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[obxfavssss]

Sunrise Promises

JJ maybank

Lmk if yall want rafe stuff

It was the summer after senior year, and the Pogues had just made it back to the Outer Banks after their treasure-hunting adventure. Life was calmer now, but JJ Maybank wasn’t used to calm. He thrived in chaos—riding the waves, sneaking into places he wasn’t supposed to be, and living like tomorrow didn’t exist.

But then there was you.

You weren’t a Pogue, but you weren’t a Kook either. You were somewhere in between, living a quiet life working at the local coffee shop. JJ had started coming in every morning, ordering black coffee he barely drank and sitting by the window. At first, you thought he was just another rowdy local with messy blonde hair and a devil-may-care grin. But something about him made you curious.

One morning, as you handed him his coffee, he looked at you and said, “You ever watch the sunrise?”

You blinked, surprised. “Of course. Why?”

He leaned in slightly, mischief dancing in his blue eyes. “Wanna watch one with me? Tomorrow, before the world wakes up.”

You hesitated but found yourself nodding. “Alright. But if you’re late, I’m going back to bed.”

The next morning, you met JJ at the beach. The world was still dark, the ocean a calm, rhythmic hum. JJ had brought a couple of blankets and a thermos of coffee.

“This better be worth losing sleep for,” you teased, wrapping the blanket around your shoulders.

JJ chuckled, plopping down beside you. “Trust me, it is.”

As the first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon, you felt a warmth that had nothing to do with the rising sun. JJ was watching you, not the sky.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” you whispered, nodding toward the sunrise.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice softer than usual. “It really is.”

You glanced at him, catching the way his expression softened in the golden light. For the first time, you saw past the bravado—the mischievous grin, the reckless energy. There was something vulnerable about JJ in that moment, something real.

The two of you sat there for what felt like hours, talking about everything and nothing. JJ told you about his wild adventures, his dreams, and the moments he rarely shared with anyone. You told him about your love for books, your quiet life, and how you’d always felt like you were waiting for something more.

“Maybe you were waiting for me,” JJ said with a wink, his trademark confidence back.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t hide your smile. “Maybe I was.”

From that morning on, JJ wasn’t just a boy who ordered coffee he didn’t drink. He was the boy who brought color to your quiet life, who showed you that sometimes, the best things in life were the ones you didn’t see coming.

And for JJ, you weren’t just a girl who worked at the coffee shop. You were the calm in his chaos, the sunrise he never wanted to stop watching.

[obxfavssss]

Still us.

jj maybank

This is my first time writing. i hope you like it!!! As someone with anxiety, i tried putting in how i actually feel when i start getting it

Warnings- anxiety

Her and JJ had broken up a month ago after a fight. They both had a school trip and found out they were sharing a room, and her anxiety flared up in the room.

Y/N sat quietly at the back of the bus, staring out the window as the landscape blurred by. The school trip to the Outer Banks was supposed to be a fun break from the usual routine, but for her, it felt like another hurdle to overcome. Since her breakup with JJ Maybank a few months ago, things had been different. She’d been on edge, trying to focus on school and life in general, but his absence left a hole she couldn’t fill.

The breakup was messy, one of those fights that ended with words neither of them meant. But that didn’t make it hurt any less. JJ had always been the one to calm her when her anxiety would spiral, the one who knew exactly what to say and how to hold her when everything felt like too much.

The sound of the bus doors opening brought her back to the present. The students piled out, excited for the weekend ahead. Y/N stayed back, watching her classmates scatter in different directions. She couldn’t help but notice the familiar, wild blonde hair of JJ as he hopped out, his usual carefree grin on his face. But it wasn’t the same anymore. They were strangers now, after everything that had happened.

When they reached the hotel and the chaperones handed out room assignments, Y/N felt a knot in her stomach. She scanned the paper and froze. Of all the rooms in the hotel, she was paired with none other than JJ.

She thought about protesting. She thought about saying something, but she didn’t want to make a scene. Not here. Not now. With a deep sigh, she took the key from the chaperone and made her way up to the room.

The door creaked open, revealing a simple hotel room with two beds. JJ was already sitting on one, his feet propped up on the edge, a textbook in hand—though it was clear he wasn’t really reading it.

He looked up when she entered. His expression softened for a moment, but there was hesitation in his eyes. "Hey," he said, his voice unusually quiet.

"Hey," Y/N replied, setting her bag down. The awkward silence hung between them like a thick fog, neither one knowing what to say. They hadn't really spoken since the breakup.

"I—uh, guess we’ll have to deal with this," JJ muttered, breaking the silence. "Roommates for the weekend."

Y/N gave a small nod, trying to keep her composure. But internally, her anxiety was already starting to flare up. Being in close proximity to JJ, the one person who knew all her triggers, was not helping.

Her breathing started to quicken, her chest tightening. She sat on the edge of the other bed, doing her best to calm herself, but the panic crept in faster than she could control. She felt like something was pushing on her chest. Her heart felt like it was about to jump out of it. Her head started spinning, and she felt like she was gonna throw up, which didn't help in the slightest as she wad afraid of being sick.

JJ noticed it right away. He set his book aside and leaned forward, his eyes narrowing in concern. "Y/N?"

She tried to wave him off, but her hands were shaking, her heart hammering in her chest. "I’m fine," she managed, though it was clear she wasn’t.

"Hey," JJ said, standing up and crossing the room in a few strides. He gently took her hand, his touch grounding her like it always had. "You’re not fine. Look at me."

She didn’t want to. She didn’t want him to see her like this, but the softness in his voice made her meet his gaze. JJ’s face was full of concern, and for a moment, everything else faded away.

"Just breathe with me, okay?" He instructed gently, squeezing her hand. "In through your nose, out through your mouth. Focus on me."

Y/N obeyed, her breath shaky at first, but slowly falling into rhythm with his. JJ’s presence was calming, like it always had been. He knew exactly how to help her find her center, how to spot her head from spinning around. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the world around them, focusing on his steady breaths and the feel of his hand in hers.

"That’s it," he murmured. "You’re doing great."

The anxiety started to loosen its grip on her, her body relaxing in small increments. When she finally opened her eyes again, JJ was still holding her hand, his expression softer than she’d ever seen it.

"I—I don’t know what to say," Y/N whispered, the lump in her throat threatening to choke her up. "I don’t know how to be around you anymore."

JJ exhaled slowly, his thumb gently rubbing the back of her hand. "I know," he said quietly. "It’s been hard for me too."

Y/N’s chest tightened at his words. She hadn’t realized how much she still missed him, how much she still cared. Despite everything, she still felt that pull toward him—the one she couldn’t explain, the one that made her heart race whenever he was close.

"I didn’t want to hurt you, Y/N," JJ continued, his voice a little hoarse. "I just… I didn’t know how to deal with everything. I was a mess. And I didn’t want to drag you into it."

Y/N felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. "I was always there for you, JJ. You didn’t have to push me away."

He looked down, guilt clouding his features. "I know," he whispered. "I messed up. But I’m still here, if you want me to be."

Her heart clenched. She wanted him. She always had. But there were so many things left unsaid between them. The past few months had been a painful reminder of the distance they had created. Yet, in that moment, she felt something shift—something familiar and comforting.

Y/N hesitated, then spoke, her voice quieter than usual. "Do you think... we could try again? I don’t know if I’m ready to jump back into everything, but maybe we could start with being friends again?"

JJ gave her a small, hopeful smile. "I’d like that. I really would."

They sat there in the quiet, the tension between them still lingering but starting to ease. For the first time in months, Y/N felt like she could breathe again, knowing that the one person who knew her better than anyone was sitting right beside her. And maybe, just maybe, they could find their way back to each other. Slowly. But surely.

As the night settled in, the two of them talked—about the trip, about the past, and about what might come next. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start. And for the first time in a long while, Y/N felt a flicker of hope that things could be okay again.

They weren’t just strangers anymore. They were still *them*—and that was all that mattered.