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writersundersiege · 8 months

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The New Girl in Town

Race Cameron x F! Reader

Warnings; slight angst and someone missing presumed dead like John b’s dad .

Summary: All the kooks are shaking in the designer's shoes as the new girl in town moves from Malibu, California. She moves to Figure 8 with her father, who's the CEO of Surfboard Hut company, which does well selling pre-made boards and custom surfboards. All the girls want to be her friend or hate her; all the guys love her, and the adults think she's a sweet, free spirit. What may happen when the island's notorious bad boy, Rafe Cameron, can't get her out of his mind? Will she take to Rafe as he takes to her? Or will it take time to convince her there is more to him than the bad boy exterior?

The sizeable moving truck pulls up with a Land Rover and a beat-up-looking blue Jeep with a surfboard rack and multiple boards attached at the top, following in close behind. On all corners of the street, Kooks are walking their dogs, assembling, and checking the mail, all to stare at the new arrivals. Rafe is standing around shooting hoops with Kelce and Topper. Rafe hadn't paid any mind yet to all the people outside talking, too busy trying to prove the point to Topper he could still play as well as he did back in school. It is the only reason he's in the perfect place to meet, probably the most beautiful girl Rafe has ever seen.

As the vehicles come to a stop in front of the house, a girl hops out with (H/T), gorgeous tanned skin and a bright smile; as she walks to the Land Rover, she followed, stopping and talking to a man who looks exactly like her in the eyes and nose presumably her father they laugh, until a lovely looking woman; nearly captures the whole neighborhoods attention, heads turn her way with how pretty she is smiling smacking the older man on the shoulder and pulling the young carbon copy of her into her side looking at the house in front of them.

Rafe turns to Topper. “Did you know you were getting new neighborhoods? I thought the old McCaauns didn't want to sell that place since that's where they grow their stupid prize gardenias for the Charleston Garden Expo.” Topper shrugs, grabbing the basketball from Rafe's stagnant hands. “Mom said something about a meeting. Gosh, I can't even remember her name. The mom, though, said her husband owns part of a surfboard hut company with a buddy of his in California. It's called Crush Wave; it's kinda sick.” Topper pulls out his phone and pulls up their TikTok, showing you and your dad making handmade boards.

Topper pulls up a video of you making a Short Board that is blue and purple and a massive Kraken on the back that almost looks engraved in the actual wood of the board. Rafe watches as you talk and laugh, presumably at the joke your dad made behind the recording causing Topper to laugh too, but he stares at how your eyes crease, and the way you throw your head back in pure bliss.

He only looks up when he hears Kelce say with a dark look, “You're gonna have a nice view from your bedroom, Top.” As he looks up, there it is, your side bedroom window connected to the side of the house that looks right into Topper's room. Your curtain shades are open as the three boys stare up into the room, watching you, dancing around your room, organizing posters on the wall, and putting down little knickknacks and what one could only assume are memorable things from home. Your old home. Rafe watches as you open the window a little to let in a breeze, not even paying attention to the three boys ogling you through your window

In a moment, Rafe catches the lyrics of the song. You seem so consumed by you’re forgetting the whole world around you and he thinks he's heard it. Still, the only words he can catch are, “Baby, don't you see I've got everything you need?” and that line sticks with him, a plan forming in his head and a smirk on his face cause Rafe knows he's going to make you want, need, maybe even crave him but that is for later.

Suddenly, the boys are broken from their sudden stupor and infatuation, by a woman's voice. “Hey boys!” your mother smiled back at them, looking just like you in maybe five years; she doesn't look even that much older than you, which makes Rafes smirk deeper, knowing you are running in a solid gene pool. “My name is Andrea, but call me Andy, and that man over there struggling to carry his toolbox kit is my dear, sweet husband Charles.” The man struggling under the weight of a metal box called out “Charlie,” she laughed, shaking her head. “And our daughter.” she points to where you're now loudly singing a one direction song that has the boys laughing and blushing as you act like you have a microphone that is hanging in your hand and disappearing into what they assume is your closet.

“Her name is (F/N). She's 19 and just had a birthday a few weeks ago. She's our baby; her brother is 23 and at Princeton.” She smiles, watching you dancing and singing Fools Gold so loud you could’ve woke a sleeping giant; she turns to see all the boys entranced by you. She looks down and chuckles, “Would you boys mind helping us? We need help getting the dresser upstairs to that room.” The boys snap their eyes back to your mother and shake their heads while hurriedly rushing through the large white picket fence in front of your house.

As they walk in, they see a fantastic amount of items from all over the world, Maps of almost all countries all over the globe. Significant framed photos of you and your family in front of Buckingham Palace, You in front of the Eiffel Tower posing with a massive smile on your face, a tall boy who looks like you, his arm around your shoulder smiling just the same, Your family in traditional silks and gorgeous materials smiling with a beautiful woman and man she had ornate henna all down her arms and legs. Another photo with your arms over your head, standing on a waterfall, looking like an angel with the water creating a rainbow around you.

All over, there were little statues, maps, books, ship blueprints, rugs, and throws from all different kinds of cultures as the boys walked past the dining room that saw a Chabudai table set up with gorgeous adorned pillows and a large china cabinet full of different types cutlery and ornamental chinas. Rafe squints his eyes, looking at a large framed map that looks super old and says Amazonian on the bottom with more notes. Topper pipes up from one side of the large hall, picking up what looks to be a golden skull from a box. “Um, sorry, Andy, what kind of work are you into?” he says, holding the figure up and wincing as he twists it to look at it.

Andy chuckles, walking back towards the boys, grabbing the skull from him and placing it on the large bookshelf in the hallway. “I'm a history professor, and I just transferred to St. John’s Academy for boys. Do any of you go there?” she asks quizzically; all that boys can think to do is shake their heads. Suddenly, they watch the fumbling and tumbling of your dad with four boxes that cover his frame entirely. “Hey honey, I don't think (F/N)’s couch is gonna fit in that new room cause of how it used to be lofted; now it's a single floor plan, and the ceilings—oh hello.”

The boys grabbed the remaining boxes to reveal your dad's smiling face, staring back at them as he said, “And you are.” Rafe, Topper, and Kelce introduce themselves hurriedly as they set the boxes down and line up to shake your dad's hand, which they do. “Seems like their nice boys with gentlemanly manners out here in the outer banks will be a nice change for our little songbird up there…” but before your Dad can continue, your mother rounds behind the boys pushing through the kitchen saying, “Anyways, he babbles the dresser is in the garage” pushing the three through she opens the double doors to the garage so the three boys can easily fit.

They each take a side and quickly lift it up and through the house up the stairs down the hall to the first set of French doors; your mother knocks when, all of a sudden, the muffled sound of music becomes the center stage, and the bursting smell of ocean water, sandalwood, and coconut hits them in the face. Finally, when their senses returned to them, you were standing there holding the handles of the doors and the sun's yellow glow behind you and a grin from ear to ear.

Then, like a bunch of doves were let off into flight, in a soft, airy voice came your words, “Hello boys, it's mighty kind of you to help me bring my new casa into a retrograde” You laughed a small laugh that had them buckle slightly under the pressures of the weight of your dresser you pointed to the wall opposite the window they were all staring through earlier and said, “Right there would be just fine.”

At this point, Rafe looks around to see where your mother is, and it seems like she is nowhere near at all; this gives him more confidence not to make a fool of trying to talk to you. He has this weird pull for you, and he needs to know why. So far, your family may be the most remarkable group to have moved into OBX since any past gossip and any that will come, but he wants to know you.

After they place the dresser in a specific spot against a wall between the borders, you've created with tons of pictures of you and girls and guys your age, you and your brother surfing, you on a boy's shoulders messing up his curls as you look down on him laughing. He’s laughing up at you, holding you tight, more of you at almost every natural monument you can think of, like the catacombs, Everest, Mushroom forest, and more.

One picture catches Rafe's eye again; it's the curly-haired boy and you with white shirts and what looks to be yellow stripes on your shoulders; he turns to ask, “Were you a deckhand on a yacht?” you look up from the box you were going through crisscrossed on your bed and smile widely with a hint of devilishness behind your eyes. “Not just a deckhand, the lead deckhand, and that was my second 2nd; his name is Luca; we grew up together.” Rafe shakes his head slowly, looking over the boy and then at you. “Luca still around these days?” Topper and Kelce eye you both suspiciously while they are meandering, pretending to look at bookshelves and shells and things from your past on the walls.

Suddenly, the mood becomes grim, and you look down, hand coming up and thumbs running over a small ring attached to a shell necklace. “He's been presumed dead for nearly a year; he and his brother Cameron went deep sea fishing somewhere out here, actually on the coast, and they know their ship went down almost 400 km from shore. They are still gone. Nothing has been found besides this ring and a note in the black box of the boat Cameron got just in case cause—” you suddenly cut off.

You got up, holding a picture of once again the curly-haired boy. Still, he looked to be no more than 12 on one knee, and the girl standing in front of Rafe but so much younger, even brighter than he'd already seen, if that even seemed possible, with a ring pop slid on her ring finger she was no more than ten years old smiling ear to ear.

You look up with a sad smile. “The note said I told you I would get you a real ring one day, but if for some reason I am not there to give it to you, I'll be shining next to the north star, waiting for you to shine back, you know what I mean” she smiles sadly “I'm so sorry I —” You start to laugh “Rafe. Stop that.” Both of the other boys keep watching, stunned. “Luca always said that the only way we can survive as humans is by letting the world ride around us like a wave and holding fast to it, so that's what I do every day, see?” she shoved her wrist into Rafe's hand, which gently wraps his fingers around it to lift to his face to see and caligraphy type wave with a small sailboat and the words “Hold Fast” underneath he smiles and rubs his thumb over the small tattooed skin which send chills down your body

He smiles and says, “Brave the storm like the stories, huh?” Her face immediately lights up. He doesn't know a ton of history but Wheezies been obsessed with that new Percy Jackson show and watched an episode or a few with her and has learned some stuff.

You turn to wrap your hand through his interlocking fingers and drag him to your bed while you pull a big leather-bound sketchbook from under your bed. You flip a few pages to a beautiful pencil sketch of a gorgeous-looking woman holding a baby close to her face with tears trailing down to land on the baby's blanket. It's so detailed she drew and shaded the mother's tear stains on the blankets. At the very bottom, in scripture-style lettering, was “Hold Fast Perseus, Brave the storm.” you can see the swirling raging seas and the baby floating in the basket slowly and sleepily over the raging waves in the back.

He looked up to see that Topper and Kelce had slowly slipped out of the room and down back to Top’s yard and were sending him thumbs up from below in the window they were all just looking through, laughing and hitting each other as they went in Topper's back door.

He clears his throat, realizing you're still staring at him wide-eyed. He swears he can see the whole world through your eyes when finally words don't fail him saying, “This may be the prettiest thing I've ever seen,” not even breaking a moment of eye contact to reference the picture just looking at you. “ you're kind Rafe” you giggle nudging him with your shoulder when you both hear a slight knock and look up to see your brother Jason standing the hall you run and jump in his arms as he laughs and spins you around “Hey kiddo came here for the weekend to check out the place and get all moved in” he points to Rafe “already got a boyfriend I thought you said you were gonna leave the whole California surfer guy thing in the past.”

She throws her head back, laughing, and pushes his shoulder. “Jaz stops. That's Rafe. He's from OBX. He was helping Mom and just got caught up in my blabber fest.” Rafe stands to shake your brother's hand and, shaking his head, adds, “I enjoyed hearing what you were saying. I kinda like learning more history.” now he's lying through his teeth, but it makes you smile, so he smirks back. He doesn't understand why your family is compelling him to be so gentlemanly, but for a moment, he has to catch the smirk he feels from thinking of introducing himself to your brother as his future brother-in-law but thinks better of it.

After the introduction, he turns to you and says, “If you ever need to find me, I live at Tannyhill. It's not hard to miss. Just ask for me, and I'll be there.” he smiles. “ I hope to see you. Around.” You smile at him shyly, looking down and saying, “Me too,” and then you jump on your brother's back, saying, “Onward boah, we've got places to see.” he smiles and shakes his head but continues as Rafe slowly makes his way out of your house and down the steps.

He stands in your yard, watching you and your brother hop in your blue Jeep. It rumbles to life as the music blasts through your speakers so loud everyone in the whole neighborhood can hear the words from Cold Cold Cold by Cage the Elephant from your car as you jump out the top, yelling to your parents as Jason speeds off, saying “Catching some waves be home by the set love ya” you laugh throwing your head back again capturing Rafe with your whole aura.

He stands there watching you disappear, with loud music, a bubbly laugh, and a bright smile in tow with you. Kelcle and Topper walk up behind him, and Topper pats him on the shoulder. “She’ll be the death of you, that's for sure.” Rafe shrugs his hand off and stomps back to the pavement in Topper's yard and says, “Ball-in Top, let go.” Topper and Kelce laugh, shaking their heads, knowing he's already down bad as Rafe is simultaneously thinking about inviting your good Ol’ Pops and Brother to the country club for some golf and town talk to show them the outer banks; he has an excellent feeling about the new girl in town with a devilish smirk and pep in his step he starts to think.

Hey all this is my first writing I've done please let me know if you like and want more of this or something else in open to all suggestions thank you for reading this it means a lot 💕

if you would like to keep on reading:

The New Girl in Town - Masterlist

All rights belong to the owners of Netflix and the Outer Banks. I do not own any characters except the family. The fiction is simply for fun. All copyrights belong to the original owners.

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lambtotheslaughterr · 8 months

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Rise -- Part Four

A Rafe Cameron Series

WC: 4.8k

Dividers provided by @firefly-graphics

PART THREE | MASTERLIST | PART FIVE

note*: a reminder that you must be following me & interacting with the work you want to be tagged in regularly to remain on a taglist. this will be my final warning about it. thank you.

It was decided that you would move north. Adrianna had shared with the group that Tobias told her that before the virus completely wiped out communication, that there was possible word of a fortified community where the virus hadn’t struck yet. Of course, it couldn’t be guaranteed. That’s what Adrianna was told. But it was more than you all had before arriving at the base.

The car was quiet as Sayyed led the way in the dark. Taking the back roads was necessary again as all the highways were overtaken by abandoned vehicles. There were a few stops to collect more gas but other than that, the focus was to get as far north in the next 24 hours. You were on the brink of falling asleep, soothed by the sounds of your friends combined soft breathing in the back seat. Though the drive was tense at the beginning, no thanks to the brewing fight between Sayyed & Rafe, everyone had calmed down enough to focus on what mattered.

You weren’t sure how long you slept for when the sound of a door slamming shook you awake. You leaned forward in your seat, rubbing the sleep from your eyes as you blearily looked around. The headlights were still on. In front of the wrangler was a forestry. You looked over your shoulder & watched as the others in Rafe’s truck began to climb out. Nuha, Millie, & Micah were still asleep.

Sayyed returned to the car, opening hid door to nod at you, “We’re staying here for the night.”

“Where’s here?”

“If I followed the directions of Adrianna’s map well enough we’re somewhere north of Charleston.”

You sighed to yourself when he turned off the car. It was the middle of the night & you were in the middle of nowhere. This wasn’t exactly the best time to set up camp, especially when everyone was tense & sleepy. And grieving. Severson’s gun going off flashed through your mind. You winced, blocking out the image of Luka.

“Guys, wake up.” You shook Millie. She groaned but opened her eyes. It was Micah who shot you a heated glare.

“Guess we’re camping out here for the night.” You informed them before slipping out. Before you shut the door, you heard Micah mutter a complaint to Millie.

You began helping the others as they started gathering camping gear. Fortunately, the vehicles were parked in a clearing so there would be no hiking in the dark. After fifteen minutes, tents, a canopy with the food & dry goods underneath it, & a fire was all set up. Rafe disappeared quickly, crawling into his tent at the edge of the clearing, furthest away from the rest of you.

Millie & Micah were heating up a large batch of soup, Nuha was talking quietly to Kai near the fire, Adrianna was writing in a leatherbound journal, & Bear was taking a piss behind the cars. You were about to head to your own tent, wanting to catch up on the sleep you had reluctantly woken up from. But Sayyed approached you.

“I need to talk to you.” His voice was low, secretive.

You frowned. Sayyed rarely ever sounded like so, even when the world was ending.

He lead you back to the wrangler, opening up your door for you to hop in. He climbed in the other side.

“What’s going on?” You tangled your fingers together in your lap.

“It’s Rafe.”

Oh. You fluttered your eyes closed, too tired to listen to Sayyed rant about Rafe.

“Sayyed…”

But he cut you off, sensing what you were already going to say, “He can’t be trusted, _____.”

You sighed, rubbing your eyes, “Can we not jump to conclusions please? I know you think he was trying to leave.”

“He was!” He raised his voice, but not nearly enough to garner the attention of your friends outside the car. You tossed him a narrowed look, warning him to calm down.

“I’m sorry.” He inhaled sharply before letting out a slow breath, “But you can’t tell me that he wasn’t up to something.”

“I think he was scared.” You reasoned, though you did recall Rafe suggesting the two of you leave back at the base, right before his predictions came true. Even though he was willing to leave behind all your friends, you clung to the possibility that Rafe didn’t know what he was talking about. He was high after all.

“Psh. Yeah. You ever seen Rafe Cameron scared of anything?” Sayyed shook his head in disbelief, leaning onto the center console to move closer to you, “He doesn’t care about anyone but himself.”

“Sayyed, I really don’t want to do this right now.” You told him exasperated. “Can we talk about this as a group in the morning?”

“What? No. _____, I need you to hear what I’m saying.” Sayyed dismissed your pleas & continued opening his mouth, “If Tobias hadn’t led us out of there Rafe would’ve been long gone by the time we made it out ourselves.”

“If we made it out…” You muttered.

“Why should we keep him around? He’ll save his own skin before he saves any of us.”

You rolled your eyes. You knew well enough that Sayyed, like every single one of your friends, had experienced a lifetime of trauma in just the last couple days. He wasn’t thinking straight. But you were too tired to help him get there.

“Sayyed!” You finally yelled, “Jesus. Fucking stop.”

Sayyed pressed his lips together, collapsing into his seat.

“I said I don’t want to talk about this, okay?” You hissed, “And I don’t appreciate you trying to sneak behind everyone’s back to get me to listen to you. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, with everyone.” You began opening your door before you added with finality, “Including Rafe.”

Hopping out, not wanting to wait around for Sayyed to say more, you slammed the door shut. The others were around the fire at this point, a couple paper bowls in their hands.

“Hey, everything okay?” Millie asked softly when you sat down next to her. Behind you, you heard as Sayyed slammed his own door shut before crossing the clearing to the tent you shared.

“Things haven’t been okay for a while now, Mills.” You sighed but mustered a sad smile.

She nodded in knowing, reaching out to grab your hand. You were thankful she was here. Millie always kept you feeling grounded, even as the world fell apart.

Nuha brought you a bowl of soup, which you surprised yourself with how hungry you were by practically downing it in four sloppy spoonsful. It dawned on you as you stared at the empty bowl in your lap that there may be a day where food becomes scarce. You’d have to remind yourself to eat slower & ration more.

The six of you ate in silence. Sayyed & Rafe never emerging from their tents. After a while you made each of them a bowl to bring them. It had been a long day & you couldn’t remember either of them eating. You were about to head towards your shared tent with Sayyed first when Nuha stopped you.

“I’ll take it.” She insisted.

“Oh, are you sure?”

“He’s my brother, _____. I think it’d be good for him to talk to me instead right now.” There was a protective undertone in her voice, but you couldn’t fault her for it. You had always admired their relationship, never having had siblings yourself.

You handed her the bowl, thanking her once as she walked towards his tent. You turned on your heel, feeling apprehensive about facing Rafe. Though you mildly understood Sayyed’s concerns, especially since you knew Rafe was willing to leave everyone behind, you still wanted to give Rafe the benefit of the doubt. As you were just in front of his tent, you desperately hoped he was asleep. In which case, you’d leave his bowl back at the table under the canopy. But when you called out his name, you heard ruffling within.

Rafe unzipped the tent, his eyes red & squinted as he looked up at you, “What’s up?”

“Here.” You lowered the bowl of soup to him, “I didn’t want you to go to bed without eating first.”

He eyed you suspiciously for a short second before accepting it, “Thanks.”

“Yup. See you in the morning.”

“Hey, can we talk for a minute?” You were glad your back was facing him so he couldn’t see you roll your eyes. You just wanted to fucking sleep.

But you released a breath of air before facing him, “Sure.”

Rafe unzipped his tent, opening it wider. You were expecting him to come out but was surprised when he instead gestured for you to come inside.

“Uh.” You looked over your shoulder. Mostly everyone was in the process of going to bed. Only Kai remained by the fair, staring emotionlessly into it. “Just really quick, Rafe. I’m tired.”

“Yeah, sure.”

You crawled into Rafe’s tent. It was tall enough to stand up in, but you’d have to hunch your back to do so. It would be more comfortable to stay sitting.

You watched & waited as he turned on a small battery-operated lamp, illuminating the small tent in a dim glow.

“How are you doing? You okay?”

What? You knew his questions were coming from a good place, but you couldn’t help to feel frustrated. Did he expect you to forget about the fact that he was doing coke while Luka was dying or that he had pushed for you two to leave together or that yeah, Sayyed was onto something when he pointed out how Rafe was already in his truck when everyone got out of the base? There was too many emotions running through your mind & you were barely hanging onto consciousness.

“Rafe…”

“Sorry.” He lowered his head, “I just wanted to check.”

You narrowed your eyes at him but sighed, shaking your head, “I’m as fine as I can be. Just a lot has happened, ya know…”

He nodded in agreement but said nothing more. It was silent for a while. His soup remained untouched behind his sleeping bag.

“You should eat. Get some rest.” You told him before getting ready to crawl back out.

“Hey, _____.” Rafe’s voice was nearly inaudible but just loud enough to make you pause, “I am sorry.”

“For what, Rafe?” You knew what he could be sorry for but wanted to hear him say it.

“For being right.”

Shock flooded your body, followed by unbridled rage. For being right? Right about what? Luka getting killed?

You were about to unleash your lack of sleep & frustration on him when he shrugged his shoulders.

“I shouldn’t have been out in the hallway avoiding it all. I should’ve said something. To all of you. Stopped it…somehow.”

Confusion came for you next. Rafe’s voice was soft, his tone remorseful. It was a side of him you had never seen before. For now, it kept the fire inside you at bay.

“I feel like shit about it. And I know Sayyed doesn’t trust me, the others, too.” His eyes met yours, “Maybe you too. And now Luka…”

You opened your mouth, wanting to assure him that wasn’t the case but stopped yourself.

“I get it. It looks bad. I don’t have an excuse for it.” Rafe pressed his lips together before he hung his head.

“But I wouldn’t have left you.”

It was your turn to lower your head. You didn’t know what to say, or think for that matter. You needed sleep, everyone needed to sleep.

“It’s been a really shitty day, Rafe. Right now, we just need to sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll figure it out.”

He raised his head to look at you but didn’t appear convinced.

“Unless I’m gone by the time you all wake up.”

At that, you shot him the same warning glare you had given Sayyed in the car. Rafe chuckled. It was short-lived but it was… nice.

You ignored his morbid joke, shaking your head, “Eat your soup & get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Okay.” Rafe nodded, finally reaching for his soup, “And thanks for this.”

“It was Millie & Micah who made it.”

The two of you traded looks once more before you unzipped his tent, climbing out. You were reaching for the zipper to close his tent for the night when his hand accidentally touched yours. You hissed at the brief electric shock, bringing your fingers to your lips.

“Oops. I still got it, I guess.” He half-smiled through his pitiful flirtatious comment.

For a split second, it was like it had been before. All your friends hanging out, talking, having fun, bitching about finals. The boys & Adrianna wrestling, Millie & Nuha watching on in horror. You & Sayyed happily laughing along.

It was the first time you had smiled all day, “Just go to sleep.”

“Night, _____.”

“Mhmm.”

You crossed back to yours & Sayyed’s tent, but not before you noticed Kai was still alone at the fire. You were tempted to go sit with him. Though you had all lost a friend, Kai lost his best friend. He needed all the support right now. But sleep was nicking at you, desperate to take a hold.

You promised yourself you’d spend some time with him in the morning.

Crawling into the tent, Millie, Micah, & Sayyed were already fast asleep. You were relieved you wouldn’t have to talk to anyone for the rest of the night. All you wanted was to go to sleep & hope the world you woke up to was the one with your friends alive & smiling.

Sayyed was staring at Rafe. His face hardened, brows furrowed. He was the only one, too.

“So what, you guys trust him then?”

You all had been talking about the Rafe situation for the last ten minutes now. And it was not going how you knew Sayyed wanted it to.

“We’re not abandoning him, dude.” Bear added, siding with Rafe.

“No one’s saying that, Bear.” Nuha jumped to Sayyed’s defense, “But he’s right. Rafe was going to leave us.”

“I wasn’t.” Rafe said. He had been saying it the whole time. You still weren’t sure what to believe. You honestly wish you could just turn back time, make it so none of this happened.

“You were just in the truck waiting for us, yeah you said.” Sayyed replied sarcastically. “You weren’t even there when Luka died! We could have all been dead.”

“But you’re not.” Rafe replied swiftly.

“Rafe…” It was Millie. She was practically standing between the guys as you all stood in the clearing, “What were you doing? Honestly?”

He looked at her. Millie’s face was calm, the opposite of accusatory that of which Sayyed reeked of. Rafe sighed heavily, shaking his head. He shrugged his shoulders, slapping his hands against his legs, “I knew what they were going to do to Luka.”

You felt your chest tighten.

“What the hell do you mean?” It was Kai this time, his voice pitched with anger.

“I told _____.” Before he could give any context, everyone’s eyes flashed to where you stood. “I told her that telling Severson was a bad idea, that they were going to kill him. It wasn’t like I knew for sure, but you guys heard from him yourself the night before. What he did shouldn’t have come as a surprise! You guys are the ones who voted to have Severson be told, you guys are the one who followed in Sayyed’s lead. Luka was murdered because you guys let it happen. I wasn’t going to be next.”

You felt Sayyed staring at you wide-eyed, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Me?” You asked incredulously, “Did you not hear Rafe?” Your eyes bounced around your friends, “We all heard what Severson said. Rafe’s right. We did this to Luka. We made the wrong decision, we trusted the wrong people. It was our fault. But Luka would still be dead right now, & you all know that. I can’t even believe were talking about this.”

How the conversation shifted from talking about Rafe’s possible expulsion to how you were getting partially blamed for Luka’s death was ridiculous. Nothing was normal anymore. No one knew how to respond the ‘right’ way.

“She’s right.” Micah spoke. His eyes meet Sayyed’s, “Luka would still be dead. And Rafe was… surviving.”

Rafe nodded thanks to Micah who sided with him next.

“I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same as him.” Micah finally added, “There’s only so much one person can do, Sayyed. And if you think you could’ve saved all of us… well, you’re just wrong.”

Sayyed was silent. His face wasn’t as hard, but he was still distrustful of Rafe, that much was obvious.

Adrianna jumped in then, her voice even, “As much as we have to look out for each other, we also have to look out for ourselves. That’s a hard truth we all have to accept. You especially, Sayyed.”

One by one, it was clear that everyone was beginning to see the fault in Sayyed’s push to remove Rafe. You couldn’t help but agree.

“You won’t be able to protect all of us.” You said softly, looping your fingers with Sayyed’s.

He looked down at you, his eyes sad. You knew he was scared. All of you were. He was just trying to protect everyone. Sayyed always put a lot of pressure on himself to be the altruistic leader.

“Okay.” He nodded once, his voice low.

“We good, man?” It was Rafe. You looked between them as Rafe stepped forward, holding out his hand.

Sayyed cocked his head, his eyes staring at Rafe’s extended hand. You almost thought that for a second he wasn’t going to meet him half-way. But to your relief, he finally reached his own hand out.

“We’re fine.”

They traded silent looks, not fully trusting the other. But it was the start of something. And it was necessary for the whole group to survive.

It was late evening. The decision was made as a group to camp out in the clearing for one more night. There was no need to rush. A plan was loosely in place: look out for each other’s symptoms (Adrianna would be keeping track in her journal), & slowly you all would move north. Adrianna had said the community Tobias mentioned was somewhere in Massachusetts.

You had walked away from the campsite, finding a small murky pond a few yards away. Sitting on a rock three times your size, you pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one. You hadn’t had a cigarette since you took a shit ton from the convenience store. It was relaxing. Tobacco wasn’t really your flavor, but at this point, you’d be happy with any sort of vice to relax in the hell world you & your friends found themselves in.

You were in the middle of your second cigarette when a twig snapped behind you. You spun around, gasping.

“Jesus.” Your hand was on your chest in surprise.

“Sorry.” Rafe chuckled lightly as he walked towards you. You watched warily as he joined you on the rock, his shoulder brushing against your own.

“So,” You began, “you weren’t voted off the island.”

“Yay.” He replied unenthusiastically. “Do you think I should’ve been?”

You stared at him. Of course you wouldn’t have supported kicking him out & leaving him behind. It was inhumane. He was also your friend. But it was always hard to tell what the truth was & what was a lie when it came to Rafe.

“No.” You looked away, taking another drag, “I wouldn’t have let anyone leave you.”

Rafe was silent, but you could see a subtle smile on his face in your peripheral.

“You mean that?”

Inhaling sharply, you adjusted yourself, so you were sitting straighter, “Yeah. Promise.”

“You’re better than me, than most of them back there.”

You frowned but said nothing.

“Sayyed was ready to pick a fight with anyone who disagreed with him.”

“He’s scared.” You defended, “He thought he was acting in the best interest of everyone. That’s more than you can say.”

The energy between you shifted, the air growing slightly tense.

“I told you last night I wouldn’t have left you.”

He had, but now that he was saying it again, you felt your gut turn. It felt like he wasn’t referring to you as a group, as a whole, but you as in…you. You didn’t want to know which he meant, scared of the answer.

“I know.” You lied. Unable to stand the tension, desperate for just a bit of normalcy, you did something bold. Something you might regret.

“Do you still have it?” You glanced at his jacket pocket.

Rafe looked confused for a moment, but when your eyes met his, he knew what you were asking for.

Reaching into his jean pocket, he pulled out the small baggie from when you all had been camping. He must’ve added to it from the sandwich sized baggie he carried.

“That’s more like it.” He commented as he poured some out on the fatty part of his hand. You ignored him, leaning forward to take the bump.

Immediately, you felt the effects. You knew it was likely because of the surreal circumstances of your life now, but you wouldn’t have had it any other way. Rafe smiled & watched as you grinned widely.

He made another one for you that you happily took.

Rafe did a couple himself, & after what felt like twenty minutes & three more bumps later, you were leaning into Rafe, enjoying his warmth. He was talking but you weren’t making out his words, just feeling the vibrations of his chest as he spoke, staring at the reflection of the trees in the water ahead of you.

You could’ve stayed like that for hours. Just sitting there, blissfully unaware of the world, feeling better than you had in a long time. Imagining yourself just out on a hike with a friend, talking aimlessly about nothing & everything. It was just out of reach, but you could feel it.

“Hey, hey.” Rafe bumped your shoulder. You looked at each other & smiled.

“I know what would make this even better.” He shared. You bit your lip in excitement, nodding in anticipation.

“Beer.”

“Yes!” You gleamed.

Rafe hopped off the rock, offering you his hand for you to do the same. You took it, jumping down jovially & skipping ahead. Rafe laughed lightly behind you as he followed. You were almost to the clearing, nearly forgetting the way of the world when Adrianna appeared, her arms crossed as she cut you two off.

“Wow.” She shook her head, judgement rolling off her, “You guys are coked out of your minds.”

“Oh, shh!” Rafe responded playfully, “No one needs to know.”

“They do actually.” Adrianna bit, “Because we’re having a group meeting. Now.”

Your high was slightly dampened, knowing you’d have to face the others, Sayyed especially. But your high kept you from caring too much.

“Fine.” You shrugged, glancing back at Rafe. He mirrored you, barely bothered.

Adrianna lead you two back to the clearing where everyone else was waiting. Their stares were obvious. Sayyed was fuming once he got a good look at you. You stayed across the clearing from him, choosing to stand beside Rafe. At least you weren’t alone in their collective upset.

“We’ll talk about that later.” He gave a pointed look towards you & Rafe. You forced yourself not to smile.

“But we’ve made a decision about what we’re doing next. We won’t be moving north.” Sayyed shared with the group, gesturing between himself & Adrianna.

“What? Why?” Micah questioned. Ever since the world ended, he had a never-ending sour look on his face.

“Because the community that Tobias told me about isn’t a community at all.” Adrianna added, “It’s not small or in the middle of nowhere like I thought it would be. It’s a city. Like two hundred thousand plus population. I either heard Tobias wrong or he didn’t know what he was talking about."

"How do you know that?" Bear asked next. Adrianna raised a map in her hand, “Maps don’t lie.”

“That & it’s close to Boston. So, regardless of Worcester’s size, it’s still a dense area. The chances of a safe, virus free community living there is low. Adrianna & I agreed it’s not worth the trek north. We should stay where we’re familiar, settle down & ride this out.”

“’Ride this out’?” Micah scoffed, “Like this is temporary?”

“It’s the best thing we can do.” Adrianna responded, her tone matching Micah’s, “We have the temporary cures. We just keep doing what we’ve been doing. We check for symptoms daily, we look out for one another, & we find a place to stay. Either until help comes or until we can sustain ourselves for when it never does.”

“And you two made this decision?” Bear jumped in a second time.

“Yes.” Sayyed nodded, “It’s what’s best for all of us.”

“What about our say?” Micah threw out, “This isn’t a dictatorship, we should be making these decisions as a group.”

“And we are.” Sayyed said, “Right now.”

Sayyed’s eyes passed over everyone, his eyes briefly lingering on yours before moving on, “We’re not going to have a repeat from earlier. No one will be getting kicked out. I was… wrong for that. I know that now.”

There was silence so Sayyed continued, “But we don’t want to tell you what to do. We’re all in charge of ourselves & what we want to do. So, if you want to find a place to lay low at, stay. If you want to continue north, then do it. But I’ve made my decision.”

The group was quiet.

You were honestly too high to fully grasp what was happening.

“I’m gonna go sit by the fire.” You said, unsure if your voice was even loud enough.

Bypassing your friends, you sat in a chair by the fire, pulling your knees to your chest. The sun would set soon. It’d be dark in no time & you were looking forward to going to lie down like the sun.

You were staring blatantly into the fire when someone came to stand next to your chair. You glanced up. Sayyed. Though he looked unhappy, you couldn’t help but smile up at him.

“Hey.” You said softly, your voice almost melodic.

“Hey.” He crouched so he was more eye-level with you. You knew what was coming. He was going to give you shit for getting high, especially with Rafe, but you didn’t care. You might care tomorrow when you’ve sobered up but right then, you couldn’t.

“Sayyed, I know what you’re going to say, & I’m begging you to please not.” You looked away from him, “Just don’t.”

He sighed beside you but said nothing. Then he grabbed your hand gently, “I’m sorry, _____.”

You turned to him, wide-eyed.

“I’ve been so concerned about the group as a whole that I haven’t been there for you.”

You frowned. You didn’t fault Sayyed at all for that. You were raised to be tough & independent, thanks to absent parents, but you didn’t want Sayyed to pressure himself to take care of you. You could take care of yourself.

“I’m not mad that you did coke, let alone with Rafe.” Sayyed added, “I was just shocked. But I am sorry for not being there for you.”

“Sayyed, don’t.” You shook your head, tangling your fingers with his, “I’m okay. I mean, I’m not okay, but I’m… surviving, ya know. That’s all we can do at this point.”

He nodded in agreement, but said nothing more.

“Thank you for looking out for all of us. I know some of them don’t see it that way, but I know your heart. And they do, too. Whatever they decide is up to them, like you said.”

“What about you?” He asked, “What are you going to do?”

You hadn’t realized that he thought it was actually possible you’d leave him. There was no way in hell you’d leave him. You loved him.

“Where you go, I go.” You told him, pressing your forehead to his, “Always.”

Sayyed smiled at that, leaning forward to kiss you. The kiss sent you to the heavens. It felt like you hadn’t kissed him in ages. When you two pulled away, you traded smiles.

“I love you, _____.”

“You.”

What was coming next was unknown. The world would never be the same again. But as long as Sayyed was by your side, & your friends were there all together, you thought to yourself that maybe the new world wouldn’t be so bad…

kind of a filler chapter before a brief time jump in the story. the next chapter will also be a filler chapter but after that, shit will start happening for real. this is a slow burn series however so dark rafe will not appear until later, but he's definitely got his focus on reader.

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#rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron fanfiction #dark!rafe cameron #dark!fic #dark!fanfiction #outer banks fanfiction #non con fic #dark!outer banks #rise part four

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bradshawssugarbaby · 11 months

Text

Hard to Forget - Willard Hewitt x Reader

A/N: I wanted to branch out the list of characters I'd write for and since Willard is a fave of mine (I have a soft spot for dumb pretty country boys oops), I figured I'd roll with it.

Inspired by I Bet You Think About Me and Betty by Taylor Swift;

“But now that we're done and it's over, I bet you couldn't believe when you realized I'm harder to forget than I was to leave”

“But if I just showed up at your party, - Would you tell me to go fuck myself, - I’m only 17, I don’t know anything.” “Will you kiss me on the porch in front of all your stupid friends?”

pairing: Willard Hewitt (Footloose 2011) x f!reader

content/warnings: swearing, angst, Willard being a dummy, some pining, fluffy ending.

word count: 3k

“Willard, you can’t just go around kissin’ other girls and then telling me you love me, that’s not how this works!”

“Well, maybe I dunno how any of this works, did’ya ever think that? Jeez, you’re puttin’ more rules on me than coach does for a football game, babe. Maybe I don’t wanna be in a relationship like this? I’m young, you know, I’m 19, I wanna be free and have fun while I still can. I’m gonna graduate soon and I wanna enjoy life before I get stuck workin’ a 9 to 5 somewhere. I know I’m not playin’ football when I get out, but I’m not plannin’ to be like everyone else back home and have a wife and kids and a dog before I turn 30.”

“Well then, maybe we should break up, Willard. Apparently according to you we were never anything to begin with, so it shouldn’t be too hard to call this off.”

“Yeah, maybe we should.”

Willard’s words were like venom, stinging you as you walked away, hot tears threatening to overflow your eyes and stream down your face. You headed off to your dorm, trying your damnest to not let Willard’s indifference towards you get under your skin. You were determined to not let some country boy from a small town in Georgia break your heart, you were better than that. Before you left, you spun around on your heel and looked at him.

“Why don’t you go fuck yourself, Willard?”

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Five years later, and you had long moved on from the cute Southern country boy who’d tried to break your heart. You’d completed your university degree in Education, worked your ass off, determined to be happy with or without your ex boyfriend. You and Willard never crossed paths again at university, and you were sure you’d never see him again. That was, until you had to return home for the weekend. Your younger sister had just turned 16, and your presence was requested, causing you to make the four and a half hour one way trip down to Athens to be there for her party. You’d moved to South Carolina after graduation, landing a job with a school district in Charleston where you were hired on as a first grade teacher. Once you arrived back home in Athens, the memories of Willard and your years at university all came flooding back. Complicating these, was when your tire blew on your car. You had to have it towed to the nearest mechanic.

When you hopped out of the tow truck, you lifted your sunglasses up from your eyes, resting them atop your head, squinting as you walked into the garage. A tall man with dark hair and a deep Southern accent with his back turned to you as he wiped his hands off called out to you. There was a sense of familiarity as he spoke, an uncomfortable feeling brewed in you as he turned around. You saw his face, and nothing about him had changed - the same hazel eyes, dark brown curls, the faint scars on his cheek and his chin now almost unnoticeable. His breath audibly hitched as he saw you.

“Well...hi,” Willard chuckled awkwardly as he saw you, taking a moment to register everything that had changed since you’d left him.

“Hi,” You responded coldly, your arms folded across your chest as you looked at him, “My tire blew, I just need one replaced. No I didn’t have a spare, just charge it to my credit card when you’re done, ok?”

“Well now, is that anyway to talk to your ex boyfriend?” Willard smirked playfully, that same godforsaken twinkle in his hazel eyes that always won you over before still clearly present.

“Ex for a reason, Willard.”

“Not a good one,” He admitted as he nodded his head slowly, “I-uh-I’ve been thinking.”

“After 5 years? Seems a little late.”

“Listen, darlin’, I was a stupid kid,” he began, nodding slowly, “I never wanted to hurt ya.”

“Well, you just did a damn good job of that without even trying, didn’t you?” You rebuffed his attempt to discuss further and handed him your credit card so he could put the tire repair on file with your card.

“I’m sorry, ok?” He said softly, his voice barely a whisper as he spoke.

“I’m not.”

“I probably deserve that, I’ll admit,” Willard sighs and shakes his head, “Let me make it up to ya, ok? Maybe I could take you for dinner some time? How long are ya here for? I can’t cook for shit still, but I remember you always loved going out to that place near the campus, I could take you there if ya’d like?”

“Thanks, but I have plans.”

“I haven’t even told you when it is yet.”

“Well I’m only home for a weekend. It’s my sister’s sweet 16.”

Willard’s face fell as he nodded slowly. He sighed softly and handed you your card back, furrowing his brow as he spoke.

“S’pose I can’t convince you then, can I?”

“What could you possibly say to fix it after five years, Willard?

He frowned again before gazing up at the clock on the wall. He nodded slowly and turned his attention back to you before speaking again.

“I’m off in 10 minutes, if you wait for me, I’ll explain everything. If you say my explanation and apology aren’t good enough, I’ll back off and you can pretend you never even met me. I’ll even fix that tire for free first before you go back home.”

You weighed your options as Willard looked at you hopefully, almost as if he was pleading you to agree. You sighed and shook your head before pointing a finger at him.

“Don’t disappoint me, ok?

“I’ll do my damnest not to, darlin’”

After 10 short minutes, you observed as Willard punched out his time card and trodded off to the change room to discard of his dirty, grease laden clothes. He smiled as he walked out to you, wearing jeans and a plain white t-shirt, his beat up old baseball cap from when you’d first met him now adorning his head. He laughed softly before turning to you once again and grinning.

“I’m impressed you waited for me,” Willard explained.

As the two of you headed outside, you spotted his infamous beat up old pickup truck, looking as rough as ever parked outside. Willard grinned at you and laughed, “You used to love this truck, you know.”

“Yeah, when I was 19, I also loved country boys in cowboy hats who wiillingly broke my heart by kissing other girls while I thought we were dating exclusively,” You hissed at him.

If there was one thing you knew about Willard, it was that he didn’t give a single fuck if anyone didn’t like his truck. That truck was the only thing he loved more than his own mama, and Willard would spend every last dime he had to fix that awful thing just so he could continue cherishing it. He’d always been very set in his ways about everything. It was the reason why you’d split in the first place. He was so determined to “live freely” and “live his life” that he gave up anything he figured might have stopped him, including you.

“Listen, I’m sorry for what I did, yeah?”

“So you’ve said.”

“Just hear me out, ok? I was a stupid kid. I was 19, I didn’t know shit. I still don’t know shit at 24, but you know what I do know?”

“How to count past 10 without taking your shoes off?” You retorted dryly.

“Hey now, I’m trying to be serious!” Willard laughed softly, “I know now that you never would have stopped me from doing whatever I had my heart set on. You would have encouraged me to just be happy. I appreciate that. I was just too stupid to pick up on that. I’m sorry I broke your heart. I also learned that you were so much harder to forget than you were to leave. Watching you walk away and hearing you tell me to go fuck myself gave me quite the ego check. And, I really did think you were the sweetest lil’ Georgia peach I’d ever met.”

You rolled your eyes as you tried to maintain your icy exterior towards him. On the inside though, you could feel your heart melt ever so slightly as he called you a Georgia peach - that had always been his saying when he thought you did something cute. He’d pat your cheek with his big hand, calloused from a combination of playing football and his studying to be a mechanical engineer, and grin at you as his thick as molasses Southern accent gushed at you. “Well ain’t you just as sweet as a Georgia Peach?” he’d always say. Half the time you figured he said it purely to make you blush.

Willard took a step closer to you, his hazel eyes meeting with yours the way they had when you two had dated all those years ago. He sighed softly, almost happily as he saw you weren’t rejecting him this time around. His hand reached for yours slowly, his touch gentle and delicate, as if he was trying purposefully not to scare you away. He smiled softly as you allowed him to hold your hand, your lack of resistance giving him a glimmer of hope that you might have somehow found a way to forgive him. You would feel yourself wearing down against him, your cold, frozen exterior towards him melting away as he gently held your hand.

“Willard,” you frowned slightly as you looked down at his hand holding yours, trying to ignore the fact that your hand fit perfectly in his.

“Darlin’ I’m willing to do anything to prove to you that I’m not going to break your heart again if you give me the chance. I’ve spent the last five years realizing that those big dreams and aspirations I had in college weren’t going to come true without you. I never did make it out of college football, I never ended up travelling or leaving Georgia like I said I would, but, I mean, I do decently well for myself. When you left I realized you were what made me happy though - not travelling or football, or workin’ on cars. You. And when I didn’t have you to do all these things I’d dreamed of with, well, none of them seemed worth doin’ anymore.”

You sighed softly as he gave your hand a gentle squeeze. You looked up at him, meeting those gorgeous hazel eyes you’d always loved, tears welling up in your own as you gave an understanding nod of your head.

“Now, there’s my sweet lil’ Georgia peach,” he smirked as he stroked the back of your hand with his thumb.

A rush of memories and a sense of familiarity came rushing over you as he spoke, calling you by the pet name that always made you weak in the knees years ago. You shook your head quickly as you tried to shake the feeling of nostalgia that was overtaking you.

“I should get going.” Your voice was soft-spoken, partially feeling guilty as you spoke.

Willard swallowed hard and nodded his head, trying to not sound defeated. He gestured his hand outward, pointing towards the street, forcing a hearty laugh and a big smile as he spoke.

“Yeah, might not wanna be late, your mama’d be so mad. Bet your sister wouldn’t be none too pleased either tho, would she?”

“No, I don’t suppose they would be. My sister’s party is supposed to start in,” You frowned as you looked at your watch and shook your head, “!5 minutes. Christ, I better start walking.”

“Don’t be silly, I’ll just drive you over. Sure your mama doesn’t want you wanderin’ your way around town to get home.”

You opened your mouth to argue but quickly closed it again. You knew he had a fair point, and you’d never make it there in 15 minutes by walking. Smiling, Willard opened the door of his truck for you, gesturing to the front seat for you to hop inside. You jumped up into the seat and nodded slowly as Willard took your bag out of your temporarily non-functioning car for you, placing it in the back. He climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the key over, the engine making its unique sputtering sound as it roared to life, the old engine sounding like it was clinging to life by a thread.

“You know, I could fix ‘er, but I just…I dunno, the sound is sort of nostalgic for me, ya know? It’s comforting,” He chuckled.

You rolled your eyes and laughed as he drove towards your parents house. You directed him along the way, but once he found himself in the familiar neighbourhoods he used to drive through to pick you up all those years ago, he didn’t need your navigation skills anymore. He smirked as he pulled up out front of your parents’ home, watching as you hopped out of the truck. He raised an eyebrow as the crowd of your family members that was congregating outside of your garage. Willard waved politely to them, recognizing a few of their faces from family functions he’d accompanied you to years ago. He parked his truck and hopped out, smiling as he looked over to you.

“I take it you never did tell your mama the truth about why we broke up, did ya?” He whispered to you as your mom waved to him from the garage.

“No, I didn’t want to her to go sharpen her pitchfork to come after you with,” You smirked at him and shrugged your shoulders, “You’re welcome.”

As you came up closer to your family, you felt Willard put his hand gently on your back. Turning to you, he smiled softly and whispered in your ear gently.

“Sorry, just trying to make it seem like we didn’t quite break up as badly as we did,” he nodded as he let out a soft chuckle.

You nodded slowly in agreement and smiled at your family members as Willard joined you. He laughed as your dad wrapped an arm Willard’s shoulders, pulling him in to talk for a moment, as he would have with an old friend. Willard gave you an apologetic smile as he shrugged, not realizing that your family would have missed his presence so much.

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A few hours later, Willard was still hanging out at the party, unable to make a quick getaway as your family members wanted to hear about all the things he’d done over the last five years. In a way, you were glad they were so welcoming towards him once again, happy to see that he was still considered family by your loved ones. You couldn’t help but notice the butterflies you got every time you saw him smile or laugh while he spoke, like he was genuinely enjoying himself, it showed to you that what he had said earlier about missing you had been completely heartfelt.

As everyone started to head out, you met Willard on your parents front porch, smiling softly as he held your hand again under the warm glow of the porchlight beside the door. You could feel the gaze of your family members peering through the curtains at you, all secretly and silently hoping that one of you would give a sign that you were rekindling what you’d once had together.

“Thanks for letting me stick around, I missed seeing everyone, I missed how nice your folks are,” Willard nodded, smiling brightly at you, his cheeks turning pink as he spoke.

“I don’t think they would have given me the option to send you home without staying, to be fair.”

There was an awkward silence in the air between you two as Willard’s eyes met yours. He bit his lip softly and laughed, shaking his head, his dark brown curls becoming perfectly tossed, his discarded baseball cap shoved into his back pocket from when he sat down for dinner earlier.

“You know, I really wanna kiss you right ‘bout now.”

“Strangely enough, you’re kinda making me wanna kiss you right ‘bout now too,” you teased.

With that, Willard put his hands on your waist, pulling you in close for a kiss. His lips were soft, with a sense of hunger and passion added to the chemistry between you. You could tell just by how his lips met with yours that he’d been craving this for the last five years. That he’d wanted nothing more than to hold you close and kiss you under the porchlight like had so many times before. And if you were being honest, you’d craved it too all these years, as much as you hated to admit it.

“So, where does this leave us then?” You raised an eyebrow at him, “‘Suppose I can’t hate you anymore if I’m letting you kiss me like that, now can I?”

“Don’t suppose you can, sweetheart. Looks like you may have to agree to datin’ me again?”

“Is that so?”

“Now come on, my lil’ Georgia peach, don’t make me get on my knees and beg you to take me back in front of your folks. You know I will.”

You laughed softly and pressed your lips to his again, murmuring into the kiss as your lips touched.

“Come ‘ere, country boy, you’re mine now.”

#footloose fic #willard hewitt x reader #willard hewitt #2011 footloose #miles teller fic

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rafesveryrealgf · 2 years

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Brothers keeper

(JJ Maybank x sister!reader)

Warnings: NON CANON, bruises, physical abuse (Luke abusing JJ),, crying, angst, curse words

Synopsis: you were JJ’s older sister, away at college for the semester, when you came back to notice, your brother was all beat up.

A/N: got a soft spot for JJ ngl

You were dreading the long drive from college in Charleston, back to your home in outer banks.

but, nonetheless you were excited to see your little brother, JJ.

You told your brother, to call you if your dad had given him any problems, and of course, he told you he would.

You’d just hoped he hadn’t just said that only to ease your mind while you were away at college.

It had been a few months, and you hadn’t received any calls from JJ so, you were hoping that meant Luke had become less hard on your brother or just wasn’t home enough to have something to bitch about.

Once you pulled into the familiar driveway on the cut, you hesitated to get out the car for a second, not knowing if were ready to face your shitty father.

You popped your trunk before hopping out, making your way to the back to get your belongings.

You took your bag in one hand as your other hand closed the trunk.

you saw your brother stumble out of the home just as the trunk slammed closed, causing JJ to quickly turn towards you, not long after, your dad stumbled after JJ, down the porch stairs then grabbed JJ, and shook him a bit with a finger pointed in his face.

Nothing had changed, you noticed.

They were both clearly distraught at each other, but Luke’s face softened when he had finally followed JJ’s gaze to see you staring at them both with a wondering face.

“Y/n?” Luke called, letting go of JJ’s shirt, then walking closer to you.

You completely ignored him and walked up to your brother.

JJ’s face dropped when you got closer to him.

“What’s going on?” You very slightly tilted your head at your brother.

“Nothin’, y/n,” He said carelessly. “Just the same, old shit”

You didn’t miss the way he stared at his shoes as he talked.

“Dad, what happened?” You turned facing Luke, who still stood quietly behind you.

“Dumbass kid took my goddamn money.” He defended, throwing his index finger at JJ.

“Did..did you put your hands on him?”

It was nothing but silence from the both of them.

You turned back towards your brother and noticed his head was still down.

“JJ, look at me.” You pleaded.

He was hesitant for a moment.

“JJ. Look at me.” You were more stern with it this time.

You didn’t need to see his face to know what Luke had done at this point. The silence was loud enough, but you wanted to see the damage that had been done to his face still.

JJ slowly looked up from the ground with his lips pressed together as tears formed in his eyes.

Your heart saddened at the sight.

His eye was almost swollen shut, his lip was cut open, and his cheek was bruised.

“Goddamnit, JJ” You put both hands on either side of his face.

You turned around to confront Luke who was already dipping in his truck by that time, not wanting to hear yet another lecture about putting his hands on JJ.

JJ slightly pushed his head away from your hands to fix his gaze back to the ground.

You couldn’t be strong, and fight back the tears at this point.

You wanted to be strong for your brother, but just knowing this couldn’t have been the only time this happened while you were gone had you cursing at yourself for ditching your younger brother for college with an abusive asshole.

JJ was teary eyed.

he didn’t like when you saw him like this, it made him more emotional knowing Luke abusing him hurt you more than it did himself.

“God, I’m so..so fucking sorry-,” You began to say before he cut you off with a hug.

“Y/n — stop,” His voice cracked.

He rested his chin on your head.

You both were crying at this point.

You didn’t know how you were going back to school because you knew you couldn’t leave him with Luke, again.

“It’s not your fault.” He brought his hand up to your head, and began slowly stroking your hair as the other was wrapped around you.

“I should’ve never left you,” You sobbed.

He closed his eyes, nodding sideways in disapproval against your head, that was still nuzzled into his chest. “You can’t always protect me, y’know?”

He grabbed your shoulders, moving you back a little so you could see his face.

“I’ll beat his ass one day.” He smirked.

You chuckled a little at that.

You couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but it had lightened your mood a bit to see him still acting like the same JJ he’d been before you left for college.

“Okay,” You murmured.

You nodded, before pulling him back into a hug.

This one was tighter.

“I missed you.” He murmured.

And even tho you couldn’t see him smiling, you could feel it as he said those three words.

#obx #outerbanks #jjmaybank #jj maybank #jj Maybank x reader #jj Maybank x sister!reader

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xreaderbooks · 2 years

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Paradise on Earth (14)

Chapter: 14. Homecoming

Pair: JJ Maybank x Routledge! Reader

Word Count: 3.6k

Warnings: Language, Violence, Guns, Police brutality

Summary: Y/n and the pogues travel to charleston to get answers from Mrs. Limberey.

A/N: It's been a min so if you were previously tagged in this story and no longer want to be tagged just let me know or if you changed your username and would like me to update it in order for you to continue being tagged just send me a message. If you're new and want to be tagged leave a comment or send me a message :)

Available on Wattpad and AO3

Masterlist - Series Masterlist - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

The sound of the heavy door knocker echoed from inside Mrs. Limbreys's home. Pope slams the handle down thrice more giving you all a questioning look, "Was that too much?"

"It echoed the entire house that's for sure," JJ responds. "So they definitely heard it."

"Maybe nobody's home?" Kie says. Pope lifts the handle to the door knocker and slams it down twice more, on the second knock a man with light brown hair, dark circles around his eyes, and a scruffy beard opens the door. He surveys the group and smirks, pointing at the boy to your left.

"You must be Pope."

Pope hesitates, then asks "Are you Mr. Limbrey?"

"Ms. Limbrey" The man corrects, "was expecting you yesterday."

"I'm sorry, my car broke down on the way up here-" Pope stutters.

"Carburetor blew up in the middle of nowheresville." JJ tells the guy, "Sorry about that."

"She was really upset when you didn't show up."

"We tried to call, but there's no number on the invitation." You piped in, "We got here as fast as we could."

"She also expected you to come alone." The man reels the attention back on Pope.

"These are my friends, they helped find the royal merchant too. I-"

"The instructions were explicit, your friends can stay outside." He forces a smile, an attempt to seem nicer than what he was demanding.

JJ tries to negotiate by telling the man that the group was a package deal but Pope shuts him down. "It's okay, I got this. I'll be good."

"Yeah, we'll be right here" Kie smiles reassuringly.

Pope whispers with his back slightly turned to Mrs. Limbreys lackey "Keep the car running." He squeezes Kiara's hand and followed the man inside. He lets the door shut behind him and you wince at the sound. The idea of Pope being alone with the unkempt-looking man and the strange woman who was apparently highly upset that he didn't show up on time, left you feeling uneasy.

Nevertheless, you, Kiara, and JJ got comfortable inside Hayward's truck, keeping a close eye on the large yellow house.

"If Limbrey's legit then Ward gets arrested, and maybe Sarah gets the gold," Kie explains as you watch Pope get swept to the backyard of Mrs. Limbrey's house. He looks at the truck but it was hard to decipher if he was in trouble or not.

"Does that look voluntary?" You ask the others. The man who was now following close behind a blonde woman who you can only assume would be Mrs. Limbrey, pushed Pope to look forward.

"That would be a negative," JJ said.

"Come on," Kie was ready to go after them until JJ laid a hand on her shoulder to keep her from going. "What?"

"They're going into the alley," You notice. "So we should go around the back."

"Yeah, we'll meet them on the other side." JJ turns the key to the truck in the ignition and slowly goes around the block. You and Kie stare intently into the alleyways but there was no sign of Pope, Mrs. Limbrey, or the man.

"Where did they go?" You questioned.

"What if they went underground?" JJ started with his unlikely theories, "In C.H.U.D. when they took people down into the sewers, it would turn the humans into humanoids 'cause of the radiation. And then all of a sudden-"

"JJ, that doesn't even make any sense."

Kie gives the both of you a fixed look and returns to her search for Pope. Five-Ten minutes pass and no sign of him, you pull out your phone in hopes that there would be service. You open up google maps and set it to satellite mode, tracing where Limbreys house would be to any potential paths they could have taken.

"Y/N, I know you are not playing Pokemon Go without me right now," JJ glances at your phone.

You rolled your eyes, focusing your attention back on your phone, Limbreys property was bigger than you thought it was. "JJ, go back to Limbreys, I think I found something."

"Oh like what?" JJ snorted "A Charizard?"

Kiara laughs at that one, "That has to be the dorkiest shit you have ever said."

~~~

You heard the sound of grunts coming from behind a bush. JJ and Kie followed your lead as you guided them to where you were hoping Pope would be. At the turn of a corner, you heard something like a fight and you knew Pope was in trouble. The three of you ran into the action, Pope was wrestling the man who works for Limbrey, and the man was reaching for the taser but JJ ran up just in time to kick the taser to Kie who shouted: "Come on!"

The four of you rush back to the truck, Pope gasping for breath "That was crazy as shit, let's get out of here!"

JJ needed no encouragement, the tires made a loud screeching sound when he made a sharp turn around the narrow street where you found Pope's location. You look over your shoulder noticing a car speeding up behind you. "I think he's following us!"

"This is a one-way!" Pope shouts. "Turn left!" There were cars heading directly towards you, or you guys were headed directly towards the way of traffic. JJ follows the directions behind yelled at him and almost runs over two running pedestrians.

"That was an evasive driving technique y'all," The manic smile on JJ's face, was not at all concerning.

"Where are we going?" You ask.

"Hang on, I'm gonna lose him." Was all the warning he gave before he rotates the wheel left into a random alleyway? There was smoke similar to the smoke from earlier coming from the hood. "You said he fixed the carburetor, you said he fixed it!" JJ shouts accusatorily at Pope.

"No, no, no, no!" Kie panics. The four of you now had no way to run from the man chasing you, not to mention the way home. You'd have to ditch Heyward's truck in the alley and come back for it later. You all hustle your way out of the truck, grabbing your backpacks from the trunk, all the while JJ's making a point about never trusting mechanics.

The man now rounded the corner and you bust into a sprint, you look back for a second and catch a glint of something black in his hand. "Guys, I think he has a gun!"

"Shit, get down!" JJ says.

"I'm cramping!" Pope pants beside you.

Oxygen gets sharper in your chest every time you breathe, yet you don't feel like you can inhale properly, nor do you think you can actually catch a breath from all the running. You now regret never going to a gym and rethinking every unhealthy food decision you ever made. You're about to get shot and die because you decided to skip every time you had to do a mile in P.E. to vape in the abandoned school bathroom with JJ.

"This is such an uncool way to die," You wheeze out. JJ leads you all through an alley between two houses in hopes of losing the guy but he just gains onto your group. Suddenly, Kie and the others come to a halt. There in front of you alive, tanned, and busted-looking as usual was John B. Right behind him was the kook princess herself, Sarah Cameron.

You couldn't help the breathy laugh of relief that you let out when you saw him. It was like time had slowed down and all you needed was that one second to process your brother's presence before he rushed you all to get into the seating behind his bicycle.

"Pedal faster John B!" Sarah told him, looking back there were now two more men chasing after you.

"God, you guys are heavy," Pope complains as he and JJ are helping John B by pushing the chair with the extra weight of you, Kiara, and Sara.

Ms. Limbreys lackey had caught up to you all now grabbing Pope and dragging him down. Pope rolled away and ran back to the bike, the man gripped the back of the chair you were sitting on and Kie and Sarah shoved his hand away. He slipped and fell onto the street allowing you all to escape.

~~~

It felt like the end of a really fucked up story, the way you all floated off into the sunset in the stolen boat. You knew this was far from the end with all that was waiting for you, your brother, and your friends when you get back to the cut. For now, you bask in the sense of normalcy as you drift into the marshes. Stories of your separate journeys had you all laughing, crying, and howling in hysteria at how your lives even got to this point.

Eventually, hunger became too much to ignore. John B anchored the boat at a random nearby dock. There were a few scattered houses around, homes with enough land to farm. Jackpot.

You, Kiara, and Sarah ran off as soon as you could, fleeing far away from the boys in search of anything that could sustain you. The first few places you checked out were duds but you heard one of the girls call out and you ran.

Watermelons were not in your top three favorite fruits, after today that changed. Once you were able to crack open the Watermelon, the three of you settled on a rusty old bench with 3 feet-tall grass. After a good couple of minutes of you all satiating your hunger with handfuls of the fruit, Sarah dropped the bomb.

"Wait, so you really got married?" Kie asked.

"It wasn't exactly legal," Sarah explained with a smile. "But yeah."

Your smile widened with hers, never in a million years would you have thought that your brother married. John B wasn't the settling type, much less at this age and Sarah Cameron was not number in your list of people that you had in mind. Granted you didn't have anyone in mind for that matter.

"Am I crazy or is there something going on with you and Pope?" Your 'sister-in-law' questions.

Kie shrugs, "Maybe."

"That's not a no," You smirk at her while sharing a knowing look with the blonde seated next to you.

"It's not a no," Kie repeats her shrug and you all giggle in response. "Mm, Don't you have a little thing to share with us now too Y/N?"

"See that's definitely a no," You shake your head furiously at her before she has a chance to ask.

"What is happening right now?" Sarah barks out a laugh.

"JJ and Y/N possibly." Kie's statement almost made you choke on the watermelon you were currently chewing.

"No!" You protest, "You see this is where gossip spreads. Lies!"

Kie rolls her eyes playfully, "C'mon we all see it."

JJ definitely doesn't. This was the first time Kiara has ever mentioned anything regarding you and JJ, you shared your crush on the boy way back when but nothing to count for now. As far as she was concerned the rule of 'No pogue on pogue macking' was still on and JJ was still at the top of the list. The rule was set in for Kiara, to be honest, John B was your brother. Pope lowkey had a thing for Kie but his nerdy ass was never gonna do a thing about it. You would retract that last sentence now but it's mutual so it doesn't count.

The only one who was vocal about his feelings or supposed feelings was JJ and Kie never gave a straight answer other than "You know that rules".

"There's nothing to see, JJ's otherwise preoccupied with his feelings," You didn't know how much of that was true. While JJ did flirt with Kie, he flirted with more than half of the female population. There was no telling who or what he was serious about. One thing for sure is that he is not interested in you.

"He's different when he's around you."

"He's different around you too Kie, you just don't take him seriously enough to realize it."

Kie sighed, "That's because I'm not interested. I have my 'maybe' thing with Pope going on, I am spoken for. You, however, are not."

"How weird is it that we're that friend group now?" Sarah scrunched her nose.

"The one where every single member is paired up," Kie nodded mournfully. "Our saving grace is that we don't switch partners."

You snort, "That's cause there's six of us and two of us are related. Not to mention the combinations -if we exclude John B and me- are too weird to think about."

"You never answered the question though," Sarah redirected. You wish she hadn't.

"Short story is; I may or may not like JJ and as far as I know JJ does not like me in that way. It's been confirmed with and without the flirting involved."

"And how long ago was this confirmation?" The brown-haired girl's tone was too accusatory for your liking. "It's been years, feelings change."

"Yeah, but one thing won't- I'm John B's sister and let's say fuck the rule on macking, JJ is a lot of things but he's not gonna betray John B like that."

"You see if you look at it as a betrayal..." Sarah drags. You roll your eyes and stuff your mouth with watermelon to avoid further questioning.

~~~

After a swift family meeting you had all agreed to 'let shit hit the fan tomorrow' as John B said, JJ and Kie went into a bodega to grab a case of beers before you made your way back to the Chateau.

The pogues being back together felt like old times, straight vibing and floating along the marshes the warmth of the sun with the comfort of knowing the water is fresh to jump in. John B was alive and you didn't have the burden of surviving alone on your shoulders. Your thoughts drifted to the almost comatose state you were in while your brother was gone. The self-hatred and regret seared into your heart from all the memories of you and Rafe, together.

You refused to let your mistakes of the past ruin the one night of peace you had before reality hit tomorrow. The hot tub JJ impulsively bought sat in your yard, and you and the rest of your friends sat around it listening to Pope spit rhymes you knew could come out of him with a good couple of beers.

As the night turned darker, you in your hazed state noticed how Kie was staring intently at Pope as he and JJ wrestled. Pope strategically placed his leg behind JJs allowing him to straddle JJ, beating him. You wiggled your eyebrows at Kie who smirked as he won and gazed at him as he walked away from JJ laying on the ground with his fists up in celebration.

"I leave and this is what happens," John B shakes his head at Kie following after Pope, most likely for some privacy.

"Are you blaming me?" JJ points to himself looking jokingly offended.

"A 'lil bit," John B stands from his beach chair shaking his beer bottle. "Your boy's out." He leaves in search of more.

"You guys are the ones that died!" JJ exclaims in defense.

"Literally one job, JJ," Sarah comments.

You let them continue their debate as your eyes search for John B, he just grabbed a can of beer from the cooler that was placed below the tree bark that was cut out to be in the shape of a heart. His tombstone of sorts.

You walked up to him, the sounds of JJ and Sarah debating the rule were distant.

His voice croaked as he spoke, "Cute art project."

Tears welled in your eyes, and the memories of that day and every day since he was declared dead, haunted you.

"Killed the tree though," John B joked. Your laughter stifled the sob that was forming in your throat.

"I missed you John B," You stepped forward into your brother's arms that were ready to receive you. He held onto you tight as he whispered back, "I missed you too Princess."

~~~

The sound of a car door closing in the background interrupted the teasing you and JJ were calling out to Pope and Kiara who had borrowed John B's boat. JJ was about to make another joke, probably about how John B should clean it when they back or something like it.

"What was that?" John B asked, on high alert. His panicked tone made you anxious.

"Your chicken?" JJ responded.

"I heard a car door."

"I heard it too," You confirmed. The only sounds you heard after the silence that followed your confirmation were the crickets, the music playing in the background, and JJ clucking like a chicken. John B covered his mouth to get JJ to shut up.

Panic filled your nerves at the anticipation. JJ put out the fire while John B helped you and Sarah climb up the tree before following up himself, JJ in tow. Hopefully whoever it was that was out there wouldn't see you. You try to steady your breathing when you hear Rafe's voice.

"No, there ain't shit here man." Rafe's drug dealer, Barry, answers Rafe.

"They were obviously just here based off the smoke!"

"Great observation boy scout."

Rafe was standing a couple of feet away from where you and John B were having your moment. He points the gun at it and laughs maniacally, "Well shit."

"Your girl and your sister's a pogue for life huh, Rafe?" Barry adds fuel to Rafe's fire with his words. "Now who would have thought?"

Sarah's eyes meet yours for a second before you glance at JJ, you didn't realize you were breathing heavily, and he brings a finger to his lips.

"Shit!" Rafe lets out a yell full of rage, and you flinch as he shoots one, two, three times at the tree dedicated to your brother. Barry shoves Rafe, shouting at him to stop.

"You're gonna get us caught!" He tugs Rafe along. "Let's go!"

~~~

None of you got to sleep last night, you spent the rest of the night til daybreak clutching onto Sarah, both of you distraught about how attached you were to Rafe. Sarah as his sister and you, his ex-girlfriend. There was no escaping him. JJ silently watched over you as you held your head in his hands, Sarah had John B to lean on but you- you had no one.

Once you saw that Pope and Kie had returned from wherever they wandered off to JJ quickly informed them that you all had to go, rushing onto the boat with a cooler of drinks and what little snack you had, you all sailed off to a small part of the island that no one really came to.

Debates about what to do next stirred disagreements all around. Sarah brought up an idea that was a long shot.

"With me back, my dad is gonna have to choose between me and Rafe." She made her point, "He's gonna choose me."

"Ward keeps lying to you, Sarah." John B tells her. Poor Sarah looks so tired, you all were, but her family is fucked up, and her idea of Ward choosing between her and Rafe was iffy.

"I-I know it sounds crazy-"

"Yeah, it does!" Kie proclaims.

"But he's my dad and I know him. I know he loves me." She looks with pleading eyes at all of you, "I'm just asking for two hours."

You bit your lip shaking your head in defeat, there was no stopping her at this point. It was not going to go well and you could not shake this feeling since she left with the HMS Pogue, that something bad was about to happen. You didn't know if you could take any more bad news.

You, Kie, and JJ went to gather wood, sharing your thoughts on this whole situation. The three of you with piles of wood in hand, dropping it all when you saw the HMS Pogue come into view.

"Sarah!" You call out to her. The five of your run to meet her, and she informs you that the plan didn't work.

"Welp, that settles it guys, you need to load up the wagon and get the hell out of dodge." JJ comes up behind them after ensuring the boat wouldn't leave the shore.

Pope stands with hands on his hips telling them that they need to get supplies as soon as possible. There was something- boats with wailing sirens- coming in the distance. You clutch onto Kie's wrist, "Guys, I think it's too late."

"We have to find another way out," John B declares.

As soon as one of the officers speaks on the bullhorn, giving you orders to stay on the beach with your hands in the air, you all bolt. Running into the small lake and into the trees, "Sarah you good?" You call out behind you. John B and JJ helped her into the water, her gunshot wound making it harder to escape. You swam through deeper water and found a large tree to hide behind.

Sirens approached from everywhere, the coast guard was trekking the water with guns in their hands. You panted, out of breath and your heart ran at a million. You watched as JJ took out the gun, John B grabbing it out of his hand and shaking his head. He tossed the gun to the ground, JJ looked reluctant to let go but he did and spread the dirt on top of the gun to keep it hidden.

"Step out into the clearing, get down. Do not move!" Shoupe's orders were contradictory but John B followed them.

"The rest of you stay right where you are, keep your hands where we can see them!"

You and the others did what you were told until Deputy Thomas marched right up to John B and began to beat him to the ground. You were shouting with tears free falling down your cheeks, begging them to stop this. These adults were just standing by, allowing your brother to get beat by a man much older and much heftier than him for a crime he did not commit.

After a couple more punches John B was down.

~~~

Chapter 15

Taglist: @deanwherescas - @thtbwltts - @nerdypartytrashpsychic - @random-girl-army - @siresweeney - @simpingbutch - @obx-pogues-4-life - @mitchloveswriting - @p-prettybitch - @gwynschampagne - @slut4booksx - @ellallheart - @shay-https - @namacissi - @lyn07 - @caseysalvatore - @mysticmolina - @dangerdolns - @inkandpen22 - @beebeerockknot - @im-broliet - @princessalana - @princesspogue - @ayeitsjustmee - @instabull - @sexyfoxlady - @80strashbag - @onlyangel-444 - @a-j-stuffs - @clinelyn - @saintgwyn - @bubs-world - @sdawn03 - @boldlypessimistic - @loki-loveer - @lostinatimeline

(If your name is crossed that means Tumblr won't let me tag you.)

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spockvarietyhour · 6 months

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#THis is....concerning #Boeing #and a shake on a 787 monday......#aviation

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just-my-fandom · 2 years

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Rocky Road P3 (JJ Maybank x Routledge! Reader)

Season 2 chapter 3

Summary; Popes appointment in Charleston takes an omnious turn over a proposed trade.

Warnings; Cursing, Pope almost gets kidnapped lol, Reader gets shot (yep), lots of time skips.

Note; Back at it again, I haven’t updated since February 2022 and I’m excited to get back down to business. Let’s GO!

Edit; So I’ve realized that the end got cut off, my Tumblr has been glitching to where it’s cutting off the last two sentences of anything I write. Please disregard as I try to fix this!

Tag list; @sinisterspidey @parkerhale13 @thoughts-elsewhere @b-lueberryy @deamus-liv @bubs-world @bibliophilewednesday @sexualparkour @jjpouggues @poguestyle17

You stand with your arms crossed. Head tilted up, your eyes squint against the bright afternoon sun to eye the wire gate in front of you.

“So like,” JJ brings a hand to rub the back of his head, “Are those spikes to keep people out?”

“No,” Kiaras answer is simple, sad, and you glance over to look at her,

“The slave quarters are over there,” Popes head nods across the yard past the gate, and your eyebrows raise in realization, “These spikes were to keep people in,”

Minutes later, and you watch as Pope knocks on the front door once, twice, three times before stepping back, his gaze flickering between you and your two other friends, “Think that was too much?”

“It echoed the entire house, that’s for sure,” JJ flicks his eyebrows up, shrugging, “So they definitely heard it,”

“Maybe nobody’s home,” Kie hopes, Pope reaching forward to knock again, only this time the door jerks open, and you step back as a man steps into view, snarl stuck on his face as he looks between the four teenagers,

The man suddenly smirks, finger raising to point at your friend beside you, “You must be Pope,”

“Um,” Pope pauses, “Are you Mr. Limbrey?”

“Ms. Limbrey was expecting you yesterday,” The man raises an eyebrow, eyes scanning across you, JJ, then Kie before settling back on Pope,

“I’m sorry,” Pope clears his throat, “My car broke down on the way up here,”

“Carburetor blew up in the middle of Nowheresville,” JJ speaks up, so the man’s eyes then stared at JJ, slowly shifting to you so your brows furrowed,

“Yeah she was real upset when you didn’t show up,” The man stares at Pope once again, Kie shrugging a weak shoulder,

“We tried to call, but there’s no number on the invitation,”

“We got here as fast as we could,” You exhale, the man grunting as he, a third time, stares at you, before looking back to Pope,

“She also expected you to come alone,”

“I mean, these are my friends,” Pope glances back as the man rolls his eyes, “They helped find the Royal Merchant too. Y/Ns dad-,”

“Yeah the instructions were explicit,” The man cuts, “Your friends can stay outside,”

Your eyes flick to the man, nodding, silently, “We’ll keep the car running, then,”

. . .

“Look, if Limbrey is legit-,” Kiaras sudden conversation dies down at the weird sight of the man and Ms. Limbrey leading Pope to the back of the house.

You worriedly look at JJ, confused, “Does that look voluntary?”

“That would be a negative,” JJ mutters, Kiara already beginning to open the passenger door,

“Come on,”

“Whoa hold on hold on,” JJ immediately reaches to grab her arm, “They’re going into the alley,”

“Go around back,” You order, JJ throwing the truck into drive before he begins to round the house, your head shaking as you lean forward, searching the front and back window, “I don’t see them,”

“There!” Kies sudden shrieks leads JJ to slam on the breaks, his arm instantly sticking in front of you when you lurch forward, your hand grasping his forearm as you watch Pope climb in, yelling for JJ to get a move on.

It only takes three road turns before the hood of the truck begins to smoke a second time, JJ slamming a hand down onto the wheel when the truck stutters to a stop, looking at Pope next to Kie in a panic, “Now what?”

“Go around!” As everyone climbed out the truck, JJs arm slide around your back to push you forward, immediately beginning to sprint down the road behind Kie and Pope.

“Does he have a gun?” You gasp, JJ tugging on your wrist to pull you down an alley, Pope skidding in an attempt to follow, before you rush out onto the street, nearing getting hit by two people on a motor bike,

“Sorry-!” Your hand raising on reflex automatically halts upon getting a look at the rider, eyes widening as John B grins, very much alive and well in front of you, “John B?”

“Get in!” John B alarms, JJ pushing you into the back seat of the motorbike as John B began to pedal, and soon enough you find yourself on the beach, pushing a boat into the water and finally getting a gasp of air,

. . .

“He’s taken care of you while I’ve been gone, right?”

John Bs words are quiet. Your eyes move away from the warm fire in front of you, shifting your gaze over to your brother who sat next to you, beer bottle in hand.

“Just like he promised,” You hum, nodding with a small smile, “It’s really good to have you back, JB. Therapy’s been shit-,”

“Wait, you’re taking therapy?” John B questions, quietly, eyebrows pinched as his head ducks, “How’re you paying for it?”

“The school offered it after you went missing,” You explain, “Hence why it’s shit. And they’re still trying to put me in the system-,”

“I thought Kies mom would’ve let you,”

“Will you stop interrupting me?” You narrow your eyes, John B raising his hand in surrender, “We tried. But the system isn’t budging. Plus with Kie getting in trouble for hanging out with pogues, I doubt I would’ve gotten far with it,”

“Well I’m here now,” John B drops a hand onto your shoulder, shaking it, lightly, “And we’re not going anywhere,”

Your smile drops almost as soon as it comes. John B is standing on high alert, your brows pinched in confusion as you sit up in your seat, “What is it, John?”

“I heard a car door,”

You pause, eyes skimming the dark yard as JJ made his way next to your chair, “You’re probably just paranoid, JB,”

Silence, before John B is suddenly grabbing your arm, tugging you onto your feet before pushing you towards JJ, “Hide. Now,”

It’s a solid five minutes before you see him. Rafe, Barry close behind. You sit on a tree branch feet above where you once stood, hugging the large trunk for support while feeling JJs hands at your hips, keeping both you and him steady.

“Anything?” Rafes voice startles you, body jerking slightly so JJs grip tightened, leaning forward to press his chest to your back,

“Nah, there ain’t shit in there, bro,” Barry’s grumble is audible as he stomps out of the Chateau, “Nothing,”

“They were obviously just here based off the smoke,” Rafe points to the abandoned fire pit, Barry scoffing out an irritated chuckle,

“Great observation, Boy Scout,”

“They gotta be around here somewhere,” Rafes head shakes, his body turning to face the tree you sat perched on, eyes landing on the engraved memorial on the tree for John B,

“P4L,” Barry snickers, Rafes jaw clenching as he nods, “Yo sisters a pogue for life now, huh, Rafe?”

“Shit!!” Rafes shout is loud, Barry even stepping back once as Rafe raises the gun in his hand, shooting once, twice, at the tree, before Barry rushes forward, grabbing at Rafes arm.

The movement jerks the gun upwards as it continues to shoot, JJs arm jolting out in front of your face as his other fully wraps around your front, nearly shielding you as your hands fly to your head,

“Rafe, chill!” Barry demands, “You’re gonna get our asses busted, man! Let’s bounce. Let’s go!”

The two take off in a sprint. JJ raises his head from your shoulder, eyes immediately gazing down at where your breaths heaved, hand clutching at your thigh- that stained red,

“Holy shit,” JJs hand tugs your arm up, leaning back to fully look at the grazed bullet mark on your thigh, “Holy fuck, John B, she got hit,”

“What?” John B forces himself to climb a branch over to you, your gasp wheezed in a panic as JJs arm tugs you to face him, hand pressing down hard on your thigh,

“She got fucking shot, dude!” JJ lifts his hand momentarily from the wound to lift you off the branch, your arm immediately coming around his shoulders for support as he leapt off the branch, catching you from impact, “I need towels, and water- where the fuck is Kie when we need her?!”

JJ lowers you to sit against the tree, John B rushing inside the Chateau as Sarah stares in a panic, JJs hands raising to your face so one cheek was stained with blood,

“Baby, you’re okay,” He sounds like he’s trying to reassure himself more than you, but the quickness of your breathing worries him to the point of you passing out, “The bullet just grazed you, you’re okay,”

Your head knocks back against the tree with a pinch of your eyes, JJ looking over his shoulder as John B shoves a towel in his face, followed by a roll of tape and bandages while a water bottle remains clutched in his free hand,

“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” JJs mutter leads your eyes to open, instantly shutting again at the sheer pain of JJ tightening the bandage around your thigh,

Your hiss is loud, hand grabbing at JJs shoulder so he looks up, eyes softening at your pinched brows and glossy eyes,

“There’s blood, everywhere,” Despite the wound being patched, you still seem in shock, eyes wide on the blood staining your hands and his, which now stained his tank top,

“Let’s get a shower, baby,” JJs arm slides to your back, heaving you up on your feet so your own hand grips the fabric of said tank top, “You’re good, you’re good,”

“Holy shit,” John Bs hand raises to his hair, eyes flicking to Sarah when she squeezes his free arm, assuringly. His eyes flick down to her own bullet wound, heaving a breath, “Fuck,”

The next morning, Kie and Pope park the boat at the dock, Kiaras brows pinched as the group of four rushed down the dock, JJs arm supporting your limped form,

“What’s going on?” Pope stands from his spot, eyes zooming in on your leg, “What the fuck happened?”

“Rafe knows they’re back,” JJ hisses, “Went fucking nuts and shot a gun. Hit Y/N,”

“It just grazed, she’ll be okay,” Sarah reminds, as JJ steps into the boat, first, arms reaching out to you to help you step in,

“We’ve gotta go, there’s no telling when he’ll be back,” John B rushes, Kiara nodding before moving back to the boats wheel.

. . .

“Look, if Rafe and Barry know, it’s only a matter of time,”

You settle yourself on a rock perched, eyes watching as Kie, Sarah and Pope took seats, while JJ and John B continued to stand.

“I told you,” JJ scoffs, “We should’ve gone south, man,” JJ jabs a finger towards John B, “Why does no one ever listen?”

“I get it! I get it, I understand,” John B tries, JJ shaking his head as he spins, gesturing a hand out to you,

“Obviously not! Not only did you let Rafe shoot Sarah, but he shot your sister! You better be fucking glad that bullet grazed her!”

“J,” You murmur, raising your own hand so he heaves a sigh, taking your hand while standing beside you, refusing to sit,

“I know my dad,” Sarah speaks up, “He’s going to have to choose between me and Rafe, he’ll choose me. I just need two hours,”

JJ raises his arm and let’s it drop to his side as Sarah moves towards the boat, your eyes watching, silently, as she leaves without another word.

“J, sit down,” You murmur, tugging at his fingers, so he finally sunk down next to you, head fallen forward with a deep sigh.

. . .

“So, how’d it go?”

As John B helped Sarah off the boat, JJ peeled the old bandaged from your thigh. Your small hiss leads him to whisper an apology, taking the roll of fresh bandages from Kie to unravel,

“You were right,” Sarah sighs, glancing over her shoulder where JJ tucked the bandages over one another, before rolling down your shorts, taking your hands to stand you up, “It didn’t work,”

“Welp, then that settles it, guys,” JJ snips, looking over his own shoulder to narrow his eyes at her, “Now y’all need to load up in the paddy wagon and get the heck out of Dodge right now,”

“Yeah, you’ll need the supplies,” Pope nods, “Then y’all will need to split as soon as possible,”

“Guys I think it’s too late,” Kie speaks, your eyes shifting to the side of the water, squinting at three police boats,

“They followed you here?”

“We gotta go,” JJ rushes, throwing your arm over his shoulders while his own loops at your waist, beginning to pull you after John B, who did the same with Sarah, “Go!”

“Oh my gosh,” You heave, looking over your shoulder in a panic, “We won’t get far- with two injured people-,”

“I’ve got you,” JJ breathes, following your eyesight to a man trailing behind with a gun, “We’re good,”

The group ducks behind a large tree, your body turning to press your back to it, eyes staring at two cop cars skidding to a stop in the sand, “Guys,”

“What do we do?”

“We’re not getting out of this,” JJ heaves, your eyes watching him pull something- his gun- from his pocket, “We gotta make a stand,”

“J, no,” Your hand grasps his shirt, fisting it, “No, that’s not the answer,”

John B rushes to grab JJs wrist, grasping the gun with his free to toss it at your feet, head shaking, “Listen to her,”

JJ looks at you, watching your foot shuffle to throw dirt over the gun, covering it, JJ side stepping halfway in front of you as Shoupe and several officers rushed forward, all heading for John B.

“No no no- stop!”

. . .

“They’re gonna kill him in there,” You tug your cardigan over your front, sighing. Your eyes glance across the outside of the courthouse, sighing as JJs fingers grasped your upper arm, keeping you next to him.

“I’m sorry about what happened to you and your family,” You hear a man, glancing over to see him speaking with Ward, “Thank God for the system,”

“Can you shut the fuck up?” You spit without thinking, JJs fingers tightening in warning as the two men looked over, “Of course you think the system worked because it was made to protect people like you,”

“He’ll have his day in court, a jury will decide,”

“He shouldn’t even be in court!” You pull your arm free, pointing to Ward, “You should, because you’re a murderer!”

“I know you’re upset,” Ward speaks, your eyebrows flicking up, “I know he’s got you all fooled, about this, about your father,”

“You know what really happened to my father, because you were there!” You step forward, JJ instantly sliding in front of you to grasp your arms, Shoupe behind you,

“No, no, get the fuck off her,” JJ jabs a finger to Shoupe, “Why don’t you go arrest a Kook for a change, huh?”

“You wanna get arrested? Get out! You need to go,”

“You’re a piece of shit Ward,” You hiss, “No wonder your daughters with us,”

“Okay, baby, you gotta stop,” JJ grasps your shoulders, spinning you around so Kie took your hand, “Let’s go,”

. . .

“I’m gonna testify under oath,”

Your eyes can barely stay open at this point. Curled on the couch on the patio, your halflidded eyes watch Sarah pace, “I was there! I just need to get in contact with my sister,”

“Sister?” JJ grumbles, your shrug light as his fingers trail across your bare legs.

“Wheeze was the only one who knows Rafe wasn’t home that day!”

“Wheeze?” JJ questions,

“I don’t know what else to do!” Sarah panics, “I got us into this mess, I have to get us out!”

“She’s right about one thing, we have to think of something,” JJ sits up, hand now grasping your calf,

“And do what? Kidnap Shoupe?”

“That’s not actually the worst idea, Kie,”

“It’s not?” “No!”

“That’s actually the worst idea ever,” Pope cuts, JJ jabbing a finger towards him,

“Okay, Pope, we’ve been doing everything your way, and how has that been going?”

“Okay so what’s your plan?” Pope stands, now nearly hovering over both you and JJ, “You’re gonna storm a jail, guns-a-blazing?”

“All I’m saying is that they have our boy,” JJ stands up, you sitting up to grab his wrist, warning him, “And we’re just gonna sit on our asses? No, we’re gonna do something about it!”

“We are not storming a jail. That’s not happening,”

“That’s fine man,” JJ mutters, “Sit in your comfy chair. Do nothing. I’m gonna see what I can do. Make something happen, even if I have to do it myself,”

“JJ,” You stand up, hand still ahold of his wrist, “Come with me,”

JJ fixes his hat onto his head, jaw rolling as he fixes your grasp to take his fingers, letting you pull him into the rain outside the patio. He allows you to drag him to the hammocks, your hand running through your now wet hair as you look up at him,

“JJ, we can’t do this again,”

“I’m trying to save him, Y/N,” JJs brows pinch, hair sticking to his forehead as he looks down at you, “Do you not want that?”

“Of course I do, but not in a wreckless way!” You speak loudly over the rain, hands now grasping his shirt at his sides, “I need you to think this through. Last time something like this happened, we got in a fight and nearly broke up. I’m not watching you do something like this again, okay?”

His head tilts back to look up, wet hair falling back as his chest heaves in a deep sigh. Your hands raise to his jaw, tilting his head down to you, eyes instantly closing when your lips press to his, his own hands pressing to your face.

“Are you calm?” You barely pull back, him instantly pulling you back against him, his grasp lightening as he leans back, eyes flicking between yours.

“I’m going to think of something,” You blink, JJ pressing a kiss to your wet forehead before releasing you, stepping towards his dirt bike.

“I love you,” You call, waiting for him to look at you, “I really do,”

“I love you too,” He breathes, fixing his hat, “Stay safe,”

. . .

“That’s a lot of wax on your board. Put too much wax, it’s gonna be slippery,”

“Are you telling me how to wax my board?”

“I’m just saying,” Pope raises his hands as JJ raises an eyebrow, “That’s a lot of wax,”

“Guys, chill out, please,” You heave, JJ looking at you upon a distanced honk,

“You hear that?”

You look over, sitting up straight in your chair to see the Twinkie driving up, your smile wide as you push to stand to your feet, “Nuh-uh,”

“Yuh-huh!” Your brother grins as he slams the door to the van, running up to embrace you, “Guess whose out of the clink boy!”

“Uh, they dropped the charges,” John B sheepishly grins, JJ raising his brows,

“So all that work, I did for nothing,”

“Oh, the most elaborate escape plan of all time?” Pope jokes, John B looking around in confusion,

“Wait, where’s Sarah?” At everyone’s pause, he looks at you, “Where is Sarah?”

“She went to see Wheezie last night,” Kie speaks, “She hasn’t come back,”

. . .

“So,”

You lift your head from the hammock you laid on, JJ stretched out beside you, opposite end, hand messing with the anklet on your foot, “He’s out, huh?”

“Yeah, he is,” You breathe, foot jerking when JJ tickles the bottom, your giggle light so he smiles,

“There she is,” He murmurs, grasping your ankle to tug on it, “C’mere,”

You sit up, shifting to turn around without rocking the hammock too much to knock you off, laying tucked against JJs side as his arm hooks around your shoulders.

“What’re you thinkin’ ‘bout, pretty girl?” JJs lips press to your forehead, resting there when you exhale through your nose,

“How we can’t seem to catch a break,” You murmur, hand twisting his t-shirt mindlessly, “Ever since Dad went missing, we’ve just been running. And now that Limberys involved it doesn’t seem to be getting any better,”

“We’re gonna get a break soon,” JJ speaks, tilting his head to rest overtop of yours, “And I mean hey, when’s the last time we sat in this hammock, hm?”

“Yeah, I have missed this,” You slide your arm across his chest, before he twists, facing you. Your hand reaches up to comb his blonde hair from his face, the back of your hand brushing across his cheek. “I love you, JJ,”

JJ hums, head leaning forward to kiss your lips, hand reaching for the back of your head, “I love you, too, baby,” A peck, then two, and you giggle as he continues, moving to kiss your cheek, “So so so much,”

“J!” You cackle, JJ rolling to hover above you, the hammock rocking against his movements, “J, we are gonna fall if you don’t quit,”

“You’re just too irresistible, baby,” JJ leans down, your hands cupping his neck to hold him still, “Can’t get enough of you,”

You allow his teeth to dig into your bottom lip, hand sliding up your flowy shirt to graze your rib cage, inching to your chest,

“Guys!” Kies shout startles you to lean back, looking over in alarm as JJ sits up with his hands at your hips, “We gotta go, Wards at the dock.”

#jj mayback x reader #jj maybank x routledge!reader #jj mayback imagine #jj maybank #jj maybank one shot #outer banks #outer banks x reader #outer banks one shot #outer banks imagine #Rocky road

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thecameronchronicles · 2 years

Text

Blizzard

TW: Smut. Language. Slight spanking.

SUMMARY: A breakdown during a storm leads to a confession.

WORD COUNT: 1900

*ORIGINAL CONCEPT*

Blizzard

It was rare but it happened. White out conditions in which you weren't able to see even a few feet in front of the car. Where ice and snow worked in unison to wreak havoc on those daft enough to try and chance it. And of course, JJ was one of those stubborn souls who believed he was wise and skilled enough to outlast the storm. But even if his convictions could be loosely commendable, the truck chosen to risk the storm was anything but reliable.

"Shit!" He belted as the car died somewhere between The Outer Banks and Charleston, where you were coming back from visiting family. But where John B, Kiara, and Pope remained behind to wait out the storm, you and JJ dared the blizzard in hopes that you could return home by Christmas morning. But in the process, the truck was now stalled in the center of a desolate interstate absent from any other headlights aside from yours, now dying on the snow below.

"Where are we?" You asked upon pulling your head from the rest it had made against the door until hearing his curse.

"About five minutes away from me tearing that engine to pieces, piece of shit!" He hit the steering wheel with aggression as your eyes widened at this unexpected outburst. He was already desperate to get home from what you believed to be an uncomfortable family setting that he was otherwise deprived of. But the truth was more tender than that, but a truth he didn't want you to know of. At least not yet.

"It's okay J-"

"No! It's not. This is at least three fifty for the engine alone, not to mention the time wasted and-"

"Really JJ, it's okay-" But in your attempt to console him, he was already under the hood of the car. The sound of further cursing half silenced by the rattling of an engine would lead you to understand his continued frustrations.

"JJ, you're gonna get yourself sick, please just come back in the car."

"Fuck!" He kicked the tire. "Useless piece of shit!" You realized rather quickly he was no longer berating the car, but more of himself. It broke your heart for a multitude of reasons. But more than anything for how hard you knew the holiday season for him had been. With the only family being a drunkard seemingly Velcroed to a couch coming down from the cheapest high he could find, any semblance of the festive spirit was understandably absent from him. No matter how he tried. You could still read the pain behind his eyes and the anxieties he tried to silence beneath humor. But you saw through it. You always did. And you were the only one who could consistently.

"JJ..." He threw himself back in the car.

"It was supposed to be special! Okay? The ONE thing I could give you and I fucked it up, too! God, I'm just-"

"What are you talking about? What was supposed to be special?"

But he remained silent, leading you to push him further until he finally relinquished his truth.

"I get to see you once a year and then you go back off to college with all those guys unworthy of your time...and I wanted to give you something worth remembering me-"

"JJ..."

"I know I should have said all this shit before but I never knew how you felt and then they way you look at me from across the table and hug me just a bit longer-" When you realized the sound of his name was only silenced behind his rant, you decided to set him into quietude with a different method. One that was favorable between you both. A simple collision of your lips would make him swallow hard once you retracted.

"It's special because I'm with you. The only reason I come back every year...the reason I stay until New Year’s...hoping you'll make a move. Still waiting…"

With one hand to your cheek and another pulling your belt loose until he could wrap his arm around your waist he set you against him with conviction. The kiss prompting this exchange was lackluster from being taken off guard by you, so he would now offer what nearly two decades of tension of friendship teetering on sensuality and romance had now amounted to once able to be acted on. And you were just as eager.

As he focused more on the kiss, ensuring he was able to validate to you both of this desire, your fingers were quick beneath his plaid shirt, greedy to the muscles now contracting from your touch alone. You had always always teased with them and now they were at your disposal.

"You like 'em?" He teased as you blushed before slowly nodding.

"I like knowing I can touch them whenever I want..." You confessed aa he grinned.

"That ain't the only thing that's yours then, sweetheart-" Your hand was pulled beneath his jeans, pulled apart by his ambitious hand, as he guided you into his seam.

"I've never wanted anything more than you..." He explained as he watched you drool over his cock,

"Well you have me, JJ..." You continued, pulling his shaft into pleasure as you set it into a series of corkscrews.

"You know I wish for this every year, JJ?"

"My cock?"

"In a way..." You both chuckled. "I wish for you... to touch me...to kiss me...to tell me you want me...THAT is what I want every single year..." His hand came to the back of your neck, forcing your focus to remain on only his eyes.

"I wish it was better than some broken down car-"

"It's perfect. Because..." You lined him up to your sex, slowly sinking onto him as you teased an answer.

"It's you..." You tried to rise again before he latched that arm tighter around you.

"Get in the back. Panties off."

"JJ-"

"I might not be able to give you a five star hotel and a fireplace or anything like that, but I can make it more comfortable than this. Besides...I wanna see that ass climb over the console for me...." He playfully slapped your ass as you obeyed, looking back at him as a preview of how you would look at him if he decided to take you from behind. It made his jaw clenched at the way your eyes fell to his, all while you obeyed and waited for him in the back.

Keeping his pants in the front, he crawled behind as your fingers were quick to work the plaid shirt and tee beneath free from his chest while he was left in only his boxers. Without a word, he let you explore him completely for your liking. Fingers pulling at him, he smirked before you withdrew him from his boxers and began to lower your mouth towards him.

"I want to know how you taste, JJ." His eyes darkened hollow.

"Like you." He reminded as you bit your bottom lip.

"I wanna find out for myself..." His hand pulled around your hair as it tried to block him from the view of you taking him so expertly. A soft but warm tongue across his slit having collected his precum and taken if for yourself, the tang of yourself ignored in contrast to that of his own, while you felt him twitch to the moan you made as you extended him past your cheeks sucked for his pleasure.

"Sweetheart-" You quickened, his second hand now leading to your jaw to force you to give him. But as he tried to claim some type of dominance, your hand continued to please him.

"Yes, JJ? Something wrong? You don't want me to stop, do you, JJ?" You teased as he only answered with a roll of his eyes.

"Fuck..."

"I wanna make you feel good..." He groaned, a hand wrapping over your ass as he basked over the naked skin for just a moment before allowing you the reprieve of his fingers filling your sex. One ringed digit at a time, at home in the clench of you.

"JJ..."

"Get on top, baby...I want you to ride me until I can make you come-"

"Wait..." You moved back into his hand, "That feels so good JJ...I could come like this..." He groaned.

"I wanna make you come every fucking way...and I will. But I need to feel you around me. Please...I need-" You wrapped your lips back around him, but only for lubrication to prepare him for you as he was larger than what you were used to.

"Shit-" He cursed while you moved back over him in a straddle. But the second your walls accepted him, his hands were at your ass to pull you even deeper.

"Oh my God! You're so fucking good to me...Shit!" He quickened you before stowing enough to warm your chilled skin by his touch. Hands gluttonous for your chest and the exposure of your breasts would make you gasp as he took your nipples behind his teeth. One at a time as you moaned to the sucking and nibbles left behind by him.

"JJ...plesse..."

"Fuck, I wanna last-"

"I can't! You're too deep..."

"If you don't slow down-"

"Make me come JJ...I'm SO close!" But suddenly you were stilled, flipped onto all fours as you were reliant on the console of the car as he positioned himself inside of you from behind once again.

"You want me to fuck you, princess? You want me to make you come"

"JJ.. I'm so close....PLEASE!" He pulled your hair slightly, "Harder!" He obliged. Harder thrusts and a tighter grip making you moan.

"You're mine, sweetheart. There's no denying it after this...these windows steamed with how heavy you're breathing for me...sest stained with how hard I'm about to make you come...My best friend...about to come for me..." He scoffed before this fell into a groan.

"Oh God, I'm close..." You purposely clenched around him, bringing him closer to his edge as he forced your lips against his at a cruel angle that deepened the pleasure allowed between your thighs by his dominant hand rubbing at your clit.

"Yeah that's right princess, let me fucking have it...let me fucking-oh shit!"

"JJ!" You were in a specific still that made every motion he made sensational to your bliss. Every breath and flex, even as he pulled from you to make you face him, everything was deeper and longer as it had come from him.

"Come here..." He pulled you to recline against his chest, leading you to rest with your back to his chest as you basked in the rush of his heart felt at war against your skin.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" You turned to face him, "That you wanted this..."

"Because I was afraid you didn't..."

"And now since you know?"

"Well it does give me some ideas on how to stay warm... who knows how long we'll be trapped out here..."

"I could definitely think of worse ways to spend it..." He leaned down and kissed you softly, the kind of kiss that promised an encore of what had just happened. But prior to that, he would offer the most passionate of kisses as your fingers interlaced, a story written in the steam of the windows that night.

A story of friends to lovers.

A story of you and JJ…

@hopebaker @iovdrew @penny4yourthoughts @magnificantmermaid @pickingviolets @lovedetlost @trikigirl271 @maybankslover @slut4starkey @slvtherinseeker @obxiskewl @obxxrxfes @bluesongbird @slut-era @ailee-celeste @rafesbae @camilynn @sweetestdesire @pankhoeforlife @pankowperfection @onmykneesforrafe @drews1love

#jjmaybank #jj maybank x reader #jjsmut #jj maybank smut #jj maybank #jj maybank fanfiction #outerbanks #obx #outer banks smut #obxsmut #outer banks #obx fanfiction #Cameron Chronicles Christmas 2022

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maybankiara · 10 months

Text

MISTER, I'LL TAKE HER ROSES

pairing: JJ Maybank x Kiara Carrera summary: JJ offers to pick up Kiara from the airport, despite only having spoken to her once before, years ago. Long drives, country music, diner burgers, and some sunsets await for them. w/c: 7k a/n: i have returned from the dead with this. jj-centric, as i tend to write, and some fluff sprinkled in with pining, of course, because it's jiara we're talking about. masterlist | tag list read on archive of our own

It's situations like these that JJ gets himself into, then regrets, purely because of one thing: his mouth is quicker than his brain.

And boy, does JJ Maybank love to put himself at other people's expense.

With one hand on the wheel and the other hanging outside the driver's window of his pickup truck ( Baby , he calls it, because she's his everything), JJ sings along to some Zak Brown song that's playing on the radio, and wonders how the fuck did he manage to find himself driving for hours, away from the setting sun, with a bouquet of roses in his backseat for a girl he hadn't thought of in years.

The song changes to a Kylie Morgan one and he turns it down, just a little bit. Another pickup truck passes him -- it's the first sign of life he'd seen for miles. Charleston is still some time away, and JJ's got nothing but time to kill.

Four hours ago, he was dropping off fresh packages of beef mince in the back of The Wreck. He was wearing his oil-stained sweatpants because all the others were in the wash, and he wasn't wearing a top, because it was one of those days that burn into your skin if you're not careful enough. He's just lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) that his skin's been burnt enough it doesn't change anymore.

'You're kidding,' said Mike, the owner, speaking into the phone he held to his face with more ferocity than JJ would've been comfortable with if he was on the other end of the line. 'I can't have that ready for tomorrow morning.'

JJ passed him and placed another box in the warehouse, wiping the sweat off his brow. He gave a wave to Cleo, one of the servers, who was helping him move stuff to the fridge.

'Your boss is having a bad day,' he said.

Cleo scoffed. 'He's always having a bad day.'

'No, like, really .'

They both stood in their place for a few moments as Mike argued outside, something about accounts and a tax return that didn't seem to be correct.

JJ pointed a thumb over his back, in Mike's direction. 'That's why I don't have an office job.'

'Or own a shop,' said Cleo.

'Exactly. You good to get the rest?'

'Mhm, I'll get this to the fridge, you bring the last over and I'll get it signed off if Mike can't.'

'Ha. Think he's a bit too busy for that.'

JJ went past Mike again (he was talking about having something important to do tonight which was why the whole thing was an even bigger issue) and brought the remaining two boxes out of the Heyward truck. His truck, in a way -- despite him saying to Cleo he doesn't want to own a shop or have an office job, things were headed in that direction, with Heyward having the vision of both expanding the trade to the other islands in the Outer Banks and leaving the shop to JJ and Pope to handle.

It was a lot to think about. Meaning, JJ wanted nothing to do with it, right now.

He scooped up the boxes and nodded at Mike in the passing ('I've planned everything to pick her up tonight. I'm not leaving her waiting for me for this. It's important---No, you listen to me !') and brought the last to Cleo, all the way to the fridge.

'Who's he picking up tonight?'

'You need to stop being up in everybody's business.' Cleo took the boxes from him and stood all the way on her tiptoes to reach the highest shelf. 'It's Kiara. She's coming back from the Bahamas, or wherever she was doing her environmental stuff.'

'Oh. Kiara,' JJ said, letting the name wash over his tongue. 'I hadn't thought of her in years.'

Cleo threw a glance at the door, where all JJ could see was Mike's hand waving up and down as if the person on the phone could see him. She leaned over, checking that none of the other staff are within the hearing range, and said: 'Rumour has it that she's cut all ties with her family for years and is now coming back, tail between her legs.'

JJ scoffed. That didn't sound like the Kiara he knew, so he said that. Cleo just shrugged, reminding him that she'd moved to Kildare right before Kiara left. Anything could be true, if you asked her.

He liked to think he knew better.

With that being the last of the boxes, JJ bid his farewell to his kind-of-friend. She had signed off the paperwork for the restaurant, but JJ still needed a signature from Mike, seeing as he was the most senior person here. This is, in JJ's opinion, the very moment that got him into this situation.

He overheard little bits before that, but standing next to Mike as he signed off the paperwork while talking to the person on the phone, JJ couldn't help but to listen in. He also happened to piece it all together, even if against his will.

Kiara Carrera was returning to Kildare after years away, tonight, in Charleston, and now there was no one to pick her up.

So JJ said, interrupting Mike mid-sentence: 'Sir, I can pick her up.'

Mike covered the bottom of the phone (too old to know how to mute) and asked JJ to repeat himself. JJ did, so Mike asked what he's on about.

'I've got nothing to do after this, and my truck's big enough to get a fair amount of suitcases in, if you need. And I've also got no plans for the evening.'

'Just to be clear,' Mike said. 'You're offering to drive all the way to Charleston to pick Kiara up?'

'Yes, Sir.'

'Her plane lands at quarter to midnight.'

'That's alright, Sir.'

'And you're okay with that.'

'Yes, Sir.'

Mike frowned. 'Why?'

All JJ could do was shrug. 'Got nothing better to do.'

And that was it -- he had nothing better to do. It was the truth, because Pope was off on holiday, and the only plans he had for the evening consisted of eating leftover pizza and watching whatever's new on Netflix. Driving to Charleston was miles better than that. Hell, he hadn't even left the island in over a year, feels like.

But, yeah. A part of him was curious about the rumour. And a part of him was wondering how Kiara Carrera's life turned out, because not a lot of people make it off the island and those that do, they don't come back.

But she did. And that was enough for JJ.

After agreeing to the plan and finalising the details, including texting Kiara that it'd be JJ picking her up (which she wouldn't get until she landed, anyway), Mike went to his car. He returned with a bouquet of roses.

Now, JJ doesn't know anything about roses, but they damn sure make his car smell nice. They're the expensive kind, he can tell, because they're vibrant and big and the bow they're wrapped with is some fancy material he doesn't know the name off. He can see them in the backseat, taunting him, asking him why he's doing this.

A Warren Zeiders song comes on. Some Whiskey , JJ thinks it's called. He knows some of the words.

He doesn't know the answer.

JJ makes a pit stop about halfway to Charleston, to fill up his tank. Lots of shady people there, he found, watching the numbers to go up. A guy in a cowboy hat and Doc Martens, as well as some girl on her phone who looks very pissed off, in outfit too revealing for this kind of autumn weather. JJ thinks about offering her a lift, but something about the snark of her lip makes him rethink that.

In the end, he goes up to pay and returns with a Reese's chocolate bar and some Hershey's. The girl's still there and the guy with the cowboy hat is gone, an elderly trucker in his place.

It's easy for JJ forget that there's a world outside of Kildare.

The road ahead of him is the same as the half he's left behind. Occasional lights coming from the other direction, but the road's straight with nothing adorning its sides, nothing for him to look at aside from the sky changing colours in his rearview mirror.

He thinks about Kiara.

It's been years since he'd seen her last. It was senior prom at the Kook Academy, and he was only there because some girl asked him to be her prom date. She was rich, hot, and they were having an afterparty at Sarah Cameron's, so obviously he was going to go for the free booze.

He doesn't even remember the name of the girl he was with. They weren't even dating, she just wanted to piss of her parents, and JJ was always down for that.

Kiara, on the other hand...

He throws a glance at the roses in the back. Her dad probably doesn't know, but for a while after that night, JJ would think of her whenever he saw roses, be it in a bouquet or still growing, in the wild.

(But the rose bush always reminded him of her more. Something about the untamed potential...)

He left his date to go out for a smoke. His best mate, John B, was eating Sarah Cameron's face somewhere in the shadows behind the school, even though she'd come there with Topper Thornton, but JJ didn't care much about the drama.

'Smoking's bad for you,' came a voice from behind him.

The girl sat down on the bench next to him, half hidden in what little light fell from the school porch, and took the joint out of his hand.

And put it to her lips.

'Hypocrite,' JJ said, with no bite.

She just shrugged. 'I like it. I just know it's bad.'

With a puff, she handed the joint back to him, and JJ felt like they'd made a silent promise to pass it back and forth, so they did.

Eventually, he stopped smoking, and he'd never seen her smoke before or after again. Sometimes, back when this was recent, he'd wonder if she pretended to smoke just to speak to him, then remember that she did it a little too easily for that to be true.

'Not enjoying the party?'

She leaned back against the bench, smiling a little. 'It's not bad. Just needed to step outside for a moment.'

'And for some free weed.'

'Eh. Doesn't hurt.'

She smiled at him and he offered her another one. She put it to her lips and leaned forward, waiting patiently as he brought his Zippo to it. Her eyes bore into his, even in the darkness, and he wondered what she thought of him -- a Pogue, sharing a joint with a Kook.

He'd spent the whole night feeling like a beggar in the king's clothing, until now. In the darkness, the clothing wasn't what mattered.

She inhaled and closed her eyes before exhaling a moment later. JJ watched her, a little too closely -- the pouted lips as the smoke blew out, the curve of her nose, the fullness of her cheek. Her hair was pulled back in a haphazard bun with strands falling out, outlining her face, even in the dark.

Even in the dark, JJ Maybank knew he ain't never seen someone so pretty his whole damn life.

Kiara passed the joint to him. 'It's rude to stare.'

'Can't help it.'

She just laughed.

Behind them, he heard Sarah Cameron laugh, too. He turned just in time to see her running across the lawn with John B in hand -- the same John B who swore to him they were over not too long ago, but JJ knew it wasn't true, and didn't resent his friend for it.

'Thought she was with Topper,' said Kiara.

JJ sighed. 'Don't ask me anything.'

'Alright.'

The joint swapped owners again. She crossed her legs and the slit on the red dress exposed her all the way to the top of her thigh, and JJ couldn't take his eyes off of her.

'I don't think I've ever spoken to you,' she said.

'You're never on the wrong side of the island.'

'Maybe I always am.'

'Mhm.' JJ nudged her. 'That joint's hitting you.'

She smiled, but didn't say anything.

They passed the joint back and forth until it ran out and JJ stubbed the butt of it into the ground and, when questioned, explained he doesn't care about this side of the island enough to protect its environment. It made Kiara laugh and he decided he'd like to do that again. Make her laugh again.

So he said, 'Wanna get out of here?'

She quirked her brow, so he clarified: 'Not like that. Just a walk.'

'Sure.'

Turned out she was in heels, which he should've anticipated, and walking on grass made her wobbly. She held upright as much as she could as they followed the same path Sarah and John B took earlier, but he stuck his elbow out after a while, and she wrapped her arm around it.

'Better?'

'Better,' she agreed. 'Thanks.'

She didn't let go of him when they got to the pavement, and he didn't make an attempt to get rid of her. In fact, he straightened his posture, remembering what Big John had told him: When in the presence of a lady, always choose to be a man, not a boy.

He had a feeling he was doing a decent enough job.

'So what's next for you?'

'Travelling the world,' Kiara said.

'All of it?'

'All of it.'

'Well, Ma'am,' said JJ, 'I hope you all of it is waiting for you.'

She laughed again. JJ felt like he won a prize at a carnival.

They passed the lawn, hearing hushed whispers of two lovers still hiding in the shadows. Both he and Kiara ignored them, but exchanged a conspiratorial glance. As far as he knew, she was as close to Sarah Cameron as she was to John B, and this sure as hell was a story to tell.

They ventured into the garden that led to the PE hall because of course, their school was going to have a garden. It was lit by a few dimmed lights, which surprised JJ -- but at this side of the island, the electricity bill probably wasn't even top fifteen of anyone's concerns.

'What about you?' she asked. 'What's next?'

'Nothing,' he said. 'Just more of the same, just no school.'

'You got a job?'

He nodded. 'I work for my friends' dad. Delivering merch and groceries to shop, that kind of stuff.'

'Heyward?'

'The one and only.'

She smiled. 'My dad gets his stuff from him, for The Wreck. I might see you around.'

'You might.'

They passed a bush of carnations, and JJ paused for a moment. They were pink and blooming; smelled like the bright moments of his childhoods.

He felt Kiara at his side, asking without words.

'Carnations were my mum's favourite flowers.'

'She has a good taste.'

He swallowed the lump in his throat. 'She did.'

Kiara's hand moved across his, gently, as if soothing him. 'I prefer roses. Cliche, I know,' she added as he chuckled. 'You just know there'll be in every shop, and everyone gives roses first. It's kind of nice.'

'Fair enough, I suppose.'

They walked further, not talking. JJ found himself enjoying her company and the feeling of her on his arm. The dress she wore revealed her leg every so often and it took all in him not to look, not to stare, not to fantasise. But he didn't. He really didn't.

Instead, when they approached a rose bush, he plucked a rose off it.

'For the most beautiful lady this evening.'

Kiara took it with a chuckle. 'Charming.'

'Funny. That's actually my middle name.'

She brought the rose to her nose and closed her eyes as she smelled it, and JJ felt like every single decision he'd made in this life led him to this very moment.

There was no street light reaching this corner of the garden, nothing bar the moonlight. Nothing but the silver gleam shining on Kiara's content face; he wondered what she was thinking about.

'Thank you,' she said, opening her eyes with a smile. 'It's a lovely rose.'

'You're most welcome, Ma'am.'

She kissed him on the cheek. He wondered if she was drunk, but it might've been the joint, and he didn't care.

'We should head back,' she said, wrapping her arm around his again. 'People might start wondering where we are.'

'Sure,' he said, when he wanted nothing more but to stay here, with her.

The walk back was quiet. Jj knew there was nothing waiting for him there, because his date must've found someone else to entertain her, and John B would likely be preoccupied with Sarah Cameron until it was time to go home.

When they got back to the porch, she tugged gently at his arm. 'I keep seeing you around, but I never got your name.'

He grinned. 'We're not all popular enough for people to know our names like you, Miss Carrera.'

'I'll blame it on Sarah.'

'Rightfully so,' he said. 'It's JJ. JJ Maybank.'

'Well, then,' she said, untangling their arms, 'thank you for keeping me company, JJ Maybank.'

'My pleasure.'

She smiled again, that mischieviously polite little smile of hers, and led them back into the hall. She joined her friends and he made his way back to his table, where his glass had been refilled by his date, and he knew it would be alcohol without even looking.

He didn't see Kiara again until she was leaving, giving him a small wave. Her arm was interlinked with Sarah Cameron's, as it was, and sure enough, there was a rose tucked into her hair.

JJ waved back.

It was the last he'd ever seen of Kiara Carrera.

Until now, anyway, he thinks as he turns off the engine, parks about a two minute walk from the airport. He has nothing with him apart from his car keys, phone, wallet, and a bouquet of roses.

It feels like life was playing a silly joke on him, and he's waiting for the right moment to laugh.

The airport is as quiet as he expected it to be at this time of night. There are a few people waiting, presumably for people from the same flight as Kiara, some of them with massive signs with names written on them.

JJ likes looking at people. He likes trying to figure out if they've made it in life, or at least if they think they have. He wonders if that guy wearing a full three-piece that looks too perfectly fitted to be out of a cheap shop thinks he has it all figured out. He wonders if he's waiting for a wife, a family member, or a business partner. There's also a guy with a young child sleeping in his arms -- the girl can't be more than five, six years old. Whoever it is they're waiting for, they must have a lot of good things going for them. JJ knows kids don't have patience for things like these unless they really want to.

The plane lands -- it says so on the big screen. JJ's sitting on the bench, knowing it'll be a while before Kiara comes out. He wonders if he should've written a sign, or if she'll recognise him. It's been a few years, but he's still as scruffy as he was when he was a teenager, even if he changed into jeans and a t-shirt before he came to get her.

He thinks about what to say -- does he explain why he's here, first thing? Does he ask about the flight?

It's only now that he's realising he hasn't thought this far ahead and now he's too stressed out to do so. He's mad at himself for offering to do this, because he still needs to drive home, and sure he had a few energy drinks on the way and a few more waiting in the car, but man. He really should've thought this through.

The luggage has arrived, or so says the screen.

JJ gets up and so do most of the people who spent the last few minutes on the benches. He feels his palms getting sweaty as he holds the roses.

People start walking through. He realises he doesn't know what Kiara looks like -- it's not like they follow each other on social media. What if he doesn't recognise her? If she doesn't recognise him, either, and they're just dumbly walking around the airport, looking for the other and not knowing they're just there?

Thoughts keep running through his head and he wishes he brought headphones, but it's too late now. She'll be here any moment now.

The guy shakes the little girl and she wakes up, running up to a woman in her early thirties as if she wasn't asleep less than a minute ago. It draws a smile out of both the guy and JJ.

The door opens, but it's not Kiara. It opens again, but it's not her -- it's an older gentleman in a suit and, rightfully so, he walks up to the other man in the suit.

The door opens and JJ sees suitcases first -- two of them, both big, and a backpack on top of one.

And then he sees the same haphazard bun he saw that night. Except the fancy red dress that kept him up for more nights than he'd like to admit has been swapped out for a sweater and joggers, and there was no makeup on her face.

Yet even so, JJ would still give her the rose for the most beautiful lady tonight.

He starts approaching the line as her eyes scanned the crowd. When their gazes meet, he knew she recognises him, even if the confusion between her brows takes him aback. Has she not read the text from her father?

Something's clearly up when Kiara's eyes move past him, still looking around the crowd, frowning deeper as she doesn't recognise anyone.

'Kiara,' he calls, approaching her. She doesn't hear, or react, so he calls again and when she finally looks, he smiles at her. 'I'm picking you up. Your dad texted you.'

Kiara chuckles, raising her phone -- the screen is fully cracked. 'Yeah, not getting anything from this poor thing.'

She's finally out of the gate and he takes her suitcases, not even waiting for her to ask (or say no, more likely). JJ starts making his way out of the airport and he's glad to see her following, even if she's half in a daze.

'What happened to it?'

She rubs her nose, and he realises her eyes are a little bloodshot. 'Dropped it getting off the plane. Ran my suitcase over it. End of.'

'That's some bad karma you've got there. You didn't get to check your phone before that?'

'Nope.' She looks around as they exit the airport and the wind blows on her face, sweeping the hairs around it. 'It's colder than I remember.'

'That's global warming for you,' JJ says. 'I'm parked just there.'

'How am I meant to know you're not kidnapping me?'

JJ laughs, and only then realises she's being at least partially serious. He lets go of the suitcases and reaches underneath his armpit, where he'd squished the bouquet, because of course he'd forgiven to actually give it to her.

So he gives it to her now -- a bouquet of roses.

(Wonders if she's thinking about the same night he is.)

'Your dad bought you these,' he says, 'so I said I'll take your roses.'

The frown dissipates and Kiara is smiling as she takes the flowers. JJ wishes he could take a picture, but takes the suitcases instead.

'Well, that explains the flowers, at least.' He hears her footsteps behind him, so he keeps walking to the car. 'Doesn't explain why you're here, of all people.'

'Well, I offered.'

'Why?'

'I had nothing better to do.'

'And that's just it?'

JJ opens the trunk. 'Do you always ask that many questions?'

She shrugs, and he's thinking of that night again. 'Usually.'

'Well, I drove here, and I'm about to drive back, and I don't really have extra time on my hands, so save the questions for the road.'

'No need to be so bossy,' she retorts, but she's getting into his truck alright.

He thinks about how she didn't even offer to help with the suitcases. Not that he minds, he wouldn't take her help even if she insisted, it's just not quite what he'd expect from the Kiara he knew, the feminist warrior known across the island.

But when he opens his door to get into the truck and the half-working light shines on her face, he can tell she's exhausted.

'Wanna grab something to eat?' JJ twists the key and the engine roars to life. 'There's a few diners on the way.'

'Are you hungry?'

'Starving.'

She smiles. 'Okay.'

They don't talk much after that. JJ drives them out of the parking lot and manoeuvres out of the Charleston post code via the scenic route. There's not much to be seen, but the odd street light and sets of suburbs in the distance are better than the straight road with nothing to it. There's gas stations and diners, sure---he wasn't lying about being hungry---but apart from it, the moon is their only acquaintance.

He lets her fiddle with the radio after she called her dad from his phone. He promised her not to judge her taste, so when she puts reggae on, he convinces himself to enjoy it, instead.

Kiara leans her head on the headrest. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see her fingers tapping the rhythm on her things, and he wonders if she's a dancer. Surely she would be one.

'Thanks, JJ,' she says. 'For doing this when my dad couldn't.'

He shrugs. 'S'alright. I'm more surprised you remember my name.'

'You're not that easy to forget, you know.'

He laughs. 'You flatter me too much.'

He looks over and she's looking out of the window, the runaway strands shielding parts of her face from him. He wonders if she's telling the truth, or even what she meant by it---if she meant anything, that is---then decides to stop at the next diner he sees. Nothing good's come from an empty stomach and right now, there's two of those in the truck.

It’s less than ten minutes later that he pulls up at a 50’s-looking diner. He sees the question on Kiara’s face and promises her they’re not getting murdered here, though her eyes keep checking every corner on their way into the place. The bell chimes and the teenage guy at the till looks at them, but the two people sitting at each their own table pay them no mind.

‘Smells nice,’ says JJ.

Kiara hums in agreement.

They find a booth close to the entrance, even if that means having the cold breeze if someone walks in. JJ doubts it—it’s nearly three o’clock—and thinks Kiara will feel more comfortable if they’re close to the way out. Just in case. Even though her shoulders are more relaxed now and she’s throwing less glances in the way of the other two customers, JJ would rather have her feel as comfortable and safe as possible.

He slides the menu across. ‘Have whatever you want. It’s on me.’

‘Shouldn’t it be on me?’ she asks, eyeing the menu. ‘You picked me up.’

‘Doesn’t work that way.’

‘Hm?’

‘Just– It’s on me,’ JJ says, then nods at the menu. ‘Pick soon. The guy’s wanting to come over.’

She glances at the till and he knows she made eye contact with the guy, because she averts her eyes as soon as she does so. She barely even glances at the menu before he says her order—a burger and a milkshake—and two minutes later, JJ orders for both of them. Kiara’s slumped against the wall, tapping her fingers while simultaneously looking like she’s half asleep, staring out of the window where they could see nothing but a singular street light, shining over JJ’s truck, a minivan, and a bike.

JJ studies her, even though he’s not trying to. She looks older and more tired, with lightened hair at the tips that must’ve grown out, but he’s surprised just how little hse’s really changed.

‘It’s rude to stare,’ she says, with no bite to it.

‘Not much else to look at,’ he says. ‘Nothing worth looking at, anyway.’

It makes her chuckle. ‘Still charming as ever.’

‘You bet.’

He waits to see if she’ll pick up the conversation, and she doesn’t. The waiter comes and gives them a cup of coffee each, but Kiara doesn’t touch hers. Jetlag, she explains – she needs to get through it naturally.

‘Where did you come from?’ he asks. ‘You couldn’t have a jetlag from Washington, so that must’ve been a layover.’

‘Bahamas,’ she says.

‘Was it nice?’

‘Sure.’

‘How long were you there for?’

‘Do you always ask that many questions?’

‘Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.’

A moment passes and her lip quivers—JJ feels like he said something wrong—and then she buries her head in her hands, before sighing loudly. ‘It’s my fault,’ she says, tucking some strands behind her ears. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just tired.’

‘That’s alright,’ he says, sipping on his coffee. ‘We don’t need to talk if you’re not wanting to.’

‘It’s not that. It’s probably better if we do, it’ll keep me up.’ She sighs and leans back, letting herself sink into the seat a little, making her crewneck sweater scrunch around her neck. ‘I just feel a little drunk and I’m scared of saying the wrong thing.’

‘Like what?’

‘Cheeky,’ she says, but smiles nonetheless. She yawns and rubs her eyes, sighing a little. ‘You still friends with John B?’

‘Close as ever.’

‘Are him and Sarah still a thing?’

John B Routledge and Sarah Cameron are, as always, a complicated thing – and JJ embarks on a story that spans years after the prom night, and as it turns out, years since Kiara has last had contact with anyone from the island, including her best friend at the time. He tells her of Sarah joining their adventures, about the search for gold and a long-lost crucifix that turned out to be a Heyward family heirloom, but makes it sound more adventurous than it was. Her eyes are slightly glazed and she hums and nods in all the right places, but she’s not really listening, or at least absorbing what he’s saying. He says at one point that John B’s dad came back from the dead and she just nods in response, so JJ doesn’t even bother pretending he’s telling the truth anymore.

It’s fun. He comes up with a story and Kiara’s asleep with her eyes open, and he doesn’t really mind.

The smell of their food wakes her up. The waiter’s a little clumsy as he puts it in front of them, and Kiara’s sinking her teeth into her burger before he’s even gone.

She moans. JJ tries not to picture her doing that in a different context.

‘Good?’

‘This is the best burger I’ve ever had,’ she says, moaning again. Her eyes widen and she covers her mouth. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.’

JJ waves her off. ‘Good food will do that to you.’

He eats his burger, too, but it’s really just average. He doesn’t say that – lets her believe it really is the best burger in the world, even as she leaves a very detailed review on Google. He watches her come back to life as the carbs start to hit and the glaze leaves her eyes. She moves more as she talks, asks more questions about Kildare and the things she’s missed, and JJ finds himself enjoying talking about the place he'd spent the majority of his life wishing he could get out of.

‘I’ve missed it,’ she says, sipping on the strawberry milkshake while JJ enjoys his chocolate one. ‘I never thought I’d say that.’

‘Kildare?’

‘Mhm.’

‘Eh. It grows on you, I suppose.’

‘Most places do,’ she says. ‘I was in the Bahamas for the last six months and it’s been a whirlwind. Europe, before that, and Asia was the first destination.’

JJ smiles. ‘So you’ve really travelled all of the world.’

Kiara smiles, too, and he wonders if she’s thinking the same thing – from the darkness on her cheeks, he supposes she is. ‘All of it.’

‘So, what’s it like?’

And she tells him everything. He watches as she bodies the stories, as the names of people she’s met come back to her, and glaze in her eyes goes away as the carbs hit in. She’s a good storyteller, turns out, and he’s a lot better at listening than she was not too long ago. He learns about the catacombs of Paris, of the high altitudes of Nepal, about the alpacas and the camels, about the way a dust storm can seep through the tiniest of cracks in fabrics.

She keeps talking even when they get to the car, some half hour later, and he doesn’t stop her. Country music is back on the radio, but just as background noise this time, and JJ listens to the stories about her travels even when the dark gives way to the faintest orange, and a new day is being born.

She’ll get tired eventually, and she’ll crash. He knows the gig.

He slows the car not too far from where they’re to take the ferry back to the island, but still too far from any light to reach him. Kiara stops talking but doesn’t ask questions as he pulls up on the side of the road and does a 180 with his truck. From the back, he grabs a blanket and some candies he’d forgotten he put there, and asks her to follow him.

‘This isn’t the part where I kill you,’ he tells her.

‘Good,’ she retorts. ‘Was kind of enjoying myself.’

‘Well,’ he says, hopping out of the truck with her following suit, ‘you’re about to be enjoying yourself a whole lot more.’

He doesn’t apologise for the innuendo, and it makes her laugh.

He sets the blanket on the back of his truck and even though it’s still kind of dirty, he hopes she doesn’t mind – she doesn’t give any sign that she does. He sits down, then, stretching his legs down the back of the truck, and she does the same, leaning against the back of the cabin.

‘What are we doing, JJ?’

He smiles at her. ‘What’s the last time you watching the sun rise in the middle of nowhere? In the States.’

She closes her mouth, because he knew she was going to say in the desert , and then she huffs. ‘I can’t remember.’

‘You’re about to, then.’

Kiara says nothing, but he can feel her relax. Her arm’s right up against his and they face east, watching the sky bask in shades of orange and gold and red, little by little. JJ doesn’t know when’s the last time he watched the sunrise, either, and it’s a much better view from here than the road.

Birds wake up, too, chirping away. It’s too early for cars and JJ feels like the silence of the world is around them – nothing but them.

He looks over, and Kiara’s eyes are trained on the sky. Her face is relaxed and he wonders what she’s thinking about, but doesn’t ask. He doesn’t want to break the spell. He just watches her, again, but she doesn’t call him out on it this time. She’s beautiful in a way that the word was made for her – the golden hour makes her glow, tired as she is.

JJ feels a sudden urge to kiss her forehead. He doesn’t, but the thought doesn’t go away.

The day brightens and the sun comes out soon enough. By that time, Kiara’s eyes have closed, and her head dropped to JJ’s shoulder. He knows they should get going, and he’s got some energy drinks to get through, but he doesn’t feel tired. He feels alive .

Truth is, that night never left his mind. She was in the back of it, hiding, waiting. The connection and the familiarity he felt that night came rushing back, and it feels like it’s not basically a stranger that’s falling asleep on his shoulder, that he’s watching the sun rise with, that he’s driven for hours to pick up.

Not a stranger. Just Kiara.

He taps her on the shoulder, gently, and tells her that they need to get going when she wakes up. JJ walks her to the car, fastens the belt, and her eyes are only half open. He turns on the heating and switches to a local radio station that plays calmer music in the mornings as they get back on the road. Whenever he glances over, Kiara’s eyes are closed, and she looks peaceful. He doesn’t even wake her up when they get on the ferry, nor does he leave the car, either.

Driving around Kildare feels familiar in the mornings, so JJ has no issue with it, even on Figure Eight. He finds her house easily enough, and pulls up without waking her. He thinks about getting Mike to come get her, but something about that feels like he’s losing out on something. On time with her, maybe.

What happens when he gets back into his truck and drives away? Is it going to be another prom night, where they never speak again, not for years, anyway?

The thought of that makes his chest ache.

JJ leaves the truck and grabs the suitcases from the back. He sets them out on the porch, wondering if Mike and Anna are even up. He gets back to the truck and opens the passenger door, but Kiara still doesn’t wake.

He calls her name. Nothing. He gives her a gentle nudge, and that gets a movement out of her, but not enough.

‘Kiara,’ he says. ‘You’re home.’

Her eyes open and they’re focused on him and only him for a full second, and JJ feels bare. She notices the house, then, and he watches as she becomes nervous again.

‘It’s going to be okay,’ he tells her. ‘I don’t know what happened between you and your parents, but you’re good. They’ve missed you.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Kiara.’

She looks back at him.

JJ gives her another nudge. ‘You’re going to charm them, no matter what.’

It makes her smile, and JJ feels like a winner again.

She thanks him for driving her, for picking her up, even though it was her dad who asked him to – or her dad that JJ offered to do so. She’s stalling, he can tell, but he lets her. Helps her get out of the truck. Walks up with her to the stairs, with her arm around hers, just like that night – the only thing she’s got in her hands is the roses, and he wishes he was the one getting them for her.

Next time, he thinks. But there’s no guarantee of that.

As they stand in front of her door, Kiara doesn’t ring the bell. Her hand tightens the hold on JJ’s arm and he feels her shaking, ever so slightly. She chalks it up to sleeplessness—the sun is now well over the horizon—but it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.

‘Do you want me to come in with you?’

She frowns. ‘Do you know my parents that well?’

‘Not really,’ he admits, ‘but if having someone there makes it easier for you…’

Kiara’s face breaks out into a tired smile and she gives his arm a squeeze. He watches her as she leans forward and plants a kiss on his cheek – a firm one, purposeful, and JJ feels his whole body set ablaze.

‘You’ve already done more than enough,’ she says. ‘Thank you.’

‘It’s nothing,’ he says, and his voice hitches.

‘It’s not nothing. I don’t even know how to thank you properly.’

‘It’s fine. Your dad’s already given me money for it.’

She tilts her head. ‘I’m sure he didn’t include you treating me to a burger and a really pretty sunrise in that.’

‘No,’ JJ chuckles, ‘but I wanted to. That’s on me.’

‘JJ.’ Kiara calls his name again and squeezes his arm one more time, until he’s finally looking at her. ‘I don’t even know how to thank you properly.’

And in a moment of opportunity, exhaustion, and just enough courage, JJ says: ‘Go for dinner with me.’

‘Dinner,’ she repeats.

‘Dinner.’

‘Hm. That doesn’t sound too bad.’

‘I’m glad to hear that.’ JJ feels his shoulder relax—when did they even tense?—and he gives her a little nudge. ‘You ready to see your family again?’

He offers to ring the bell on her behalf and she takes it. They end up standing there, hand in arm, until there’s rushed footsteps coming from the inside and it’s Mike that opens the door, practically engulfing Kiara into a hug.

JJ sees that as his cue. He waves at the two and Mike thanks him again, but JJ doesn’t stay long enough to hear any more offers of gratitude – he already got the one he wanted. Back in his truck, his Baby, he scrolls on his phone to see Kiara has already requested to follow him on Instagram. He accepts and follows back and within minutes, there’s a text from her:

looking forward to that dinner x

And just like that, JJ's life has become thrilling again.

#jiara #obx #outer banks #obx fic #jiara fic #jj maybank #kiara carrera #jj maybank x kiara carrera #my fic #f: obx #s: jiara #ngl the formatting is doing my head in and i apologise but using tumblr on my tblaet is an actual nightmare #but i have no other optiono

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britney-gvf · 1 year

Text

Troubled Mind: Part One

Josh Kiszka x fem reader

18+ MINORS DNI

Warnings: Unprotected penetrative sex, male oral sex, mild teasing, mild horror

Synopsis: You and Josh spend your spare time on tour exploring old abandoned buildings. When an old church gives you more than you bargained for, you find yourself in the middle of a tale of danger and intrigue.

Troubled Mind: Part One

Josh was on his way and you still weren't ready yet. Sitting on the bed of your hotel room overlooking Charleston, you were desperately trying to achieve the perfect dutch braid, but your nervous fingers just weren't working like you wanted them to. Josh always had the abilty to make you clumsy and unsure of yourself with his presence. Not on purpose, of course, but he'd flash you a knowing, toothy grin or squeeze your arm or leg with just the right amount of pressure and it made you melt. It felt like you had been in a will he/won't he limbo for a while now and you weren't the type of girl to come forward and talk about your feeling. No way in hell.

You had just gotten your braids exactly how you wanted them when a knock startled you. You shot up like someone lit the bed on fire. As you walked to the door, you adjusted your olive green tank top that hugged you in all the right places and did a quick mirror check to pull out some baby hairs from your braid and flatten out your black linen shorts. You opened the door and he gave you the biggest, most perfect smile that made his brown eyes sparkle. "Hey, you! How's it goin?" He said excitedly. Josh was always like this. He always greeted you like you were the most important person on earth to him. It made your stomach do cartwheels, which seemed to double when he pulled you in for a tight hug.

"Oh hey! Let me get my shoes on and I'll be ready," you replied, grinning as you broke away from the hug. "Well come in, I'm not gonna make you wait in the hall." He followed you into your hotel room and sat on the office chair by the desk. As he looked around the rather nice hotel room, he remarked, "We put you up real nice, don't we?"

"Yeah, this is one of the nicer ones! They have room service!" You blushed a little after you said that. You weren't used to hotels with room service outside of touring with Greta Van Fleet. In fact, you weren't used to any of the lavish perks that came with being their makeup artist. They took a chance on you, a girl who was just dipping her feet in the entertainment industry doing hair and makeup. He gave you a knowing, kind smile and changed the subject. "So this place we're going to is pretty far out. I didn't want to go to one of the usual spots where people go to explore, ya know? Off the beaten path and all that."

"You mean you didn't want to go on a guided tour of the Old Charleston Jail? I'm SHOCKED, Joshua," you said with a laugh. You had gotten your shoes on and grabbed your flashlight by this point. "Well, I'm ready!" He stood up and let you lead the way out the door and out of the hotel.

These little adventures you went on with him started at the beginning of the tour. You both had a mutual love for Ghost Adventures and laughed about Zak Bagins' dramatic "demon attacks" often. One day, you both agreed that you wanted to try exploring abandoned building yourselves. Every time there were a couple days of break in the tour, the two of you would find a spot and explore it for an evening. There was usually nothing there but the excitement of possibility and spending one on one time with him made it all worth it.

You hopped into the truck the he rented. It smelled like him: Clean and woodsy. The drive through Charleston was filled with ethically questionable horse carriages, tourists, ghost tours, and beautiful old buildings. Despite being here several times, you were always taken with the charm of this little town. Pretty soon though, you were reminded that Charleston was, in fact, in South Carolina. Beautiful cobblestone roads were replaced by highways in disrepair and trees. So many trees.

"So, what do you think will be at this church?" you asked. Josh raised his eyebrows and turned down the music. The ride had been mostly quiet. You both were deep in thought, it seemed, and he was a little surprised at your awkward break in the silence.

"Well, uh," he chuckled a little bit. "The guy I met at the bar said it had a bit of a reputation. People usually don't last long before they hightail it outta there. Something's there, but he *said* that he doesn't know what. Speaking of which, we're almost there."

He seemed more nervous than usual. Josh was usually a chatter box but he seemed to have a lot on his mind. You did as well, as your feelings for him seem to grow with every little glance in his direction. You pulled down the truck mirror to check your makeup. It was very light, just a little blush, concealer, lip gloss, and mascara. Of course it looked fine, but you were doing it to distract yourself from him.

The truck slowed down as he pulled onto a bumpy dirt road. There was a sign that was faded and dirty. It looked hand painted: "First Baptist Church." Josh seemed to hit every pot hole on the short road to the church. When you finally got to the building, you could feel the heaviness that surrounded it before you even got out of the truck.

It was small and dilpitated. The steeple was missing boards and the cross was barely hanging on, which felt particularly ominous. The paint was peeling off. What was once a pristine white church was now rotting and falling apart. You might've felt sad if it wasn't for the exisitental dread that was consuming you. "Fuck, thats so creepy," Josh said, barely above a whisper. You looked over and he was smiling and excited. Did he not feel the dread?

Maybe his excitement that he gets to spend time with you is stronger than that, you thought. But that felt silly, almost egotistical, to assume that you were the reason for his happiness. You chose to say nothing and walked closer to the church, despite every fiber of your being begging you not to. Josh caught up to you and gave you hand a little squeeze.

"Are you scared? You're not saying much," he said. It was like the little bastard knew that you had such big feelings for him. You don't know if it was the stifling heat or blushing but your cheeks turned red.

"I'm fine," you lied. "You haven't been talking much either. You're usually such a chatter box."

"Oh I have things on my mind, love," he replied. "But now isn't the time to talk about them. Let's go inside."

Love? LOVE?! You almost fell to your knees. You entered the church with him, hand in hand. The inside was in slightly better shape than the outside, but it was clear that time and the elements had done their work. There were a couple of pews still there and the alter was still in tact. The floor was covered by leaves, debris, and trash from other people who used this place as a hangout. The sunlight, orange as the sun was setting, peeked through every little crack and missing board on the walls. It was haunting and beautiful. You looked over to Josh, who seemed just as taken with it as you were. You both saw the beauty in things that other people didn't and it bonded you.

You started walking toward the nearest pew, watching the ground closely for snakes. The dread and heaviness had only gotten worse since you entered the church. You were nervous and felt like you were very much not welcome here. You braced yourself on the pew to collect your thoughts. What the fuck is going on? Have you guys come to a place that's actually haunted? What happened here? What has made this place its home?

Your thoughts were interrupted by your waist being grabbed from behind. You let out a scream and turned around. Of course it was Josh, laughing at his very unfunny, shitty little prank. You must've looked as terrified as you felt because his face fell as soon as he saw yours.

"Hey, hey," his voice was low and calm. You were trying to catch your breath and you were angry at how stupid you felt and how embarassed you were. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't realize that would scare you so bad. Come here."

He beckoned you into a hug. You let him embrace you. Despite how sweaty he was, he somehow still smelled fresh and clean. You closed your eyes and let the hug take you over, feeling almost immediate comfort. Josh broke away slightly, just enough to lift your chin just enough so your eyes met.

You knew at that moment why he'd be quiet all day, why you'd catch him looking at you, why he wanted to spend time with you. You knew for sure, in this moment, that he was just as in love with you as you were with him. His big, beautiful brown eyes told the entire story. He gave you a little questioning nod and you smiled back. He leaned in and your lips met.

Josh's lips were soft and yet he was kissing you hard, as if he had wanted this his entire life. Your hands were exploring each others' bodies. He grabbed your ass while you entagled your fingers into his slightly damp hair, his other hand on your face and you pulled him in closer. You couldn't remember either of you shedding your clothes but soon you were both naked and you couldn't tell where his body ended and yours began.

You wanted show him exactly what he meant to you. You broke the kiss and he gave you a sad look...which turned into excitement as soon as he realized what you were doing. You kneeled down in front of him. HIs cock was perfect, just like the rest of him. His hair was perfectly groomed and his dick was just the right size. You could see the precum coming out of the tip. You lightly licked it off, causing him to let out a moan. You started to squeeze his balls as you lightly flicked your tongue up and down his shaft. Your other fingers were lightly tapping whichever part of his dick you weren't licking. He moaned and jerked, occasionally thrusting his cock like he wanted to fuck your face.

"Baby, please. Please suck it," He said breathlessly. You gave him a coy little grin. "What? Like this?" You popped the head in your mouth, sucked it a little and pulled it out like a lollipop. He groaned. "Oh my fucking god, suck it. PLEASE." You giggled and he growled. Finally, you took his whole dick into your mouth. Oh, how amazing it was! You sucked on it with various pressure, sliding your mouth up and down the shaft. You let your tongue dance around it, paying close attention to the head. Josh was slightly fucking your face and moaning. You enjoyed giving him pleasure almost as much as he enjoyed receiving it but you wanted him inside of you desperately. You pulled him completely out of your mouth.

He said nothing. Instead he growled. You barely stood up before his mouth was on yours and he was kissing you hard. He pushed you against the nearest wall and hiked your leg up by his hip.

"Tell me you want it," he said in a low voice. It caught you off guard. "What?"

"Tell me you want my dick, y/n," he was smirking. You HAD control, but not anymore. It was his turn now.

"I want it," you said. He took his cock in his free hand and rubbed it over your clit several times. You whimpered a little. This fucker was paying you back. He positioned his cock at the opening of your pussy and pushed in just a little. Just enough to make you squirm. "What is it that you want, honey?"

"Your cock. I want your cock inside of me. Please, Josh. Please," And just like that he pushed all the way in and you moaned. This was pure heaven. He stayed all the way in before he started fucking you. At first it was slow and hard. He was taking you all in, staring at you with hungry eyes, grabbing your tit and rolling your nipple in his finger. You didn't know where you ended and Josh began, you just knew that this is what you always wanted. You could see sweat rolling down his face and chest. His hair, once slightly damp, was soaked now. He fucked you faster and got into a groove. He went balls deep inside of you with every thrust and it made you see stars. You were no virgin but you had never been fucked like this. He put every feeling he had been bottling up into every thrust and you knew, for the first time, a man was going to make you cum with his dick.

He kissed you hard, cupping your face with his hands. He started fucking you harder and you knew he was close and you were too. Your body began to shudder and you let out a loud scream at the same time as he let out a final moan. As he filled you up, you could feel every muscle in your body tense up, then release. Pure fucking ecstasy. He stayed in you for a few seconds and your eyes met. His dark honey eyes were soft and sweet and he was smiling like he was looking at the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. You couldn't believe that he was choosing you.

He finally broke the silence, "I've been wanting to do that for so long."

You returned the smile and gave him a deep kiss. He finally pulled out and walked over to his clothes. You didn't notice until this point that he had a small bag with him. He bent over and pulled out a few napkins and handed them to you. You gave him a look. "Did you plan this?"

He chuckled, "Like I said, I've wanted it for a while. I wanted to be prepared!" You gave him a smile. You were putting your clothes on and the feelings of heaviness and doom once again creeped in. Fucking around with Josh had been a nice distraction from it. At this point, the sun was almost completely set but it was still bright out. Of course it was a full moon. Crazy shit always seemed to happen on the full moon.

"Ah, a full moon," it was like Josh was reading your mind. "Do you think we'll find something here? The guy I talked to said strange shit always happens." "What guy?", you asked. You hadn't thought about how Josh might've found this place.

Josh began to tell the story of him and Jake going to this old dive bar in Charleston. A hole in the wall, so they could drink and eat oysters without anyone bothering them. They began talking to an older regular who told them all about this place and the strange encounters. Everything from people hearing whispers, to people being threatened by things they couldn't see, to people even getting shoved or scratched.

"Scratched? What the fuck?" you said. The stories made you a little more worried than you already were.

"Yeah, fucking scratched. But this church seemed so cool, I really wanted to check it out. Does make me feel a little weird-"

CRACK. You screamed as a massive beam broke from the ceiling. Josh pulled you towards him as the piece of wood crashed onto the ground below, right where you were standing. He pulled you into another hug. You were shaking. God, that thing could have killed you and he saved you. You felt tears well up in your eyes.

"Shhh, shh, now, honey. You're safe, I'm here," once again, he broke away from you, this time to wipe the tears from your eyes. You composed yourself, feeling slightly embarassed that he had to save you like a damsel in distress. "You know, anyone would be scared from that. Fuck, I'm scared, that could've been so much worse."

It was like he read your mind. He let you go and gave you a little kiss on the forehead. "We can go if you want!"

"No, no, I'm fine now," you lied. You weren't fine but you didn't want to show any more vunerabilty tonight than you already had. It was fully dark by now so Josh pulled a small lantern out of his bag. Somehow, seeing everything around you made it even creepier. It made everything look...wrong.

Your eyes seemed to focus on one thing: the window across the church. Most of the stained glass was gone, except for the edges at the very top. It felt as if someone or something was watching you through it. Josh must've felt it as well because he was squinting at it when you looked over to him. You were still on edge from the beam falling, but you were curious as to what had its eyes on you.

At the same time, you both stepped forward to investigate. "You feel it too," he stated. "Someone is looking at us."

He grabs your hand as you both slowly continue to lessen the distance between yourselves and the window. You had been in many abandoned, haunted buildings with and without Josh but this one felt...real. Dangerous. It was as exciting as it was terrifying. As you got closer, your stomach started doing backflips. Josh squeezed your hand, giving you a small bit of comfort. At least you were not alone.

You were within a yard of the window when you started making out what was beyong it. Trees covered in Spanish moss, an old, unkempt graveyard with headstones cracked and lying on their sides. A worn statue of what looked like a little girl, which made your stomach turned. And just beyond the closest tree, someone.

"Do you see...?" Josh trailed off. " Hiding behind that tree on the left."

"Yeah, I-" then you realized the tree you were looking at was on the right. You looked to the left. There was another person. Your stomach dropped and you stopped breathing. "Josh, there's two of them."

"If only that was the case, sweetheart," Josh said. His voice was a low whisper. He was right: everywhere you looked outside, there was a figure. They all had hoods and robes so you couldn't see their faces. None of them moved and despite not seeing their faces, you could feel all of their eyes on you.

"We gotta get the fuck out of here," you could barely hear your voice come out of your mouth. You were frozen in fear. THUMP THUMP THUMP. Your heart was beating so hard you were sure everything out there could hear it.

You saw one stir out of the corner of your eye but before you could process it, you were being pulled towards the door. Josh had seen it move before you did and was taking you to the truck. Your legs were involuntarily running. He opened the doors up with his body and led you through towards the truck. The slightly cooler air would've felt great in any other circumstance.

You glanced behind you and those hooded figures were no longer stationary, they were running after you. The truck was only a few feet away but it felt like a mile. Josh unlocked the truck as you approached it. Your hands broke free of one another as he got into the driver seat and you in the passenger. The doors slammed at the same time and he locked the doors just as the first figure caught up and slammed his hand on the window. It then that you realized...

The hooded figures were not human. They had human features: skin, eyes, nose, mouth, but they weren't human. Everything was there, but slightly...off. Like a very realistic mask. You had never been more terrified than you were in the moment when that creepy fuck was banging its very large hand on your window. You felt the car lurch backwards and there was a thud. "SHIT! FUCK!" One of them had been hit and you could feel the wheels roll over them. Josh quickly put the truck in drive and ran it over again as he sped down the dirt road. You turned around and they had all stopped and stared at you. The one that had been run over, the one you were sure was dead, lifted itself up and stood back up.

What. The. FUCK.

Josh pulled onto the highway so fast the tires squealed. You couldn't see the church from the highway but you could see those humanoid creatures had walked onto the highway to stare at you leaving. They weren't trying to catch up, they were just...staring.

Josh didn't let off the accelerator until the truck hit 90 and you begged him to slow down.

"What if they're following us?", his voice cracking a little. It was a little comforting to know he was as scared as you were.

"I promise you they're not. They would've gotten us by now," you replied. He nodded and took several deep breaths. For a while you sat in silence, both trying to process the events of the night.

After what felt like hours of silence, you pipe up. "Did you know they have alligators here?"

Josh started to laugh. His face lit up as if you'd brought him back to life. "We just ran for our lives from inhuman creatures and you bring up alligators to break the tension? You're so cute."

You blushed and held back a smile. "I just thought, you know, a fun fact would make you feel better."

"Baby, just your presence is enough for me, but thanks," you could tell he meant it. He reached over and grabbed your hand. When he stopped at the next stop sign, he leaned in and gave you a passionate kiss.

You finally arrived back in Charleston. As you pulled up to your hotel, you expected him to stop, but he drove right past it.

"Did you forget to take me back?" you asked, but you already knew what he was about to say. Your stomach was doing back flips again, but this time it was out of excitement.

"You're staying with us," he said. He seemed serious. "I don't want you to be alone. You can stay in my bedroom and I'll take the couch."

"That's absolutely not happening, Josh. You're not sleeping on the couch. Unless you just don't want to sleep with me."

"Of course I do," he scoffed. "I was being a gentleman!"

You gave a little coy grin as he pulled into their rental house. It was exactly what you expected from a home in Charleston. An old home on a narrow lot, lawn perfectly manicured and home beautifully restored. It had a wrap around porch with a matching balcony. As you walked up the brick steps into the side door, you noticed the haint blue ceiling on the porch and brooms by every outside doorway. Those old southern tales ran deep.

The side door led right into the kitchen, which was huge and gorgeous. Equally as gorgeous were the men in the kitchen. Danny and Sam were making themselves cocktails while Jake was making a massive meal.

"HONEY I'M HOME," Josh yelled, causing all three of them to look up. Not a single one of them looked surprised.

"Well, its about time!" Sam said, almost as loudly as Josh yelled. "Dinner's almost done and you just roll on in last minute!"

Jake looked over his shoulders and gave you a smile. "Did he finally make a move?"

"I-well-"

"-you don't have to answer him, y/n," Josh said. "Sorry, you know how they can be..."

"We're just...joshing around hahaha," Sam gave Josh a nudge that earned him a dark glare. Then he made his way over to you and gave you a big hug. "How ya doin?"

"Good, good," you manage to reply. The Kiszkas were loud and joked around a lot but they were all so kind and caring towards you. Danny finished his drink and walked over, giving you a tight hug as well.

"For real, we're happy for you," he said. "Josh has been carrying a torch for you for a while."

"OKAY, well, we're going to freshen up bye now," Josh pulled you through the kitchen and up the nearest stairwell. It led up to a hallway lined with doors and he led you to the last one.

"It was my turn this time, I get the biggest room," he said. It was massive. Facing the door was a huge, brick fireplace. Across from the fireplace was what looked like the most comfortable bed you've ever seen. Then you noticed the French doors that led to the balcony.

"God, its beautful," you whispered. You had never been in a place so nice before. You crossed the room straight to the doors. You opened them up and the breeze hit your face. The night air was cool, a stark difference from the day time. You could see lights everywhere and tourists walking excitedly down the sidewalks. The steeples of churches in the Holy City were everywhere. You sat down in the nearest rocking chair. Josh sat down in the one beside it.

"Sorry about them," he said again. "Brothers, you know?"

"Oh," you laughed. You honestly expected their reactions. "I don't mind."

Josh didn't respond. You were confused because his expression was odd..melancholy, inquisitive...dark.

"What are you thinking about?" Dread filled your body because you already knew. The air seemed to get colder, the night seemed to get darker, and the only person that mattered at this moment was Josh.

"What do you think those things were?" he asked. You had spent the entire ride home thinking about the creatures. They weren't human, that was for sure, but beyond that, you only had guesses.

"Zombies?" you blurted out, knowing good and damn well they weren't. Josh shook his head. "You and I both know they weren't zombies."

You turned your attention back out to the streets. A ghost tour was walking by. The guide was carrying a lantern at eye level, leading all the tourists to their next spooky destination. You wondered how they would react to the creatures you saw at the old church. You turned again to Josh, who was deep in thought. The silence on the balcony seemed to drown out the people below, as your focus was only on him. You knew what he was going to say next and your heart sank when he finally said those five words.

"I want to go back."

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