’ve got movies, pizza and cuddles to look forward to,” Toni says, and Cheryl practically beams at her.

“I agree, my sweet. Now come on, we mustn’t be late. Bye Veronica, see you tomorrow?” Cheryl asks and Veronica nods once with a smile and a wave of her hand as Cheryl and Toni leave the room, still hand in hand.

Veronica can’t help but sigh into the empty room as Cheryl and Toni leave. She’s not one to get jealous, but fuck, is it too much to ask for her to have a relationship like the one she’s just witnessed? She’s desperate for her and Archie to get back to how they were before, but she honestly doesn’t know how to make that happen when she doesn’t know the reason he’s being distant with her in the first place. Add in the fact that graduation is in a few weeks and they’re both heading off to different places, Barnard and the Naval Academy respectively, and Veronica’s never felt more pessimistic about her love life. She remembers the days she would feel giddy just holding Archie’s hand or kissing him, but it feels so long ago now, their relationship feeling more like routine than anything. She loves him, of course she does, but she thinks her version of love compared to say, the way Cheryl and Toni love each other, is just different. Archie doesn’t look at her the way Toni looks at Cheryl, the girl in question looking at her girlfriend like she put the goddamn stars in the sky. Veronica doesn’t feel the need to always be touching Archie the way Cheryl does with Toni. She honestly can’t think of a time in the last two years that the two girls weren’t touching one way or another, their fundamental need to be close to each other so evident to all around them. Her relationship with Archie, Veronica realises, is hurtling towards its end, whilst Cheryl and Toni’s has only just begun. Veronica Lodge walks out of the student lounge, painfully aware that even though Cheryl and Archie had the same class, only one of them came looking for their significant other, and wonders just how many of her friend’s relationships could really compare to that of Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz.

—

Betty Cooper sits in the room of the Blue & Gold, flipping through the completed yearbooks when a flash of red in her peripheral vision makes her look up.

“Cheryl? What are you doing here?” the blonde asks, as Cheryl Blossom takes the seat beside her, a determined look on her face.

“I need to talk to you, cousin.” Cheryl says bluntly, but without malice.

“Oh, okay, um, what about?” Betty replies, thoroughly confused as to what’s going on.

“Do you remember when I came in here the other week to give you the yearbook photos? When you were getting all worked up about your feelings for Archie?” Betty grimaces at that but Cheryl doesn’t notice, too caught up in talking. “Well, you were unnecessarily cold to me that day, cousin, when I asked about a page for Jason, and I’m here for an apology.”

Betty blinks in surprise, but ultimately nods as she takes in Cheryl’s words. “You’re right, Cheryl,” she says with a sigh. “I’m sorry, you didn’t deserve that. I guess I just had a lot on my mind that day, which isn’t an excuse, I know...but I hope you can forgive my coldness. Of course Jason deserves a page in the yearbook, just as much as any of us do.”

Cheryl seems satisfied enough with this explanation and apology, as she nods at Betty with a smile.

“Thank you, Betty, that’s all I needed to hear. Now tell me, did you figure out how you were feeling? You know, in regards to the men in your life.”

“Uh, kind of, I guess. If anything I’m more confused than I was to begin with,” she says with a wince.

“Why? Did something happen?” Cheryl asks, not knowing how Betty could possibly be more confused than the last time they talked.

Betty shakes her head and purses her lips as she looks away from Cheryl.

“Come on, cousin, you know I can tell when you’re lying,” Cheryl says. “Talk to me Betty, please.”

Betty visibly gulps as she turns to look at the redhead in front of her.

“I kissed Archie,” she whispers, and Cheryl’s eyebrows shoot up in shock.

“You did what?! When? Wait, are you talking about when you did that whole fake dating thing because in case you’re unaware, everyone already knows about that,” Cheryls words come out in a rush as she tries to make sense of what she’s just been told.

Betty shakes her head, her voice still low, like her boyfriend could burst in any moment and catch her in the act.

“It wasn’t then, Cheryl. It was after. The day of the Variety Show, actually.”

“So you mean to tell me, you kissed Archie and then got up on stage and sang with him, Veronica and Jughead like nothing happened? Betty, what the hell were you thinking?!”

“I don’t know, Cheryl, okay! I don’t know, it sort of just happened and I’ve been feeling guilty about it ever since! You know I love Jughead, I would never do anything to hurt him,” Betty says, exasperation in her tone.

“...you kind of already have though, Betty. You kissed someone that wasn’t your boyfriend. Does this mean you want to be with Archie now?” Cheryl asks, a hardness to her voice that Betty is sure won’t go until she’s got the explanation she needs.

Betty shakes her head. “No! I-I don’t know...what would you do if you were in my situation?” she asks Cheryl, which appears to be the worst thing she could do.

Cheryl scoffs and lets out a light laugh.

“What would I do, Betty? How can you even ask me that question? The answer, and you should know this already, is that I would never be in your situation. I love Toni, with all my heart, so much so that it physically hurts sometimes. I could and would never do such a thing. It sounds like maybe you’re not as in love as you think you are, if you can go around kissing men that aren’t Jughead. Don’t get me wrong, me and your darling hobo have never really seen eye to eye, but he doesn’t deserve what you’ve done.”

Betty slumps back in her chair and closes her eyes, Cheryl’s words sinking into her brain. It appears to her that she should probably take more notice of her cousin’s relationship, because she feels really bad that she could even dare to ask her what she would do if she cheated on Toni. The thought of Cheryl doing such a thing is so far from the realm of possibility that it almost baffles her how in love Cheryl really is, and how she needs to reflect on her feelings for both Archie and Jughead. But, right now, the more pressing issue is that she’s even brought this up to another person at all.

“Promise me you won’t say anything, Cheryl, please?” Betty practically begs as she opens her eyes and stares directly at Cheryl, who rolls her eyes.

“Veronica deserves to know, don’t you think? She’s pretty much my best friend aside from Toni, I won’t keep such a thing from her,” she says firmly.

Betty briefly wonders how you can call the person you’re dating your best friend, but then again, she kissed her best friend and possibly had feelings for him so who was she to say anything? Besides, she finds it rather sweet that Toni is held in such an important place in Cheryl’s life, and, now that she thinks about it, who wouldn’t want to date their best friend? Betty knows that Cheryl and Toni were friends before they started dating, though how that came to be she still has no idea. One minute, they were at Cheryl’s sleepover and her nana fell down the stairs, the next, Cheryl went missing from school for a week, and when she returned, Toni was her girlfriend. She’s always wondered what changed in that week, but never had the courage to ask. A question for another time, she thinks. Right now, she had to work on getting Cheryl to not say anything to Veronica.

“Cheryl, you don’t understand! You don’t want to be the one to wreck not only two relationships, but friendships too, do you? Please, I promise I’ll tell them both...it needs to come from me and Archie, don’t you agree?”

Cheryl bites her lip as she thinks, and then sighs and nods.

“You’re probably right. I do have a habit of being the one to tell people that you and Archie have kissed. But still, I don’t know, it feels wrong for me to keep such a secret.”

Betty feels exasperation grip her.

“Cheryl, you’re my cousin. I’m pretty much the only family you have left apart from your nana. Please, please can you do this one thing for me?”

Cheryl seems taken aback that Betty would play the ‘I’m your only family card’ but nods nonetheless.

“Okay, fine. But only if you promise you’ll tell them yourself. At least before graduation. And don’t think I won’t tell Toni. We don’t keep things from each other.”

“I promise. Since when was your relationship the most stable out of all of ours?” Betty asks with a slight laugh.

Cheryl shrugs.

“We have our moments, just as everyone does. But there’s no future where she’s not by my side, I can tell you that without a doubt.” And Betty observes the slight blush on Cheryl’s cheeks and the small smile on her face as she talks about her girlfriend. It’s adorable, really, that after two years of dating even talking about Toni can get this reaction out of Cheryl. She kind of misses when she was the same around Jughead.

“You know, I never really saw you two get together. As far as I knew you were friends and then suddenly I saw you holding hands and kissing by the lockers. When did you guys even get together? When was your first kiss?” Betty asks, finally working up the courage to ask her cousin how her romance started. It had taken too long, already.

Cheryl however, visibly winces, which takes Betty by surprise. Why would she have such a reaction over her and Toni’s first kiss? The answer takes a few minutes to leave Cheryl's mouth, but when it does, Betty is left almost breathless with shock.

“Seeing as you shared a secret with me, cousin, it’s only fair I do the same to you. Do you remember when I didn’t come to school the week after Nana Rose was in the hospital?” the redhead asks, her voice timid, as if she’s willing away a memory she’s tried hard to forget.

Betty nods, and waits for her to continue.

“Well, it turns out my mother wasn’t too fond of mine and Toni’s friendship...she sent me to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and I was there for that whole week until Toni and Veronica rescued me with the help of Kevin,” Cheryl exhales shakily at her words, whilst Betty is just looking at her in confusion.

“Why would they need to rescue you from an orphanage?”

As far as Betty knew, before the Farm had taken over, that’s all the Sisters of Quiet Mercy was.

Cheryl smiles sadly.

“It wasn’t just an orphanage, Betty. They covertly ran a gay conversion therapy camp there too.”

Betty feels the breath leave her lungs.

“You-your mom sent you to conversion therapy?!” she squeaks out.

Cheryl nods.

“If it weren’t for Toni realising I was missing and suspecting foul play from my witch of a mother, I’d most likely still be there. Or dead, probably.”

“Wow. I’m so sorry, Cheryl, I can’t imagine what you went through. I mean, I thought it was bad when I was there and they fed us drugs. So, that’s when you got together? When Toni rescued you?” Betty asks, still a little confused, because how could they have had a relationship conversation whilst running away from homophobic nuns?

Cheryl shakes her head with a laugh.

“No, we kissed for the first time when she rescued me. It wasn’t until we were safe in her uncle’s trailer for a few days that we actually confronted how we felt about each other. And, well, you know the rest.”

“That’s actually really beautiful, Cheryl,” Betty says, a genuine smile on her face. Whilst it was tragic that Cheryl had to go through such an ordeal (and Betty would not be the one to ask her for the details, she’s afraid that would be too traumatic for her cousin), it was amazing that she gained such a positive relationship out of her experience.

“Thank you. My mother did everything she could to try and destroy mine and Toni’s relationship, and we came out of it stronger than ever. And truthfully, despite all the horrors that have happened these last few years, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”

There’s a light in Cheryl’s eyes that Betty’s never seen before, something she’s sure only happens when the redhead is thinking or speaking about her pink haired girlfriend. It’s so different from the Cheryl she’s known all these years, the girl who was so closed off and who only cared about reputation to guard her sadness. Betty's pretty sure that now, Cheryl could be living in a cardboard box with Toni and that light still wouldn’t leave her eyes.

The thought makes guilt rear it’s ugly head inside her as she thinks of Jughead, about what she’s done to him, and Veronica too. Her boyfriend and her best friend. Surely she will lose them both once the truth comes out. She’s so lost in her thoughts that she barely recognises Cheryl saying goodbye and leaving the room, no doubt to go home with Toni, leaving Betty alone once again. She wishes that Cheryl could have given her some better advice than “I would never be in your situation” but if she had said anything different it would be downright absurd. If Betty is honest, and despite the circumstances, she tries to be, she’s pretty sure she’ll never see a relationship like Cheryl and Toni’s for the rest of her life. How can one person be so sure that they won’t stray for the duration of their relationship? One fight with Jughead and Veronica respectively and some lingering feelings is all it took for Betty and Archie to kiss each other. But Cheryl seemed so goddamn sure that that would never happen with her and Toni and who is Betty Cooper to argue with that? She sighs before standing up and grabbing her bag, and prepares to go home to her boyfriend who will inevitably get his heart broken, but for now, remains blissfully unaware of what his girlfriend and best friend have done.

—

Jughead Jones sits in his booth at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, his fingers gliding swiftly across his keyboard as he types. It’s around midnight, and he’s working on a second story for the University of Iowa, just in case his “Killing Mr. Honey” piece isn’t what they’re looking for.

He turns around as the bell to Pop’s chimes, and is surprised to see Cheryl and Toni walk in, hands clasped together. What were they doing here so late?

He thinks about waving to them, but ultimately decides against it after seeing the looks on their faces. Cheryl is paler than usual, and she looks like she’s been crying, eyes red and bloodshot, whilst Toni is looking at her with concern etched on her features. They walk to the booth in front of him, sliding down into the seats next to each other, paying no notice to anyone around them. They don’t seem to notice Jughead and his signature beanie sitting opposite them, too wrapped up in their own little world.

Pop Tate walks up to the girls, a grim look on his face as Jughead watches the interaction from over the top of his laptop screen.

“Another one?” Pop asks, and Cheryl nods with a sniff.

‘Another what?’ is the question on Jughead’s mind as Toni orders a strawberry milkshake for the shaking girl sitting next to her as Pop nods and leaves them alone in the booth.

A few minutes pass, and Pop returns, milkshake in hand as he sets it down on the table in front of Cheryl with a smile.

“Drink up, babe,” Toni says, “It'll help your throat after all that screaming.”

Cheryl just sighs, before she wraps her lips around the straw in her glass, moaning in relief as the cool liquid soothes her throat.

What the hell was going on here? Why was Cheryl screaming? Jughead is baffled, but the answer reveals itself not too long after.

“I’m so sick of this, TT,” Cheryl mumbles, but with the quietness of the diner, her voice carries over to where Jughead is sitting. “It’s been two years, when are these stupid nightmares going to stop?!”

Ah, now that is surprising. Who knew Cheryl Blossom fell victim to nightmares?

Toni rubs her girlfriends back in an attempt to stop her from trembling.

“I know, Cher, but you’ve been through so much trauma it’s no wonder you’re still getting nightmares. Do you want to talk about it?”

Cheryl exhales shakily, but gives Toni a small nod as she plays with her fingers with the hand not currently holding her milkshake.

“I was back...in that dreaded place my mother threw me into. I was strapped down to the bed and they...injected me...and told me i was never going to leave as long as I still had deviant thoughts.”

Cheryl’s voice comes out a pitch higher than usual and Jughead feels his heart ache for her even though he has no idea what place or who she was talking about.

“Babe, you know they were wrong, right? You’re not deviant, Cheryl, you never have been and you never will be,” Toni says firmly. “Do you remember what I told you that first night we spent here?”

“I’m sensational,” Cheryl murmurs.

“Damn right you are, bombshell. And I love you, Cher. No abusive mothers or evil nuns is ever going to change the way I feel about you,” Toni says, pressing a kiss to Cheryl’s temple and lacing their fingers together.

“I love you too, Toni, more than I’ve ever loved anyone. It’s just so hard sometimes...I think I’m okay but as soon as night comes it’s like I’m right back to where I started - hating myself for feeling the way I do. And the worst part is I don’t know how to get them to stop.”

Cheryl takes another sip of her milkshake, the liquid cooling the ache in the throat.

“I’m gonna say something, but I don’t want you to freak out when I do, okay?” Toni asks softly, as Cheryl looks at her quizzically. “You told me you felt good telling Mrs. Burble about the things you’ve been through...maybe we could look into getting you someone to talk to? You know, someone that isn’t just me. I’m always here for you, babe, but you need a better support system if you’re gonna get over these nightmares.”

Jughead sees Cheryl visibly tense, as she shakes her head and bites her lip.

“Toni, I-I don’t know if I can...my father always told me therapists are for the weak...”

Jughead raises his eyebrows at that. He knew Clifford Blossom was obviously not right in the head, the fact that he shot his son in the head being proof of that, but what kind of man tells his daughter that she shouldn’t seek help if she needs it? Hell, he’d even thought about going to a therapist himself after everything that had happened over the last couple of years, and he hasn’t been through half the stuff that Cheryl has.

“Fuck him,” Toni says, anger lacing her tone. “He was a shitty father and you shouldn’t listen to whatever bullshit he spewed out of that dirty, murdering mouth of his. I’m serious, baby, don’t listen to him, you need this, we both know you do.”

“I know, I’m just...scared, Toni. What if they say I’m crazy and lock me away like the sisters and I never get to see you again?”

This causes Toni to laugh a little, despite the situation.

“If you know me at all you know I’d never let that happen. That’s just your anxiety talking and you know it. If you want, I could come with you? Just until you’re comfortable talking on your own.”

“You mean that?” Cheryl asks, sounding slightly like a scared child.

“With all my heart, babe,” Toni replies softly.

“I guess...I guess it couldn’t hurt to look into. But if I do this, I need you there TT, I can’t do it alone.”

“I told you, Cheryl, you’re not alone. Not ever again. We’re in this together, I promise, and I don’t break my promises.”

For the first time that night, Jughead sees Cheryl Blossom smile. And he knows the only reason she’s doing so is because of the pink haired girl beside her.

“I love you, Toni Topaz,” Cheryl says.

“I love you, too, Cheryl Blossom,” Toni replies, before she leans in to kiss her girlfriend softly, their hands still intertwined.

Jughead has learnt a few things tonight. The first being that Cheryl Blossom suffers from nightmares and anxiety. The second, is that her and Toni obviously come to Pop’s late at night frequently enough that the man doesn’t seem to question it, something which warms Jughead’s heart. Pop Tate truly was the best of them. The third, is that Toni Topaz seems to be the driving force that keeps Cheryl together. The girl somehow got her girlfriend to agree to therapy despite her reservations, and he’s pretty sure if anyone else were to suggest it to Cheryl she’d give them a harsh insult and flip her red hair before walking away, the conversation never to be brought up again. It’s amazing to see the connection they have; Jughead’s pretty sure the two girls haven’t stopped holding hands since they first walked into the diner. Not even he and Betty are like that, and he likes to think his relationship with his blonde haired girlfriend is pretty strong. But what he’s witnessed tonight...this was something else, he thinks. There’s something so primal in the way that Cheryl and Toni love each other, something so deep that nothing can tear them apart, not even nightmares that have them up till the middle of the night.

He’s caught off guard by a voice bringing him out of his thoughts.

“You eavesdropping, Jones?” Toni’s voice is still quiet, so as not to rattle her girlfriend, but still loud enough that he knows he can’t pretend to not hear it.

“Uh, what, no, I wasn’t-“ he starts, but the look on Toni’s face and her raised eyebrow stops him mid-sentence. He sighs, taking off his beanie and running his hand through his hair.

“Sorry.” Jughead says, but it comes out as more of a mumble.

“It’s fine, Jughead,” Cheryl says quietly. “I can’t take back you hearing what’s happened tonight, but I’d appreciate if you kept it to yourself.”

Jughead nods immediately.

“I won’t tell anyone, Cheryl. And...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been listening to you guys.”

Toni nods once at his apology.

“Go back to your laptop, Jughead, if you know what’s good for you.”

Jughead gulps and averts his eyes from the two girls in front of him. Realistically, he knows Toni wouldn’t do anything to him just for overhearing a conversation, but she was clearly protective over Cheryl right now, which was understandable. He decides to leave them to it, sliding his headphones over his ears just to make sure they know he isn’t listening.

Things do seem to look up after their conversation, though. As he peers over his laptop screen a few times out of curiosity, Cheryl is no longer shaking and she doesn’t have tears in her eyes. Instead, she’s laughing at something Toni has said to her, and the smiles on both of their faces is something Jughead thinks not many people get to see. At school, Cheryl reigns with an icy fist, the HBIC of Riverdale High and Captain of the River Vixens giving her authority over her peers. And Toni, when she’s not with Cheryl, sticks with her gang, all leather jackets and combat boots stomping along the linoleum floors, ever the appearance of toughness. But right now, at midnight in a booth in Pop’s diner, there’s nothing but softness and warmth radiating from them both. Their hands are still interlaced, and Cheryl’s leaning her head on Toni’s shoulder, whilst Toni peppers her hair with kisses periodically, making Cheryl smile and cuddle in closer to her. They honestly can’t seem to get enough of each other, and Jughead finds himself smiling despite not being able to hear their conversation.

About half an hour later, he sees them get up and leave, and of course they’re still holding hands (when weren’t they, honestly?). They deserve each other, he thinks. For Cheryl, who had lost the only light in her life after suffering tirades of abuse from her mother and father. And for Toni, who had grown up on the wrong side of the tracks, struggling to survive when her uncle famously kicked her out every other week. For them to have found each other, despite the many obstacles in their way (Penelope Blossom being a big one), it was nothing short of a miracle. The light and love they give each other is so plain to see, that Jughead is pretty sure Cheryl would suffer another 50 years of nightmares as long as she had Toni by her side. He slides his headphones down to his neck and closes his laptop shut, saying goodbye to Pop as he exits the diner, making a mental note to himself that maybe he should show Betty he loves her more often. Unfortunately for Jughead Jones, he has no idea that said blonde girl was going to break his heart in just a few short weeks.

—

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Fangs Fogarty revs the engine of his motorcycle as he drives to the front lawn of Thistlehouse. He tries to ignore the pounding in his heart at the feeling of Kevin Keller’s arms around his waist as he pulls up next to Toni’s motorbike and parks. He notices the bike has two helmets on it instead of one - a black one and a cherry red one resting on the handlebars. Fangs smiles as he’s reminded of the time that Toni had presented the red helmet to her girlfriend; he could never forget the smile on Cheryl’s face as she’d put it on her head, her cheeks squishing together adorably.

Both boys clamber off the bike and head to the front door. Kevin brings his hand up and knocks three times, before smiling shyly as he drops his hand and brushes it against Fangs’, who bites his lip to hide his own grin.

They’re still in the early phase of their relationship, both of them agreeing to take things slow due to the trauma of what happened at the Farm, but it doesn’t stop the way Fangs’ heart squeezes painfully every time Kevin smiles at him, or the way Kevin can’t help but blush when they talk.

The door creaks open and Cheryl Blossom appears, dressed in a red bikini with what was clearly one of Toni’s oversized flannels on top.

“Fangs, Kevin!” she says cheerily. “Welcome back to Thistlehouse. Come in, please, there’s beers and fries waiting by the pool!”

Fangs and Kevin grin as they enter the house that Cheryl and Toni had made a home.

Fangs has been here once before, after they had successfully gotten rid of Nick St. Clair, but it still blows his mind that two eighteen year olds had such a large house to themselves. Granted, they shared it with twin toddlers and an old lady, but still. It’s a far cry from the trailers that he, Toni and Sweet Pea were used to living in. There’s a giant portrait of Jason on the wall near the entrance, and Fangs finds himself smiling and wondering what life would be like if he were still alive. He’d never met Jason, but Kevin’s told him a few stories, and judging from the pictures he’d seen, he was a handsome guy; it was clear why everyone loved him, he had an infectious smile even in photographs.

They follow Cheryl into the large garden where Toni is laying on one of four pool loungers that are set up next to the pool itself, clad in a purple bikini, the sun beating down on her and making her skin glow. There’s a table in front of them, a crate of beers and trays of fries from Pop’s resting on top of it.

According to the text he’d got in the group chat of him, Kevin, Cheryl and Toni, Nana Rose was on a church retreat for the weekend and the twins were being looked after by Alice Cooper, which means they had the entirety of Thistlehouse to themselves. Cheryl had taken about five minutes to invite the boys over after learning this information, promising them alcohol, food, and time in the pool in return for their company. Fangs didn’t know it for sure, but he could guess that Cheryl wanted to show her thankfulness for vanquishing Nick St. Clair from her life, and who was Fangs to pass up an opportunity like this? It wasn’t often that he got to hang out at rich people’s houses, so he jumped at the chance when he’d gotten the invitation. Plus, he actually enjoyed spending time with Cheryl and Toni, so that was an added bonus.

Fangs saunters over to Toni and settles himself down onto the seat next to her, Cheryl sitting on her other side and Kevin sitting next to Fangs.

“Sup, Tiny?” Fangs asks, as Toni rests her sunglasses on her head and smiles at him.

“Took you long enough to get here, guys, I thought I’d have to drink all this beer by myself,” Toni teases, passing beer bottles to the boys as she talks.

“Right, because you’re so good at handling your alcohol,” Fangs laughs. “I guarantee you would’ve fallen in the pool after three beers if we weren’t here to drink them for you.”

Toni pouts.

“Shut up, I would not! Tell him, babe, I’m not a messy drunk, am I?”

Cheryl hesitates.

“I refuse to comment on such a matter, my love,” Cheryl says with a smirk.

Toni’s huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. “You guys are the worst,” she mumbles before leaning over to the table and popping a fry into her mouth.

“True, but you love us anyway!” Kevin says with a chuckle.

“False. I love Cheryl and tolerate everybody else,” Toni replies, which causes Cheryl to blush and Fangs to put his hand over his heart in fake shock.

“You wound me, Toni, truly,” Fangs says, an exaggerated pout on his face which makes Toni burst out laughing.

“Shut up, you fool, you know I love you.”

“Love you too, T. Now, is it rude of me to be the first one to go in the pool? This heat is killing me.”

Cheryl shakes her head.

“Be my guest,” she says. “In fact, I fancy a dip myself. Join me, TT?”

Toni nods and grabs Cheryl’s hand as she gets up from her chair. Fangs and Kevin get up too, both boys stripping until they’re down to their boxers, and Fangs doesn’t miss the way Kevin looks him up and down before he blushes and jumps into the pool with a big splash. Fangs laughs and follows his lead by cannonballing, submerging himself into the water. He resurfaces, pushing the hair out of his eyes as he watches Cheryl, who has left her flannel on the chair, walk down the steps and into the pool, Toni walking behind her and not so subtly checking her girlfriend out.

“Keep it in your pants, Topaz!” Fangs shouts, making Kevin laugh loudly and Cheryl gasp.

Toni simply gives him the middle finger before she’s swimming over to where Cheryl is and wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Have I told you you look beautiful today, baby?” Toni asks, moving her hand to tuck a lock of Cheryl’s hair behind her ear.

Cheryl giggles as she puts her hands behind Toni’s neck and pulls her in for a kiss.

“Yes, you have, but it’s always nice to hear it again. And you look absolutely stunning as usual, TT.”

“Ugh, you guys are so gross,” Fangs says, but at the look on Toni’s face he raises his arms in defeat. “I mean cute! You guys are so cute, yeah, that’s what I meant,” he says, hoping to have dug himself out of the metaphorical hole he had landed himself in.

Cheryl and Toni break apart and swim over to the edge of the pool, leaning against it as Fangs and Kevin join them.

“I think you guys are like, the definition of endgame,” Kevin says.

“Oh please, Kevin, you say that about literally every couple that’s dating,” Cheryl chuckles.

“Not true! I said that about Betty and Archie and look where they ended up.”

At his words, Cheryl and Toni share a look that Kevin can’t quite recognise, but it’s gone before he can even question it.

A few minutes later, Fangs is jumping onto Kevin’s back and yelling “last one in the water gets to kiss Cheryl!” with a loud laugh.

“Oh, you are so on, Fogarty!” Toni yells back, lifting herself up onto Cheryl’s shoulders as her girlfriend grips her thighs to keep her from falling.

There’s a moment where Fangs almost wins, Toni teetering back on Cheryl’s shoulders, but Cheryl is determined that one, she’s never going to kiss a guy again, and two, she’s never going to kiss anyone but Toni, so she grips her thighs even tighter, making sure she doesn’t fall.

“If you don’t get his ass in the water I swear to God we’re not cuddling for a month, Toni Topaz!” Cheryl shrieks.

This makes Fangs roar with laughter, but he regrets it soon after as Toni finds her opening and shoves him hard off of Kevin’s shoulders. He topples down into the water and comes up sputtering, while Toni jumps off of Cheryl whooping with joy.

“No one kisses my girl but me!” she shouts, staring straight at Fangs before she’s spinning Cheryl round and crashing their lips together.

They break apart panting slightly, and Fangs thinks the joy on Cheryl’s face is something worth putting in a museum. He’s never seen the redhead so happy.

After about an hour of swimming and talking, the group return to their loungers, wrapped in towels that Cheryl had already brought out. Fangs doesn’t miss the way Cheryl has the only red towel, the girl’s signature colour ever present even in her home life.

Their fries have gone pretty much cold now, but the beers were still good as they’d been left in the shade, so Toni passes them each one as she sits down again next to Cheryl and Fangs.

“Never would’ve took you for a beer drinker, Blossom,” Fangs teases.

Cheryl rolls her eyes.

“Yes, well, it’s just one of many prejudices I’ve had to get over now that I’m dating Toni. My mother always told me beer was for the ‘poor’,” Cheryl replies with a sigh.

“Your mother was also a murdering homophobe, babe,” Toni says, a hardness to her voice that only arises when she thinks of the older Blossom.

“That is very true.”

Kevin sits up in his chair as he wrings his hands together nervously.

“Can I ask you something, Cheryl?” he asks quietly.

Cheryl looks at him, puzzled, but nods and gestures for him to speak.

“Did you really keep Jason in your basement?” Kevin practically whispers.

Cheryl freezes as Toni reaches over to grab her hand and Fangs looks between the four of them in confusion.

“How...how do you know about that, Kev?”

“Betty told me. She said you burned his body at Sweetwater River.”

“Trust my sweet cousin to blab about something so personal,” Cheryl says coldly. “If you’re asking me if I kept the taxidermied corpse of my dear departed brother in my basement after we escaped from the Farm, then yes, I suppose I’d have to tell you that was true.”

Fangs gapes at her.

“Why would you do that?” he asks in shock.

“I was suffering through somewhat of a...mental break after all the chaos that ensued because of the Farm. They had made me believe that I could talk to Jay Jay again and I found myself unwilling to let that go.”

“Jesus,” Fangs breathes out.

“Hey, I’m not judging you, Cheryl, not one bit. I mean, I literally let them cut my kidney out. I have this scar as a permanent reminder of that,” Kevin says, gesturing to the large scar on his side.

None of them had mentioned it till now, but it seemed appropriate that they could talk about it, they’d all been through the horrors of the Farm together.

“I almost did the same, Kev, so no judgement. If it weren’t for Cheryl almost stabbing the nurses with a scalpel who knows where I’d be right now,” Toni says softly, giving Cheryl’s hand a squeeze and running a thumb over her knuckles.

“Did you hear that Edgar was planning to run away with a rocket? Dude was seriously messed up,” Fangs says.

“Yeah, it’s kinda hard to believe that the biggest villain we had to deal with this year was Mr. Honey,” Kevin replies with a laugh.

“I must say, your performance of Tear Me Down will surely be the talk of Riverdale High for years to come,” Cheryl says proudly, looking at Toni. “Plus, my girlfriend here looked insanely hot playing the drums,” she says with a wink, causing Toni to laugh as she takes a swig from her beer bottle.

“Speaking of Riverdale High history,” Kevin starts, looking at Cheryl and Toni intensely, “I hear you two are running for prom queens. Now that is something that would be the talk of the whole town, let alone the school.”

“We are. I mean, I don’t know if we’ll win, but it only seems fair to go for it considering that old bitch Evelyn convinced us not to last year,” Toni grumbles.

“Well, you’ve got mine and Fangs’ votes for sure,” Kevin says with a smile and Fangs nods in agreement.

Cheryl beams at them.

“Thanks, guys. I’ll make sure to mention you in my speech when we win,” she says with a wink.

They spend the rest of the day talking, swimming and relaxing, and at some point Fangs finds himself in Cheryl and Toni’s bedroom, a stuffed toy sitting on his lap, Kevin laying at his feet. It’s so reminiscent of the first time he was here, watching the tickle tape of Nick, and he smiles at the knowledge that the St. Clair boy would never hurt another woman again, least of all go near Cheryl if he didn’t want to endure the wrath of Toni Topaz.

Said pink haired girl is sitting on the bed, with a slowly falling asleep Cheryl in between her legs. Toni is playing with her girlfriends hair, stroking it in between her thumb and forefinger as they watch an old episode of Friends on the small TV her nana usually used.

Soon enough, Cheryl falls asleep against Toni’s chest, her chest moving slowly up and down as Toni cuddles her from behind and presses a kiss to the back of her head.

“I can’t believe she’s asleep,” Kevin whispers with a smile.

“She gets tired when she drinks sometimes,” Toni explains as she looks fondly down at the sleeping redhead nestled in her lap.

Fangs sneakily takes a picture on his phone of the two girls, at least he tries to, but his flash goes off and Toni looks over at him with a raised eyebrow. He grins even though his cheeks are flushed with embarrassment.

“Sorry, you guys are just so adorable I thought you’d want to remember this moment.”

Toni gives him an appreciative smile.

“You know, if you saw how many photos I have of Cheryl you’d think I was some kind of stalker,” she chuckles quietly.

“I doubt she thinks that. Don’t think I haven’t seen her drawings of you either, it works the same way, Tiny,” Fangs says, his voice still hushed so as to not wake Cheryl.

Toni looks at him in confusion.

“How have you seen her drawings?”

As far as she knew, she was the only one that Cheryl had shown her sketchbook to.

“Caught her drawing in the student lounge one day. Don’t think I’ve ever seen her face so red when she realised I saw what she was doing,” Fangs laughs. “But I told her, I think it’s sweet she uses her talent to draw pictures of you. I swear when I first looked I thought it was a photograph.”

Toni looks down at her girlfriend, pride and adoration shining in her eyes.

“Yeah, she’s super talented. I don’t know how I got so lucky to be honest.”

“Personally, I’ve never seen Cheryl happier now that she’s with you, Toni,” Kevin says.

“I try my best,” Toni replies, smiling down at her sleeping girlfriend.

“You’re so whipped, T,” Fangs chuckles, before he’s exclaiming in pain when Toni slaps him on his arm.

“I am not! Don’t act like you're not a blushing mess since you and Kevin have rekindled your romance.”

Fangs’ mouth drops open as he runs his hand through his hair and clears his throat awkwardly, averting his gaze from Kevin, who he’s sure is blushing right now.

“Shut up,” Fangs mumbles, and Toni laughs before shoving him affectionately.

They watch a few more episodes of Friends, Cheryl still sleeping soundly, her back pressed to Toni’s front, before she’s shaken awake gently as Fangs and Kevin prepare to leave.

Cheryl blinks the sleep out of her eyes and looks around the room in confusion.

“Damn it, TT, did I fall asleep?”

“You sure did, baby. I was gonna leave you to it but I thought you’d want to say bye to the boys. Plus, I really need to pee and you’re crushing my bladder,” Toni says with a fond laugh.

Cheryl sits up and Toni makes her way to the bathroom. Once she’s done, she follows Cheryl, Kevin and Fangs to the front door of their home.

“It was great seeing you both,” Cheryl says as she pulls Kevin and then Fangs into a hug.

“You too, Red. Your pool is awesome!” Fangs replies, grinning.

Cheryl rolls her eyes affectionately at the boy in front of her.

“You’re welcome back any time, Fangs. And you too, Kev.”

Toni nods in agreement as she puts her arms around Cheryl from behind, her chin resting on her shoulder.

“Get outta here, you goofs, I need my quality cuddle time before school tomorrow,” Toni says with a smile that matches the one on Cheryl’s face.

Kevin laughs and says goodbye before he heads out of the doorway and positions himself on the back of Fangs’ motorbike.

“Tiny Toni’s gone soft!” Fangs yells as he runs out the door and jumps onto his bike before Toni can reprimand him.

He sees Toni give him the middle finger before she presses a kiss to Cheryl’s cheek and shuts the door.

Once his helmet’s on, Fangs revs his engine and drives out of the gates to the Blossom Estate, not heading home, but taking the turn to Pop’s instead. Kevin had invited him earlier in the day and he agreed readily, he was craving a chocolate milkshake anyway.

Fangs drives into the parking lot of Pop’s, which is surprisingly empty for a weekend, and parks before dismounting, taking his helmet off and holding out his hand so Kevin can do the same.

They walk in and sit down at the counter, Pop Tate greeting them with a smile.

“What can I get you boys?” Pop asks.

“Two chocolate milkshakes, please,” Kevin says, and Pop nods, leaving them and returning a few minutes later, milkshakes in hand.

“So, that was fun,” Kevin says, looking at Fangs as he takes a sip from his milkshake.

“Yeah, it was really nice. Though I feel slightly embarrassed that I lost against Toni and fell into the water.”

“Hey, don’t feel bad, when it comes to kissing Cheryl that girl takes no prisoners,” Kevin laughs.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so carefree. I mean, I’ve known the girl since she moved to Riverdale when we were twelve and I’ve never seen her like this.” Fangs says, the memory of the pink haired girl smiling and laughing so happily fresh in his mind.

“It’s the same with Cheryl. You didn’t know her until you guys transferred to our school, but she’s like a completely different person than the one I grew up with.”

“What was she like?” Fangs asks.

“Cold, mostly. After Jason died it was like she was shell of herself. She ruled the halls of Riverdale High, but you could tell she was lonely. Lost, even. I don’t think she even started opening up to anyone until Toni came along,” Kevin says sadly.

“Yeah, I still remember that first day when she walked up to us and called us ‘scum’. If someone had told me that day that two years on I’d be hanging out in her pool I probably would have punched them in the face,” Fangs chuckles.

“Growing up in a family like hers it’s no surprise that’s what she thought of the Southside. I mean, she grew up in the top 1% of Riverdale, and you’ve heard the stories about her parents, I’m sure.”

Fangs nods.

“We heard all about Clifford killing Jason even on the Southside. It blows my mind that she started dating one of us after what FP did. I don’t think I could ever let that go.”

“Cheryl’s a good person, behind all the masks she puts up. I think Toni has taught her a lot about forgiveness though.”

“It helps that they’re both super hot too,” Fangs says with a wink. “I don’t think they could’ve resisted each other even if they tried.”

Kevin laughs at that, nodding in agreement.

“I think if you had told Cheryl growing up that she’d end up living with a female gang member with pink hair with plans to go to college together she would’ve tried to get you committed to an asylum.”

Fangs chuckles, rolling his eyes as he thinks of how soppy the two girls were.

“They’re really something else, you know? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it. I hope...that’s how you and me can be one day,” Fangs says softly, looking into Kevin’s eyes with hesitation.

“I’m pretty sure none of us can even hope to get on their level, but to be somewhere even close to it with you would make me really happy,” Kevin almost whispers, as he takes Fangs’ hand in his own.

Fangs doesn’t think he’s ever heard anything more true. Whilst he hopes him and Kevin can have a blossoming romance like Cheryl and Toni, it would be foolish of him to even dream of having a connection like that. Things are looking up in his life, he’s got a scholarship for a college near the guy he’s dating, and to be honest, he’s pretty proud of himself for making it this far after everything that has happened (getting shot after being falsely accused of murder being one example). As early as it is in their relationship, he hopes that him and Kevin can have a future together, maybe somewhere far from the horrors that the town of Riverdale seems to thrive on.

More than anything though, he hopes that Cheryl and Toni make it out too. He thinks of Toni, the girl he grew up with for the past six years, and wonders where her future lies. No doubt with Cheryl, the two are inseparable at this point. He thinks she’ll become a photojournalist, like she’s always dreamed of being. He remembers her jumping with glee around her uncle’s trailer when her grandpa had gifted her her first camera, and how she carried that camera around her neck for the few years before they transferred to Riverdale High. He imagines Toni and Cheryl at their wedding, all dressed up in beautiful white gowns as they dance slowly together, their friends all around them. Toni still has pink hair of course, because it’s been so long he can’t imagine the girl without it, and it contrasts nicely with Cheryl’s fiery locks. He pictures Cheryl and Toni at Thistlehouse, little red headed babies running around as they laugh and think back on how far they’ve come. A Northsider and a Southsider, thrown together in the most unlikely of ways, and finding each other when neither of them expected it.
It should seem absurd, impossible even, because they were only eighteen, but Fangs Fogarty is nothing if not an optimist, and when he thinks of Toni Topaz, he can’t imagine her loving anyone but Cheryl Blossom for the rest of her life.

—

“Behind you, behind you!” Sweet Pea yells as Toni quickly swivels her character around and shoots the player that was trying to sneak up behind her. ‘VICTORY!’ flashes on the screen and Sweet Pea whoops and fist pumps the air with a grin.

“Damn, six years and we’re still pros at this game,” Sweet Pea says as he high fives Toni.

“Yeah, we still got it, Sweets,” Toni agrees, smiling as the game goes back to the main menu.

They’re sitting in Sweet Pea’s trailer, have been here since school finished, playing video games for God knows how many hours.

It’s getting late, darkness settling over Sunnyside Trailer Park, and they’re waiting on pizza to be delivered, so Sweet Pea decides to put on a movie to distract them while they wait.

They’re ten minutes into ‘Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift’ when there’s a knock at the door.

“I got it,” Toni says, pausing the movie and getting up to answer the door, fishing a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket as she does.

She thanks the delivery guy, handing him her money and telling him to keep the change before she settles back down on the couch, putting the two pizza boxes in between her and Sweet Pea.

“You didn’t have to do that, Toni, you know I have money,” Sweet Pea says as he bites into a slice of pizza.

“It’s cool, we haven’t hung out in a while, consider it my treat,” Toni replies, as she blows on her slice of pizza before taking a bite.

Sweet Pea huffs.

“Fine, but I’m getting the next one, okay?”

Toni nods and shrugs her shoulders.

“Whatever you say, Sweets.”

They put the movie back on, enjoying their pizza, and as the credits roll, Toni leans back into the couch, holding her stomach.

“Okay, I have a serious food baby after that, Jesus,” She says as Sweet Pea laughs and agrees with her.

“You know, I’ve missed having you around here, Tiny.”

“You see me every day at school, Pea.”

“I know, but it’s not the same. I can’t just walk across the trailer park and see you, I have to drive all the way to the Northside to your fancy house,” Sweet Pea says, a slightly sad tone to his voice.

“I know, but would you prefer me to still be here? Getting kicked out every other week and crashing on sofas or at the Wyrm?” Toni asks, a little frustrated that he’s even bringing this up.

“Of course not, T! I just miss you, that’s all.”

“Aw, I miss you too, you big softie,” she says, wrapping her arm around Sweet Pea’s neck and ruffling his hair.

Sweet Pea shoves her off with a laugh before turning to face her, a serious look in his eyes.

“So much has changed in the last few years...I just need to ask this for my own peace of mind. Are you happy, Toni? I mean, you’re practically Northsider royalty now that you’re dating Cheryl.”

Toni looks at him, slightly stunned.

“The Southside will always be a part of me, Sweet Pea, you know that. But yeah, a lot’s changed. I live with Cheryl, I’m looking after twins, I’m going to college...hell, I’m even campaigning for prom queen this year. It can be overwhelming at times, yeah, especially with the twins and Nana Rose, but...I’ve honestly never been happier,” Toni reassures him.

Sweet Pea nods.

“Okay, well you know my trailer’s always here for you if you need it. You’re right though...I’ve known you six years and no one’s ever made you smile the way Cheryl seems to.”

“She’s the love of my life, Pea, I mean it. I look at her and I know in my heart that she’s my soulmate.”

Sweet Pea wants to scoff at how soppy his best friend is being right now, but the smile on her face and the look in her eyes tells him now is not the time to joke.

“Soulmate? You really believe in that?” he asks in slight disbelief.

Toni nods.

“You know how spiritual my family is, especially my grandpa. Even my uncle’s scared of being too much of an asshole in case the spirits in the afterlife punish him. I kind of never really got into it, but then I met Cheryl and she turned my whole world upside down.”

“How do you mean?” Sweet Pea asks, genuinely curious.

Toni sighs dreamily as she unlocks her phone and looks at her wallpaper, a selfie of her and Cheryl in bed together lighting up the screen.

“She’s just...she’s it for me, Sweets. I look at her and I just know that I must’ve done something right in another life to be lucky enough to have her in this one. I never fully believed in soulmates until I started dating her if I’m honest. It’s the way my heart starts racing when she holds my hand, or how my lungs feel like they’re gonna collapse every time she kisses me. And God, I could look into her eyes forever if she’d let me. She’s just so fucking good, Pea, after everything she’s been through, all the abuse and deaths in her family should’ve turned her cold-hearted, but instead, she’s the kindest, strongest, most loving person I know. She’s the best thing in my life, truly. Sorry, I kinda went off on one,” Toni says, a little embarrassed.

Sweet Pea smiles at her and shakes his head.

“Nah, you’re good. I’m happy you found someone that makes you feel the way, Toni. You deserve it more than anyone, growing up the way you did. It’s rough on the Southside, and you made it out. I’m proud of you. I have to ask though, how did you know?”

“Know what?”

“Well, the first time we met Cheryl, she literally called us ‘Southside scum’. Yet somehow, you managed to see she wasn’t as bad as everyone thought. How’d you know?” Sweet Pea asks. This was a question that had been on his mind ever since Toni had first started dating Cheryl.

Toni shrugs.

“I guess I could just see that she was hurting. We all heard about Jason, we all know what FP did in regards to covering up his murder. It didn’t surprise me that she’d built up walls to protect herself. And you know me, I never could resist a girl with a pretty face,” Toni says as she shoves Sweet Pea’s arm lightly with a smile.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Who would’ve thought the ice queen of Riverdale High was actually a nice person underneath all that bitchiness?”

Toni laughs.

“She certainly surprised a lot of people when she actually started not lashing out at everyone who tried to get close with her.”

“You know that’s on you, right? If she’d never met you I’m sure she’d still be that same lonely girl, pushing everyone away,” Sweet Pea says.

“Sure, I helped, yeah, but she made a lot of that progress on her own. In the end, she just needed someone to show her that loving and being loved isn’t a bad thing.”

Sweet Pea realises that he hasn’t given Cheryl much credit over the last few years. Here was a girl who had every right to hate the Southside, and the gangs affiliated with it, but she still joined the Serpents nonetheless, because she wanted a family of her own. He knows the girls are happy with their gang now, but he does miss when it was him, Fangs, Cheryl and Toni all in the Serpents together. He still can’t believe they got kicked out over a stupid egg.

“So, college, huh? You excited? You know you’ll be the first Topaz to actually go, right?” Sweet Pea asks, slightly changing the subject. Though it appears no matter what he does, Toni somehow always connects her conversations to her girlfriend.

“Dude, I’m beyond excited. I actually get to study something I’m passionate about, and I’m doing it with girl by my side. What more could I want?”

The dreamy look in Toni’s eyes returns as she talks about the redhead she loves so much.

“So you really see a future with her? You’re only eighteen, Toni, you don’t know what’s gonna happen.”

Toni pouts slightly at his pessimism.

“I do, actually. I mean, not exactly, I can’t see into the future. But when I think of my future, there’s no version of it that Cheryl’s not in. Can I tell you something if you promise not to tell Cheryl?” Toni asks, even though she knows by now that Sweet Pea is trustworthy, he’s practically her brother at this point.

Sweet Pea nods immediately.

“Sure, Toni, anything.”

“I want to marry her, Sweets,” and she goes to continue but stops at the shock on Sweet Pea’s face. “Calm down, not yet, obviously.” Sweet Pea visibly relaxes and gestures for her to carry on. “But one day, maybe once we’re finished with college. Fuck, I can’t even explain how badly I want her to be my wife someday. I want the all-American dream with her, Pea. I go to bed dreaming of the house with the white picket fence...the dog running around our back yard...our kids smiling as their red hair shines in the sun. And I know it’s too early, and we’ve still got college and everything that comes after, and everything is so uncertain, but the one thing I’m sure of is that I’m gonna get a ring on my girl’s finger even if it kills me.”

Sweet Pea sniffs and turns away from her, hastily wiping his eyes.

“Oh my God, are you crying?!” Toni asks as she laughs.

“Fuck off, so what if I am? That was so goddamn beautiful, Toni. But why have you told me all that and not Cheryl?” he asks, a little confused.

Toni sighs.

“I don’t wanna overwhelm her. Even though I know she probably feels the same way...in the grand scheme of things we’re still so young...I just had to let my feelings out to someone, and who better to do it with than you? Besides, she can probably tell how I’m feeling due to the little things. Like how we don’t go to sleep without a kiss and saying ‘I love you’, or how we always make each other coffee and breakfast in the mornings. It’s the small things that mean the most.”

“God, you’re so domestic, it sickens me,” Sweet Pea chuckles as Toni swats at his arm with a grin.

They turn in for the night, Toni taking the couch as Sweet Pea goes to his room and flops down onto his bed. He takes a moment to just absorb the conversations he’s had with the pink haired girl in the other room. Unbeknownst to him, Toni’s missing Cheryl a lot, despite only not seeing her for one night. He thinks of how they’ve both changed so much in the past two years. Cheryl had become a kind, loving person thanks to her girlfriend, and Toni...well Toni was truly thriving. He casts his mind back to the days that she would turn up to his trailer, crying because her uncle had kicked her out again or had forgotten to get groceries, leaving her hungry for days in a row. It seems so distant now. Because here she was, her whole future wide open. The Southside never really gave much option for a future, poverty ravaging it’s residents, but here Toni Topaz stands despite it all, a college degree so close within her grasp, and a girl who would marry her in a heartbeat. He’s studying Shakespeare at the moment, but when he truly thinks about it, he doesn’t think the poet could even come close to writing something so beautiful and profound as the love that exists between a redheaded cheerleader and her pink haired gang leader girlfriend. It was truly a love story that would go down in the history of the small town of Riverdale; the one light in all of the darkness that the town has to offer.

—

Reggie Mantle pulls up to the parking lot of Riverdale High, fully expecting to be the only one there this early in the morning. It was 7am and he was meeting some of his fellow Bulldogs to go and do some laps around the field before school started. He took a lot of pride in his appearance, so working out and running were a big part of his life.

Imagine his surprise, then, when he sees Toni Topaz leaning against her motorbike in front of the school, pink hair blowing in the wind like some stereotypical shampoo commercial, whilst she looks down at her phone.

His friends aren’t here yet, wouldn’t be for about 15 minutes, and he’s bored already, so he gets out of his car and strolls over to her. He’s never been close with Toni, but she’s helped him out with his Chem homework a few times, as well as the whole tickle ring fiasco, so he’s friendly with her at least.

“Sup, Topaz?” Reggie asks, his voice booming across the empty parking lot.

Toni looks around at the sound of her name, and upon seeing Reggie, she smiles and locks her phone before putting it in the pocket of her leather jacket.

“Any particular reason why you’re here so early, Reggie?” she asks as the dark haired boy comes to a halt in front of her.

Reggie nods.

“Running laps with the team before school starts. What about you? Shouldn’t you be with Cheryl? I thought you guys, like, lived together.”

Toni shakes her head with a laugh.

“Yeah, we do live together, but she stayed over at the Pembrooke last night with Veronica. That’s why I’m here now, I’m waiting for her.”

“And she, what? Left you all alone in your fancy mansion?” Reggie asks.

“No, you idiot, I spent the night at Sweet Pea’s trailer. And Thistlehouse isn’t a mansion it’s just...a big house.”

“Huh. Well, I bet it beats those trailers you used to live in. Now, Thornhill, even you can’t deny that that was a mansion.”

‘Before Cheryl burned it down’ is the sentence left hanging in the air, but Toni doesn’t comment on it.

“You’ve been to Thornhill?” she asks curiously.

“Yeah, a couple years back, Jason invited me and the rest of the Bulldogs for a ‘first game of the year’ party. It was pretty epic,” Reggie says, a little sadly as he remembers his former team captain.

“Where was Cheryl?” Toni asks.

Reggie shrugs.

“She was around, I think, but she mostly spent time with some blonde girl that I forget the name of.”

Toni’s eyes widen in recognition.

“Heather,” she says simply.

Reggie raises an eyebrow, as if to ask how the hell did Toni know that when it was before she and Cheryl had met, but he figures the redhead in question must’ve told her so he doesn’t raise the subject. Instead, he just nods.

“Yeah, I think that was her name. Her and Cheryl were besties for a while and then the weirdest thing happened. Her and her family just moved out of Riverdale for no reason and I’m pretty sure no one’s heard from them since.”

“Yeah, that is weird,” Toni mutters as she clenches her fist. Little does Reggie know that Toni knew exactly why Heather had left, the rampant homophobia that ran through the walls of Thornhill and the veins of Penelope Blossom being the cause of her sudden absence.

“Anyway, that was the only time I ever went. The party was cool but the whole house had a creepy vibe. Thistlehouse is way better. And you like it there, right?” Reggie asks as Toni responds with a smile and a nod.

“I love it there, yeah. It was weird at first, going from a trailer with no hot water to a house with multiple bathrooms and a pool, but after the shock wore off and I got used to it, I’m very happy to call it my home.”

Reggie smiles, but is distracted from saying anything else as he looks up at the sound of a car pulling into the parking lot. Cheryl Blossom’s red Impala pulls into the lot, and Reggie has seen her car before but it never fails to make him envious. His car was his baby, after all, and he assumed Cheryl felt the same about hers.

Cheryl steps out of the car, red heels hitting the asphalt.

Toni immediately turns at the sight of her girlfriend, a smile lighting up her face as she waves goodbye to Reggie and practically skips over to Cheryl, pulling her in closely, neck burying into her shoulder.

They’re close enough to Reggie that he can still hear them talking as he stands there awkwardly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“God, I missed you,” Toni breathes out as she cups Cheryl’s face.

Cheryl’s playing with the baby hairs on the back of Toni’s neck, a grin taking over her features.

“How is it that we only spent one night apart and I felt like I was missing a piece of my heart?” Cheryl asks softly.

Wow. Those are words Reggie would have never thought would come out of the redhead’s mouth. It’s so soft, the way they’re holding each other and Reggie feels like he’s intruding on something private even though they’re out in the open.

“I feel the same way, baby,” Toni replies as she leans in to kiss her girlfriend passionately. Cheryl literally giggles against Toni’s mouth, as Reggie coughs and looks down at his shoes.

Has he stepped into some parallel universe? He knew Cheryl and Toni were dating, pretty much the entire town of Riverdale did, but this reunion looks more like they hadn’t seen each other in 6 months, not one night.

The Cheryl Blossom he knew didn’t blush at being called ‘baby’, and she certainly didn’t giggle. In all the years he’s known her, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen her look at someone the way she’s looking at Toni right now.

He watches Toni whisper something into Cheryl’s ear, making her face go almost as red as her hair as they walk hand in hand into the school, Cheryl only turning back slightly to give Reggie a wave. He raises his hand in surprise, a little dumbfounded that she’d even noticed he was there with how her eyes seem to be glued to Toni and Toni only.

It’s nice, he thinks, that Cheryl has found her person. He thought he had the same thing with Veronica, even going as far as to call them ‘endgame’, but that had fizzled out almost as quickly as it had started. He’s known Cheryl pretty much his whole life, and the girl he once knew, who stormed through the halls of Riverdale High at the mere mention of Southside High students going to their school, to the girl he knew now was almost impossibly different. Sure, she still had her wit and her insults, was still queen bee, but she’s softer now, happier. He remembers when Jason died, how Cheryl looked either angry or on the verge of tears every time he saw her. Now, he notices the little things as he goes about his day. How Toni would always be waiting at Cheryl’s locker or in the student lounge if they didn’t have a class together, and how Cheryl would light up at just the sight of her. How they never failed to be holding hands at any given opportunity, or the pride in Cheryl’s eyes as Toni gets a question right in class. How they came to school together every morning and left together every afternoon to go back to the house they had been happily sharing for the last year or so. It’s actually no wonder they missed each other so much, Reggie thinks, because they’re practically attached at the hip, but in a way that isn’t unhealthy.

As his Bulldog brothers pull up next to him, and he follows them to the football field, Reggie Mantle ponders on whether he’s been witnessing true love all this time without even realising it. Maybe Cheryl and Toni would get his vote for prom queens this year.

—

“So, guys, is everyone excited for prom?” Veronica asks to the group sitting around her.

The student lounge of Riverdale High is currently occupied by Archie, Veronica, Jughead, Betty, Kevin, Fangs, Reggie and Sweet Pea.

“I can’t wait, Ronnie,” Archie says, turning to his girlfriend as the others all nod in agreement.

“Whoever came up with the theme is a genius,” Sweet Pea says.

“That would be Cheryl, actually. Where is she, anyway? I haven’t seen her or Toni all morning,” Jughead responds.

“They’re probably banging in a supply closet somewhere,” Fangs chuckles.

“Ew, dude, why would they bang in a closet when they’ve got a big ass house all to themselves?” Reggie asks.

“You’re both children,” Veronica scoffs. “I believe they’re at the open morning for Highsmith College. At least I think that was today.”

“How’d you know that, V?” Betty asks her best friend.

“Cheryl slept over the other night and told me. And Toni was with you, right, Sweet Pea?” Veronica asks, turning to the taller boy.

Sweet Pea nods.

“Yeah, it was cool, we hadn’t hung out for ages so it was nice having her back at Sunnyside. Probably was weird for her though considering her room in Thistlehouse is like the size of my trailer, plus she spent a good half an hour just gushing about how much she loves Cheryl,” Sweet Pea chuckles.

They all laugh at the thought of Toni Topaz, badass gang leader, going all gooey eyed and soft over her girlfriend.

“Cheryl was the same, actually. I swear it’s like she couldn’t get the words out fast enough about how in love she is. On that note, I have something I need to discuss with you all. But first, a question. Who are you voting to be prom king and queen?” Veronica addresses the group.

“You and me, babe, obviously,” Archie responds, as Jughead, Betty and Reggie all nod in agreement.

It’s only when Kevin, Fangs and Sweet Pea say “Cheryl and Toni” in unison that Veronica claps her hands together with glee.

“Now that is the answer I was looking for, boys! I’ve decided, after a conversation with Cheryl, that we’re all going to vote for Choni to be senior prom queens,” she says, a determined look on her face.

“Ronnie, are you serious? What about us?” Archie asks in shock, Jughead and Betty looking at her with the same looks on their faces.

“What, did Cheryl force you to say you’re gonna vote for her or something, V?” Betty says, laughing humourlessly.

“No, B, it’s not like that,” Veronica replies before she sighs.

“Listen, I think we can all agree that we’ve been through and hell and back these past few years, what with all the murders and general chaos...but as Cheryl’s friend, and Toni’s too, I think it would be nice for us to do this for them, just to celebrate how much they’ve overcome.”

Veronica looks round at her friends, who are all listening to her intently, and she takes a deep breath before Reggie gestures for her to continue.

“It’s no secret that Cheryl hated the Southside High students when they first arrived here. We all witnessed the stand off between her and Toni on that first day. But, fuck, look at where they are now! Literally two people who should hate each other’s guts somehow found each other and created a beautiful romance and potential future together. Not to mention how Toni helped Cheryl embrace her sexuality. I mean, did you guys know her mom sent to her fucking conversion therapy just because she had a crush on Toni?”

“Wait, what? Are you serious?!” Reggie almost yells as Archie and Jughead gape at Veronica in shock.

“She’s serious, Reggie. Cheryl told me last week,” Betty says quietly.

“Oh my God...” Sweet Pea exhales, running a hand through his hair. “I guessed something was up when Cheryl crashed at Toni’s trailer but, fuck, I never thought it’d be for that reason,” and Fangs nods next to him, clearly thinking the same.

Jughead leans back in his chair, the memory of Cheryl and Toni at Pop’s hitting him. He suddenly understands what Cheryl was talking about when she said she had nightmares of being strapped to a bed and injected. The thought makes him shudder.

“Yeah. It’s disgusting, actually. Just thinking about it makes me want to gouge Penelope Blossom’s eyes out,” Veronica says lowly.

“Thank God for Nana Rose,” Kevin says and at the looks of confusion on everyone but Veronica’s face, he rolls his eyes. “Nana Rose called Toni at school and told her Cheryl was with the ‘sisters’. Veronica came to me and that’s when we realised she was being held at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, one of the only places at the time to still do conversion therapy. Luckily, I knew a way in and we were able to get Cheryl out, led by Toni of course.”

“So Toni literally saved Cheryl’s life,” Reggie says, and Veronica and Kevin nod in response to his statement.

“That whole situation is a big reason why I want to do this for them, guys. I mean, can you imagine, Cheryl, who’s repressed her sexuality her whole life and was even tortured for it, standing up and taking the crown with the girl who saved her right by her side? Not to mention they’d be the first prom queens to ever win at Riverdale High. Plus, we haven’t even discussed everything else they’ve been through. Jason’s death, FP covering it up and the Serpents being blamed, the Black Hood attacking Cheryl at Thistlehouse, the goddamn organ harvesting cult that was the Farm...I think we need to do this if we ever want to consider ourselves good friends,” Veronica speaks in a rush to get her point across, clearly passionate about what she’s saying.

Reggie’s the first to speak up after her rant.

“I’ll get the Bulldogs to vote for them, Ronnie,” he says, smiling.

“We’ve got the Serpents,” Sweet Pea says, gesturing to himself and Fangs.

“Thanks, boys. Betty, wanna help me with the Vixens?” Veronica asks, and Betty nods enthusiastically.

“For sure, V.”

“I think with all of us working together we can really make this happen. No one deserves it more than Cheryl and Toni.”

Like she’d conjured them out of thin air with the mention of their names, Veronica looks up as Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz walk through the doors to the student lounge, hand in hand (because of course they were), big smiles on their faces.

Cheryl’s smile drops, however, when she sees Reggie sitting in what everyone else knew to be her and Toni’s designated spot.

“Reginald,” she says sweetly, “you’re in our chair.”

Reggie raises his hands in mock surrender as he laughs and goes to sit next to Archie on the couch.

Toni sits down first, pulling Cheryl down next to her, the redhead promptly putting her legs over Toni’s lap as their interlaced hands rest on Cheryl’s thighs.

“Hey, you two, how was Highsmith?” Veronica asks.

“Fucking amazing, V,” Toni says with a grin. “Did you know they have a whole department just for photography?” she gushes.

“And their art department is simply wondrous,” Cheryl adds.

“That’s so cool, guys, I’m so happy for you both,” Veronica says, smiling as Toni turns to Cheryl and presses a kiss to her cheek.

“What were you guys talking about before we got here?” Toni asks her group of friends.

“We were talking about prom, actually. Have you guys bought your dresses yet?” Betty asks.

Cheryl shakes her head.

“No, we’re planning on going this weekend. I simply can’t wait.”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be awesome. I never thought growing up on the Southside that I’d be attending senior prom with the hottest girl on the Northside,” Toni says with a laugh.

“I think you’ll find that I’m the hottest girl on either side of Riverdale, TT. Or is there someone I should know about on the Southside?” Cheryl asks teasingly.

Toni chuckles and shakes her head.

“No, babe, I misspoke. You’re definitely the hottest girl in Riverdale.”

Cheryl nods her head with satisfaction, as she runs a thumb over Toni’s knuckles.

“So, Sweet Pea here tells me you slept over at his trailer the other night. Tell me, Toni, what was it like being back after so long?” Veronica asks, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in the room.

Toni shrugs.

“It was weird, but nice. I don’t miss it, if that’s what you’re asking,” she goes to continue but rolls her eyes as she sees Sweet Pea raising his eyebrows at her.

“Of course I miss you, you goof, what I meant was I don’t miss sleeping on couches or hot water that only last a few minutes or the sounds of motorbikes and people shouting at 3am when I’m trying to sleep. Plus, it’s the first time I’ve slept alone in a long time and I missed my daily cuddles from my girl,” Toni says with a warm smile that Cheryl reciprocates.

“How have you been sleeping, Cheryl?” Jughead speaks up, abandoning his potato chips and looking directly at the redhead, who tenses as Toni squeezes her hand and glares at him.

“That’s a weird question to ask, Jug, don’t you think?” Betty asks, her boyfriend seeming to realise he’s put his foot in his mouth as he stutters out a reply.

“Uh, I just, I saw Cheryl and Toni at Pop's late the other night, that’s all.”

“They were probably there making up for lost calories, don’t think I don’t know how much you put that queen sized bed to use, you two,” Fangs teases.

Cheryl rolls her eyes as Toni gives him the finger, something she seemed to be doing a lot of recently.

“You’re insufferable, Fogarty,” Cheryl says coolly, “and if you all must know, I had a nightmare. That’s why we there so late.”

Cheryl shifts in her seat slightly as the others all turn to look at her in a mixture of surprise and sadness.

Jughead just looks guilty as he mumbles out an apology.

“You get nightmares, Cheryl?” Archie asks, clearly quite taken aback that the queen bee of the school could suffer from such a thing. It shouldn’t be surprising really, considering just one of the traumas that Cheryl has been through is bad enough to warrant getting nightmares.

Cheryl nods, a little uncomfortable.

“Yes, Archie. Though they aren’t nearly as frequent as they used to be.”

“That’s good, but I’m sorry you’re still getting them. Sometimes I have dreams that I’m back in juvie, so I get it in a way,” Archie says with a genuine smile.

“I once had a dream that I got locked out of my house while I was naked,” Reggie says suddenly, breaking the tension in the room with his words, causing everyone to laugh.

Veronica quickly changes the subject, noticing how awkward Cheryl looked and the frown on Toni’s face as she looked at her girlfriend.

“I’ve just had the most brilliant idea!” she pipes up after everyone has stopped laughing at the thought of Reggie, naked, banging on his front door. “Why don’t we all get ready for prom at the Pembrooke? It’s plenty big enough and that way we can all see what each other’s wearing at the same time. I could even organise a limo to take us all and we can go as a big group!”

“I think that sounds great, V, I’d certainly be up for it. Jug?” Betty turns to her boyfriend who smiles at her and then Veronica.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Me and Kevin will be there,” Fangs says, nudging Kevin’s shoulder.

Toni’s the next to agree to Veronica’s idea.

“As will Cheryl and I. If you’re cool with it, babe,” Toni says, looking at Cheryl, who nods almost immediately.

“I am, TT, I think it sounds wonderful.”

“And me and my lonely, single self will be there too!” Reggie laughs. “I’m prepared to be a ninth wheel if it involves a limo.”

Sweet Pea laughs and agrees with him, the only other single one in the group.

The bell rings, signalling their next class, and Cheryl and Toni are the first to leave, untangling themselves from each other and saying goodbye to their friends as they exit the student lounge.

Veronica stands, clasping her hands together.

“So, are we all agreed on the plan?”

The rest of the group nod as they head out the door.

“Perfect! Operation ‘get Cheryl and Toni to win senior prom queens’ is officially on!”

—

Prom night quickly rolls around, and the Pembrooke is alive with excitement.

Everyone was ready, sitting in the lounge of Veronica’s home, anxiously awaiting the text from the driver of the limo telling them he was ready to take them to the school.

Everyone that is, except Cheryl, who’s still in Veronica’s room, finishing up the last of her makeup.

Toni’s waiting, knee bouncing in anticipation as she looks up at the door to the room Cheryl was in. She’s dressed in a long strapless black dress, with heels to match, and her hair is curled to perfection courtesy of Veronica, pink waves framing her face.

“You nervous, Tiny?” Fangs asks her, adjusting the tie on his maroon suit. Surprisingly, she shakes her head.

“A little bit, I guess, but I’m excited more than anything. For a long time it felt like we’d never make it here, and now it’s finally happening, you know?”

“Just focus on enjoying your night, T. You made it,” Sweet Pea says as he joins in on their conversation. He feels a little awkward, dressed in a dark green tux and blazer, but ultimately, he felt good. He’d spent his last paycheck from the Wyrm on the suit and at the reactions of Toni and Fangs, he knew it was worth it.

Even Jughead had made an extra effort, leaving his grey beanie at home and dressing up in a black suit that FP had bought especially for the occasion. Reggie’s also in black, while Archie’s wearing dark blue, and Kevin is donning grey. Betty's wearing pink, and at the sight of her, Archie gulps, his mind cast back to the time that they had danced together and Betty had told him she’d seen them as a power couple. He shakes his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts that he really shouldn’t be thinking right now. Instead, he looks at Veronica, who’s in a yellow dress that almost makes her glow, and tries to forget all about the kiss he’d shared with Betty in his garage.

Finally, after what feels like an hour, but is only ten minutes, Cheryl Blossom steps into the room.

Everyone is talking to each other, so they don’t notice at first, but at the sound of a sharp intake of breath from Toni, they look up.

Toni stands, walking over to Cheryl, looking at her in what can only be described as pure awe.

Cheryl’s wearing a red sequinned dress that’s held up by a strap that goes behind her neck, and her hair is up in a high ponytail, the ends curled loosely so they cascade in waves down her back. As always, she’s wearing her signature red lipstick.

“Damn, Cheryl Bombshell came to play!” Reggie hollers, and Cheryl lets out a light laugh before she’s taking Toni’s hands in her own and looking into her eyes, biting her lip as she does.

“You like?” she asks quietly, and Toni is still staring at her, stunned.

“Fuck, Cher, you look...” and she falters, struggling to find the right word. “I’m speechless, actually. I mean I’ve seen the dress before but with the makeup and hair...you look fucking incredible, baby.”

Cheryl beams at her.

“As do you, my love,” and that’s all she needs to say before she’s pressing a soft kiss to Toni’s lips.

Veronica grins as she whips out her phone, capturing the moment on her camera and posting it to her Instagram story.

A text comes through a few seconds later, the driver of the limo announcing his arrival, and Veronica ushers her friends out of the room and down towards the car.

They all clamber in, buzzing with excitement as they make the journey to Riverdale High.

As the driver pulls in front of the entrance to the school, there’s a group of teachers and parents all waiting for them, phones and cameras in hand, as they stand either side of the red carpet that goes all the way up the steps to the double doors.

The group of teenagers get out of the limo, the couple’s hand in hand with Reggie and Sweet Pea bringing up the rear.

Veronica sees that Hiram, Hermione and Hermosa are there, Hiram looking a little worse for wear but still standing proudly nonetheless. FP Jones, Alice Cooper and Jellybean are next to them, shouting Jughead and Betty's names as they give them a wave. Next is Tom Keller, and then Mary Andrews and her girlfriend. Nana Rose is in the front row in her wheelchair, waving to Cheryl, and there’s a man standing next to her that Veronica doesn’t recognise until Toni shouts out “Grandpa!” and gives him a big thumbs up and a grin as he takes her picture. Even Reggie’s dad is there, which clearly shocked the boy but he looks happy regardless.

They all walk in and get their couple’s photos taken before heading into the gymnasium.

It looks beautiful. The bleachers have been put away so the floor is opened up into a vast space, and there’s fairy lights hanging from the ceiling and down the walls. There’s a makeshift stage at the front of the hall, two seats and a microphone ready for when the king and queen announcements were given, and there’s a DJ up there, big speakers behind him and a mixing table in front. There’s a long table on the far left wall filled with red solo cups and bowls of what Veronica assumes is punch, and a table next to that filled with buffet food. Round tables with chairs litter the edges of the gym, leaving space for the dance floor in the middle, which was currently filled with the students of senior year. It feels like a fairytale.

“Care for a dance?” Archie says in Veronica’s ear, and she nods and walks with him into the middle of the dance floor. Betty, Jughead, Kevin, Fangs, Cheryl and Toni all follow their lead and start dancing in their respective pairs, as Reggie and Sweet Pea beeline for the punch table, devilish grins on their faces.

“You thinking what I’m thinking, Mantle?” Sweet Pea asks, as he pulls a silver flask out from the inside of his suit.

“Way ahead of you, bro!” Reggie replies, pulling his own flask out before he’s dumping the contents into the bowls of punch, cackling as he sees Sweet Pea do the same.

“Let’s get this party started!” Sweet Pea yells, scooping the now alcoholic liquid into a cup and downing it as he passes another cup to Reggie.

They see Veronica and Archie walk up to them, both of their eyebrows raised.

“What trouble are you to up to?” Veronica asks, both boys shrugging with smirks on their faces.

“Nothing much, Ronnie. But I think you should try the punch,” Reggie says with a wink.

Archie leans over and gets two cups, pouring the punch into both of them before he’s handing a cup to Veronica, who takes one sip and gasps.

“You totally spiked it, oh my God!” she shouts above the boom of the music, as Sweet Pea roars with laughter and claps Reggie on the back.

“You gonna tell on us, Lodge?” Sweet Pea asks but there’s a hint of humour in his tone, like he doesn’t care either way.

Veronica shakes her head as she takes another sip of her drink, her elbow interlocking with Archie’s as she begins to drag him back into the dance floor.

“I won’t, but if anyone throws up just know you’re responsible!” she yells as she walks away, Archie grinning beside her.

After a few dances, Kevin, Fangs and Archie decide to sit down at one of the tables after filling their plates with food, Reggie and Sweet Pea sauntering over with cups full to the brim with punch for all of them. Jughead soon joins them, never one to pass up the chance to eat, leaving Betty with Veronica, Cheryl and Toni.

An upbeat song plays, and the group of boys look over to the girls, who are spinning each other around and laughing as they dance freely.

Cheryl and Toni’s hands never seem to leave each other, always touching at least one part of their bodies as they dance, and it’s a beautiful sight to see, just how happy and in tune they are to each other’s physical presence.

Toni spins Cheryl around before she dips her, and Cheryl gasps as she holds onto Toni’s neck, giggling as Toni brings her back up for a kiss.

Betty and Veronica both cheer as Cheryl and Toni join them back in their little dance circle, and it doesn’t take long before Veronica’s dancing with Toni and Cheryl’s taking her cousin by the hand and spinning her around with a laugh.

Jughead looks wistfully at Betty, sighing at just how beautiful she looked in that moment.

“We’re so lucky, aren’t we?” he says to Archie, who, unknown to Jughead, is also looking at Betty.

He moves his eyes over to Veronica and feels the guilt rise up in his throat, so he takes another swig of his drink, hoping to burn the feeling away with the alcohol.

“Yeah, we are,” Archie says after a few moments.

Half an hour passes, and the girls are seated at the table with the boys, all of them sipping steadily on their punch.

Cheryl’s got her hand on Toni’s thigh and is rubbing small circles on it, when Kevin checks his watch and takes a deep breath.

“It’s time, guys.”

They all nod and stand, making their way to the dance floor as Kevin walks up onto the stage. He’d been chosen by the rest of the school to take the lead in planning prom, so it was his duty to announce the king and queen.

Kevin taps the microphone a few times as the music fades quietly behind him, getting the attention of the students who had waited a whole year for this moment.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Riverdale High’s senior prom! Thank you all for being here. I won’t waste time with speeches, that’s for the king and queen to do, which is what I’m here to announce, so without further ado...Ms. Bell?” Kevin turns towards the older woman and holds out his hand. Ms. Bell passes him two envelopes with a smile and retreats off the stage, leaving him alone in front of the microphone.

“Okay, everyone, this is it!”

Cheryl squeezes Toni’s hand nervously as she looks up at Kevin, and Toni gives her her best reassuring smile.

“All of you have voted and those votes have been carefully counted, and I am so pleased to announce that your senior prom queen is...Cheryl Blossom!”

Cheryl’s mouth falls open in a gasp as cheers erupt around her, everyone’s eyes turning to face her. She looks at Toni, who is grinning with pride shining on her face. Toni puts her hand on Cheryl’s back and gently nudges her forward.

“Go, babe, this is your moment, get up there!” Toni says, urging her girlfriend to walk forward.

Cheryl nods and lets go of Toni’s hand, walking up to the stage and sitting down on the first chair. Kevin stands behind her and puts the crown on her head as the room explodes with more shouts of joy. Cheryl’s smiling, harder than she’s ever smiled before, as she locks eyes with Toni who’s beaming as she blows her a kiss.

“Congratulations, Cheryl!” Kevin almost shouts over the noise of the crowd in front of him as he returns back to the microphone. “But we’re not finished yet!”

Kevin opens the second envelope and grins, looking over at his group of friends; he sees Veronica wink at him as he turns to address the crowd once more.

“I have a very special announcement to make,” Kevin starts as the noise quietens. “For the first time in Riverdale High history, a second prom queen has been voted for!”

Toni looks up at Cheryl, who’s looking down at her with furrowed brows, but also excitement shining in her eyes.

“Without further ado, your second prom queen of the night is...Toni Topaz!”

To say Toni was shocked would be the greatest understatement of the year. Cheryl practically squeals as she claps her hands together in delight, and Fangs puts his arms around her in celebration as the senior year students start to cheer again.

Fangs urges Toni forward, just like she had done with Cheryl, and she suddenly finds herself walking up the steps to the stage on shaky legs, before she’s sitting down on the chair beside Cheryl, who grabs hold of her hand tightly. Kevin places the crown on Toni’s head and walks back to the microphone a third time.

“Ladies, congratulations. I hope you feel as happy as we all did when we voted for you, and I hope you’re proud to make history tonight,” Kevin says, smiling. “Now’s your chance to address the very people who voted you to be their queens, so please, get over here!”

Cheryl and Toni stand, hands laced together, as Kevin moves away to the side of the stage.

Cheryl moves to the microphone and begins to address the crowd.

“Wow. I want to start off by saying how truly thankful I am for everyone who voted for us tonight. It means the world to Toni and I. It seems like just yesterday we entered the halls of Riverdale High for the first time, and now here we are, a week away from graduation. We’ve all been through so much horror the last few years, but I’m happy to say that with the help of family and friends, we made it through, and I’m so excited for each and every one of us to embark on our future journeys. I hope that each of you hold the people you cherish the most close to you as we enter our last days as seniors. These last four years, we’ve loved and lost, but we did it all together, and I will hold the memories of our time together close to my heart for years to come. I’d personally like to thank my dear friends for helping me get through these last four years, you know who you are, and you know how much I love you all. But my biggest thanks goes to the person standing beside me,” Cheryl turns to Toni, who’s looking at her with adoration. “Toni, for the past two years you’ve been my rock, my light, my soulmate. I love you with all of my heart and I will continue to love you for as long as you’ll let me. Thank you again everyone, and enjoy the rest of your night!”

The crowd whoops and hollers at Cheryl’s words, before quieting down again as Toni steps forward.

“Like Cheryl said, I want to say thank you to everyone who voted. I’d never have guessed that as a girl who moved to the Southside of Riverdale at just twelve years old that I’d be here, surrounded by friends and the happiest I’ve ever been. Cheryl, you’re the love of my life and I can’t wait to start our future together,” Toni pauses to turn and smile at Cheryl before continuing. “There’s one more thing I’d like to say. One person should be here that isn’t, and I feel like he deserves a mention. Jason Blossom, you were taken from this world too soon, and for that I am truly sorry. I just want you to know that Cheryl misses you every day and she loves you so much, and she tries so hard every day to make you proud. I hope wherever you are, you’re looking down on her and smiling at how far your sister has come. I know you kept her safe before I came along, and I promise I’ll try my hardest to continue to do that for as long as I live.”

Cheryl’s trembling beside Toni as she pulls her away from the microphone and into a crushing hug.

The crowd ‘aww’s’ and then Reggie’s voice can be heard, starting a chant of ‘kiss! kiss! kiss!’.

Soon enough, the whole room is joining in as Cheryl and Toni blush before Toni wraps her arms around Cheryl’s waist and pulls her in for a bruising kiss.

The crowd explodes, cheering them on as they finally break apart and smile at each other, almost shyly, looking at each other with so much love that it could fill the entire gymnasium.

Kevin then moves in front of them from where he was standing, addressing the crowd for the final time.

“Cheryl, Toni, if you could make your way to the dance floor for your dance,” he gestures to the space in front of him as Cheryl and Toni depart from the stage and the crowd moves to the edge of the room to give them space to dance. “The rest of you, feel free to couple up and join them after a few minutes. But for now, let’s all make some noise for your senior prom queens, Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz!”

Cheryl and Toni barely hear the noise around them, too wrapped up in each other’s arms to take notice of it, as a slow ballad begins to play through the speakers.

Veronica looks on through her phone screen, filming them dance as they look at each other like the whole world is held in their eyes. To them, the rest of the room filters out as the two of them just take each other in, so happy and more in love than ever. Veronica thinks it might be the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen, as Toni twirls Cheryl around and then pulls her back into her arms.

Soon enough, other couples begin to join them in their slow dance, Kevin and Fangs among them, and Veronica goes to take Archie’s hand but is left shocked at the sight in front of her.

Archie is holding out his hand to Betty of all people, who hesitates before she takes it and walks out onto the dance floor.

What the fuck? Jughead and Veronica share the same astonished look as their two respective partners begin to dance to the love ballad echoing out into the room.

Jughead’s mouth is slightly open in shock as he stares at the two of them, and it’s safe to say Veronica is not happy at all. She might have had a little too much punch, which doesn’t help matters, but she knows she’s not drunk enough to imagine Archie’s hands on Betty’s waist and Betty’s hands around Archie’s neck. That should be her right now, not her goddamn best friend. Fuck it, she was putting a stop to this.

Veronica storms over to the two of them, and Archie and Betty break apart as they see her walk over to them, almost looking like they’ve been caught doing something other than dancing. Jughead follows close behind, his face a look of confusion and anger.

“Archie, what the fuck are you doing?” Veronica hisses.

“Ronnie, we were just dancing, calm down!” Archie says hastily.

“You were ‘just dancing’? It’s not just dancing when this is the slow dance that boyfriends and girlfriends are supposed to share!” she replies in frustration.

Betty looks down at the floor, not daring to look in Jughead or Veronica’s eyes.

“I know that, but it’s not a big deal!” Archie responds, but he sounds guilty, and Veronica revels in it. Good, so he knows he’s done wrong.

“‘Not a big deal’?! That was supposed to be us dancing together, Archie, we graduate in a week and you can’t spend five minutes dancing with me to what’s supposed to be the most romantic song of the night?!”

Archie starts to say something, but Veronica cuts him off.

“What, do you like Betty now or something?” she asks, and she knows it’s spiteful, so she’s perfectly prepared for Archie to scoff at her and tell her no way in hell was that the truth.

What she’s not prepared for is what happens next.

Archie clenches his jaw, running his hand through his hair before he says the last thing that any of them could have ever expected.

“We kissed, okay?!” he blurts out, and just like that, Veronica’s whole world is shattered.

Veronica takes a deep breath as the music comes to a halt and her people around her stare in their direction.

“I’m sorry, I must’ve had too much punch and misheard you, because I’m sure you just said that you and Betty kissed,” she seethes.

“You didn’t mishear anything, Veronica,” Archie says quietly.

“Betty, is this true?” Jughead asks, shock etching his features.

Betty just looks at the floor, tears streaming down her face.

“Oh my God...” Jughead murmurs, as Veronica stalks closer to Archie.

“When the hell did this happen?! Tell me, now!”

Archie’s almost shaking at the look on her face before he sighs and says “the night of the Variety Show” quietly.

Betty’s still crying, but Veronica feels nothing but rage coursing through her veins.

“You...you lying, cheating, two-faced son of a bitch Archie Andrews! And you!” she turns to point to Betty who’s looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“How could you do this to me, Betty, you’re supposed to be my best friend!”

“I’m-I’m sorry, V,” Betty stutters, but Veronica’s having none of it.

“Save it!” Veronica laughs bitterly. “Honestly, you two deserve each other because this? Us? It’s over. I’ll tolerate sitting near you at graduation, but after that, I never want to see either of you again,” she says as she turns on her heel and exits the gymnasium, looks of shock following her every step.

Betty turns to Jughead, who’s still standing there, frozen in anger.

“Jug...” she starts, but he raises as a hand to silence her.

“Don’t, Betty, just...don’t.”

He turns, just as Veronica did, and leaves, leaving Archie and Betty standing together in silence, the crowd around them all staring.

It’s not long before Betty is sobbing and running out of the doors, as Archie slumps down into a chair at one of the tables around the edge of the room as the music starts back up and people resume dancing, unaware that two relationships had just been obliterated with one confession.

He sighs, downing a cup of punch, before leaning back in his chair solemnly. Why the hell didn’t he keep his mouth shut? He didn’t even mean to say it, it just came out, and now everything was ruined. But truthfully, he wonders how long he could’ve kept living the lie anyway. Maybe it was better this way.

He feels someone sit down next to him, and when he looks up, Toni Topaz is looking at him, a grim look on her face.

“So, that was rough,” she says, and Archie nods.

“Yeah, not really what I imagined would happen at prom, that’s for sure. Sorry for ruining your night.”

Toni shakes her head in disbelief.

“You didn’t ruin anything, Archie. I mean, yeah, it maybe wasn’t the best time to confess that you kissed your best friend, but what’s done is done,” Toni says with a shrug.

“You don’t seem surprised,” Archie says.

“I already knew.”

Archie raises his eyebrows, waiting for Toni to continue talking.

“Betty told Cheryl that you guys kissed, and Cheryl told me. So, like I said, I already knew. Doesn’t make it any less devastating for Veronica and Jughead, though.”

Archie groans at that, resting his forehead in the palm of his hand as he contemplates on how much he's screwed up.

“She’s gonna be okay, you know. Veronica, I mean. Cheryl’s gone to find her just to make sure she’s not alone,” Toni explains.

Archie nods.

“That’s good,” he murmurs.

“Jughead, on the other hand...I don’t know how well he’ll take it. I’m pretty sure he thought him and Betty were ‘endgame’. I’m surprised he didn’t punch you in the face or something,” Toni chuckles, despite the seriousness of the situation.

“I deserve it,” Archie says.

Toni shrugs.

“Probably.”

Archie looks at her in disbelief that she actually just agreed that he deserves to be punched in the face.

“What? You fucked up, Andrews. You cheated. If he had punched you in the face that would’ve been on you and Betty, no one else. You broke their trust, and now you need to live with the consequences of that,” Toni says firmly.

Archie opens and closes his mouth a few times, trying to think of anything to redeem himself, but he comes up short. So, he just sighs, and leans back in his chair, nodding.

“You’re right. I don’t want to admit it, but you’re right. I screwed up, we both did, and I need to learn to live with the consequences of my actions. Never took you to be so wise, Toni,” he says with a light laugh, even though laughing is the last thing he should be doing right now. He should be chasing after Veronica, begging her to take him back and grovelling on his knees, but she’s with Cheryl right now, and he knows that whatever he could say to his now ex-girlfriend wouldn’t change the fact that he still kissed her best friend. Besides, his feelings for both Veronica and Betty at the moment were so jumbled he’s not even sure what he would say if he had the chance. Did he love Veronica? Yes, without hesitation. But did he also have feelings for Betty? That was the question he needed to confront, and maybe admit to himself that his younger self’s feelings for her had never truly gone away.

Toni breaks him out of his thoughts with a chuckle.

“I have my wise moments, Andrews. Listen, you should get outta here before Veronica comes back in. She’s no doubt on the warpath and if she sees you there’s gonna be hell to pay. Take my advice. Go home, sober up, and then you can work on figuring out how you really feel, okay?” she says softly.

Archie just looks at her, a little stunned. No wonder Cheryl felt so happy and comforted all the time by the girl next to him, one conversation with her has him feeling more relaxed than he has this whole night.

He places a hand on Toni’s shoulder as he stands, thanking her before walking out of the room with a shaky exhale.

He passes Cheryl and Veronica sitting on the front steps of the school as he leaves, but they don’t look up at him thankfully, he’s not sure he can take another round of Veronica shouting at him and making him feel worse than he already did.

Cheryl’s been sitting on the steps of Riverdale High for the last fifteen minutes, consoling a sobbing Veronica.

She actually sees Archie leave, but doesn’t comment on it, knows that seeing him is the last thing Veronica needs right now.

Cheryl rubs a hand down Veronica’s back, as Veronica rests her head on her shoulder and sniffs.

“I just feel so stupid, Cheryl,” she whines. “How could I have not seen this coming?”

Cheryl sighs sadly.

“You’re not stupid, V, far from it. I’m just sorry you had to find out this way. On prom night of all nights. Ugh, I knew I should’ve said something before.”

Veronica looks up at her through teary eyes.

“Wait, you knew? And you didn’t tell me?”

Cheryl nods, a little guiltily.

“Yes, I’m so sorry, I wanted to, believe me! But Betty made me promise not to. In fact, she pretty much used the fact that she’s my only family to force me into silence. But still, I understand if you’re angry with me for not sharing such information.”

“Wow, what a bitch,” Veronica says, laughing humourlessly. “I’m not mad at you, Cheryl, I only wish I’d found out sooner. Any night other than prom night would have been preferable. This was supposed to be the best night of the year and now it’s ruined!” she says miserably.

“Hey, come on, don’t say that, it’s not ruined. At the very least can still go back in there and get drunk off of Reggie and Sweet Pea’s spiked punch.”

Veronica smiles at that, for the first time since she ran out of the building and started crying, Cheryl calling out after her as she’d collapsed onto the steps, sobs racking her body as her anger had faded and heartbreak had settled in. Her face falls when she realises that though she’s thankful Cheryl was here for her right now, she’d also taken her away from Toni, who was still waiting for her girlfriend inside.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry, Cheryl, I’ve totally kept you from celebrating winning prom queen with Toni!” she blubbers.

Cheryl shakes her head in disbelief.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ve got the rest of the night to celebrate,” Cheryl reassures her with a squeeze of her hand.

“You don’t know how lucky you are,” Veronica mumbles. “At least you know Toni would never do this to you.”

“I’m perfectly aware of how lucky I am, actually. I’m thankful every day for whatever god that brought Toni into my life,” Cheryl says with a small smile at the thought of the pink haired girl that had brought her so much happiness.

Veronica suddenly stands, wiping her tears and pushing the hair out of her eyes.

“Come on, I’m sick of crying. I need a drink.”

Cheryl stands beside her and follows her back into the school, the gymnasium quieter now as the night had rolled on and people began to get tired.

Toni, Fangs, Sweet Pea, Kevin and Reggie are all in the middle of the dance floor, as Cheryl and Veronica head to the punch table and fill their cups.

Looking over at Toni, who’s stumbling about haphazardly as she dances, Cheryl groans.

“Oh my God, I bet you ten dollars we walk over there and she doesn’t even remember who I am.”

Veronica laughs, shaking her head incredulously.

“There’s no way. Twenty dollars and you’re on,” she says, not knowing that Cheryl was perfectly aware at how messy Toni is when she drinks, and that forgetting who her girlfriend is was part of her drunk quirks.

They walk over to the group, the boys looking at Veronica sympathetically, as Toni visibly gulps at the sight of Cheryl walking towards her and wrapping her arms around her neck.

“You okay, my love?” Cheryl asks.

Toni’s mouth drops open in shock as she turns to look at Sweet Pea.

“Did you hear that, Pea, she called me ‘my love’!”

Sweet Pea grins as Veronica watches their interaction with disbelief.

“I heard, Tiny.”

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing alone in a place like this?” Toni asks Cheryl, her attempt to flirt coming out slurred.

“I’m not alone, I came here with my girlfriend,” Cheryl replies.

Toni’s face falls.

“Oh.”

“You might know her, actually,” Cheryl says, piquing Toni’s interest slightly as she raises an eyebrow at the redhead, who’s arms were still around her neck.

“Yeah, she’s incredibly beautiful, and she puts on a tough persona but she’s actually really soft. She loves cuddles at bedtime and coffee in the mornings. When she kisses me I feel like I’m on cloud nine, and when she holds me I know I’ve never felt safer.”

Cheryl steps closer to Toni, flicking her eyes down to her lips and then looking back up into her eyes. It dawns on Toni that this beautiful girl in front of her might, possibly, be talking about her, because, oh my God, she likes coffee and cuddles! She tentatively puts her hands on Cheryl’s waist, and smirks when there’s no rejection.

Cheryl continues talking, edging slightly closer to Toni as she does.

“She’s incredibly smart and loving, and her sense of style makes her the best looking person in the room at all times, though she looks better wearing my clothes and we both know it. She rides a motorcycle and she helps me look after my niece and nephew, and even my nana, despite there being no relation between them, she just does it because she loves me.”

The deal is sealed when the next words come out of Cheryl’s mouth.

“Oh, and she has pink hair.”

Toni groans as she looks at Cheryl hungrily, wrapping her arms around her waist and crashing their lips together. The intensity of the kiss seems to sober her up quite considerably as she pulls back, breathless, resting her forehead on Cheryl’s.

“Hi, you,” Cheryl giggles.

“Hi. I did it again, didn’t I?” Toni replies, embarrassment flushing her face.

Cheryl nods and then laughs as she pulls back and turns to Veronica, holding her hand out.

“I believe you owe me twenty dollars?”

Veronica rolls her eyes as she opens her purse and pulls the money out, pressing it into Cheryl’s outstretched palm.

“I seriously can’t believe that just happened. How do you forget who your own girlfriend is?”

Toni turns impossibly redder as she hides her face in Cheryl’s shoulder.

“It only happens when I’m drunk,” she mumbles. “I blame Sweet Pea.”

“Hey, it wasn’t just me, Reggie helped!” Sweet Pea laughs as Reggie shrugs and pretends not to know what he’s talking about.

“Anyone up for some food?” Cheryl asks, the boys, Veronica and Toni all nodding in response. “I think I need to sober my girlfriend up a little more before she forgets who I am again.“

They all walk over to the buffet table, and then sit down at one of the empty tables, plates of food in front of them. Everyone else has stopped drinking apart from Veronica, who seems to have made it her mission to finish the whole punch bowl herself.

“Woah, Ronnie, maybe you should slow down a little,” Reggie says, but Veronica shakes her head.

“I just got my heart broken, Reggie, I’ll drink as much as I want.”

Reggie sighs, looking at the others with concern, but they all seem to acknowledge that Veronica is hurting, so they don’t stop her.

Cheryl’s sitting on Toni’s lap, a hand around her shoulders as Toni holds her by the waist, her other hand resting on her legs.

Veronica looks over at them, and then to the rest of her friends, and smiles drunkenly.

“I’m so happy to have you guys in my life,” she slurs. “I don’t know if I would have made it through the last four years without you all.”

“We feel the same way, Ronnie,” Kevin replies.

Veronica nods at him, tilting her head as she raises the cup in her hand.

“I just want to say one thing. And that thing is...fuck Archie Andrews!” she yells, as the group laugh and raise their cups with her.

A voice comes out from behind where they’re sitting.

“And Betty Cooper.”

They look up, and Jughead Jones stands there, eyes red and puffy, his tie loose and his hair messy as he sits down next to Veronica.

“Shit, where’ve you been, Jones?” Sweet Pea asks.

“At the Wyrm. I needed to clear my head.”

Jughead sees Cheryl whisper something in Toni’s ear, and she nods as she looks directly at him.

“We know there’s been some tension between us over the last while, but we want you to know that we’re here for you, Jughead. You and Veronica didn’t deserve what happened to you both.”

Jughead nods stiffly in acknowledgement as Veronica puts her arm around his shoulders.

“Thanks, guys,” he says. “I think I’m still in shock, if I’m honest.”

“That’s understandable. I certainly was when Betty told me,” Cheryl says quietly.

“You knew?” Jughead asks, his nostrils flaring as he feels the anger bubbling inside him.

“Yeah, she did, but don’t be mad at her, Jug. Betty practically forced her not to say anything,” Veronica says as Toni nods to reaffirm her statement.

Jughead deflates.

“Did she say why she did it?” he asks Cheryl.

“...no, she said it ‘kind of just happened’. Though how you can ‘kind of’ kiss someone who's not your boyfriend simply baffles me. There is something else I think you should know, though, Jughead.”

Jughead looks on at her imploringly, waiting for her to continue.

“A few weeks before she told me about the kiss, Betty...said something.”

“Said what?” Jughead asks.

Cheryl sighs, running her thumb over Toni’s knuckles.

“She said she thinks she’s been in love with Archie for ten years.”

“Fuck,” Fangs whispers as Jughead sniffs and clenches his jaw, clearly holding back the tears that threatened to spill.

“I told her that that was delusion, that she had found something good in you so she shouldn’t be swayed, but it appears by that time she had already kissed Archie,” Cheryl says sympathetically.

“Well, thanks for telling me, Cheryl,” Jughead says, his voice shaky.

They spend the rest of the night drinking and talking, Jughead stuffing his face with food to try and get rid of the sinking feeling in his gut every time he thought of Betty and Archie together. He didn’t know how he was going to go home after everything that had happened, would probably crash at Sunnyside until graduation, and then college. It wasn’t the most ideal of plans, but what else could he do?

At this current moment, he’s watching Cheryl and Toni dance together, they’re almost the only ones left as the night has dragged on, a lot of the students had either gone home or were filling the tables.

In fact, the whole group is watching the two girls dance, caught up in their own little world.

Veronica looks over at the two, crowns still atop their heads, and sighs, but it’s with happiness for her friends instead of sadness over her love life.

“It’s so nice to see them so happy, isn’t it?” Veronica addresses her group of friends, as they agree with smiles on their faces.

The song ends, and Cheryl and Toni walk back over to the table, hand in hand as usual.

“You guys talking about anything interesting?” Toni asks, as her and Cheryl take seats next to each other.

“Just how cute you two are,” Kevin says with a wink.

“What do I have to do to get people to stop calling me cute?!” Toni says in exasperation, as Cheryl laughs beside her and presses a kiss to her cheek.

“It’s true though, you guys are the pretty much the epitome of love,” Veronica says. “I always say I’ll leave this hellhole of a town and never come back after I go to Barnard, but if there ever was a reason for me to return, it better be for your wedding.”

They should be gobsmacked at the thought of getting married, they were only eighteen, but instead Cheryl and Toni smile at each other.

“I’d like that,” Cheryl says quietly.

“Me too,” Toni says, her voice equally as soft.

How incredible, to be so young, yet so sure of each other’s love, Veronica thinks.

The night comes to a close, and it was one full of joyful moments, yet one full of sad ones too. One relationship thrives, as two are broken apart. As they all think of their futures, little do the small group of teenagers know, as they sit around the table, that a redheaded boy and a blonde haired girl would be, at that exact moment, looking at each other through their windows, wondering just where their futures would take them. Would it be together or apart? Only time would tell, but after tonight, everything had changed.

Cheryl and Toni walk to Cheryl’s car, which she had left in the parking lot the day before as they had taken the limo to prom.

They get in, putting their crowns on the back seat, and sit for a moment, taking in everything that had happened.

“I still can’t believe we won,” Toni says, breaking the comfortable silence as she turns in her seat, looking softly at her girlfriend, as if she’s imagined this whole night and she’ll wake up any second back in a crappy trailer on the Southside of Riverdale.

“It feels like a dream come true,” Cheryl replies, as she also turns to look at Toni, their hands interlacing between them.

“Before we go home, can we talk for a second, TT?” Cheryl asks.

Toni nods immediately.

“Yeah, of course, babe, what’s on your mind?”

“I’ve been thinking...about what happened with Veronica and Jughead tonight...and I just want, no, I need you to know that such a thing will never occur in our relationship. No matter what we go through, no matter what fights we find ourselves in, whether we’re together or apart, I will never, ever find myself wanting anyone but you, Toni,” Cheryl says firmly, hoping to convey how serious she is as she looks into Toni’s eyes.

“I know that, baby, of course I do,” Toni responds, just as seriously. “And I hope you know that I’ll never want anyone else, either. You’re it for me, Cheryl. When I think of my future, it’s full of unknowns, but the one thing I know for sure is that you’re in it. I love you, Cheryl Blossom. Forever and always,” her voice coming out in a soft whisper.

“I love you too, Toni Topaz. Forever and always,” Cheryl whispers back, leaning forward and capturing her lips in what was probably their most important kiss to date.

As they drive back to Thistlehouse, the house they had made a home, Cheryl and Toni are the happiest they’ve ever been, and it’s clear to everyone around them that with each other, that happiness would never end as long as they were in each other’s lives.

For Veronica Lodge, who’s heart is aching with betrayal and loss, she can only dream of a relationship as strong as Cheryl and Toni’s, one so filled with passion and light. For Betty Cooper, who can see that her cousin, despite her many flaws and the challenges she’s faced, has found herself in such a stable relationship that even the thought of entertaining another woman is completely and utterly incomprehensible. For Jughead Jones, who has witnessed Toni being Cheryl’s safe space after horrific nightmares, and in turn, has witnessed Cheryl being the reason Toni has embraced her hesitations of the Northside and has learnt to trust again. For Fangs Fogarty and Kevin Keller, who are in a new relationship, hoping and praying that one day they’ll flourish into a love that would rival Cheryl and Toni’s, yet also knowing that it’s completely impossible for anyone to even come close. For Sweet Pea, who’s grown up with Toni for the last six years, has seen her beaten and bloody after fights with Ghoulies, or kicked out by her own family, and now gets to see her in a home with a family that she can call her own, with a smile on her face every day because of her girlfriend, the girl that she would one day call her wife. For Reggie Mantle, who’s only love these days consisted of his car and football, seeing a reunion between the two girls that was as emotional as it was beautiful, and he hopes one day after a lot of failed attempts, that he can find the person he could share that with. And finally, for Jason Blossom, who looks down at his twin and sees the person she’s grown to be, realising with pride that she made it.

After abusive parents, murdered siblings, conversion therapy, serial killers and cults, Cheryl Blossom made it. And she did it all with Toni Topaz by her side.