#and I know they really tried with the pope/kie thing but that one was always weird to me too

[everyone-has-their-story]

I'm sorry but the fact that they even thought about Cleo/JJ is fucking hilarious to me. I can't even picture that being a thing or being successful 😂

[ivysprophecy]

slim pickins

warnings; bad date? mentions of sex, cursing underage drinking and yes i meant for it to be written poorly i was trying to keep the humor of the album in the writing

masterlist | p. 2

no pressure tags; @murdockcastleslut @kimoralov3 @arkofblake

word count; 1911

summary; youre tired of not finding a decent guy who will treat you right and lay you right. at least not one you've known since you were kids. however you just cant help yourself. besides its slim pickins out here you take what you can get.

divider by @bernardsbendystraws

i wanna make one thing clear, when i say there are no good guys left i do not wanna hear about you and your boyfriend of three years that can cook and loves your mom.

thats exactly what im talking about maddie!!! i dont give two fucks that he took you to barnes and noble and bought you every book you wanted.

they are all taken. its plain and simple.

which is why even with a full roster, im stuck taking fucking zander, yes with a z, to my friends' kegger.

i mean yea hes cute. hes tall, built but not that gross kind of muscly. but if were being real i shouldve known better when he was joking about being a male stripper when hes a ginger.

and i can tell kie is judging me, rightfully so. her side eye is lethal. when i introduced him to everyone she asked him about his greta van fleet tee and he said he didn't even know it was a band.

needless to say pope had to drag her away.

after that incident i decided it was best if we tried to talk away from the rest of the group. boy was i wrong.

"so what do you like to drink? ill go grab us something," i offer trying to start the conversation, also avoiding the usual problem with taking a drink from men.

"im good with whatever"

i like to think im not a violent person, but im about to be.

"does a beer sound okay?" i ask him grabbing a twisted tea for me from the cooler.

"sure thing." god why is he acting like such a bitch? i should ask him if he's on his period.

i hand him the can, our fingers brush and its my final clue for the night that i am definitely not going home with him. no spark at all. hes done just about everything else to piss me off.

he did the thing where he licks his lips exaggeratingly looking me up and down, making a point to make sure i saw.

he walks so slow for being 6'3.

and finally he tried to mansplain my career to me. i'd had just enough when he opens his mouth again

"ew, you like twisted tea? who likes sweet tea?" his face contorted in disgust, it was about to contort from my fist breaking his goddamn nose if he keeps talking to me like this.

"we literally live in the south dude." my face could not make it any clearer i am so done with this guy.

"still, sweet tea is disgusting. im not kissing anyone that drinks that nasty shit."

"who said i wanted to kiss your nasty fucking mou-" i was interrupted by the sound of a very familiar giggle behind me as his arm wrapped around my shoulder, the smell of his deodorant and sea salt that cover his skin start to put you at ease.

jj was always there when you needed him, sometimes even when you didnt but right now you couldn't be more grateful. "im glad you found those mama i got em just for you. remembered theyre your favorite. right?"

and you wanna know the best part? zander is shaking already pissed off that jj is at my side. territorial i guess.

"you mind?" he asks him nodding his head at me like im not even there.

jj cant help but laugh at him "yea bud i do mind. she's hanging out with me tonight. have fun with your ipa dick." and with that he steers us off to where the rest of the pogues are.

but not before i can look over my shoulder and give the ginger an innocent smile and a shrug as if i had no control over the situation, when really id pick jj over anyone else.

"you owe me a big fat kiss mama," jj whispers in my ear walking us over to where our friends are standing, drinks in their hands laughing and chatting up a storm.

"in your dreams honey."

"every night all night," he quips back before i shove him off me.

now before you give me shit, jj and i have had our fair share of fun, but unfortunately im starting to look for something more serious.

watching john b and sarah be disgusting together is getting to my head. popes got something going on with cleo and im starting to recognize the pattern. and before i know it everyone will be in love if i don't start making an effort in that department.

random casual hook ups aren't doing it anymore, especially considering they aren't even that good.

unless theyre with jj.

but hes not an option, theres too much drama. too much history. too much too much too much. im not what he needs and i know for a fact he doesn't want me in that sense.

is that a bit dramatic? probably.

i mean hes a great lay, he's hilarious, he's got that blue collar kind of muscle, and he genuinely cares about me.

so of course im not going to date him, why would i?

what do you mean make good decisions? id rather do things in the most difficult way possible!

"y/n youve gotta stop giving those guys a chance, im starting to feel bad for you."

"you try finding a decent guy in a ten mile radius." i glare at him, obviously not wanting to joke about this right now.

he sticks his hand out in front of me, "fine i will. let me see your phone."

curious to see what he will do i hand it too him unlocked, he swipes and taps for a few moments, smiling down at the phone before handing it back to you.

when you look back down at the screen all you see is your instagram open with his stupid fucking smiley face on the screen.

he took a picture of himself and posted to my story. written on the screen in bubble letters in my favorite colored heart 'my favorite guy <3'

"i think he's your best bet." that same smile facing back at me now, cockier than ever. so smug i wanna kiss it off his face

i cant help but roll my eyes. "jj im serious! at this rate im going to die alone. every decent guy is taken or unavailable. all i want is someone funny, kind, and attractive is that too much to ask for?"

"im right in front of you mama you dont gotta look far."

"jj we both know we're not the serious kind of relationship im talking about."

"you can think what you want too but ill be here waiting for that kiss you owe me."

"i think all that tequila youve been sipping has gone to your head maybank."

he stands in front of me, taking his signature red cap off his head and putting it on mine smiling down at me, "what do they say in those books you read? you wear the hat you ride the cowboy?"

"this no ten gallon hat and you are no cowboy."

we laugh at each other, its always been easier to do that then actually talk about our feelings. so i put his hat back on his head, backwards the way he i likes it.

"cmon y/n/n, have a few more drinks, relax and hang out and ill make you feel all better later yea? its what im best at, you know."

"its gonna take more than a few more teas to convince me jj"

"what about that thing you like that i do with my tongue, huh mama? doesnt that sound pretty good right now? i think it does."

"i give you one fucking compliment and it goes straight to your head."

"technically its about my head so that makes perfect sense," he hands me another can with that stupid signature smirk of his and his stupid sexy hat backwards. i hate to admit it's working on me.

just like it does every other time.

i squint my eyes at him taking the can, rolling the idea around in my head. "fuck it. its not like anyone else is offering," i take a big sip of my drink.

jj pumps his fist in the air like a victorious idiot giving a few woots and hollars before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder despite my wishes.

"jb!!" he shouts turning around to face him, "we're headed out!"

john b looks at the two of us shaking his head at how im kicking my feet to wiggle out of jjs oddly strong grip. "make sure you change the sheets when youre done!"

oh my god he did not just say that. "fuck both of you!"

jj just laughs carrying you back to the chateau like a kid who's excited to use a brand new birthday present.

"what happened to letting me have a few more drinks before we left??"

"youre just too irresistable mama, gotta have you now,' he gives my ass a light slap for good measure causing me to roll my eyes for the 600th time tonight.

"are you gonna put me down now?"

he pretends to look like hes thinking about it, "i guess. only so i can watch you walk away," he does as he says helping me get my feet on the ground.

"youre a pervert."

"no im flirtatious, and you love it, you know it makes you blush i see it. now go on and give me a lil walk yea?"

oh im gonna kill him...

oh wait! im gonna kill him!

"okay... fine. but no touching until we get home," i smile walking away exactly like he asked, but i know behind me he is a puddle of mud. standing still, about to start begging me to let him.

he finally catches up after a few seconds "mama please- cmon thats not fair. you look too good in those shorts you know i cant wait that long. just wanna feel you."

i cant help but giggle at his words, its honestly adorable how mopey he gets. like i just kicked his puppy or something.

"hands of jj i mean it... not until that door shuts behind us."

it didn't really matter that i can see the chateau or that ill be there in literally a minute.

its actually painful for jj to not be able to touch me as he pleases.

i turn around to face him with a cheeky smile. "you want me maybank?"

and of course he nods so hard it looks like his head is going to fall right off.

"come and get me," running towards the house, i can see the moment when his reflexes kick in, his boots thudding against the ground as he gains on me.

just before i can make it to the poarch jj wraps his arms around me, lifting me a few inches off the ground and spinning me around in a fit of laughter.

"okay! okay okay okay you win- you got me."

"oh ive got you mama, and im havin you for the rest of the fucking night," he presses a kiss to my neck hauling me inside, the screen door slamming shut after us.

am i gonna regret this tomorrow? most likely.

but what can i say? its slim pickins in this part of town.

[xveenusx]

You

Paring(s): JJ maybank x fem!reader

Summary: Request- John b's little sister grew up with JJ. Both boys are protective of her but when John B and Sarah leave on the boat, she only has JJ. She realizes she has feelings for him, not knowing he feels the same.

Authors note: I decided I could give you guys a sprinkle of fluff and slight smut after the last two pieces! This takes place at the beginning of season 2 where they believe Sarah and John b are dead.

Also, someone complained about the length of my pieces. I know they’re long but it’s just my writing style. I like for the readers to feel what the main character is feeling. If the length bothers you, then don’t read it!

_______________

Angry.

That’s how I felt.

At myself. At my dad. At John B.

When we first lost our dad, it didn’t feel real. I waited outside on the steps of the chateu hoping to see him come back on his boat. Suddenly, hours turned to days which turned into months and the hope that filled my chest shrank bit by bit until I no longer sat outside.

Instead, John B and I did what we could. After successfully evading CPS, we decided it was best to lay low. That was the thing about us, we always managed to make the best out of a shitty situation because let’s face it, being born on the cut was shitty situation after shitty situation.

Unfortunately, it felt like the stress had finally caught up to me. Being surrounded by unfamiliar people caused a bitter sense of panic to fill my very core. My anxiety had amplified tenfold as the once out going girl became completely sheltered.

It was safer that way. At least, if I isolated myself, losing someone else won’t hurt as bad as this. Because as long as I had my brother, everything else was manageable.

Losing my dad was tough, almost impossible but at least I had John B.

Until, I didn’t.

It didn’t hit me until I saw the boat capsize with my brother and Sarah in it. I was truly an orphan, in every sense of the word.

My knees had given out as every emotion crashed into my body like a violent tsunami. A silent scream leaving my body as I could no longer hold myself up.

Familiar arms caught me just as I was about to hit the floor, the rain pounded into my skin like thousands of needles. As I drew in a sharp breath, my voice impossible to find, a delicate smell of sex wax and salt filled my nose.

JJ.

“Please breathe. I need you to take a b-breath,” He pleaded, his voice shook in obvious grief. He had just lost his brother too.

I couldn’t seem to do what he was asking. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing for this nightmare to end, but thought after thought slammed into my head repeatedly. My chest squeezed tightly, so tight that I began to claw at it, desperate to relieve the tension.

Yet, nothing seemed to work. I could see him now, his image blurred due to the tears falling from my eyes. His mouth was moving but I couldn’t hear anything.

My fingers slowly started to cramp due to the lack of oxygen from my inability to calm down. The tidal wave known as anxiety pulled me deep, my vision slowly becoming black before my unconscious body falls limp in the arms of my brother’s best friend.

_________

I hated this sign.

My eyes glared at the makeshift headstone my friends made for Sarah and John B that was carved into the tree.

It served as another reminder that my brother left me.

I’ve become close friends with anger and sadness.

Our friends tried to give me a sense of stability and normalcy, one that I’ve been lacking since the moment our dad died. Kie always stopped by bringing left overs from her parent’s restaurant. Pope would help me with my homework and go over scholarship options. I knew he was trying to help me plan for the future, but we both knew he was the only one that could really get out. I welcomed the distraction and tried to enjoy the small bubble I’ve created for myself.

And then, there was JJ.

JJ was special.

He all but moved in to the chateau, never leaving me alone in my thoughts for too long. He took up a serving job at some kook club to feed us and always brought me with him. I would sit in a small corner throughout, his shifts and enjoy his company.

In a way, I think it was for him just as much as it was for me. We had both bonded over the loss of my brother and it caused an invisible string to tether us together in a way that almost felt intimate.

I blew out a breath.

Standing up, I wiped off the dirt from my thighs and flexed my hands. JJ was on his way to pick me up and take me to the annual bonfire here on the island.

When he asked me, my first reaction was an immediate no. I had avoided going near large groups of people since they believed my brother to be a murder, therefore, making me guilty by association. Just the thought of surrounding myself around those people made my skin itch.

But I also knew that we were both desperate to feel the closest thing to normal that we could find.

What he didn’t know was that feeling of normalcy could only be achieved when he was with me. Breathing was easier when he was with me, living was easier.

The familiar sound of a bike engine caused my stomach to flutter with nerves.

“You ready?”

Inhaling deeply, I turned around to see JJ leaning against his bike looking every bit as handsome as the first time I laid eyes on him. He was grinning, something he reserved just for me, with a toothpick on one side.

If he was here, then I’d be able to do anything.

“I go where you go.”

JJ’s blue eyes shined at my words. He shot me his infamous smirk that nearly caused the butterflies in my stomach to erupt.

“You got that right. Get on the bike, let’s get the fuck out of here.”

My brain was my biggest enemy. It had a tendency to disrupt whatever sense of peace I had and destroy it with every self sabotaging thought I’ve ever had.

In this case, my brain wanted to know just how many girls sat there before me.

Noticing my hesitation, JJ raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. “What’s up?”

“I just don’t want to get cooties from all the girls you let on this thing.”

He rolled his eyes. “Get your ass on the bike.”

My feet moved towards the bike as I mumbled under my breath. Stopping in front of him, JJ brushes some loose strands of my hair out of my face before grabbing the helmet that was on the seat.

I reached for it but JJ shoved my hands away, shooting me a flat look. Huffing, I stood there as JJ placed the helmet on my head, tightening the strap under my chin.

“Why do I have to wear a helmet and you don’t?”

“Because you matter.” His response was immediate.

Speechless, I said nothing more as he continued with the unnecessary pampering before he finally let me on the bike. Revving the engine, JJ kicks up the stand before reaching behind and grabbing my arm, settling it around his waist. He tapped my thigh twice to signal we were going and we took off.

I clung to his body, watching as the greenery blurred into one large mass, my thoughts doing the same.

You matter.

You matter.

You matter.

But what did that mean? What did it mean to him? What did I mean to him?

Because, I knew exactly what he meant to me.

There were small moments we shared. Our eye contact would stay on each other for a beat too long or his hands would linger just a minute longer than normal.

I knew, at least for me, our friendship had reached a very blurred line. My feelings for him seemed to consume me but I couldn’t tell how he felt. No one ever could, JJ didn’t let them.

He would say things like this that would completely throw me out of the loop. So we settled into a routine, one that resembled a relationship yet we weren’t in one.

The familiar cackle of the fire and shouts of excitement signaled that we were close to the party. Unease leaked into my bloodstream as I flexed my fingers into JJ’s shirt, the nerves sky rocketing.

JJ parked next to some truck but my focus was broken. My eyes jumped all over, taking in the scene all while trying to remind myself to breathe. People were shot gunning while others were playing beer pong, kooks and pouges alike.

Everyone was laughing and smiling, but it all seemed foreign to me. This was what I used to do, when things weren’t as complicated and dark as they were now. It felt almost wrong to go dancing and drinking when my life was in shambles.

A small touch to my wrist pulled me out of my thoughts as I turned to face JJ. A look of concern painted his face as he pressed his fingers against my wrist, checking my pulse.

“JJ, I’m fine.” I said exasperated but secretly, I adored how he took care of me. It made me feel like to him, I was different than all the other girls.

I just couldn’t decipher if he took care of me out of obligation to John B or because he actually cared for me.

He picked up this habit after I passed out in his arms. JJ always brushed his fingers against the inside of my wrist, just to double check that I wasn’t going to pass out again.

My anxiety was yet another monster I had to tackle after I lost John B and JJ was the only one that could calm me down. He weighed me down like an anchor.

“Look at me,” he demanded, his fingers lifting my chin causing my eyes to meet his.

His gaze ran over every inch of my face before a small satisfied smile played his lips.

“Do you believe me now?”

JJ shot me a wink, before cupping my face gently. “I’ll be back with tequila, don’t move.”

A small laugh left my mouth. “JJ, I don’t hang out with anyone else.”

“I’m all you can handle anyways, baby.”

My stomach dipped at the term of endearment. Laughing it off, I shooed him away and within seconds people were calling out his name, tugging him into their groups.

He seemed relax—happy even—to be surrounded by familiar people that I’m sure made him feel normal. I wanted him to have that, god, did I want him to have that.

So I ignored the nausea that nipped at my throat and spent the next five minutes looking around, hoping to spot Pope or Kie with no luck.

JJ deserved some time that didn’t involve watching me.

Only, I didn’t expect him to disappear for the rest of the night.

Hours later, I pushed passed the sweaty, overheated bodies as the bass of the music trembled through the air rattling my chest. The mass of bodies caused a layer of sweat to cover my body the further I went into the crowd. Intense rap music was being blasted instantly getting a reaction by the drug induced people around me.

Just by a simple sweep of the overcrowded property, I gave it a solid half hour before the cops showed up.

A large figure stumbled into me, beer sloshing onto my top. I gasped, stepping back slightly wincing at the cold liquid dripping down my stomach.

"Sorry," He slurred before stumbling back into the mosh pit of raging teens.

A familiar laugh rang out and almost immediately my body reacted to it. It was odd. After years of hearing his voice and his laugh, you would think I'd have gotten used to it by now, but no.

The effect he had on my body left me stunned.

My eyes were drawn to him instantly. I blocked everything else out.

His head was tilted back as he belted out another laugh. JJ was leaning against a wall with a hand holding a beer bottle loosely and the other moving as he spoke animatedly to the group that surrounded him.

His sun touched skin complimented his bright blue orbs that shined with a child-like wonder. JJ’s golden colored locks were thick and fell into a messy heap on his head, loose strands brushing against his forehead.

The black cut muscle tee he wore displayed every muscle as he continued to move his arms to accompany his storytelling.

JJ Maybank was a sight for sore eyes.

He was still talking rapidly when he glanced up and locked eyes with mine. JJ’s ocean eyes shined as he shot me a megawatt smile nearly sending me to my knees. He stopped mid-conversation and motioned for me to come over, his eyes once again gleaming with a unspoken level of affection.

I remained frozen. Sometimes this happened. I got overwhelmed by just how much I needed him.

JJ managed to knock me off my feet a solid five times a day. Each time welcomed even more than the last.

He bit his lip, stopping a smile as he bid his friends goodbye and began walking over to where I stood, running a hand through his hair messily.

I opened my mouth, not knowing what to say when a manicured hand rested itself on his stomach, stopping him in his tracks.

“Haven’t see you in awhile. Where ya been?”

Stacey Williams had this thing about her.

What it was, I couldn’t say, but it was enough for JJ to keep going back for more. She was the only other girl in his life that he gave a fraction of his attention to.

That fact alone made me nervous.

Just walk away, JJ. Please just walk away.

Instead, he took a seat next to her and shot her smile that was reserved for me.

People stumble between us, blocking my view but I could still hear them conversing.

“You know me, Steis. I’m here, I’m there. Just doin’ me.”

She let out a giggle causing me to roll my eyes. He’s really not that funny.

“You haven’t been answering my calls. I figured, tonight you could come over and we could talk.”

My stomach tied itself in knots at the silence on his end. It was almost like he was contemplating going.

“I -I can’t tonight. I came with John b’s sister.”

I winced. That’s all I was to him?

I could see Stacey lean forward and slip her hand along the open slit of his muscle tee. “She follows you around like a lost puppy, JJ. It’s almost sad if it wasn’t so weird.”

I saw him shake his head. “It’s not like that, we’re both just dealing with everything the best way we can.”

Stacey rolled her eyes before she took a sip of her drink, “JJ, your hot but please tell me you’re not that blind. The girl is basically in love with you.”

Judging by the way JJ froze, I now knew that I misjudged every interaction we’ve had to this point. He didn’t even notice how I felt.

“What-I mean-no. She’s just a girl that needs help. I mean, come on. She’s just John B’s sister.”

The only thing more humiliating than finding out the person you want doesn’t want you, is finding out they were only there for you because of an obligation.

I wasn’t special to him. I was just John B’s little sister.

I think another part of me died right there, because yet again, I have lost another person I loved.

But this time, he wasn’t gone, no—he was right in front of me, but he might as well have been a million miles away or six feet under.

Eavesdropping is the quickest way to a broken heart. Words not meant for your ears strike your heart in a brutal assault until nothing remained.

Finally, the crowd that separated us moved and I stood there stupidly staring at him.

Feeling the weight of my gaze, JJ turned his head and his eyes widened before settling into a look of guilt.

I tore my gaze off of him and looked at her. The smug smile she wore told me she intended for me to hear what he had said.

My face heated, and I glanced down at the drink in my hand. How could I be so fucking stupid?

Ignoring the sickening twists in my stomach, I tossed back the strong liquor in my cup. The burning trail the tequila left is the feeling I decided to focus on.

Spinning around, my eyes searched for another cooler, desperate to keep the burning feeling going.

“Shit-Wait,” I could hear JJ shouting for me but I kept moving.

Finding a handle of tequila, I flicked the top off and took a pull. The bitter burn fell over my body with a fuzzy warmth.

JJ knocks the bottle out of my hand.

“What the fuck is your problem?”

“Since when do you drink like that?” He asked.

“Go away, JJ. I don’t need you to babysit me anymore.”

“Listen, if this is about what I said-“

“You’re free, JJ,” my voice trembled with pain,” You don’t need to waste any more of your time on me.”

I grabbed a red solo cup, sniffing the contents, and just as I was about to chug it back, his hand slaps it out of my own.

“Will you stop fucking drinking that-“ JJ’s baby blues narrowed as he growled at me.

“What are you, my dad? You’re taking this baby sitting gig a little too seriously.”

It was, then I noticed how many eyes were on us. The music was still blasting, but no one was dancing.

My breathing picked up at the sudden attention. I dug my nails into the palm of my hand to distract my body from the ever growing panic that plagued my body.

JJ’s eye clock in on my nervous tic causing his glare to soften. A figure approaching pulled my focus off of him.

Topper strides over with a drink in his hand and a lazy smile. “Hey man-“

“Top, your wearing sandals bro. Step off.”

“I’m just saying man, she doesn’t want to talk to you.”

JJ’s eyes darkened as a threatening smile slowly graced his lips. “Wanna run that by me again?”

“I forgot that you pouges are missing a couple brain cells,” Topper lolled his head to the side and shot me a wink, “Since you’re clearly a bit slow, I’ll spell it out for you. She. Doesn’t. Want. To. Talk. To. You.”

“I dont remember you being this cocky with a gun to your head.” The words were spoken softly but the threat was clear.

A storm brewed in JJ’s eyes as the bright blue was replaced by something much darker.

My heart jumped at his tone and the look in his eyes made me swallow hard. Disgust filled me as heat began to build between my legs forcing me to press my thighs together.

Hands up on surrender, Topper shot me a look before heading back to his friends. JJ’s eyes stayed on him for a beat ensuring that he wouldn’t come back.

When he was satisfied, JJ moved towards me in quick strides making me yelp in surprise.

His ring covered hand grasped my upper arm and tugged me back to his bike. I shrugged out of his hold and crossed my arms across my chest, hoping it’ll keep a safe distance between the two of us.

I couldn’t think clearly when he was close.

“Listen-“

“No thanks.”

“If you would just-“

“Go away.”

“Can you please stop acting-“

“Why don’t you go back to Stacy? I’m sure she’d find this conversation enlightening.” I spat, shoving his reaching hands away.

“I dont want to talk to Sta-“

“Are you sure? You seemed to have a lot to say be-“

“Jesus Christ, would you just shut up?” JJ shouted with his hands in his hair.

My mouth opened and closed in shock.

“You’re the most frustrating person on this fucking island.” He growled, shaking his head in false amusement.

“Then why are you still talking to me?”

“Because it’s you.”

Throwing my hands up in defeat, I let out a bleak laugh. “What does that even mean? Stop pretending you care. Stop pretending to be my-“

“I wasn’t pretending.” He shook his head, the blue orbs pleading for me to understand,”Stacey was just saying shit to get a reaction-“

“She wasn’t wrong.”

He stopped talking and stared at me, almost confused.

My body trembled slightly with nerves as I prepared to finally expose every bit of my heart to the blue eyed boy in front of me.

“What she said—about how I feel about you. She was right. Anybody with two fucking eyes can see how I feel about you, except for you.”

I furiously wiped my eyes stop the tears from falling. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

“But now I know you only see me as John B’s little sister. It’s just humiliating that you chose to say that to Stacey instead of me.”

I was going to throw up. My stomach churned and swayed but I swallowed down the urge.

JJ let out a harsh sound, “I feel fucking guilty, okay? I feel guilty that I don’t see you the way I should. John B was my best friend and now I’m falling for his sister? It’s eating at me.”

“Then leave-“

“Shut up,” He snapped. “You’ve already got to say what you wanted. It’s my turn.”

My throat tightened as I braced myself for his confession.

“I look at you and I have to stop myself from kissing you even though it’s all I can think about.”

His eye contact seared into my very soul. I could feel it pierce my pounding heart.

“So you aren’t the only one that feels something.”

My heart was in my throat as I processed his words.

“But you said-“

“I lied.” He cut me off with a shrug and advanced towards me, clearly fed up with the distance I placed between us.

In a last ditched effort, I put up my hands to stop him in his tracks. I needed to think. I needed to breathe.

“Don’t touch me.” The plea itself was weak at best.

At the sound of my sob, JJ ignores my demand, and shoves my hands away, despite my weak attempt to keep him out of my space.

Instantly, his fingers curl themselves along my wrist and take note of my pulse. He let out a distressed sound from what I can only assume is the pounding of my pulse and whispers soothing words.

Taking in gulps of air, he slowly counts me down to a manageable pace of breathing. My shaking slowly begins to subside and my very focus is just on him.

Resting his forehead on mine, JJ whispers pleadingly, “Please stop crying.”

Another kiss lands on my nose. “I’m sorry.”

His request along with his sweet pleadings, causes my defenses to crumble down. Another sob tears from my chest as I relax into his embrace.

“I didn’t mean it.” He muttered, brushing my tears away with his thumb.

“Then why did you say it?” My words were soft, barely a whisper.

“Because she’s not important enough to know how I feel.”

Our eyes were glued to each other, a deep unknown longing singeing us together.

“You said I was just some girl.”

JJ tilted my head up, his fingers trailing softly along my bottom lip, “I meant my girl.”

“I have a lot of baggage,” I gave him one more shot at leaving.

“Good thing I have a truck.”

“But she-“

He shook his head, leaning down so there’s just a sliver of space between our lips, so close that we were inhaling each others breaths.

“You’re the only one I want.”

JJ bent down, his arms circling themselves directly below my ass, and picked me up causing me to shout out in surprise.

My hands curled onto each of his arms, my stomach fluttering at the flex of his muscles. He set me on the seat of the bike, his large calloused hands gripped my upper thighs tightly sending a wave of heat right to my core.

JJ’s half lidded eyes dart between my gaze and my lips. “Tell me to stop.”

The words never crossed my lips.

He let out a sound of satisfaction, tugging my legs open to stand in between them.

His ring covered fingers danced along the strands of my hair before nesting themselves at the root, gripping the nape tightly, "You’re mine.”

Heat instantly swarmed my belly as I drastically tried to collect my thoughts. My lips trembled as he hovered over me, his figure towering over my small frame.

JJ swiped his tongue along my parted lips before biting gently. Instantly, my body jolted forward and we were chest to chest, perfectly aligned.

My grip on his biceps tightened as I tremble with anticipation.

Finally, he pressed his lips to mine, slowly guiding our kiss. Gripping my hair tighter, he tilts my head sliding his tongue inside.

A small whimper escaped my lips causing a groan to erupt from him. Almost lazily, he pulled back slightly and pulled my bottom lip into his, sucking softly.

White hot lust seared itself into my blood. I let out a whine and pushed myself up, pressing my lips to his, desperate for another taste of JJ.

My blood was pounding in my ears as I tugged him closer. Almost lazily, I teased his mouth open and slid my tongue inside. Humming with desire, I gently sucked on his tongue causing him to flex his grip on my thighs.

JJ pulled back giving me the opportunity to catch my breath. His fingertips left a heated trail along my face as he caressed every inch.

He shook his head, laughing to himself softly,” It’s you. It’s always been you.”

______________

I love sassy JJ. Sorry for the delayed upload, I got into a car accident and am just now starting to get better:)

Please let me know what you think!! Next piece will be yummy smut with Rafe

[i-love-ptv]

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…☃️𝜗𝜚˚⋆

Pairing: Boyfriend!Rafe Cameron x Pogue!Girlfriend!Reader

It’s exactly one week from Christmas, which means your boyfriend needs to partake in the holiday cheer.

Wc: 1,117

Pure fluff!! Rafe’s not a big fan of christmas, but it’s not his fault! :-( (when in doubt, blame w*rd cameron )

An: Hi chat, this is super rushed but I can’t seem to gaf 😭 also Rafe truly strikes me as the type to have an adorable looking dog w/ a DEVIOUS ass name. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

Feedback is always appreciated and welcome! Tis the season hotties xoxo

“You’ve never tried eggnog before?” You muse.

“I didn’t say that; I had it maybe once when I was a kid and I hated it.” Rafe deadpans, though he finds amusement in your mischievous grin.

You squint your eyes at him, “Well, your taste buds change every seven years. So why don’t you take a sip?” Your hand reaches out towards his, offering him the glass, and he merely pushes it back towards you with his index finger.

“I’m not drinking that shit, Buttercup.” If you didn’t know any better, you would’ve thought that your boyfriend was scowling at the idea of drinking eggnog. You laugh at his expression, and the teasing doesn’t stop.

“Allow me to enlighten you, Mr.Cameron,” Rafe rolls his eyes at the formalities, but he hums in response, urging for you to continue.

“The delicacy of a beverage known as ‘eggnog’ is a pogue holiday custom. Which means, if you’re going to date the pogue princess, you need to pick up the culture.” You’re teasing him, but Rafe doesn’t seem to care. In fact, he finds himself feeling utterly enamored (per usual) at your means to include him into your traditions.

“Sounds great ‘n all—really babe..But I'm not interested.”

You huff and place the glass on the counter. “But Ray, it’s more than just it being a drink, it gives you the real Christmas spirit!” You’re beyond energetic when talking to him—literally jumping in place.

Christmas has always been your favorite holiday, despite your family issues, you’ve been a part of a family that provided adventures, love, and even a little bit of drama—not that you mind. The infamous group of pogues have been your safe haven since the five of you came together.

You didn’t go to a kook academy like Kie, so you’ve known JJ, Pope, and John B longer. But that doesn’t mean they’re your favorites. You and Kie have had this undeniable bond since day one; you know everything about her, and vice versa. In fact, she’s the one that introduced you to eggnog a few years ago, when she snuck downstairs to her parents’ Christmas party.

…Was the eggnog spiked with alcohol? Maybe. Did Kie also steal a few Jell-o shots too? Also maybe, but that’s besides the point.

Ever since you discovered your love for the festive drink, you immediately went to share your excitement with the rest of the pogues; which turned into a tradition.

The five of you would drink a glass of eggnog every day the week before christmas day; was that good for your stomachs? Absolutely not, but none of you cared.

Today’s the 18th, which means the tradition is officially in motion. The pogues are all doing their own things today, but you all vowed to follow through; so what better way to celebrate than to include Rafe?

After everything that went down in Morocco, Rafe’s been a bit kinder to your friends.

Keyword: a bit.

“I don’t want to get into the “Christmas Spirit”,” Rafe scrunches his face up and uses air quotes, interrupting you from your reminiscing. “I’m fine how I am, thank you.” You pout at this.

Your heart is in the right place; he feels his beating in his ears as you continue your pestering. But Rafe can’t seem to find joy in the holiday; there hasn’t been a real Christmas in the Cameron household since Rafe’s mother died. She was always so passionate about the entire winter season, and that light went right with her. There hasn’t been a year where Ward would even put up the decorations that collected dust in the attic unless it was for an event where other’s on the island would attend.

Ward hadn’t even attempted to do something when Wheezie begged him to, so the three Cameron siblings considered it a lost cause. You’ve been slowly but surely piecing Rafe back together, trying desperately to make him feel that happiness he felt when he was a boy.

Despite all of your teasing, you’re looking up at Rafe so lovingly, almost as if you can read him like a book. —He wouldn’t be surprised if you could; you know everything about him after all. Rafe’s attention wanders elsewhere as he hears pattering against the freshly-swept floors.

Your dog, Lucifer (Rafe decided that since you got the dog, he should be able to name it) walks on over and plants himself at your feet.

You squat down to be at his height, and Lucifer puts his two front paws on your shoulders. “I know, I know. Daddy should try the eggnog, huh Luc?” You coo at the dog, making his tail wag ferociously.

Rafe clicks his tongue and squats down as well, “Don’t let mom brainwash you, bud.” You squawk in disbelief.

“Crazy how you say that,” You squint your eyes at him before getting up and heading to the fridge. You pull out a plastic cup, and Lucifer, ever the curious, whines at your hand.

“C’mere baby, this is for you!” You baby-talk the golden haired dog, and he barks in return as you place the cup down on the floor. Rafe’s leaning on the counter now, and he barely gets a glimpse of the cup’s contents before Lucifer’s dives nose first into it, but he does nonetheless.

“There’s no way in hell you just gave our dog eggnog.” Rafe exclaims, running his hand over his shaven head.

“Actually,” you mock, “I spent an entire hour finding the perfect “dognog” recipe for our son. And from the looks of it, he enjoys it. Unlike his daddy.” You quirk a brow at the brunette.

“You’re ridiculous,” Rafe scoffs with a smile gracing his chapstick-covered lips.

“But you love me, right?” You drag out, leaning your body into his taller, lankier one.

“Damn right.” Rafe’s semi-smile turns into a smirk as he wraps his arm around your waist and kisses you.

You hum against his lips before breaking away, “y’love me enough to drink eggnog?” You question, and Rafe lets out a boisterous laugh.

“Not a chance, Buttercup.” He tickles your sides, making you back away from his hold. Rafe follows after you, but his onslaught is interrupted by a soft whine. You both look down, and you’re both met with the sight of the tipped over cup, and Lucifer looking back up at the pair of you.

You scratch behind the dog’s ears and press kisses to his face as Rafe rubs his head.

This may not have swayed Rafe into embracing the joy of Christmas, but you’re damn sure the boxes upon boxes of Christmas tree ornaments and decorations will.

[obxsummer]

Im rewatching OBX again and when John b said im only using her when he said another thing to Sarah and then kie told Sarah you said you were using her I would of been like uhhh what I lowkey would of been pissed and walked off to see if John b would of chased after me kinda want this made into a fic if you want if not please ignore it LOL

pairing: john b routledge x kook!reader

a/n: sarah's better than me bc i would've cried over this scene lol

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--

This was a bad idea. You told yourself it was a bad idea and still went through with it, so you only had to blame yourself. 

Your whole life you had seen the Pogue versus Kook dynamic for yourself; you just never thought you’d become a piece of it.

John B gave you a sense of adventure, of something new. Running to Chapel Hill with him had been so easy. You were usually a ball of anxiety, but he made everything seem like it would be okay, no matter the outcome. 

Which led you here, walking your bike through the wooded area of The Cut with John B by your side. You knew it wouldn’t be easy to try and get along with his friend group, but unfortunately, where John B went, JJ, Kie, and Pope weren’t far behind. 

“I’m really nervous about this, John B,” You admitted as the Chateau came into view. “She’s not gonna be happy.”

John B shrugged slightly, apparently not realizing the bomb he was about to implode in his own house, “She’ll be fine. It’ll be cool, I promise.”

You shook your head, not really convinced but also not wanting to cause a scene over it. “So you guys found the gold, but under an axe murderer’s house?”

“Well, yeah. Kind of. I mean, the only thing is the well is super sketchy deep.”

You looked over at him, the excitement in his eyes making you slightly jealous that you’d missed out. Normally, you’d run at the idea of half the shit they got themselves into, but John B’s presence was almost addicting.

“Wish I was there,” You joked, leaning into him slightly as he took the bike from your hold so you could walk closer to him. 

“You will be, tonight,” He smiled at you, warmth taking over as you blushed. John B had managed to make it feel like you guys had been close friends your whole life, and you were slowly falling in love with that feeling.

“Is um… is that okay?” You knew it wasn’t, but you had to ask. 

John B shifted the bike into his casted hand, reaching the other one over for you to grab so he could squeeze it. “Yeah, it will be. And if they push back, we’ll figure something out. Vlad and Val gotta stick together, right?”

You nodded, but John B could tell you weren’t convinced and it was a little bit of a hit to your confidence. Kiara had never really liked you, instantly envious of your life and the way John B, JJ, and Pope always had heart eyes when they saw you. She saw you as a threat and that meant she wouldn’t be happy about your involvement in the slightest, especially when she put together that you were more than friends with John B.

“You’re a bad liar, but I’ll go with it,” You teased quietly, “If she’s gonna get territorial, I’m not fighting her, John B.”

“Hey, hey, just listen.” John B tugged on your hand so you’d stop walking and face him. “You’re a part of this too, okay? You got us the plat map. You got me into Chapel Hill. Your dad offered to cover for me. Once we get with everybody, they’re gonna be excited.”

You tried to let his enthusiasm sway you, but it wasn’t working well. And as Kiara walked out of the Chateau to see you on the couch next to John B, you knew you were right. 

“No fucking way. You brought her here? So what? She’s in on this now?” Annoyance and anger were evident in her voice and you shrunk back into the couch as she practically bitched at you. 

Pope shrugged. He had always thought you were super nice. He delivered groceries to your home and you’d overtipped each time, knowing the money was needed more in his pocket than yours. 

“Look, all I care about is her cut comes out of your share,” JJ pointed toward the boy sitting next to you. “No offense.”

You shook your head at JJ, a small smile on your face. A winky response told you he was kidding. Similar to Pope, you’d seen JJ plenty at the country club when he played server for a few hours.  You tried to request him each time you and Sarah visited, keeping him away from Rafe, Topper, and Kelce as best as possible. And you didn’t do it to prove a point, you did it because you cared. You’d watched some of the best people in your life get treated so poorly just for living on the other half of the island. 

“You know, I don’t remember taking a vote,” Kiara continued, “This is our thing. A Pogue thing. We were all extremely comfortable until you brought her.”

You tried to refrain from rolling your eyes at her unnecessary anger. “Stop talking about me like I’m not here!” You defended.

“Then leave.”

JJ coughed on his weed pen from the chair next to you, obviously uncomfortable with the growing tension. “I… am remaining indifferent.”

“Do you even know what that means?”

“Of course, I know what that means, Pope, I-”

Kiara glared at both boys, upset that it seemed nobody was taking her side. 

You shook your head, realizing this was causing more trouble than you intended. “I told you,” You mumbled to John B.

“Told him what, exactly? That you’re a liar?”

All niceties went out the window at the accusation and you faced Kiara with an anger you’d hidden for a while. “No, that you’re a shit-talking bitch! You know nothing about me, Kiara. And you just hate me for no reason, so-”

“Everybody shut up!” John B yelling had you flinching back into your seat, the emotions overwhelming as silence fell around you. He looked at the curly-haired girl standing in front of you. “Kie, you are my best friend, right? And Y/N, you’re…”

The hesitation in his voice made your heart skip but you nodded in agreement, wanting nothing more than to push past the friendship boundary into something bigger. 

“...You’re my girlfriend.”

Kiara crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s your girlfriend now? What was all that talk about you were just using her for information? Get a map, cut her loose.”

The snide comment hit you like a smack in the face as you glanced over at John B. The way he refused to look at you told you it was true and you frowned. “You said you were using me?”

“No?”

“Yeah, you did.” Three voices agreed in return and you closed your eyes in frustration. 

Another strike to the heart. Shaking your head to yourself, you got up off the couch. “I’m just gonna go. Thanks for ruining another good thing for me, Kiara. Always appreciated.”

Without another word, you shoved open the screen door and let it slam behind you. Tears blurred your vision as you grabbed your bike from its spot against the house and started walking.

John B was yelling your name behind you, but you refused to stop. The back of your hand brushed away tears as fast as they came. You knew, you knew this was a bad idea. You were so quick to trust someone with your feelings and it always bit you in the ass.

“Hey, hey!” His Converse crunched leaves on the ground as he tried to catch up to you.

You tossed your bike aside when he grabbed your shoulder and you turned to him to let him see the full result of his comment. “Why did you lie to me?” You asked, voice cracking against your wishes. “John B, I told you I was already nervous to get involved with her, and then you… you just used me?”

“I’m sorry! That- it wasn’t like that! At first, yeah it started off that way, but love walked in, okay? I didn’t expect it, but I’m not gonna act like it isn’t true,” He defended.

You laughed and looked away from him. “God, I know better. I know better and I still let you walk in my life and take what you needed because I wanted you. I still want you, even knowing you just used me to your benefit. That’s not love.”

John B opened his mouth to argue but apparently couldn’t find the words. You shook your head and pulled your bike up from the ground, shrugging out of his grip as you climbed on. “Hope it was worth it, John B. Tell Kiara she won, again.”

--

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[raspberrylovc]

LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM - jj maybank !

-- on christmas morning, on vacation, jj refuses to let you even as much as get out of bed. he insists on staying in bed during the cold day.

word count 702

!!' soft!jj, fwb!jj, fwb!reader

warnings implied sex (lmk if i need to add some)

notes this is my first time writing on tumblr (usually writing on wattpad) so sorry if this wasnt as good as expected. im open to writing tips if anyone has any !!

SOMEHOW, you had, once again, convinced the pogues to spend vacation in your hometown. it was the one place you knew would always snow on christmas day, which you absolutely adored.

you all stayed at your parents house. your mom had insisted for you to, due to having just enough beds for everyone. well, enough for two to a room, and one on the pullout in the living room.

the sleeping plan was quite simple. pope and cleo in room 1, sarah and john b in room 2, you and kie in your old room, and jj on the pullout.

however, jj had convinced kiara to let him bunk with you instead, going on about how it was impossible to fall asleep without another person in the room, and refusing to sleep in a room with any of the others due to the couples being paired together.

she hesitantly agreed, mainly just to get him to stop rambling. so she took the pullout, while jj slept in your room with you.

CHRISTMAS MORNING was definitely the most exciting thing to you. all you wanted to do was get up, dress warmly, go shopping, get hot chocolate, then come back to surprise the others with the freshly bought gifts you got for them.

only, of course, jj had found a way to stopping all those plans. the second you tried to get up, you felt his arm tighten around you. he was still half asleep, but awake enough to know he wanted you to stay.

you turn around to face him, very obviously confused. you hadnt realized he was already awake. that alone ruining your plans, let alone him not even letting you get up.

"jay, i need to shower." you complained. he pretended to think for a second. "mm, no." he eventually disagrees. "just stay in bed, mk?" he wasnt really giving you a choice, his tone supporting that theory.

you groaned in response to his protest. "i have plans." before you can continue on, jj presses a sweet kiss to your lips.

jj kissing you wasnt too surprising to you. what caught you off guard was that he didnt do it in a state of lust, as he usually did. it was soft and slow instead of his usual kisses. but you kissed him back nonetheless.

"s'too cold to be going out anyway. cmon, we can celebrate tomorrow." he says after pulling away. it was a tempting offer, really. only you knew youd have to confirm with the others first.

but then again, he wasnt really asking. he was more just trying to get you to agree. but it was safe to say you were not making it out of the house without him immediately pulling you back inside.

"fine." you reluctantly agree. you were already getting cold anyways, what did you really have to lose?

jj smiles, pecking your lips time after time, causing a small smile to appear on your face. he eventually stops, tugging you closer as you bury your head in his chest.

you could faintly smell his cheap cologne, and what you assumed to be the cookies everyone made the night before. you surpringly enjoyed the smell.

he plants one final kiss onto the top of your head, before drifting off back to sleep. you let out a hum of amusement as you hear his soft snores, before falling asleep yourself.

a/n kinda short, but i just wanted to write something to end my block. its a few hours late to post this depending on time zones, but i hope you liked it anyways !!

taglist none !

not proofread

[evermoresversion]

hii i want to request a jj imagine. so the reader knows that jj is in love with kie. she sees it the way jj looks at kie, always laughs at her jokes and obv hits on her. and when john b and sarah are an nassau jj tries to hook up with the reader cause he’s rlly sad abt kie and pope yk. but reader rejects him. she tells him that she won’t fuck with him until kie likes him back. even though she rlly liked him. before walking off she says “one day she’s gonna see you the way i see you. just give kie some time to find the right glasses“ (yk everybody says you see the world with pink glasses when you’re in love) reader and jj stay rlly good friends and come closer than ever and poguelandia. poguelandia was the dream of both of them. then instead of kie the reader gets taken to kitty hawk. when jj saves her he finally tells her how she feels and says “kiara found the right glasses too late. i’ve put on other glasses“ the reader is rlly confused until he asks if she till has the same one on. and she is still in love with jj. then kiss scene yk. i hope you liek my idea!

THE RIGHT GLASSES, JJ MAYBANK.

A/N I really let my imagination run wild with this req. I'm very sorry for the delay.

PAIRING JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

TW/TAGS Angsty at first, fluff at the end, suggestive content.

REQUESTS ARE OPEN | JJ'S MASTERLIST | MASTERLIST

You could tell you had always been in love with JJ.

From the first time you saw him playing in a park in the cut with a rock and he hit himself on the head with it.

Yeah, you were completely in love with him.

But you weren't blind, you had always noticed the way he saw Kiara and laughed at her jokes or protected her.

Sometimes you wished you were her.

"Hey what's up?" John B asked, sitting next to you at the bonfire at the Chateau and you shook your head looking at the liquid left in your glass.

"It's nothing." You denied, trying to make light of it, showing your friend a smile but he didn't believe you because he saw the way you saw JJ. He always noticed it.

"All right, bug." He gave your shoulder a friendly shook and stood up to walk over to Sarah where JJ then took his place.

"Do you want me to take you home now?"

You nodded goodbye to everyone and then found yourself behind on JJ's motorcycle.

When you both arrived he helped you down and there was a tense silence between the two of you.

"Well, I'll see you later." You said goodbye and walked towards the entrance of the house.

"Yeah, bye." He uttered awkwardly and got back on his motorcycle, leaving.

The next few months passed quietly without any drama except for the gold. In addition to the disappearance of Sarah and John B.

During that period of time Pope started some kind of situationship with Kiara and JJ was clearly affected.

While they were doing their thing, JJ tried to get closer to you to find some kind of distraction until one night he even tried to kiss you.

"No." You sighed, turning your face away from his, prompting him to sigh in frustration.

Despite all this time, you still liked JJ but you weren't going to let him use you while Kiara decided whether to be with him or not.

"I'm not going to fuck you or whatever just to be your distraction. No, I'm not going to do that." You shook your head with a wry smile, staring at your feet and playing with your hands.

"Forgive me."

You looked into his blue eyes that shone under the moonlight and saw adoration reflected in his eyes but not love towards you.

"I don't have anything to forgive you for."

You stood up from the log where you were both sitting and dusted off your clothes. Before leaving you looked at him.

"Someday she's gonna see you the way I see you." You shrugged your shoulders. "Just give Kie some time to find the right glasses."

After that you both didn't mention anything about it again but little by little both became even closer.

You were even the one who saved him when he almost drowned.

In Pogueland there was not a second that you both did not pass by with each other. You fished together, gathered whatever food you could together, everything.

"This is like a dream come true" you uttered as you were both staring at the stars lying on the ground. "Except I miss showers."

You both laughed and you felt his hand reach for yours.

"Yes, it's a dream come true."

You turned your face to look at him and found that he was already looking at you, making you smile.

The days passed and passed and neither of you worried about whether or not you were going to leave that island.

Until they finally got you out of there and it was no secret to anyone that you and JJ didn't want to leave, but you had to.

"I just got back, and you're trying to send me away again?" you said in disbelief, looking at your parents who had informed you that they were sending you to boarding school.

"Sweetheart, it's for your own good, you can't keep doing this kind of thing." Your father started.

"Those friends of yours are a bad influence."

You laughed, in disbelief, and when you tried to leave your mother interrupted you.

"You're going to do what we say, we're your parents."

"Yeah, whatever."

Of course the first place you went was to JJ's now empty house since Luke had gone to where JJ had always wanted to escape.

"No, they can't send you away."

You sighed, pacing the porch of the house.

"I don't want to get away from y'all."

JJ stood up from where he was standing and gently grabbed your face.

"It's not going to happen, as long as I'm here I'm going to stop them from taking you."

You hugged him tightly and felt his strong arms wrap around you as well.

Weeks passed and there was no sign that your parents were still pursuing the idea of taking you to Kitty Hawk, as the boarding school was called, but you still remained cautious.

The guys already had a plan to go to Orinoco to look for El Dorado and escape to South America. After a meeting at the dock, everyone spread out to go pack their things.

"Hey, y/n."

You stopped and looked at him with a kind smile.

You could feel Kiara's gaze on both of you but neither of you paid much attention to her.

"I needed to tell you something but I'd better tell you on the plane."

You nodded and left a kiss on his cheek and then went home.

Big mistake.

There was a van outside your house with the Kitty Hawk logo on it. You immediately felt your heart race at the thought that they were there to take you.

But before you could even think about running away, your parents had already seen you.

You tried to run away but when you turned around you collided with someone.

"Don't worry, we don't want to hurt you."

"No, mom!"

Your parents approached where you were and your mother looked at you.

"It's for your own good."

"Stop saying that! This is not for my good!" You exclaimed, trying to get out of the man's grip but they were already taking you to the truck.

"Sorry."

You heard her say to the distance with a broken voice and all you knew afterwards was that they were already taking you away from there.

Back with the boys, JJ was starting to get desperate because everyone was there except you.

"Where is she?"

John B looked at JJ, knowing that he would surely know.

"Her parents threatened to take her to boarding school weeks ago."

JJ without thinking twice turned to John B.

"Give me Twinkie's keys, I'll go get her."

"JJ, no."

"Dude, his parents already hate me."

John B hesitated but sighed relenting and offered him the keys.

"Thanks JB, give me an hour." JJ mentioned, running over to where Twinkie was, climbing through the window.

"One hour JJ!" Sarah exclaimed.

When the blonde arrived the only thing he found was your mother being hugged by your father, and then he guessed what was happening.

When he arrived, your father took it upon himself to tell him to leave.

"She's not here."

"Where is she?" JJ was starting to get desperate.

"We sent her to a place to recover what you guys destroyed."

"You sent her to that boarding school, didn't you?"

He didn't need a response to know, he just got back into the Twinkie and left.

On the way, JJ demired a plan to get you out of there.

When he arrived, he talked to the director of the place and somehow let you know that he was there.

At night you couldn't close your eyes until you heard a male voice murmuring.

“Have you seen a girl with...?”

“JJ?”

His gaze immediately shot at you, causing your breathing to get stuck in your lungs and your heart beating with speed when you saw him there.

“Pretty girl.”

You immediately ran to his arms and he greeted you with a hug so strong that he made the air leave your body but you didn't care, much less when you felt his nose sunk in your neck.

You separated from him when all the other girls started cheering, reminding you where you were.

“Shut up!”

JJ murmured screaming being pulled by the arm for you.

When both managed to leave the place safe and sound, you finally stopped to process what had happened.

“You came for me.”

You murmured, looking at him with attention and vulnerability reflected in your gaze.

He just took you by the cheeks, giving them soft caresses.

“I wasn't going to leave without you.”

You put your hand on his and leaned slightly towards him, seeing if that was also what he wanted.

And you knew it when his nose grazed yours.

“I think Kiara has some feelings for you.”

Despite your words, you didn't separate an inch from him.

“She found the right glasses too late, I've put on others. I just hope that person also continues to have those glasses on.”

He looked at you in a way that made you understand that you were the one who was talking about and indirectly asked if you were still in love with him.

And just to confirm it, you finally joined your lips to his, kissing him with everything you had kept all that time.

disclaimer ── evermoresversion © 2024.

[quin-ns]

The blue VI (JJ Maybank x Reader)

Series summary: JJ has a secret, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can hold onto it. He discovers his breaking point when his best friend starts to show interest in you, his step sister, who he’s already fallen hard for

Series tags: step brother!jj, dual pov, jealousy, one sided john b x reader, drinking, inappropriate relationship, public sex, oral sex (f receiving)

A/N: the moment we’ve all been waiting for

Series masterlist + OBX masterlist

You felt bad for Kiara, knowing you probably hadn’t been the most pleasant company for the past few days.

Usually when the two of you had sleepovers it was all night gossip and games and sneaking out, but you weren’t up for any of that. Best you could offer was laying in her bed with her and watching videos on her laptop with some minor conversation.

You didn’t really have the capacity to think about anything else but your royal screw up with JJ.

She tried to get you to talk about what happened, but how could you? It didn’t take a genius to figure that something went down, but you’d rather have her think it was just an argument.

You still couldn’t believe what you’d done. You kissed JJ. You actually kissed him.

At the time it was you wanted, but then you let doubt get the best of you.

And now JJ probably hated you. Ironic how he thought it would be the other way around.

It wasn’t like you wanted to hurt him, but you had a hard time grappling with the very confusing feelings you now held for him.

It all started with that first kiss. You never would’ve known what you were missing if he hadn’t gone and done that.

“I love you, but it’s a perfectly good Saturday night and I am not spending it in my bedroom,” Kiara complained, forcing you out of your own head.

She pulled the fluffy blanket you had claimed as yours off of your body.

“What? Hey!”

You didn’t even remember her getting out of the bed. The two of you had practically been rotting beneath the covers all day.

“Up!” she demanded. You looked up and found the stubborn face of your friend looking back. “Come on.”

“Ugh, fine.” You forced yourself to sit up, swinging your legs over the edge of your bed. Kiara stood with her arms crossed while you frowned up at her. “Happy?”

“I’d be happier if you told me what happened with JJ that was bad enough to make you act like this,” she countered, raising her brows expectantly.

“I told you it was just a disagreement.”

“And I told you not to lie to me.”

You averted your gaze from hers. It wasn’t like you wanted to be dishonest with her, but it was better than the truth.

“You said you don’t wanna spend the night in your room,” you said, rising to your feet. “So… what do you want to do? You get to pick.”

“There’s a party tonight at the Boneyard,” Kiara declared. Evidently she’d already had a plan prepared. “And we’re going.”

Getting dressed with Kie actually helped to uplift your mood. You were both determined to pick out nice outfits for the other, and thankfully you’d left enough clothes at her house to have options.

You ended up in a cute crop top and some jean shorts. Dressing in the summer was always easy.

“Pope just texted me and said he, JJ, and John B are all going,” Kiara informed, reading off her phone as you made your way to her jeep. “You good with that?”

You wanted to see JJ. Even if he was pissed at you, you still missed him. You wanted a chance to talk to him, to explain what happened and admit a few things you had yet to fully accept.

“Yeah,” you replied, climbing into the passenger side. “Good with me.”

You and Kiara arrived with a wave of newcomers spilling onto the beach. The party was really getting started now.

Wandering around the beach, you kept an eye out for JJ. The sound of his voice traveling, blonde hair—something. Him being out of your sight was something of a new occurrence. After about ten minutes of trailing behind Kie as she talked to people and got a drink, you began to doubt he was even coming.

He was definitely avoiding you, and you decided you weren’t very much in a party mood after that.

You were about to ask Kie to leave until a familiar face approached.

“Long time no see,” John B teased, a smile on his face at the sight of you and Kie. “I missed you guys.”

Kie put a hand on her hip. “And here I thought you went to the dark side.”

She was referring to his boss—Kiara didn’t talk about it much, but you knew she wasn’t a fan of Ward Cameron’s daughter, Sarah. John B working for the family wasn’t her favorite thing.

“Very funny,” John B dismissed sarcastically. Thankfully Kie didn’t seem to mean it as much as she had in the beginning. John B fixed his gaze on you, and he took on a more thoughtful expression. “You got a second?”

You glanced to Kie, and she gave you a nod to say it was fine to leave her alone. You offered John B a smile. This conversation was coming too, it was just a matter of when.

“Yeah, sure.”

John B tried to find somewhere less crowded, but that wasn’t really an option unless you wanted to totally ditch and go into the woodsy area of the beach, but that seemed inconvenient. You ended up sitting next to one another on a big tree trunk that had fallen horizontally. People were milling around, but they were more distracted by the keg a few yards away. No one would be paying attention to either of you, much less eavesdropping.

“So, what’s up?” you asked when you sat down.

“We haven’t really had a chance to talk since a few nights ago,” John B started, a shyness to him that you usually didn’t hear directed at you.

You watched as he ran his hands over his knees, searching for what to add.

“I wasn’t avoiding you or anything,” you told him, trying to ease his nerves. “I’ve just been busy with Kie.”

“I know, I didn’t think you were.” John B gave you a small smile before he continued. “I don’t know how to say it right but I’m gonna try anyway,” he decided, meeting your eyes. “Your friendship means a lot to me… and so does JJ’s. And as big of a crush as I have on you, I don’t wanna risk losing either of you over it.”

“That’s mature of you,” you said, trying to not react at the mention of JJ.

“Recently I’ve been forced to think about what’s important to me, y’know?”

At the vague reference to his father, you tried to not retreat into your own mind about all the “what-if’s” in life. With everything going on you hadn’t thought about your mom’s situation in a while. In a strange way it was somewhat a relief, but you’d prefer to not have anything going wrong the way it had been.

“I think it’s for the best,” you agreed, honestly more relieved than you imagined yourself feeling. “You’re a great guy, and any girl would be lucky to have you.”

John B chuckled at the flattery before saying, “You just make sure to tell her that, alright?”

It was your turn to laugh at his teasing tone.

“You got it.” You meant what you said about him. “I’m glad we talked.” You found yourself in a better mood than you had been all day.

“We should find Kie before she thinks we’re getting into trouble,” John B commented. “And, for the record, I am too. Happy we talked.”

You gave him a smile at that. “She’ll survive,” you replied to the former statement, but looked out in front of you nonetheless, trying to spot the other girl.

You caught a glimpse of blonde hair instead.

JJ.

It was definitely him. You’d recognize him anywhere from his walk to his clothes, and you just had a feeling in your gut. It was him, but he disappeared into the crowd as soon as you saw him.

Your heart skipped in your chest. You got to your feet, everything else forgotten in that brief moment.

“You good?” John B questioned, clearly sensing your urgency.

You turned and plastered on a smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you lied. “We can split up and look for Kie—divide and conquer and all that.”

“It shouldn’t be too hard… okay, then,” John B trailed off, half chuckling behind you as you took off in the direction you swore JJ went.

If it wasn’t him, you must’ve been delusional.

Your heart continued to race as you found JJ at a keg, filling up a cup. So it had been him. Nice to know you weren’t losing your mind with longing that you imagined it. You never quite pictured this for yourself when it came to JJ, but as badly as you wanted to run to him, your feet were heavy.

Now or never, right?

You managed to walk up to him before he could lift the cup to his lips (and before you could freeze back in place) and he spotted you. You couldn’t quite place the look on his face, but it was more hurt than angry.

He stayed in place when you stopped across from him, but the way he glanced away from you told you that you had to talk fast.

“I’m glad you’re here, I’ve been looking for you.”

JJ scoffed, shaking his head, drink forgotten.

“You must have me mixed up with John B,” he mocked. “Although good job, ‘cause you found him.”

“We were just talking,” you defended.

“Right, sure.”

“I’m serious, okay?” you implored while he gulped down his drink. “We’re just friends.”

“Well, good for you.” JJ dropped his cup to the ground as he began to walk away, not even giving you a chance to answer his question that followed. “Is that all?”

You watched him for a second, a frown working its way onto your lips. You saw his shoulders slouch as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

You snapped into action and followed after him.

“No, it’s not,” you rushed out, trying to fall in line with his steps through the sand but remaining a few behind him. Finally, you reached out and grabbed his arm when you realized he wasn’t going to stop. “Can you just hear me out?”

JJ turned, looking at your hand on his arm before meeting your eyes. You missed that shade of blue. You let out a sigh when your pleading worked. You saw it on his face before he said anything.

“Fine,” he agreed, keeping his guard up. “Talk.”

You glanced around, noticing the people in the surrounding area. You swallowed.

“Can we go somewhere alone?” you asked, knowing you couldn’t say everything you wanted to with all these ears nearby.

JJ led the way into the woodsy area of the beach. Calling it the woods wasn’t really fitting because it wasn’t thick like a forest. It was clusters of palm trees and shrubbery that lined where the beach met dirt, with grass sticking out of the sand. But none of that really mattered, what was important was that it was away from all your peers crowding the shore. It took a minute of walking until you felt like you could talk freely, the only sense of the party nearby being the music faintly filling the air.

JJ stopped and you did too, standing across from him. It felt like there was so much distance between the two of you, even if it was really only a yard or two. You never realized how rarely he left your close proximity until now.

You weren’t sure where to start, so you just… started speaking and prayed the words would come.

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but John B and I really were talking about being just friends. He said my friendship—and yours—mattered too much to mess up, and I don’t even see him like that. I promise, JJ.”

JJ stayed quiet for a moment, but he looked like he believed you.

“Okay,” he said, eyes low as he nodded. “Cool.”

Irritation crept in quickly. “You can give me more than one word answers, you know. I’m trying to be serious with you.”

His eyes flicked up at the sass in your tone.

“What do you want me to say? Thank you for not dating him?” he snarked. “Because thank you, I really do appreciate it, y’know?” His voice was raising and you understood why he’d been so careful with his answers before. “You can’t be with me but hey, at least you won’t be with him!”

You clicked your tongue at his words. You really wanted to have a genuine conversation with him but JJ didn’t seem too keen on that.

“I forgot, you can’t take anything seriously,” you muttered out of annoyance, but he heard you loud and clear.

“Right, yeah, everything is a joke to me. Like when you kissed me the other night—that was so funny,” he shot back, taking a step closer. “What’s also funny is I came here ready to pour my fucking heart out like an idiot to you, and you’re already over it all.”

“What makes you think I’m over any of it?” you accused, throwing his tone right back at him. “You can’t just assume shit and then act like it’s the truth! I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, if it makes you feel any better. But hey—probably not! Because apparently you don’t believe anything I say now, even though I’m telling you that there’s nothing going on with John B and there won’t be! I kissed you, not him, remember?”

You saw JJ’s throat bob as he swallowed, and it made you realize that you had moved forward to close the gap.

“Yeah, I remember,” he finally said, voice much lower than before. “I also remember you changing your mind.”

“I didn’t change my mind,” you confessed, hugging yourself. Now was your chance to try and put words to everything. You had JJ’s attention and even if he looked like he was going to storm off any second, you knew he wouldn’t. You took a breath. “When you kissed me I—I had no idea what to do or think. I didn’t know you felt that way about me and it kinda… I don’t know. But then I couldn’t stop thinking about it and it made me realize that everything we are to each other has never been what it was supposed to be. I didn’t know how to accept that, I guess, and so I did push you away, and I’m sorry. But then at the movie when it was just us I let myself slip up for a minute and I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry for that too.” You took a shaky breath. “And now here we are and I don’t really know where to go from here—I know that’s not fair but I’ve never felt like this before and I don’t know what to do.”

JJ’s eyes had stayed on your face through the entire admission, even when you couldn’t meet his gaze. When you finished, you swallowed back tears. You couldn’t quite read the look on his face. You weren’t sure what he was going to say, or what you wanted him to say.

“If I kiss you again are you going to push me away?” he finally asked, a sense of desperation in his voice.

Words almost failed you, but you managed to get out a small, “No.”

That was all it took, and then JJ’s lips were crashing against yours.

Your head spun as you kissed back, not denying yourself what you knew you wanted. Ever since the first kiss, you’d wanted more. You could admit that now.

Your hands fisted in the fabric of JJ’s shirt and pulled him impossibly close. He fell into you eagerly, hands gripping your waist.

His kiss was feverish, hungry to taste you after being denied for so long. You tried not to let your mind drift and instead focused on the now. Everything else could wait, but right now you and JJ had the world to yourselves.

That thought really won when your fingers drifted to the hem of his shirt.

“Is this okay?” you asked softly.

If the heat between the two of you wasn’t so intense, you might’ve laughed at the look on JJ’s face. You might as well have told him he won a million dollars.

“Yeah,” he rushed out. A smile tugged at the corner of his lip. “Definitely okay.”

With that he leaned back in, lips on yours once more. You let him control the kiss while you focused on removing his shirt. As you pulled it from his body, JJ had to part again. In that instant, you admired him in a way you hadn’t before. Heat rushed through you as he returned to devouring your lips.

JJ’s hands wandered to your shirt, and with a hum against his lips and a nod, you let him pull it from you. Once he started, he couldn’t stop. Neither could you.

In a mess of hands and fabric, you ended up on the ground, naked in JJ’s lap, his knees digging into the sand as he stared up at you. Your body was a temple and he was here to worship.

Curious hands ran across your exposed form and ocean eyes drank you in. You’d never seen such a look of awe on JJ’s face before and you were thrilled by the idea.

“You’re perfect, you know that?” he said, sounding about a second away from losing it. “I mean it.”

Your heart fluttered. Words failed you. You managed a light nod, which caused a smile to spread across his face.

“I love that you think that,” you managed, taking a deep breath. You found his smile, his eyes, his hands on your body—all of it felt right. “I love you, JJ.”

A look crossed JJ’s face. You’d never seen it before. It was more than awe, it was more than disbelief. Adoration. He adored you.

“I love you too,” he said. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry with relief. “You—you’re everything to me.” He swallowed. “I never thought I’d get to say that.”

“You can,” you said, voice softer than you’d planned. You lifted your hips. “As much as you want…”

One of JJ’s hands held your hips tight while the other lined himself up. Hungry eyes couldn’t decide between watching your face or watching where your bodies were about to meet as you lowered yourself down into his lap.

The head of his cock pushed through your entrance, drawing a small gasp from you and a groan from JJ. Impatience almost won, but you had to move yourself slowly to be able to take him. Finally, your ass met his thighs and you dropped your head to his shoulder. Your breaths were shaky as you adjusted to the stretch of him fully inside you.

JJ’s hard cock twitched, his hands grabbing at your waist, your hips, your thighs—anything he could get his hands on to try and hold on and pull you close. You wrapped your arms around his neck to hold yourself in place. You took a moment to adjust, but the moment you did, you let him know.

“You can move,” you said softly into his ear.

You felt JJ’s entire body shiver at your words. You nearly smirked. His fingers pressed into your skin and he tried to control himself.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you to want me,” JJ said, a thickness to his voice that you found incredibly hot.

You leaned back to meet his lustful gaze. You couldn’t resist teasing him given your position.

“I have a feeling I do.”

You raised yourself up a little and dropped back down, drawing a desperate sound from the blonde as you taunted him.

His tongue ran across his bottom lip, it was damn near mesmerizing. You ran out of time to look because his lips were surging toward yours, but you weren’t complaining.

JJ chuckled at the gasp you let out against his mouth when he forced you onto your back. You welcomed his weight on top of you, your hands running down his muscular chest, taking in every inch of skin you somehow resisted the urge to touch—truly touch—before.

He drew back his hips, leaving only the head inside, then slammed back forward. A moan escaped your lips, and that only spurred JJ on. He repeated the movements again and again. Slow at first, really letting you feel the drag of his thick cock inside of you. The pleasure was so agonizing, but you let him get his fill of teasing you back.

Sooner than later did his desire get the best of him, and you weren’t complaining when JJ picked up the pace. Your hands found his back, nails digging in just enough to make him stifle a moan. His lips found your neck, pressing open mouthed kisses to your damp skin. You felt his teeth begin to press in more than once, but he resisted the urge to leave behind evidence.

A curious hand wandered up to JJ’s hair, your finger carding through the soft locks. At a sharp thrust, you gripped, and his hips stuttered.

JJ’s hips snapped repeatedly against yours, flooding your entire being with a pleasure you’d never experienced before. The feel of his cock moving inside of you stirred a need inside of you that you didn’t even know you had.

You were meant for each other, it was clear to you now.

JJ kept thrusting his hips, his lips returning back to yours, devouring you in a hungry kiss. He swallowed down your moans, never letting his lips part from yours for longer than a second as his hips curved into yours.

You were being pushed towards your edge fast. It was as if JJ already knew your body.

“I’m close,” you managed between kisses.

JJ groaned out something you didn’t understand, but you knew he heard you. A skilled hand snaked its way between your bodies to find your clit. Your thighs clenched around his waist as a gasp leapt from you.

Your whole body felt overheated, like you’d melt from the inside out. JJ’s cock moving inside of you paired with the weight of his body on top of yours and the needy way his lips sought after yours between breathless sounds worked together to draw you closer and closer to release. All of your senses were flooded by him and you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

JJ wasn’t any better off than you, you could tell with the way his hips slammed into yours and his ragged breathing that he was close.

“JJ…” you moaned out his name as the knot in your belly finally snapped. “Fuck!” you cursed in a whimper as your body tightened around him, not wanting to let him go as you rode out your orgasm.

His lips parted from yours so he could watch your face. Your eyes squeezed shut and your jaw dropped as you shook. You could feel his eyes never leaving your expression even as you were blinded to it.

Thrusts became rougher, more desperate as he chased his edge. The sound of skin against skin synced up with your heart pounding in your own ears. JJ was saying something but you couldn’t hear. Your nails dug into his back as he finally shoved his hips against yours and let go.

A shiver of pleasure ran down your spine as warmth flooded your insides. You held onto him tight as he jerked inside you, giving you everything he had.

You opened your eyes and the sight of pure ecstasy on his face made your body quiver. A moan tore from deep in his throat as he reacted. You licked your lips before pulling him down into a kiss. It was sloppy and tired and the best kiss you’d ever had.

After a long moment, JJ forced himself to part from you. He smiled to himself as he made some joke about not wanting to smother you, but you wouldn’t have minded. He grinned even wider when you said that.

In the aftermath, you forgot where you were. As you sat up, evidence of what had just transpired dripping between your thighs, you looked to JJ. Beside you he mirrored your position, sitting up, facing you. He looked just as wrecked as you were sure you looked, but it was beautiful.

All you could do was smile. So this is what being in love with JJ felt like. You could get used to it.

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[miazetomer]

Heartless | Rafe Cameron x pogue(ish)!fem!reader (Part III)

Warnings: 18+ MDNI, angst, fluff, smut, alcohol use, drug use, takes place during season one, the usual

Summary: You never really felt like you belonged anywhere. Your father was a pogue, your mother a kook. You felt out of place in The Cut, in Figure Eight, at the Academy. And Rafe Cameron certainly didn’t make things easier, he knew how to push your buttons, grinding your gears in just the right way, but he loved the little game you two played.

a/n: sorry it’s a short one :( but i promise im already working on the next chapter

prev next

♡♡♡

“Good morning, pogues.” You said, walking through the chateau in the morning.

“Well, well look who decided to grace us with her presence this morning.” John B smiled, standing up from his spot on the couch.

“It’s a beach day, you know I had to stop by.” You replied with your own smile. Sure, John B was somewhere you had gone once or twice, or three times, but once you found out Kiara had feelings for him you shut it down immediately. You were a lot of things, and being a girls girl was at the top of your list.

“Ew, get a room you two.” JJ muttered, stepping out of the spare room at the chateau.

“Okay, where is everyone, it’s beach day which means I’m taking y’all to the beach, but I can only do that if all of you are here.” You ignored JJ’s little quip and looked around the living room for everyone else.

“Pope’s asleep on the porch and Kie’s on her way.” John B said.

“Thank you, JB.” You replied, tapping him on the shoulder as you walked past him to go outside to wake Pope up.

“Friend zoned.” JJ sang to John B as you made your way outside.

“Pope.” You said quietly, squatting next to the boy, gently trying to wake him up. No sound escaped him as you shook him a little harder. “Are you guys sure he’s alive?”

“Oh, you gotta really push him around for him to wake up.” JJ stepped outside onto the porch and you backed up as he made his way to Pope’s side. “Hey buddy, it’s time to wake up.” JJ shook Pope violently by the shoulders and he actually opened his eyes.

“Dude, a little overkill.” You said, looking down at the scene with concerned eyes.

“Hey guys.” Kie announced her arrival as she walked onto the back porch.

“Oh good we’re all here, let’s go.” You clapped your hands and made your way outside, expecting the group to follow you and they did. Pope a little slower than the rest, but he followed nonetheless. Everyone loaded their boards and bags into your car and climbed into their respective seats. JJ sat up front with you and John B, Pope, and Kiara squished into the back seat.

You all listened to the music with the windows down on the drive to the beach. Laughing occasionally at something JJ said.

You pulled into a parking spot and rolled the windows up before turning to face the group. “So are we hotboxing or…” You asked, looking at them over your sunglasses, pretending to weigh the options with your hands.

“Hell yeah.” John B said, pulling a joint out from his back pocket.

“Just one?” You asked, looking at John B with a raised brow.

“Oh, that’s right.” JJ said, pulling out another one from his own pocket.

As your group passed around the two joints, Rafe, Topper, Kelce, and a couple girls pulled up next to you in Rafe’s truck.

“Oh great.” Pope muttered looking out his window.

“Everyone just stay low, maybe they won’t see us or recognize the car.” JJ suggested as you all sunk lower into your seats.

“Right because my cousin and friends won’t notice my car.” You scoffed looking out the windshield.

“I always forget that dirtbag’s your cousin.” Kie says, taking a drag from the joint that was passed to her.

“Guys, he can be nice.” You tried to reason, knowing how he treated them.

“To you.” JJ mumbled, as he watched them grab their stuff from Rafe’s truck.

You thought you were getting off scot-free until you heard a knock on your window that made you jump.

“Don’t open it, you’ll break the hotbox.” John B whispered, sinking lower into his seat.

“Thornton, I know it’s you.” Rafe called out, standing outside your window.

“Don’t open it.” Kie whispered, handing the joint to Pope.

“Guys I have to.” You protested whispering. “He knows it’s me.”

You sat up as you rolled down the window and watched as the smoke rolled out the window, breaking free from the confined car.

“You might want to be more careful doing that here, in broad daylight.” Rafe said, leaning on your car.

“Don’t you have a girl you should be tending to?” You asked, tilting your head to the side as you looked at Rafe.

“I’m not interested in any of those girls.” Rafe scoffed, looking over to the group he came with.

“Right.” You chuckled, taking the joint from Pope.

“Have fun hanging out with your pogues for the day, Thornton.”

“I always do.” You muttered before rolling up the window with a smile plastered on your face.

“Great, now our hotbox and our day is ruined.” JJ scoffed, leaning back in his seat.

“We can still have a good day, we’ll stay on our side of the beach and they’ll stay on theirs.” You said, attempting to calm everyone’s nerves. You looked around the car and noticed everyone’s sour faces. “Come on guys, it’ll be fun. We’ll surf, tan, you know the usual. It’s not the first time we’ve run into them on the beach.”

“No, but every time we do, there always seems to be a problem.” Pope replied, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his forehead.

“If we leave now, they’ll know we have a problem. We can be civil.” You retorted, finishing off the joint in your fingers.

“They’re only gonna be civil because you’re here.” JJ sighed, flicking his own joint out the window.

“Everything will be fine.” You said stepping out of the car, half trying to convince yourself.

You all collected your boards and whatever you needed from the trunk of your Jeep before you made your way to the beach.

“You ready?” You asked Kiara with a smile as you walked on the beach, knocking your shoulder into hers.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She sighed, setting her bag down once the group found their spot on the beach.

“Come on.” You smiled pulling Kie towards the water once you two had pulled off your jean shorts, practically running.

“Wait you guys need sunscreen!” John B shouted as you and Kie continued running towards the beach, only earning a laugh in return.

You and Kie waited on your boards for the next best wave. You looked back to shore and laughed as you saw the guys applying sunscreen to each other, Kie joining in on your laughing once she saw what you were laughing at. But your laughing was short lived once you saw Topper paddle up next to you.

“Hey guys.” He said with a smile, sitting next to you.

“Afraid of a little sunburn, Top?” Kie asked, noticing his rash guard.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a guy who wants to protect his skin.” He replied, holding his hands up.

“Think your surf lessons taught you enough to catch that wave, Top?” You taunted, pointing out the wave that was coming your way.

“I guess we’ll see.” He sighed before paddling away.

“God, I thought he was never gonna leave.” Kie joked, leaning back on her board as you two watched Topper take on the wave, only for a couple of ‘ooh’s’ to be followed once he fell off.

“Nice try, Top, you’ll get it next time!” You shouted as he paddled back to shore, only to receive a thumbs up in reply. “Alright, I’m going out.” You told Kie once you saw the next wave.

♡♡♡

Rafe’s jaw clenched as he watched you and John B laughing and talking on the beach.

“Everything good man?” Topper asked Rafe as he sat down next to him. Topper followed Rafe’s line of sight and caught on to why he was seemingly upset. “Dude, don’t worry about that. Just because they’ve hooked up a couple of times, doesn’t mean anything. She’s only got eyes for you, bro.”

“Thanks, Topper, you always know what to say.” Rafe said, glaring at Topper.

“No, I’m serious, it’s always been you, she just used him as a distraction. I mean, you can’t be too upset, you’ve done the same thing.”

“Seriously, Topper, just stop talking.” Rafe said, before taking a sip of his beer. Rafe huffed and put his beer down before standing up.

“Where you going?” Topper asked, looking up at Rafe.

“I’m just gonna go talk to her, Top, nothing to worry about.” Rafe answered, before striding over to your side of the beach.

“Heads up.” Pope mumbled to the group, looking towards Rafe. You knew why he was coming over and you groaned to yourself. You knew he saw you talking to John B.

“Wanna go for a walk?” Rafe asked you, blocking your view from the sun.

“Dude, she’s with you and your friends 90% of the time, let her hang out with us for one day.” John B said, looking up at Rafe.

“It’s fine, JB, I need to stretch my legs anyways.” You say, an attempt at diffusing the tension between the two boys. Rafe smiled down at John B as he extended a hand out to you to help you up. You pushed his hand away and stood up on your own.

“That’s the second time you’ve interrupted me and my friends today.” You muttered, crossing your arms over your chest as you walked down the beach with Rafe.

“I don’t do it on purpose, Thornton, I just hate being so close to you without being able to talk to you.” Rafe sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Rafe.” You sighed, stopping in your tracks. “Please stop talking like that.”

“Like what?”

“You know what I’m talking about Rafe. It just makes everything so confusing. You and I are not supposed to be anything.”

As much as you wanted Rafe and you to be something, anything, it also terrified you. The idea of being in a committed whatever terrified you.

“Then why did you come into my room the other night, twice? Why did you sleep in my bed?”

“I-I don’t know. I don’t know, ok? I mean, God, Rafe, why do we have to complicate things. Don’t you like what we have?”

“No, I don’t. I don’t.”

“That’s the problem, Rafe, because I’m not ready for us to be more. And you can’t force me to be ready for more.”

Rafe hated to be told no, you knew that, so you were scared for whatever he was gonna say next. But, his silence, silence was worse than him saying something, anything really.

He started walking away, back towards his group of friends, when you quickly grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him back towards you.

“Rafe, please, say something.” You begged, your voice starting to crack. You could see the hurt on his face. You hated seeing Rafe like that, he never let anyone see him look hurt so the fact that you could see it just broke your heart.

“What do you want me to say?” He muttered, he couldn’t even look you in the eye. His eyes were on where your hand was touching his wrist.

“I-I don’t know.” You admitted, sighing.

“Everything that’s needed to be said, has been said, y/n.” Rafe sighed, pulling his arm away from you and walking back to where his group sat.

You let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding in and rubbed your forehead before walking back towards your own group of friends.

“Everything alright?” John B asked as you sat back down next to him.

“Just peachy.” You mumbled, drawing circles in the sand with your finger as you pulled your knees to your chest.

John B sighed and wrapped an arm around your shoulders and pulled you into his side, placing a kiss on the top of your head. It was meant to be a comforting thing between two friends, but all you could think about was Kie.

“Ew, get off of me, freak.” You joked, pushing him away as he laughed.

“You seem to be really settling into your kook roots.” He joked back.

“Please.” You said, shaking your head as you rolled your eyes.

[yourmomxx]

— random relationship headcanons for jj maybank —

male!reader

a bit nsfw under the cut

just to be clear from the very beginning, we are talking about a secret relationship here

I mean come on, jj has a dead-beat dad, he’s not just gonna go all out and tell him “yeah i’m fucking someone with a dick fyi”

ain’t happening

starting a relationship with jj was hard, he kept pushing you away because of his fear of attachment and his trust issues

But you didn’t let him push you away

It took a while for him to let you in

But after those walls were broken, he was justKirk the most affectionate boyfriend ever

Everyday he would wake you and not know how he deserved you, and the pogues would never hear the end of it

so yes, obviously the pogues know about your relationship

even if he kept it a secret from them, too, at first

kie was the first to actually figure it out

because john b is a bit slow

and pope thought y’all were just really good friends

(no one had the heart to tell him what really made the bumping noises in the next room)

but they all love you

while you’re dating jj, you’re a pogue now, like it or not

you most definitely had it easier than sarah

but hey maybe that’s because your brother wants a psychopathic killer

speaking of siblings, if you have some (younger ones), jj adores them

like, seriously, he always tries to include them whenever you do things together, and jokes and plays around with them

if your siblings are older, they’re a bit suspicious of him first, but eventually grow really fond of him and start seeing him like a sort of a little brother too

we ain’t mentioning JJ’s dad in this house

except for the times where you threatened to beat him up until it was him lying in a hospital bed rather than his son

jj always held you back tho

he told you his father wasn’t worth a sentence in prison

you always take care of JJ’s wounds, even when he’s reluctant about it at first

silent smoking sessions where the two of you simply enjoy each other’s company

“who’s the man in the relationship?” “there’s no man in our relationship, idiot, but if there was, it’d be me.”

he always brags about you when he’s with the pogues

“did you know that y/n did …”

“y/n actually told me …”

“have you seen how fucking good y/n looks today?”

“can’t believe I fucking pulled that.”

the pogues mostly just smile and nod along, knowing how happy you truly make him

he’s just drooling whenever you walk over to him, shirtless with wet hair and only in swim shorts

his brain short circuits

It’s like that one slowmo scene in baywatch ya know

jj plans the cutest dates

like stargazing, small roadtrips, surfing together, campfires with roasting marshmallows

soft touches

and because you two aren’t in a public relationship, I am so heavy on this

like imagine you’re walking to the beach with the pogues, all together laughing and chatting

and you walk so close to jj that your shoulder always *accidentally* bumps his. all the time.

or bonfires

sitting next to each other and each talking to someone, but your knees are so close that they are just touching the entire time

you can feel jj’s warm skin against yours and it sends something like electric waves down your body

fingers linking slightly when you stand near each other or walk with the pogues to the beach

putting your head on the other’s shoulder because that’s not gay you’re “just tired”

shoulders or arms grazing when you’re close

your pinky linking with his thumb when your hands are placed near each other

f o r e h e a d t o u c h e s

hello and goodbye kisses

puts his arms around your waist from behind and lays his head on your shoulder or upper back when he’s tired (and you’re with the pogues)

falls asleep leaned against you when you’re at john b’s hanging out with the pogues

such dramatic golden retriever puppy energy

says he will literally die if he doesn’t get enough touches and kisses from you

jj practically lives at your apartment

he has his own toothbrushes over there and everything

when he’s at home he sleeps in your clothes because they smell like you and it comforts him

will literally return said clothes to you and tell you to wash/wear them because they lost your scent

with jj’s impulsive personality it’s hard, but the two of you do your best to argue as little as possible

and even when, you try your best to not yell and trigger him, but to be honest - the two of you rarely argue. like, heavily

of course there’s some harsh exchanges from time to time but not ever screaming fights or something like that

communication is key in your relationship

you’ve ensured that from the very beginning

you promised to talk things out when you feel like there are problems or something that needs to be talked about and then you can work on it together

there is literally no grudges you hold that could be thrown at each other to worsen arguments

cooking breakfast for him because you want to let him sleep in

stealing away from parties or bonfires to have some private time

his wardrobe is mostly your clothes

you would go to jail for each other

“jj i swear if you don’t stop pissing off police officers-“

you meet him at the beach to watch him surf

because he’s so talented, of course, not because you want to see him shirtless or anything

he’s the best at cheering you up

he’s everything but a dry texter

you mostly cook because the only meal this man knows how to make is toast and pasta

how he’s survived this long without you is a mystery

jealousy because, again, secret relationship

“I thought you weren’t the jealous type?”

“oh, I’m not.”

“so the girl over there that’s talking and smiling all over jj has totally nothing to do with the fact that you’ve absolutely crushed your plastic cup?”

“mhm.”

but not in an i don’t trust you and I think that you will cheat on me-way jealous, more in a you’re mine and seeing you with other people that i know don’t know that physically hurts me-typa way

has his own private smile for you, all teeth and giggles, and just so in love

you give jj your clothes and he gave you one of his leather bracelets to wear

knuckle kisses

just staying in bed all day and cuddling

he has less nightmares when he sleeps next to you

whenever jj got out of the water after surfing, he would make sure to hug you, no matter how much you struggled to push him off you, so you would get just as wet as him

— nsfw ————————————————

you actually had to introduce jj to a few things because he had never done them before or ever even heard of them

he’s good with girls but the whole boy thing? that was new territory

so you had to teach him some stuff

but it turns out, jj is a quick learner - when he wants to be

he’s a switch but mostly bottoms

it’s his inner child that just wants someone to take care of him

sometimes the sex helps him to calm down after his dad hurt him, but that is a thin line to walk

he whimpers

he has a praise kink

“so beautiful” “my handsome boy” “atta boy that’s a good one”

those just do it for him

there’s times when it’s just rough and emotional and angsty (cue choking, knife-play, heavy dirty talk and degradation)

and other times that are slow and soft and loving (cue praise, careful movements, private mornings, many and long kisses)

he takes a shower and you just surprise him by stepping in too

quickies on the boats that jj is supposed to clean (you officially keep him company for “moral support”)

his sweaty surfer curls sticking to his forehead after while he’s grinning at you😫😫

head in small caves at the beach

hickies because “if that girl tries hitting on you one more time, I am gonna hit her. with my car- ”

the pogues tease him about them the morning after

“ayo jj had a rough night I see?”

teasing. like so much. from both sides

whether it be “innocent” touches or well-placed words … it’s all over the place

high sex

handjobs in the back of john b’s twinkie

[kooksvspogues]

Good Outcomes Maybe?

Part 1

JJMaybank x BlakelyRoutledge

Authors note: Feedback is always greatly appreciated! Thanks to each and every one of you for all your support you’ve given me. Love you guys! 💗

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since John B and JJ have been inseparable since third grade, I basically grew up having two brothers that gave me a hard time any chance they got but gave hell to anybody else that tried. Having both of them around was both a blessing and a curse at times, but they did keep life interesting to say the least.

The whole gang was currently sitting around the porch of the chateau talking about the plan for the night. I had my legs swung over JJ’s lap while my head was in Kie’s.

“I don’t understand why we don’t just go to the beach party tonight” I say

“Because not all of them like us like they like you, remind me again, how did you pull that off?” John B asked

“I don’t know, I just don’t give in to the whole pogues vs kooks thing. We’re all people, have respect” I defend

“It’s cause your sisters hot, bro” JJ says taking a chug from his beer as John B sends him a death glare making all of us laugh

“And I’m not?” John B asks trying to pose sexy

“Oh yeah, the sexiest mother fucker on the island” JJ sarcastically agrees

“J, that’s you, remember?” I tease sarcastically sitting up and placing my hand on his arm sweetly, winking at him, as he places his hand on my leg looking at me in a sarcastic awe

“I hate when y’all do that” John B says acting like he’s gonna puke

“And that’s exactly why we do it” I tease as he rolls his eyes

“I hate you” John B says

“So beach party?” I ask looking around the group

“I’m always down for some pogue vs kook action” JJ says as I swat at his arm giving him a warning glare

“One hint of something sketchy, we’re leaving” John B says

“Where’s Sarah anyways?” Kie asks

“Should be here any minute” He says smiling at us

“Can you remind me again why I can’t date a kook since you are?” I ask cocking an eyebrow at John B

“Um because you have me first off” JJ cuts in

“Shut up J, and because, I don’t need you dating somebody like Rafe, Topper, Kelce, or any of those scumbags, find a decent one and we’ll talk” John B says

“Rafe is temping, not gonna lie” I admit

“Blakely, what the fuck, I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that, that dude is fucking insane” Kie asks looking at me

“I’m jokinnnn, but you know he’s gotta be kinky” I joke making everyone groan

“I got all the kinkiness you need, right here” JJ jokes reaching over and squeezing my thigh making John B’s eyes bug out

“On that note, I’m out” Pope says walking into the house

“Dude, chill, that’s my sister” John B threatens coming over to slap his hand away making me and JJ laugh

“He hates us” I say laughing leaning my head on JJ’s shoulder

“So much” he chuckles taking another sip

That’s the relationship JJ and I have had for a few years now, I guess we found out we could flirt and be lovey dovey enough with each other to get by and not need a hookup, that we just ran with it. Plus, it’s great when trying to aggravate John B, cause he knows it’s all jokes regardless. Don’t get me wrong, JJ is amazing, would totally go for him but I don’t think that would go over too well. Sometimes I wonder if all the joking is completely jokes or if there is some seriousness on both ends. No line is ever really crossed cause we just laugh it all off, I mean cause obviously it wouldn’t work, especially with the no pogue on pogue macking rule, except for a few games we’ve played, and the fact that it would be John B’s sister and best friend.

“Hey guys” Sarah says walking up the steps

“Hey babe” John B says walking over to her giving her a kiss

“So what are we doing tonight?” She asks

“Beaaaach party!” I yell reaching over to pull the joint away from JJ’s lips and in between mine, keeping eye contact with him as he breaths out. “Dont look at me like that Maybank” I warn

“Or what princess?” he says sitting up and leaning closer to me

“Jay, what the fuck” John B says making me and JJ laugh and John B reaches over and pulls me off the couch and pushes me towards the door, “go!” He tells me making me laugh but JJ starts to stand up, “you sit!” John B tells him

“Johnny, she’s got my joint, that shit wasn’t cheap” JJ says as I turn around, sticking my tongue out at him, running inside when he starts coming after me before John B stops him as I laugh behind the screen door.

~~~~~~ beach party ~~~~~~

When we get to the party, I immediately make my ways towards the free booze, and of course bumping into the kook king along the way.

“Hey, there’s my favorite little pogue princess” Rafe says pulling me into his arms

“Hey Rafe” I say pulling away, “how are you?”

“I’ve been good, taking over the family business, how are you, your little gang here?” He ask taking a sip of his drink looking around.

“Yeah, they’re somewhere, and I’m good, just wanting to get a drink” I inform him

“Come here, I’ll give ya the good shit” he says pulling me over to a fire where Barry was sitting with a few other people.

“Country club and pogue princess, what a mix” Barry says giving me a wink

“Fix her up man, on me” Rafe tells him keeping his hand on my back, “what ya want?”

“I thought we were getting alcohol” I laugh

“He’s got some heavier alcohol with him, but he’s got the normal too” Rafe smiles

“I’ll take some weed annnd ya got some tequila and whiskey?” I ask Barry

“Ice cold” Barry smiles at me pulling the bottle out of his ice chest along with a little baggy of weed.

“Thanks Barry” I smile up at him

“Welcome princess” he says as me and Rafe walk back towards a tree that had fell, sitting on it.

“You know, I really don’t understand why you still hang out with all of the pogues, we all love having you on this side of the island” Rafe says

“We’ve talked about this” I tell him pulling the cap off the bottle of whiskey taking a swig

“I know, but I’m serious, you fit in here, your the only pogue I actually care about” Rafe admits

“Well thanks but, the cut will always be home. Maybe one day, you’ll decide to be patient with all of us and not just me” I say

“I wouldn’t count on it princess” he says

“Yeah yeah” I laugh, “do I owe you anything for this?” I ask

“I’ll take a kiss as payment” he smirks, looking up at me.

“You’re ridiculous” I laugh

“You like it” he winks

“You wish, come here asshole” I laugh pulling him towards me, kissing his lips. Rafe placed his hand on the side of my neck to not only keep me in place, but to make the kiss deeper as I felt his tongue run across my bottom lip asking for entrance. I pat his chest and pull away.

“When you wanna give one of us men a chance, let me know” he winks as I playfully push his chest

“One of us men as in what? A kook?” I ask

“Well yes ma’am, let somebody spoil you” he smiles

“Awe” I say walking over to stand between his legs, running my hand over his buzzed head, “maybe if you weren’t a killer, I would, but like you said, I wouldn’t count on it” I say tapping his cheek walking away backwards watching as his eyes darkened on me

“Sometimes I really hate you” he yells over at me

“Hey, this is progress, you’re not running after me, I’m proud!” I say loud enough only he can hear me.

“Go on you little shit head” he says laughing making me laugh

“Hope to see you never, country club” I smile raising the two bottles of alcohol towards him before turning around and trying to find the pogues.

When I found everybody, I handed them the bottles, trying to find JJ, “wheres Jay?” I ask Kie

“Last I seen, he went over that way” she says pointing towards the trees, that were close by where me and Rafe were.

I eased my way over there and went to looking for him, I heard a quiet moan before I finally seen him. Pushing some blonde girl up against the tree, kissing her.

I felt my heart drop and shatter into a million pieces.. why do I feel like this? We’re just friends so why do I feel like I need to throw up right now. I feel my heart pound against my chest and everything just felt numb besides the pounding and the nausea. I turn around and run towards the ocean, immediately throwing up.

“You good princess?” I look up to see Barry walking over

“Yeah” I claim, mainly for myself than him.

“Cmon, I got some water” he says urging me to john him at his little fire which I quickly agree, going to sit on the log he was previously sitting on, waiting as he pulled the bottled water out of the ice chest handing it to me.

“Thank you” I mumble

“No problem” Barry says, “need me to grab country club?” He asks

“Can you find Kie or Sarah?” I plead and he nods standing up and walking off. I eventually see Sarah and Kie walking towards me quickly.

“You okay babe?” Sarah asks

“Yeah, I just think I’m ready to go home” I say

“You sure? You’re the main reason we came” Kie says

“Yea, I’m sorry”

“No no it’s okay, I just wanna make sure nothing happened, not like you to leave a party early” She said rubbing my back.

“First time for everything I guess” I chuckle glancing up, seeing JJ and the blonde girl coming back to the party.

“You want us to go with you?” Sarah asks

“No, y’all stay, have fun, I see a few people heading out, I’ll catch a ride with them” I say knowing I just planned on walking

“You sure?” They ask and I smile up at them nodding

“Positive, I’ll text you when I get home” I assure them as we all stand up, them walking back towards where the boys were and me heading towards the street. As I get closer to where all the cars are parked, I come to a stop when I hear my name being yelled. I turn around and find Rafe walking towards me

“You okay? Barry said he seen you throwing up” he says

“Yeah, just ready to go home” I answer

“The pogues not going with you?” He asks

“No, I told them to stay” I say

“How are you getting home?” He asks

“My feet” I answer

“Alright smartass” he laughs, “I was about to head out anyways, just let me take you home” he says

“I couldn’t ask you to do that” I say

“You’re not asking, I’m offering, I’d much rather know you were home safe and not still on the road” he says urging me forward to walk towards his truck

“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I ask

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to” he says as I roll my eyes

“Okay, but no funny business Cameron” I say pointing at him walking towards his truck.

“Yes ma’am, no funny business” he says going to open the passenger door for me waiting for me to climb in. When I look up, I can faintly make out JJ looking our way, when Rafe gets in the driver seat, I watch JJ shake his head and look down.

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[writergirlll]

I'm sorry (JJ Maybank)

Outer Banks - JJ Maybank

Ok, I found this in my old drafts when I first looked at obx (I was 12, so sorry if it wasn't good enough to post)

Summary: You've been a Pogue since birth and are friends with a notorious gang. John B, Sarah Cameron, Kiara Carrera, Pope Heyward and your big best friend - JJ Maybank. You always thought that Jay would be there for you, but in certain circumstances, you messed up...and you got kidnapped...

You slowly sat up on your bed with your body constantly throbbing and breathing deeply. Or weird, you had a panic attack after everything you went through. You tried to find the gold and when you finally found it and were happy, someone took it from you and you looked for some key instead. But with that unknown key that the Heyward family is supposed to have, comes danger..Carla Limbery and her henchman Renfield.

You found the key, but she tried to take it from you. And several times. And it was never a nice meeting...

The longer you breathed, the more your vision blurred and your head shook. Every time you had a panic attack, there was someone there to calm you down. Who brought you back, but no one was here now. And so one thing occurred to you..

With the last of your strength, you pulled your phone out of your back pocket and dialed JJ's number.

It rang for a while and you prayed he would pick it up. After a while it rustled and JJ's voice came out.

“Y/n” he asked almost as if you had woken him up. It's not surprising when it's around ten in the evening and everyone is already in bed after an exhausted day.

“Hi Jay” you said trying your best to sound okay.

"There are many hours. Is something wrong?" he asked with concern and you could hear him sitting up.

,,Not..only. I was wondering if you would like to come? Have a beer and chat for a while"? you said because you didn't want to worry him about having an attack.

"Well..it doesn't really suit me now..how about tomorrow?" he asked and you closed your eyes tightly.

"Oh..yes, of course. Sorry for bothering you. Good night…” you whispered and hung up. You hoped he would come but he didn't..and now you don't know what to do.

"Okay, just breathe" you said to yourself and tried taking deep breaths once more. But unfortunately it didn't work and you fell from your place on the edge of the bed to the floor.

You rolled there for a while until you heard footsteps in your empty house. You lost your parents when you were little and you hoped so badly that it was JJ after all..

But you must have been wrong, because instead of a handsome blond boy, Renfield came to your room. The Nasty Guy by Carla Limbery.

You quickly got up with the help of the bed and since you had nothing to defend yourself with, you grabbed a pillow. "Oh, but let's see who we have here. And you're alone right now. What a coincidence” he smiled evilly and walked right over to you. Before you could move or do anything, he was immediately at your side and something sharp stabbed you in the neck.

You slowly reached for the place where it stung, but before you could reach it, you fell to the ground.. until you felt nothing at all. You couldn't move, couldn't speak, and your eyes were slowly closing. Until they closed completely..

NEXT DAY |JJ POV|

"Come on guys, we need to come up with a plan to keep the key safe" I said climbing up to the porch of y/n's house with the gang. We agreed to meet here to discuss our plans and options.

"Y/n, we're here!" Kie called, knocking on the cottage she lived in. It wasn't a very nice house, but definitely nicer than mine.

When she didn't answer or opened the door, Kiara tried pounding on the door again. But again no response..

“Ok something is definitely wrong here” I whispered to myself because y/n always answered or answered immediately. Absolutely immediately.

"Y/n!" Pope yelled to Sarah and started looking in the porch windows. "Let's go in, okay?" John B yelled and slowly started to open the door with me at his back. But at that moment, I knew something was DEFINITELY wrong.

All the things she had in the house were scattered everywhere, things thrown from the shelves, an open refrigerator, a trash bin dug up.. "Someone was here" John said and started looking around.

“Y/n? Y/n?" I called when I couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't in her room, the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, nowhere at all. I slowly began to panic. Where can she be?

"Guys, I found something!" Kie shouted from behind the kitchen and we ran to her. "There is a piece of paper" she showed us the piece of paper she was holding and read aloud what was written on it.

Hello everyone. I'm glad you're reading this because at least I know Renfield did his job well.. As you may have noticed, something essential is missing from the house..And you won't get her back until you give us what's ours. The key. Otherwise, I wish you a nice rest of the day. - C. Limbery

"This bitch!" I shouted and snatched the piece of paper from Kie's hand. I tore it to pieces, took the cap off my head and grabbed my hair.

"JJ calm down. We'll go get her" John reached for my shoulder, but I shook him off. "She called me last night. I knew something was wrong, that she was probably having a panic attack, but I couldn't come. Someone broke my motorcycle engine, but if I had gotten off the fucking bike and driven here, it wouldn't have happened"!

"Shall we give them the key?" Sarah asked cautiously, looking primarily at Pope, to whom it was an inheritance. "What do you think if we give it to them? Of course it does! They have y/n and god knows what they are capable of” I hissed at Sarah putting my cap back on.

"Jay, he's right this time. If we don't give it to them, we don't know what they will do to her" Kiara said in my defense and looked at everyone.

"But Carla Limbery lives in Charleston, and Twinkey is broken from the last trip. We have no chance of getting there today" said John B, in which he was right. On the last trip, we set up Twinkey properly.

"I have an idea. My parents have a car" Kiara said walking out of the house. “They're not killing you for this?” Pope asked, walking right next to Kiara. "There is nothing left to lose. And to save y/n I will. Wait on the north bridge ok"? she asked and we all nodded and made our way to the bridge.

---

After a few minutes of waiting for Kie to bring the car, she finally arrived, we got in and drove full speed to Charleston.

"Are we really going to give them the key? Don't we have a better plan?" Pope asked, still nervous about handing over the key to someone who would use it.

"Nope. We have no other chance. I don't want to do it either, but this time we have no choice. This time really no"..said John B and he was right. Every time, and I mean after every time, we had a choice. But now? Either y/n's life or Pope's legacy.

Before long we reached Charleston and Carl Limbery's house. Or rather a villa. She really wasn't feeling well..

"Jay calm down. We are here to give them the key. She'll be fine" Kie smiled at me and squeezed my shoulder. I returned the smile, albeit a strange one, and we slowly got out of the car.

We reached the gate and the bell rang. It wasn't long before Renfield stood before us. "I really didn't expect you here..Why are you even here? Are you seriously sure you're in the right place?" he asked us stupidly and I wanted to wipe that stupid smile off víš face.

“Where is y/n?” I asked straight away and his gaze shifted to me. "Aww, so you're taking care of her..that you weren't there yesterday huh?" he laughed. I couldn't take it anymore and ran out on him. I would have punched him so hard he'd forget who he was, but John and Sarah stopped me..

"We have the key. We just want y/n” Pope said pulling the key out of his pocket. "Well, that changes the whole thing...come on. You are welcome" he said, opening the door and motioning for us to go inside. As I walked past him, I stomped on his foot and spat on his shoe.

We headed straight inside the house to the living room, where Carla Limbery welcomed us. In the corner of the room was y/n. But not fully healthy and glowing energy as always. But tied up, covered in bruises and blood..

"We have a key," Pope said again, showing it to Carla.

"Oh, great," she said, yanking it from his hand. She took a good look at it to see if we were cheating on her again and when she found out that we weren't, she motioned for us to go towards y/n.

I rushed to her, removed the tape from her mouth and untied her hands. As soon as I did, y/n burst into tears uncontrollably. But as much as I haven't seen her in a long time. Not even during a panic attack.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to give her the key because of me" she whispered and I cupped her face in mine hand. I stroked her back and wiped away a few tears while stroking the horrible bruises on her face.

"You don't have to apologize at all. That's me. I should have known something was wrong with you last night and if I had been there nothing would have happened to you..” I whispered for a change and she looked at me.

She completely stopped crying and took my hand, which I was caressing on her face, in mine, while squeezing it tightly. "Don't apologize, I told you I was fine. You're not to blame" she smiled slightly at me and I returned the smile.

"Well...that doesn't change anything. I'm still sorry" I smiled at her even more, he helped her up and she and the others hugged, while we were still holding hands..

[fangirl-writes]

Who Do You Love?

JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

Warning(s): angst

Request: I NEED MORE ANGST SO WHAT ABT THE READER IS UNSURE IF JJ LOVES HER OR NOT SO SHE BREAKDOWNS IN FRONT OF HIM AND HE REASSURES HER AND FLUFF ENDING

Notes: Man JJ and angst just go together and that’s unfortunate but a happy ending is mandatory. Also Cleo’s in here but there aren’t any season 3 spoilers. I think if this situation were actually in the show, it would be way more action-y and dramatic but I wasn’t feeling that so have this instead.

It wasn’t that JJ was a bad boyfriend. On the contrary, he was a better boyfriend than his circumstances would’ve led you to believe.

But lately it had been nagging at you; a year into the relationship and he hadn’t told you he loved you. Not once.

It wasn’t like you hadn’t said it. In fact, when you said it the first time, JJ looked like he was ready to break up with you on the spot.

But he didn’t and you just assumed that he wasn’t ready. You always put your whole heart to things and JJ was no different. You’re convinced he’s the one.

But now, after everything that’s happened to you guys, he still can’t say it?

John B. and Sarah got metaphorically married after not even six months in a relationship and JJ can’t tell you he loves you.

Are you that unimportant to him? Or is this just a fling to him? And breaking up with you is just something he hasn’t gotten around to yet?

It’s a stupid thought, JJ never does anything he doesn’t want to do and he’d never play with your feelings like that, but you can’t wrap your mind around why he doesn’t just tell you.

There can’t be another girl, right? That’s just silly when would he have the time-

...him and Kiara had been spending a lot of time together lately.

But her and Pope- no. That hadn’t worked out either. Was that where you and JJ were headed? To an unceremonious end that you wouldn’t talk about? You didn’t think you could be as cool with it as Pope.

Maybe that’s because you weren’t a true pogue.

Which was just as silly because you’d been friends with them since way before you and JJ became a thing. But you two were the first to break the “no macking” rule, even before Kiara kissed John B.

Oh, fuck.

First John B. and then Pope...Kiara wasn’t just making her rounds on her friends, right? Trying each of them out until one fit?

No, how could you even think that? That’s a horrible thing to think about one of your friends. But the insecure little girl inside of you was trying to come up with an explanation. One that wasn’t just “he’s not ready.”

Because why wasn’t he ready?

You tried to push these feelings down. Tried to not stare at John B. and Sarah with jealous longing, to not feel queasy inside when Kie and JJ hugged.

If anyone noticed your discomfort, they didn’t say anything. There was just so much going on, as always, and anyone’s feelings that weren’t out in the open fell to the wayside.

But, if you were being honest with yourself, it was starting to wear on you.

“Hey, pretty girl,” Cleo said, snapping her fingers in front of your face. “Why ya staring at Kiara like you wish her head would explode?”

You blinked, a blush coloring your cheeks. “What? I-I wasn’t-”

“Now, come on. Don’t lie to your auntie Cleo. What’s going on?”

You rubbed your arm, considering. Cleo might be the best person to talk to about it. She and JJ weren’t really close, so she could give a rather unbiased perspective on things. Maybe she could help.

“It’s just...you don’t think there’s anything going on between them do you?”

Your gaze was transfixed on the way Kie and JJ laughed, doing a little dance to the music playing at the wreck. 

“Them two? Nah. They bicker like siblings, but I don’ think either of them are interested like that. Besides, aren’t you and JJ an item?”

You nodded. “Yeah but lately I’ve been...kind of worried about it.”

“How so?”

You took a deep breath.

“It’s stupid, really, but JJ and I have been together for over a year now and...he hasn’t told me he loves me. Which I know is a stupid thing to be worried about but I can’t keep it from bugging me-”

“Hey, hey, slow down there,” Cleo said, coaxing you from the brink of rambling. “If it’s botherin’ you this much then it’s not stupid.”

You bit you lip, anxiety pooling in your stomach.

“For what it’s worth, JJ looks at you like your da sun. But if you’re really this worried about it, just talk to him. Either way it goes, you’ll have your answer.”

You gave her a grateful look. “Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime. We’re friends, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Now go talk to yer boyfriend before someone’s head explodes.”

You laughed, feeling a little more relieved, but that anxiety returned the closer to JJ you got.

He was his beautiful self, as always; drinking a coke in board shorts and a muscle tee, sunglasses perched perfectly on his nose, and strands of blond hair falling gracefully over them.

“Hey, baby,” JJ greeted casually as you approached, putting a hand on your thigh when you stopped by his seat.

“Hey, J,” you replied, trying to keep the waver out of your voice. “Can we talk?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah! Yeah. I just need to talk to you about something...alone, preferably.”

You glanced around the group, who were all staring at you with curious eyes and wondering glances. You never asked JJ to “talk,” especially not alone.

“Yeah, uh, okay.”

JJ got up anyway, but you could tell by his body language that he was just as weirded out by this as the rest of the pogues (except Cleo, who gave you an encouraging nod when you glanced at her).

He reached for your hand, but you crossed your arms to sneakily avoid it and took off toward the docks. That he definitely noticed.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” He asked, sitting himself down beside you on the dock.

“Actually, no, but also yes? Um, you’re gonna think this is stupid and I really need you not to blow up at me for it because I think I’d lose my mind if you did.”

“Y/N, what’s going on? Talk to me.”

You let him take your hand this time and squeezed it for comfort.

“I just...why haven’t you said you love me?”

JJ’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“It’s stupid, I know, but, J, why? I’ve told you I love you. I’ve told you multiple times, even just out of instinct, but you haven’t said it once.”

“I say it-”

“No. You don’t.” You snapped.

This put JJ into defense mode. “Why’s it so important to you anyway? They’re just words. Just because you say them doesn’t make them true.”

“But are they?”

“What?”

“Are they true?”

Tears were rolling down your cheeks now, unable to control your emotions when he was discounting your feelings like this.

“This is stupid,” JJ said, standing up.

That shattered you.

“So, that’s it then?” You asked, feeling your heart sinking in your chest. “You don’t love me?”

“Of course I love you, Y/N! Why the fuck would I be with you if I didn’t love you?”

“I don’t know, you tell me!” You shot back. “Because this has been bothering me for weeks and you haven’t noticed anything’s been off! You’re too busy with this stupid treasure hunt and hanging around with Kiara-”

“Is that what this is about? You’re pissed because I’m hanging out with Kie?” JJ asked, face pinching angrier with every second.

“No, that’s not what I-”

“Well, maybe I should date her! At least she wouldn’t act like this!”

“Maybe you should!”

JJ’s face fell and silence settled between you.

Tears were still falling from your eyes and you hugged yourself, regret and guilt pooling in your stomach.

“You don’t mean that,” JJ whispered.

“I don’t know,” You replied, softly.

“You don’t know what?”

You shook your head. “I just don’t know. I don’t know if I meant it. I don’t know if you love me. I don’t know if I want to be dating you any more.”

JJ looked like you felt, completely shattered. Tears were pooling in his eyes and his mouth was slightly open, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out.

“Y/N-” he started, reaching out for you.

You stepped back from him. “Just...just don’t.”

You shouldered passed him, heading up the dock.

JJ watched, frozen, as you grabbed your bicycle from where it was leaned against the Wreck’s building and biked away.

He also caught sight of his friends, who’d been watching the encounter from the balcony, and they looked to him, confused.

What just happened?

JJ wasn’t sure either. But he knew that if he didn’t do something soon, he was gonna lose the most important thing to him.

It wasn’t until the sun had gone down that JJ finally showed up at your house.

You’d been expecting him since you left without resolving anything in your fight. In fact, you’d been aching for him for that long, wishing he’d come hold you in his arms and tell you everything would be okay, like he always did. But when he was the cause of the pain, would that make it better or worse?

You were almost asleep when there was tapping on your window.

You went to it almost too quickly, opening the curtains to see JJ standing on the roof with a small bouquet of flowers in his hand and an unsure grin.

With a deep breath, you opened the window.

“Hey,” JJ said, sliding into your room as you moved out of the way.

You didn’t respond to him, just crossed your arms and waited for him to start talking, a tired frown etched on your face.

“Um...these are for you,” he said, holding out the bouquet.

They were Gaillardias. The flowers that grew in the soft sand along beach walkways. JJ always said they reminded him of you because they were bright and beautiful and thrived in the sun.

The thought warmed your heart and you felt yourself wanting to cry again.

You took the bouquet from him, “thank you.”

You put them in a small vase that was on your desk, having once held the flowers JJ got you for your birthday a few months ago and you were just too lazy to put the vase away. You were thankful for it now.

“So,” he started, taking a seat on your bed. “Can we talk about our fight?”

You shrugged. “I guess we have to, right?”

JJ nodded as you sat next to him.

“I’m sorry for bringing it up,” You said, avoiding looking at him. “I knew it was stupid and I still brought it up. I just wanted to know...”

“It wasn’t stupid,” JJ replied, also not looking at you. “I’m sorry for saying it was.”

“Would you tell me why?” You asked.

“I-” JJ sighed, turning sideways and pulling you along with him so that the two of you were facing each other.

You wrinkled your nose. “JJ your shoes are all sandy-”

“I’ll take them off,” he said, quickly pulling his sneakers off his feet and dropping them on the floor, making sure to wipe away the sand before taking a deep breath and continuing. “I can’t say I love you because I really do. It’s hard for me to say because everyone I’ve loved before have left me. My mom’s gone, I loved my dad just as much as I hated him, Big John’s gone, I thought I lost John B.”

JJ hung his head, stopping to take a breath. “I guess I’m just scared that I’ll lose you, too,”

You chuckled a little. “You know, it’s funny, I wanted you to tell me you love me because I didn’t want to lose you. I thought that if you weren’t saying it, that meant that this wasn’t something you were invested in.”

“I’ve never been more invested in anything in my life,” JJ admitted.

You smiled. “I guess that’s all I need.”

“No,” JJ shook his head. “No, this time I’m going to say it. I love you, Y/N.”

You felt like crying all over again. “I love you, too,”

JJ took your face in his hands and pressed his lips to yours. A gesture you returned, putting your hands on his chest and gripping his grey t-shirt tightly.

A thunk hit your window, causing the two of you to pull apart and turn your attention towards it.

“Oh, yeah,” JJ said, getting up and sticking his head out of the window. “We’re good, guys!”

Confused, you joined JJ at the window.

The twinkie was sitting in your driveway, passenger and side door open, with the rest of the pogues around it.

“Good,” John B. said. “We were starting to think she killed you.”

“Not yet, he’s still worth keeping around,” you said, jokingly.

“You guys coming down? We’re gonna go have a bonfire now.”

JJ smirked. “Nah, I think we’ve got some more apologizing to do, if you know what I mean.”

“JJ!” You said, shoving his shoulder and blushing furiously.

“Be safe!” Pope said.

“Use protection!” Kiara said.

“Don’t do anythin’ I wouldn’t do!” Cleo chimed in.

“I hate you all!” You said, disappearing back into your room.

JJ laughed, leaning back in and closing the window.

“Now,” he said. “Where were we?”

“I’d really like to start at ‘I love you’,” you said, smiling bashfully, sitting back on your bed.

JJ leaned forward on his hands that were on either side of you. “Well, then I love you,”

You were giddy inside. “Alright, let’s do this.”

JJ laughed as your wrapped your arms around his neck and leaned backwards on the bed, taking him with you.

Yeah, maybe love doesn’t only have to be said in words, but it’s nice to hear. And JJ would say it indefinitely more times, if only to see the smile it brought to your face.

[roanofarcc]

BABYDOLL: CHAPTER NINE. A MIDSUMMERS NIGHT NIGHTMARE

jj maybank x fem!routledge OC // read on Ao3

In which a boy with zero self preservation falls in love with a girl clawing at life.

chapter summary. kooks take the lead in their fight against the pogues; kie & lottie get ready for midsummers; the kook gathering of the year gets disrupted by teenage antics

word count. 6.4k || masterlist

previous chapter < >next chapter

The Heywards were among the favorite of Lottie’s. Pope had struck parent gold with his mom and dad. They were kind, loving, and stern in the right ways. They all did often get on Pope’s parent’s nerves, but the Heywards never pushed them away. Their doors were always open for a safe place to land, as long as they helped out in the store, which was where they all found themselves the morning after the movie incident. 

Lottie and JJ helped restock the miscellaneous things on the shelves, Kiara worked the register, and Pope bagged orders while they conversed. 

“Don’t let them get in your head, Pope. There were three of them and only two of us. That’s typical Kook shit right there, an unfair fight,” said JJ. “Though, I am curious, what exactly was your thought process going in with a headbutt?” 

Pope sighed, handing another order to a customer. “I don’t know, man. I just kinda acted out of instinct. I was a cornered animal.” He wore two good-sized cuts on his forehead, one from Rafe and Topper jumping him and the other from headbutting Topper. 

Mr. Heyward walked inside through the front door with a towel tossed over his shoulder. “Pope, someone’s here for you,” he called out, followed by a cop trailing into the shop behind him. Lottie slipped behind JJ in hopes of not spotting herself, considering she had run away from a DCS officer and a cop. In a smooth motion, JJ pulled off his baseball cap and placed it on top of Lottie’s head, pulling the bill down to obscure her face just slightly. She didn’t think it was a super effective disguise, but it was good enough. 

Pope’s whole body tensed up behind the front counter and his voice was laced with nervousness as he said, “Hello officer.” 

Shoupe had his lips pressed in a thin line, almost like he was just as unhappy to be there as they were to see him. “I have an arrest warrant for felony destruction of property,” he said, sucking all of the air out of the room. He moved behind the counter, walking right to Pope with cuffs in his hand. “Hands up where I can see ‘em.” 

The only person not frozen, unsure of what the hell to do, was Mr. Heyward. He wore a look of bewilderment and confusion as his son was put in handcuffs. Pope was the furthest thing from a bad kid, even while hanging out with their group. He wasn’t the kind of kid who committed a felony until he was pushed too far. But “they started it” didn’t exactly hold up when it was Kook vs. Pogue in a court of law. 

“Whoa, wait, Soupe,” Mr. Heyward said. “What’d he do?” 

“Take a look at the warrant,” he answered simply, started to push Pope forward to prompt him to walk. 

Heyward scoffed. “You’re just arresting my boy?” 

Moving through the shop, Pope looked mortified, like he could actually see his entire future leave his grasp so quickly. They all followed about him; Lottie tried to think of a plan, of something to get Pope out of his current situation. He had too much to lose. Pope was a good kid, the best of them, and he had suck a bright, sparkling future ahead of him despite where he came from. Kids from the Cut really only got one chance, and it was about to be taken away from under him. But nothing came to mind that would work quickly enough. 

Mr. Heyward was trying to understand, pleading for Shoupe to just stop so they could talk everything out, but the officer wasn’t listening. He was a second away from shoving Pope into the back of a squad car before JJ’s voice rang out above everyone's muddled, arguing voices. 

“It wasn’t him!” Everyone stopped, their voices falling silent as they all turned their eyes onto JJ. “It was me; I did it. Pope, here, tried to talk me out of it, actually. But I was pissed because he’d just been beaten up and I was so sick of those assholes on Figure Eight that I lost my shit.” JJ stood in front of a cuffed Pope, who stared at the blond with wide eyes. 

JJ licked his busted lip before he said, “I can’t let you take the fall for something I did. You’ve got too much to lose.” 

Shaking his head, Pope asked under his breath, “What are you doing?” 

“Tellin’ the truth.” There was a somewhat satisfied look on JJ’s face. Lottie didn’t know if he was doing the right thing, but he was doing what he thought was right. Pope did have too much to lose, but she didn’t think either one of them should go down for sinking the boat. Was it technically a crime? Yeah. But there should’ve been a workaround when someone was an asshole and had beat the shit out of someone else. Was that logical? Of course not, but she didn’t give a shit. The only thing Lottie cared about were her friends, way more than “law and order.” 

JJ pointed to Mr. Heyward. “I took his old man’s boat to do it too.” 

Mr. Heyward looked between the two boys even more confused than he already was. “What the hell?” He didn’t sound angry, necessarily. Maybe it was disappointment in JJ or maybe he could tell JJ was lying to protect Pope. 

“JJ-” Pope started but was cut off swiftly. 

“Just shut up, Pope!” JJ snapped before his attention was pointed at Shoupe. “He’s a good kid, and you know where I’m from. This was all me.” 

“That the whole truth?” Shoupe asked Pope to confirm JJ’s story. For a moment, it looked like Pope was going to double back and take the blame, but JJ’s fierce gaze told him he better not. JJ was sticking his neck out for him, protecting the college scholarship that awaited Pope. 

So, while it looked like it pained him, Pope nodded. “Yeah, that’s about covers it.” 

Shoupe didn’t need anything else. He unlocked the cuffs from Pope’s wrists and slapped them on JJ’s. He shoved the boy in the back of his squad car while they all watched. Lottie felt guilty, even though there was nothing she could have done. Shoupe was going to take somebody in for the sinking of Topper’s boat. The Pogues were too interconnected, acting like a unit, each one piece of a whole heart. 

Perhaps JJ didn’t have the same future ahead of him that Pope had, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have one period. Just because he was a kid from the Cut with a shitty dad, it was easy for people like Shoupe to write him off as a lost cause, but Lottie didn’t see JJ that way. He had a future, a good one, even if she had to drag him towards it. 

Lottie was pretty sure she was going to start growing ulcers in her stomach because of her nerves and accumulating stress. Pacing back and forth across Kie’s bedroom, she bit her nails in an attempt to channel some of her overflowing stress. 

At least her brother had made it back to the island in one piece. He had texted her, promising to meet up and explain everything that night after she, Kie, and Pope were done with the biggest party of the year, Midsummers. 

For the past couple of years, Lottie had joined Kie and her parents at the party, enjoying a night full of drinking, finger foods, and fresh gossip. Kie loathed the event, but it was the only Kook activity she agreed to participate in to keep her parents off of her case. She brought Lottie along to keep her sane, and Lottie would be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy dressing up and pretending to be some high-class snob for the night. She liked sipping champagne that cost more than she could ever afford and giggling at one of the back tables with Kie for most of the night. Yet, with everything else going on, she wasn’t as excited as she usually was. 

“Okay, I have these-” Kie started to say, emerging from her walk-in closet holding two dresses. She spotted Lottie on her bed, spiraling in her thoughts and viciously picking at her already wrecked fingernails. With a sigh, Kie tossed the dresses on the back of her desk chair and crossed the room, snatching up both Lottie’s hands and looking them over with furrowed brows. 

Her nails were bitten down to the stumps and the skin around them was either red or bleeding. Kie frowned, squeezing Lottie’s hands affectionately as she said, “I’m sorry.” 

“For what?” 

“I’ve been so focused on myself lately that I’ve totally been ignoring the shitshow you’re going through,” Kie said. “Between DCS, your dad, and this treasure hut shit, it’s a lot, Lot.” 

Lottie smiled softly, squeezing Kie’s hands back. “To be fair, I’ve been trying to ignore it too, but I keep ending up in another kind of mess along the way.” And the twist in her gut told her that wouldn’t be ending any time soon. “It’s not your job to deal with my problems too, Kie. I’m handling it, sort of.” 

Kie shook her head, holding up Lottie’s hands. “First of all, as your best friend, it is my job. And second of all, this is not ‘handling it.’” She stood up from her bed and searched for something in the drawers of her vanity. After a moment of rummaging through her belongings, Kie pulled out a small first aid kit and a couple of bottles of nail polish. She cleaned the blood around Lottie’s nails and did her best to make them look someone presentable, erasing some signs of the stress eating away at Lottie. Then, she painted Lottie’s stubby nails a pretty baby blue color that almost perfectly matched one of the dresses Kie had tossed over her desk chair. 

When Kie was done painting her nails, Lottie laid back on the bed with her hands resting at her sides as she waited for the polish to dry. Music hummed softly from Kie’s vintage record player, working to soothe some of the anxiety that knotted in Lottie’s stomach. Kie worked on getting herself ready, pinning up her hair with a flowered headband and applying light, shimmery makeup to her face. She had already volunteered to do Lottie’s hair and makeup too, considering everything Lottie had to get ready she had left behind at her house, which was probably being watched by the cops, DCS, or the men who broke into it earlier that week. 

Luckily, Kie’s Kook side enjoyed doing someone else's hair and makeup, more than doing her own. 

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, Lottie opting to talk about her feelings later that night at their planned sleepover instead, per Kie’s demands, but of all of the things that occupied her mind, she kept coming back to one in particular. 

“Do you think JJ’s okay?” Lottie asked, staring at the ceiling fan. 

“He’s JJ,” Kie replied with a small sigh. “I don’t know if he’s ever ‘okay.’ But, I mean, he’s probably holding up better than Pope would have after being arrested.” 

Lottie didn’t like imagining either one of them in a holding cell. “They’ve probably called his dad by now,” she said. All of the Pogues knew what Luke Maybank was like and they shared a hatred for the man. She didn’t know how he’d react to JJ’s arrest. Lord knew the man had been in that very police station a number of times, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be happy to bail his son out. Luke was so tightly wound with anger that any chance he had to take it out on his son, he took. 

JJ didn’t like to talk about it; he was the hardest to read out of all of the Pogues. Kie always confided in Lottie about her feelings. Pope usually wore his feelings on his sleeve. And John B. was Lottie’s twin; she could read him like a book whether he wanted her to or not. 

Since Lottie and JJ’s promise in fifth grade, in which they agreed they wouldn’t keep anything from each other, Lottie liked to think she had the best chance of understanding how JJ felt, but he was still squirmy when it came to talking about his feelings. Instead, he tried to skirt around the topic, making jokes or changing the subject. The only time Lottie ever saw JJ vulnerable was when he came to her after a bad fight with his dad when he couldn’t handle being at his house for another minute. He’d find his way to her; that was how their promise had started. 

One day, in fifth grade, JJ had run to her house teary-eyed with a bloody nose and black eye. She’d never seen him cry before, and it was startling considering she’d known him as the tough, carefree kid. She had been the only one home - her dad had taken John B. on a finishing trip - so she patched JJ up the best she could and let him sleep over, crying it out on her shoulder. From then on, he came over when a fight got particularly bad, confiding in Lottie until he fell asleep and curled into her side. 

“Probably,” Kie said, her voice drenched in the same concern Lottie felt. “But, again, this is JJ we’re talkin’ about. He’s got a way of getting out of shit. I think he’ll be okay. And if he’s not, you know he’ll find you.” 

Kie had left her vanity and stood above Lottie with a reassuring smile on her glossy lips. Purple shimmer glittered on her eyelids and on her cheekbones, and perfect little curls fell from her updo in an effortless kind of look. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get you ready.” 

She curled Lottie’s hair, leaving half of it down in soft waves past her shoulders, and pinned the other half in a bun. She used a mix of purple and baby blue flowers around the bun to match the theme of Midsummers, which always looked like a floral shop threw up on it, and dusted Lottie’s eyelids with a shimmery white powder. Lastly, Kie made her lips and cheeks rosy, then sprayed her with some expensive perfume her mom had gifted her for Christmas. 

Once their hair and makeup were done, they put on the dresses Kie and thrifted a couple of weeks ago. Kie’s was a silk purple, ankle-length dress with thin straps. It was simple but beautiful, yet as Kie looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting the stack of silver necklaces against her collarbone, she frowned. 

“I feel like a bourgeoisie pig,” she said with a huff. “I tried to tell my mom this whole party’s in poor taste. I mean, half of the island doesn’t even have running water.” 

Lottie, being from the half of the island that didn’t have running water or power due to the hurricane, understood where Kie was coming from. People on the Cut were suffering to get their lives back on track after the storm while those in Figure Eight had already resumed life as normal, like the hurricane had been nothing but a little thunderstorm. 

It was in poor taste, but Midsummers was an unshakeable tradition that the Kooks wouldn’t let go of even if the hurricane had ripped their summer homes off the foundation and sunk them in the sea. They enjoyed the excuse to flex their country club membership, gorge themselves on seafood, and chat in pressed suits and fancy dresses. 

“Think of it this way,” Lottie said, zipping up the side of her dress. It was a baby blue number that fell just past her knees with a flowy skirt made of soft silk. Petal sleeves covered her shoulders but the back opened a tasteful amount. The dress was beautiful. “Could the Kooks use their money to help out people suffering ‘cause of Agatha? Yeah. But we all know they won’t. You, however, are using your Kook card to help out a poor, down-on-their-luck Pogue by bringing me along to Midsummers. I intend on taking full advantage of the party, AKA taking advantage of the rich. So, it’s like you’re doing charity work, which is more than most of the Kooks are doing.” 

“You’re not a charity case.” 

Lottie laughed. “I’m not? Please, Kie. I’m an orphan being hunted by the DCS whose only hope of not being shipped off the island is some wild goose chance for gold my dad died trying to find.” It was as tragic as it was funny. Out of all of the ways Lottie had envisioned her teenage years would going, where she was had not been one of the options. “Not to roughly quote Pride and Prejudice, but I’m sixteen-years-old. I have no money and no prospects. I would be a burden to my parents, if I had any, and I am frightened. If that doesn’t sound like a charity case, I know what does.” 

Kie looked like she wanted to argue, but Lottie’s case was hard to refute. So, she sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, fiddling with her necklaces. “Every time I try to bring up how much shit the Kooks do to us, how shitty most of them are, to my mom, she ignores me. I think she thinks going to Midsummers and doing all this Kook shit will turn me into her, but I don’t want that. I don’t wanna be some asshole with, like, zero awareness of anything going out outside by bubble. I like being a Pogue. I like being friends with you guys, not those fake people from the Kook Academy.” 

Kie’s parents had enrolled her at the private school for kids on Figure Eight for one school year, which was a disaster. Kie didn’t talk about that time of her life much, just that she had been miserable for most of it. It was like her parents were trying too hard to force her to be someone she wasn’t. 

“You’re not like those assholes, Kie. Even if you went full-Kook, you still wouldn’t be that oblivious.” Kie was probably the most aware person Lottie knew. She had this desire to fix the world, even if it was impossible, which Lottie admired deeply about her best friend. “But, you know, you also don’t have to pretend like you’re totally a Pogue, either.”

Kie looked at her, confused, somewhere on teetering on being offended but not being sure by what. “You’re a Pogue, obviously, but you don’t have to suffer like one. You get to hang out with us and eat all of the rich people’s shrimp cocktails at the country club. It’s like the best of both worlds.” 

As much as Kie was a Pogue, she had something the rest of them didn’t, money. Of course, that wasn’t everything, but it made life a hell of a lot easier. Kie was far from a stuck-up rich girl who thought of no one but herself and maybe her inner circle of fellow rich kids. Kie was kind and she cared about nearly everything with intensity. Along with that, she had a nice house to come home to with generators when the power failed. She had country club access and a cushiony life to fall back on if she needed it. 

“It just makes me feel guilty, okay?” Kie admitted though it was not really a secret. She had a tendency to shut down any mention of her parents' Kook status or the fact that she didn’t have money troubles like the rest of them. While they sometimes poked fun at her, it was never serious. They never thought of Kie as a Kook because she was too much like them. 

Lottie sat down beside Kie and threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling the brunette close to her side. Kie rested her head on Lottie’s shoulder and sighed. “You shouldn’t feel guilty. If there is anything I know for certain, we aren’t are parents. Not that you’re parents aren’t cool, sometimes, but you’re your own person.” Kie seemed to untense slightly, humming quietly in response. “And if anyone deserves Kook money, it’s obviously you. You’re gonna build an animal sanctuary or stop global warming or some shit.” 

If anyone on the island had good intentions with their inheritance, it was Kie. She’d spend it all trying to save the world. Lottie had all of her faith in that. 

“So,” she continued. “Let’s go to this party, have fun, and worry about socioeconomic injustice tomorrow.” 

➤

The Island Club was a sea of flowers and outfits more expensive than Lottie could probably wrap her head around. Women stood with their perfectly manicured fingers clutching glasses of wine or champagne, hanging off the arms of their clean-cut husbands who were mindlessly chatting about golf or bragging about their accomplished children. 

Despite feeling like she stood out like a sore thumb, as she always felt at Midsummers, Lottie faked an air of confidence as she followed Kie’s family around. Her parents forced Kie to say hello to a couple of their friends, following it up with a passing comment about Lottie being Kie’s good friend. They didn’t mention Lottie’s full name, knowing that everyone on the island knew who her dad was, the odd man who disappeared almost a year ago. Though, some of them recognized her from her job at the Island Club or from the gossip about her dad. 

Once Kie’s parents finished their rounds, the girls were free to enjoy the party on their own for the rest of the night. 

They spotted Pope on the outskirts of the party, dressed in an apron with Heyward’s printed across the chest. He and his dad provided fresh oysters and other seafood for the party-goers. Midsummers was probably one of the last places Pope wanted to be, but the money the club shelled out was too good to pass up, and his dad couldn’t do it all on his own. 

As they approached him, Pope was focused on the grill in front of it, keeping his head low and hopefully out of sight of Rafe, Topper, and their friends. 

Kie cleared her throat and put on a British accent. “Excuse me, sir. Do we have to shuck these ourselves?” 

A slightly annoyed look came across Pope’s face before he looked up, expecting to see some prissy rich girls, but he was met with Kie and Lottie smiling brightly at him. 

Lottie faked the accent as well as she said, “I’m afraid it may mess up our costumes.” 

Pope looked relieved to see them, smiling and shaking his head. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we.” 

They lingered beside him at the grill, stealing a few oysters before Heyward swooped by and picked them up to cart them around the party and schmooze guests into tipping with the big bills they always carried in their pockets. 

The spot gave them a good view of most of the party. It was almost unreal to see so many Kooks dressed up in one place, enjoying themselves. As Kie had harped earlier, it did feel wrong, Lottie had to admit. Nearly everyone out on the Cut was still living by candle and flashlight, trying to repair their homes with what little money they had. And the Kooks partied. 

Lottie understood where Kie was coming from, and her disdain for almost every person at the country club, but she also knew no one else there felt guilty. At least she and Pope would get a good meal and air conditioning if they snuck inside, that was good enough for them. The Kooks, unknowingly, were doing the slightest bit of charity work by allowing her and Pope there in their midst. 

As she watched the Kooks move about in their colorful dresses and pastel suits, Pope kept his focus on the grill, but Lottie could hear the guilt in his voice when he asked, “Have either of you heard from JJ?” 

“No,” replied Kie. “He’ll be all right, though. He’s got the survival instincts of a cockroach.” 

JJ was almost as good at getting himself out of tough situations as he was getting himself into them. It was a stressful talent for everyone to witness, especially Lottie. 

“It’s all my fault,” Pope sighed. 

“No, it’s not,” Lottie said. “They jumped you, Pope. Topper almost killed you. He deserved it. And you know JJ, he wouldn’t have let you go to juvive.” It didn’t matter what had gone down, JJ found a loophole to get Pope out of trouble and he took it. He’d probably go to juvive for any of them, which was stupid but very sweet; it was very JJ. Lottie just hoped he was okay. 

Sudden applause filled the air, forcing the Pogues to cut their conversation short and turn their attention to the Island Club patio. Out of the building walked the Ward family, the special guests of the night. Ward Cameron was being honored for some reason because the Cameron’s needed more praise and recognition. His new wife hung on his arm, wearing an odd, golden headpiece and the smile of someone who just struck gold when a marriage license. Behind them were Ward’s children from his previous marriage. Sarah Cameron looked like her usual princess-y self, dressed in a long white dress and band of small white flowers and leaves in a crown on her head. Lottie thought of her brother and wondered how it was possible for him get caught up with someone like Sarah. She was from a completely different world, wrapped in the bubble wrap of Figure Eight. 

Beside Sarah was Rafe, who looked less psychotic in a baby blue suit and slicked back hair, and Wheezie who looked like any other slightly annoyed pre-teen in attendance. 

“Here comes Lord Captial and the Exploiters,” Kie muttered. 

Lottie snickered at the nickname before tugging on Kie’s wrist. “Come on, let’s go smuggle some drinks.” 

The rules were a bit more laxed at Midsummers. Trays of drinks were left at tables and easy to swipe. Even being caught with alcohol by someone like Kie’s dad who spotted them downing a glass of wine, wasn’t a huge deal. He had said nothing and turned his wife’s attention onto something in the opposite direction, leaving the girls in the clear. 

The Kooks weren’t too interested in Kie, Lottie, nor Pope. The girls were left to sip their drinks and giggle at the ridiculous outfits some of the guests wore. As much as Kie loathed the event and Lottie didn’t fit in, they managed to have some fun with bullies full of good food and head lighter due to the wine and champagne. 

Live music played from a small stage in the corner of the patio and a dance floor was nestled between the tables. Kie and Lottie danced together, stumbling slightly due to Kie’s long dress and Lottie’s heels. They spun each other around, giggling and ignoring the dirty looks some of the Kook girls sent their way when they bumped into them. 

They danced for a while, until the sunset and darkness was cut with the strings of fairy lights that decorated the patio. Eventually, Kie was dragged away again by her parents, leaving Lottie alone at one of the tables beside the dance floor. She opted to watch the crowd until a presence was felt at her side and someone said, “Whoa, look at you.” For a moment, she feared some Kook was trying to hit on her, but when she quickly turned her head at the voice, her eyes landed on a grinning JJ, dressed like the wait staff. 

Relief washed over her at the sight of him. All day she’d been worried about him, waiting for a text or call. 

After her surprise and confusion faded, she threw her arms around him, letting out a breath of relief that she’d been holding in since he was shoved in the back of the squad car. The hug caught him off guard, but he was quick to return it with a light chuckle in her ear. 

“I should really get arrested more often if it’s gonna get me this PDA.” 

Lottie pulled back, ready to ask him what happened after he was hauled away, but she stopped at the sight of new bruises that blotted the skin on his cheek. She was sure they hadn’t been left by Rafe. She reached up to touch his face and try to get a better look in the dim lighting, but he flinched. Anger replaced her relief in one shift motion. 

“What happened?” she asked, already having an idea of what his answer was, but needed confirmation from him. 

He tried to play off. “This thing?” He pointed to his cheek, and she nodded. “Oh, you know, just my old man.” 

“JJ…” Lottie wanted to do something, fix it, she just didn’t know how to. 

JJ didn’t seem to want her or anyone to fix it. He acted like the way his dad acted was a simple fact of life, which only enraged her even more. “It’s fine, Lot,” he said with a shrug. “We’ve got bigger things to worry about than my dad’s right hook, okay?” 

She thought that was bullshit, but she knew when talking to JJ wasn’t going to get anywhere. In that moment, he was focused on something else and any attempt to get him to talk about his feelings would be fruitless. 

“What else do we have to worry about now?” 

He smiled with his split lip and held up a folded piece of paper. “In the word of your brother, ‘super secret spy shit.’” 

Lottie groaned. “What does that even mean?” 

“It means I’ve gotta deliver this message from your brother to the Kook princess, who he’s totally mackin’ on, by the way.” A million more questions came to Lottie, but JJ spoke again before she could start asking them. “Don’t ask me how that’s possible because I’ve got no idea. But I do know that we’re back in the G-game, baby! We’re gonna be stupid rich like the rest of these assholes.” 

Her head hurt with all of the sudden information, but before she could ask any follow up questions, JJ slipped away and headed right toward Sarah Cameron. What a note from her brother had to do with the missing gold, Lottie was lost to. She turned her back on the dance floor for a second, downing the rest of her glass of champagne, and spun back around to wait for JJ to come back. 

However, all she saw was the confused smile of Sarah and the back of JJ’s head running through the crowd of Kooks in the opposite direction with a group of boys chasing after him. 

Lottie cursed under her breath and took off after them. 

The group managed to move a lot quicker than Lottie through the crowded country club. She muttered a number of sorries and ‘excuse me’s as he bumped into people, half running half walking through the clusters of people. Turning down a hallway, she spotted the group consisting of Rafe and his friends filing into the men’s locker room. They certainly weren’t all venturing inside for a pee break. 

Stepping inside the men’s restroom, Lottie ignored the odd looks of confused men as she followed a collection of voices coming from the attached locker room. As she hurried through the threshold, she saw Kelce, once again, holding JJ in a headlock while Rafe cracked his knuckles, looking ready to punch the shit out of the blond, again. 

“God, do you assholes seriously have nothing better to do?” she said, earning the group’s attention and surprise. 

JJ struggled against Kelce. “Lot, get out of here.” 

Rafe faced her with a smirk, eyeing her up and down. “You heard him, Lot.” She crossed her arms, not budging from her spot at either boys’ request. There was no way she’d leave JJ outnumbered and listen to anything Rafe told her to do. Realizing that, Rafe rolled his eyes and told one of his friends, “Get her out of here.” 

One of them moved to grab Lottie, but she looked them dead in the eyes. “Touch me and I’ll scream so loud half of Midsummers will be in here wondering what’s going on.” The boy held his hands up and stepped back. 

Rafe moved closer to JJ, clicking his tongue. “You’re face looks really bad, dude. You’re starting to look more and more like your dad.” Anger flooded JJ’s face. He spit at Rafe, pissing off the boy even more. 

Lottie felt steady panic rise in her chest at the idea of another fight breaking out. 

Luckily, the commotion of all of them running through the country club had alerted one of the security hired for the evening. A man entered the locker room, dressed in a tux and with an unamused expression as he looked between the group. Kelce was quick to let go of JJ, and Lottie hurried to her friend’s side, eager to get them both the hell away from Rafe and his friends. 

“Is there a problem here?” the man asked

JJ cleared his throat and fixed his crooked bowtie. “Pardon me, officer. No, there’s not an issue,” JJ said. Lottie saw the wheels in his head turning, and wasn’t quick enough to stop him from saying another word that could potentially make their situation worse. “Actually, no, that’s not true. There is an issue. We’ve got a criminal trespass in progress here, a blatant disrespect for private property. I’m in violation of all of shit, sir, but these young gentlemen, uh, caught me and were about to take me away. And that’s what you should do. Escort me out of here.” He looked at Lottie, trying to figure out a way to get her out of there too. 

She suppressed a sigh and smiled sweetly. “Oh, y-yeah. Me too, sir. Trespassing and…all of that.” 

The security guard remained stoic in his expression and didn’t seem in the mood to ask any more questions or argue. He probably didn’t want to question the son of the man being honored that evening; it was easier to believe whatever JJ and Lottie had said. The man grabbed them both by the arm and started to lead them out of the locker room. 

JJ, however, didn’t plan on leaving quietly when he knew the Kooks wouldn’t try anything with the burly security guard right there. “You Powerpuff Girls have fun!”

It seemed like Rafe held the same sentiment as JJ, wanting to get the last word, a deep cut. He plastered that stupid smirk on his face as he caught Lottie’s eye. “Oh, Lot. I forgot to tell you, you look pretty hot tonight. For a Pogue.” 

She didn’t know why that, out of all of the things he could have said, got under her skin. The whole night, despite knowing she didn’t fit in at Midsummers, she still felt pretty. Kie had picked out the perfect dress and done her hair and makeup nicely. But Rafe’s comment, out of everything that could have been said to her, made that feel disappear in an instant. It was an unfriendly but true reminder that no matter what, not matter what she looked like, the caveat of ‘for a Pogue’ would stick to her. 

Lottie wasn’t ashamed of being a Pogue, but it was a hindrance, a reminder that they’d always be one step behind the Kooks no matter what they did, how hard they worked, or how much they tried. 

Turning her head, Lottie tried to ignore it, knowing Rafe was really just trying to get a rise out of them, but JJ didn’t do the same. He broke free of the security guard’s grip for just a moment, trying to pick another fight with Rafe, but the man caught his arm again and stopped him. 

He hauled both of them out of the locker room and restroom, shoving them through the crowd of peering eyes. Lottie ducked her head in shame but JJ seemed more annoyed than embarrassed. 

“Hey, man, we can walk ourselves, all right?” he argued, but the man ignored him. Instead of dropping it and walking out in quiet shame, JJ did what he often did best: he made a scene. 

Lottie was caught between wanting to walk into the ocean and drown, and laugh. They were pushed through the people, slowed down by JJ stopping to down a glass of wine he stole from a table and sent loud compliments to the party-goers who had stopped to watch in slight horror and humor. JJ made sure everyone at Midsummers heard him. 

“Hey! Let go of them!” Kie’s voice sounded loudly. Her parents were at her side, trying to get her to be quiet but she brushed them off, yelling at the security guard. “You can’t just boot them! I invited them here. I’m a member of this club!” 

As the man was distracted by Kie, JJ shoved him hard and grabbed Lottie before they started to make a break for it. They raced around the crowd, who watched stunned and entertained, as Lottie’s own amusement broke through her embarrassment. She laughed as they approached John B. who saluted JJ with a wide smile on his lips. 

“Misson accomplished, sir,” JJ said. 

John B. nodded. “Then let’s get the hell out of here.” The group of three started running toward the dark ocean, where John B. had docked their boat for a quick escape. Pope and Kie broke away from their parents, following the three. All five of them fled, heads thrown back in laughter at their own antics. 

Midsummers was a fun party, but no matter how hard they tried to blend it, it wasn’t meant for them. But that didn’t matter because they had each other. They were the only things meant for each other, a group of Pogues with what felt like world against them.

[jayjxmaybank]

❛ i love you, i’m sorry ❜

@sammiesblogs

it was a dumb party—just another one at the boneyard. kooks, pogues, tourons—all the tribes colliding for one rare, chaotic night. boneyard parties had the same vibe as a dysfunctional thanksgiving dinner, though jj had never actually experienced one. it was the usual mix of people: those you liked, the ones you didn’t, old faces you hadn’t seen in forever, and strangers you couldn’t care less about. there’d be keg stands, joints getting passed around, and a bonfire where someone always ended up too drunk and puking. sand stuck to your skin, and eventually found its way into your shoes.

but the thing with boneyard parties was that something always went down. maybe it was a fight between the usual rivals, someone getting too wasted and eating face-first sand, or some local from the cut threatening to call the cops unless everyone followed the only rule they cared about: keep it down. the locals didn’t really mind, though—it was their ritual too, after all, something they used to do when they were younger.

this year was different, though. jj and kie weren’t even on speaking terms. they hadn’t been for weeks, and it made the hangouts at kohn b’s house awkward as hell for everyone else. they’d avoid each other like the plague—especially jj. if kie walked into a room, he’d bolt for the nearest exit. if he had to be around her, he wouldn’t even look her way. it was petty, honestly. the whole thing was. john b and pope had tried to talk some sense into him, but he wasn’t hearing it. too stubborn for his own good.

he didn’t even know what they were fighting about anymore—too much had gone down since then. but what he did know was that they both had blood on their hands when it came to the harsh words they’d thrown. she was just trying to help, or whatever, but he didn’t want her help. he said dumb shit, and she snapped back. but deep down, he knew she cared. the problem was, it felt suffocating. he hated hearing her say it, hated hearing those words: “i care for you, jayj.”

and now, here he was—sitting on an old log with a red solo cup in his hand, staring at the fire, watching it crackle and pop, in a trance like a damn caveman. he knew exactly where she was. he could practically feel her presence, even though they were avoiding each other. she was mingling with the rest of the group, and he was just sitting there, trying to zone out. he was usually the life of the party, but tonight? not so much. the tension in the air made everything feel wrong, and he had no idea how to fix it. nor did he think he was the one who could.

[obxsummer]

I Fall Apart // Ghost of You

navigation -- series masterlist

--

summary: jj gets to mack on his girl, sarah's got topper whipped, john b and his dad are MIA, and y/n's reminded just how reckless her boyfriend can be

warnings: s3 spoilers, accidents, panic attacks, shitty parenting as per usual

--

The first thing you did was shove JJ into the shower. The next was handling getting the electricity back on since clearly your father wasn’t concerned with doing that. You were fine with not tagging along with their treasure hunting, but you were worried about your brother. He loved your dad, adored him for so much of his life, and it concerned you that he wouldn’t see what a pawn he was in your dad’s plans. 

You had told JJ as much as you sat in the bathroom on the floor while he showered. You told him about Singh’s place, about Rafe, and how your dad sent you guys on a goose chase for a rock. JJ couldn’t say he was surprised, about any of it, but he was just glad to be back with you. 

Soon enough, Sarah and Kie were on your doorstep, the four of you crowding out by the dock to get the last of the warm sun on you before turning in for the night. 

“I went back to grab clothes and a phone, and you’re not gonna believe this,” Sarah started as she sat down next to you. “Rafe is back. I saw him at the house. I don’t think he saw me, but I think the cross is coming back to Wilmington tomorrow night.”

You sat up from where you were leaning against JJ’s chest to face her. “What?”

“Does Pope know?” Kie asked.

Sarah shook her head. “No, I was gonna tell him when I found you guys.”

“He can’t, he’s on lockdown.” You expected everyone to take some time away, and connect with their families before coming back to figure out the next steps. 

Sarah sighed, “Okay, well. Kie and I can hit up Pope and you guys tell John B when you see him?”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course.” You gave them both a small smile as they said their goodbyes and walked back up the dock. 

You and JJ sat silently, taking in the warmth on your skin before the sun disappeared for the night. You really wished your brother would come home or at least check in to make sure he was okay. Sarah had found a spare iPhone charger to give you for the phone you guys had taken from Barbados. You made sure any tracking services were off so Singh couldn’t try and chase you down. 

“Well if the cross is coming back, it’s still on the field. We’re still in this, we can come in and swoop. We gotta get everybody together and come up with a plan,” JJ rattled off as his fingers tapped excitedly against your thighs. 

You took a deep breath and grabbed JJ’s hands to hold in your own. You were thankful for the last chance opportunity to get the cross back, but you didn’t want to risk running into Rafe or getting your friends into the line of trouble again. 

“Talk to me,” JJ held out the word, swinging your hands back and forth before wrapping around your waist tightly to hold you. “C’mon.”

A small smile formed on your face, so grateful for a boy who could read you so easily, who could love you so easily. You laughed as he left wet kisses against your shoulders into the curve of your neck to get you to talk. “Okay, okay.” He pressed one more to your temple for good measure. “I’m just worried about John B. That’s all.”

“He’s with your dad, Y/N. I’m sure he’s perfectly fine.”

You kept your grip on JJ’s hand and brought it up to your lips to kiss the back of it. “That’s exactly why I’m worried about him. My dad is way too deep in this treasure hunt to realize he’s putting his own kids at risk, and John B will just let him because he doesn’t want to disappoint him.”

“He didn’t seem too upset when you said you didn’t wanna go,” JJ tried to reason.

You shook your head. “That’s because he doesn’t have any disappointment left when it comes to me. I know he doesn’t care if I’m there or not. That’s how it’s always been. Him and John B against the world. I was just the backup piece.” You took a deep, shaky breath. “Your dad takes the prize for Shittiest Dad but I think mine might be a close second.”

JJ laughed at the idea. “Well, Ward Cameron might take second but I get what you mean. And it may be hard, but I don’t want you to think what your dad says represents the truth about you. You’re my number one, no matter what.”

You mumbled a small thank you, adjusting further into his grip as if there was any room to. God knows what you’d do without JJ.

"We have the whole house to ourselves?"

"Jesus Christ, JJ!"

--

Your group met back up the next afternoon to figure out what the plan was to get the cross back. You still hadn’t heard anything from John B, Sarah claiming the same. The six of you crowded around a small table with the sun beating down on you. The ferry ride to Wilmington wouldn’t take too long so you could bear the heat for the time being.

“Honestly, the hardest part is gonna be security, alright?” JJ was running everyone through the steps of what would need to go down. “So most of the guys are gonna be at the rail yard.”

“Right, so we’re going to need to find someplace and guard it, maybe a little further down the line, like a whistle-stop or something,” Pope theorized.

“You guys are getting ahead of yourselves per usual,” Cleo interrupted, “We don’t have a way to transport the cross. What did you think? On JJ’s motorcycle?”

Your boyfriend grunted behind you and pulled his hat off. “That’s not my fault.”

“Okay, so other options-”

“Oh, my God.” You all stopped conversing at Sarah’s sudden outburst, watching as she sat up stiffly next to you. You moved instantly, Kie and Pope doing the same to see where her gaze had been to come up with Topper Thornton.

“Why…is he everywhere?” Kiara asked as she turned back around. 

Pope, however, was on a different thought process. “Perfect. Hey, Jayj. I bet you Topper has a way to transport the cross.”

Your boyfriend shrugged at the suspicion. “Actually, Pope’s right. He does have a rig.”

“No.” Sarah instantly declined. 

“Yes,” JJ clapped right back.

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on,” JJ pestered, “Sarah, you already got him whipped anyway, alright? So, why don’t you just take one for the team?”

The blonde was not happy with the suggestion. “What would John B say?”

You tilted your head in consideration. “Eh, I think John B would completely understand. It is about the treasure.” You caught her defeated look and leaned over to place your hand on hers. “If you really don’t want to, it’s okay. You don’t have to. But, I think if you just talk to him, he may be willing.”

Sarah let out a deep breath before mumbling an agreement and getting to her feet. The five of you watched carefully, moving out of view so Topper couldn’t see you directly. You hated the idea of Sarah feeling uncomfortable with this but you knew she could handle it. After a few moments of back and forth, she suddenly gave Topper a big hug which signaled an agreement in your eyes. Your friends silently cheered around you, giving her a thumbs up when she made eye contact. 

Maybe y’all had a chance at this after all.

--

It was dark out by the time you guys hit the train yard, managing to situate yourself on top of one of the cars so you could survey everything around you.

“Well, there’s like a thousand trains here.”

“We know it’s car 750X on the track to Raleigh, so now we just gotta find it.”

You scanned the area in front of you. “Well, news flash, guys. We’re not getting out of here unnoticed with a giant cross.”

“We don’t have to,” Pope said, “We can nab it somewhere further in the country. Just gotta figure out how to stop the train.”

“Leave that to me,” JJ interrupted everyone’s thought process. You stared at him, waiting for further explanation. “I got an uncle up in New Bern, right? When he got tipsy, he’d just throw an old chain across the tracks for shits and giggles. And that old little chain would stop all the train traffic in Coastal Carolina.”

Kie looked at him incredulously. “A chain?”

“He’s actually right,” Pope confirmed, “There’s a low voltage current that runs across all rail tracks. You throw a chain on it, you close that circuit. It would read as another train. Crossing lights come down. Science is actually pretty sound.”

JJ clapped his hands together and gave you a small nudge. “Science, babe. I knew my science.”

“Well, babe, we don’t have a chain,” You reminded him. 

“No, but I bet Topper’s dad has jumper cables in the truck,” Sarah pointed out, “Would that work?”

Pope nodded as Topper started yelling from behind your group, remaining on the ground. “What’s going on? Are we doing this or not?”

“Alright, you all wait here. Me and Pope will go look for it and send a signal once we find it,” Cleo said.

Sarah glanced between the six of you with a smile on her face. “Do we actually have a plan right now?”

“Think we do.”

“For once in our lives.”

“Let’s not jinx it, come on.”

Pope and Cleo began to climb down off the train car to search further for the specific area you’d need. You, Kie, JJ, and Sarah remained in place and decided to sit until something came up. After a moment, you laid back against the cool material of the container you were on, grateful for the temperature. 

“Has anyone heard from John B?” Kiara asked after a moment of waiting. 

You groaned and rubbed your hands over your face before letting them flop by your sides. “Nope. Hasta la vista, JB.”

“He left a note at the Chateau that he was going with Big John, but hasn’t come back since,” JJ explained further as he leaned back against his hands. “I’m sure they’re fine wherever they’re at.”

Silence took over, all of you waiting eagerly for a sign from Cleo and Pope. Eventually, a flashlight hit your vision, all of you popping up to see Pope on the ladder, calling you over. 

“That’s it!” JJ reached out a hand to pull you up just as a train horn blared.

“What’s happening?” Kiara asked as if you guys weren’t surrounded by trains that could take off at any moment.

You watched as Pope got shifted around before you realized it was the train you needed taking off. “Shit, it’s moving. We gotta go.”

The four of you clambered down the ladder as fast as possible and over to Topper’s truck. He looked extremely unamused by being dragged into this. 

“Oh, hey Sarah.”

“Do you have jumper cables in there?” Sarah ignored his sarcasm and got straight to the point. 

“Here I am involved in illegal activities-”

“Not that illegal.

“I’m not even close to being okay with this.”

Sarah cut him off by slamming the door shut. She had a set of cables in her hand and quickly handed them off to you. “Topper, if you don’t wanna go, it’s fine. We’ll take the truck.”

“Hey, I just wanna make sure everyone here is okay with ending up in federal prison,” Topper directed towards all of you. 

JJ bit back a laugh and swung his leg over the seat of his bike, reaching his hand out to help you do the same. “Uh, if it gets to that, yeah. I’ll do it for Pope.” You gave him a soft smile and wrapped your arms around his torso, making sure the jumper cables weren’t at risk of falling.

You guys didn’t waste a second after that, JJ taking the lead while Kie, Sarah, and Topper followed in the truck. Usually, you weren’t a huge fan of JJ and the bike, but you’d grown used to it in the time you’d been together. Granted, he drove way safer with you on the back than when he was by himself, but still.

You winced as he took a corner a little too sharp, your grip tightening out of fear of falling. You didn’t go much further before JJ pulled off into a grassy patch next to the road that intersected with the tracks.

“This should be far enough.” You made it a whopping three steps before JJ tripped over nothing into the dirt below. He groaned and got back to his feet, sparing the glance to see you laughing at him. “I meant for that.”

You hummed, “Sure you did, babe. Let’s go.”

The plan was simple - use the jumper cables to reverse the charge so the train would have to stop, hopefully leaving enough time for you guys to unload the cross and get out of here. JJ connected one of the cables to the crossing lights before placing the other two on the tracks. 

“Okay, now all you have to do is change the current,” He scrambled around to get everything in the right order. He was moving quickly, his brain processing faster than he thought it ever could

You looked behind you, the horn of the train getting louder by the second which didn’t help your nerves. “Please don’t get electrocuted.”

“Yeah, no promises with that.” He placed the red cable on first before clamping the black one next. The two of you looked up at the signal, anticipating the lights to change to red, but they continued to flicker green. 

“Why isn’t it changing?”

“That’s literally what he would do. He would do it, and-and then it would change to red. Oh my god.” JJ started pacing in frustration as the train continued to near. “Think think think. Okay, what if I blockaded the track?”

“Jayj, no.” You crouched down by the cables, giving him a look. “How about moving the cable because the train touches both sides of the track, hmm?” You switched the red cable over to the other side before standing up. JJ’s fingers curled around your wrist in anticipation as you stared up at the crossing lights. They blinked green for another few seconds before switching to a solid red. 

The two of you cheered at the color change, JJ reaching for a high five before pulling you into him for a hug. “You’re a genius.”

“Nope, it’s all you.” You kissed his cheek quickly before grabbing his hand and tugging for the two of you to duck by some nearby trees. “We gotta hide.”

It didn’t take long for the train’s brakes to kick in and start slowing down. JJ let out a small ‘yay’ once it finally stopped in front of you, hopefully giving Cleo and Pope a chance to climb off. The excitement was short-lived, however, when a service truck pulled up next to you on the main road.

“Shit, back up, back up.” JJ tugged the back of your shirt, moving the two of you further into the tree line so you weren’t in view. “This was not part of the plan!”

Two workers climbed out of the truck and started surveying the area for the possible cause. “What is this bullshit?” It didn’t take long for them to find the jumper cables attached to the tracks, both you and JJ mumbling curses when they did. They were quick to remove the cables so the crossing lights turned green.

“You’re all set over here. Some asshole put jumper cables on the tracks.”

You turned to JJ as the workers climbed back in the truck, fearful that they wouldn’t have made it. “You think that gave them enough time?” The answer to your question came in the form of the train honking that it would start moving again. “We gotta go get them.”

“There goes the plan, come on!” JJ offered his hand to get you off the ground, the two of you sprinting back to his bike. The engine kicked to life beneath you just as a familiar pickup truck came flying around the corner with a large crate in the back. “That’s Top. And that’s the cross. Get on!”

You didn’t hesitate to climb behind him, arms looped around his waist tightly before he took off behind your friends. The sound of police sirens followed not too long after, the blue lights eventually finding you before you would’ve liked.

“J!” You placed your forehead between his shoulder blades, suddenly terrified about what would come next. He was moving a little too fast for your liking, but you could tell he was trying to keep up with Topper.

“I know, I know!”

The bike moved faster beneath you, JJ guiding it to ride alongside Topper’s truck. You glanced over to see Cleo and Pope in the bed of the truck, staring right back at you. “What the hell are you doing?” Pope yelled at your boyfriend.

“Get ready to jump,” JJ yelled back at you, his eyes not leaving the road. “Top, keep going straight!”

“What?” You gaped at him, not that he could see you. Pope let out an expression of equal shock, the two of you in disbelief that JJ would actually suggest this. “Are you insane?”

“Probably,” Your boyfriend replied back, fully serious about what he was telling you to do. “Get ready to jump!”

Pope reached out towards you, Cleo right behind him as they leaned by the side of the truck bed. “Come on, come on. I’ve got you!”

You took a deep breath, slowly letting go of JJ’s waist to grab Pope’s outstretched hand. You did your best to keep JJ balanced while stepping off, your hand lingering on his shoulder until you rolled on top of the wooden crate the cross was in. 

“JJ!” You screamed the second you got adjusted and watched him slow down to place himself between the truck and the oncoming cop car.

Cleo’s hand guided you into the gap between the crate and the back of Topper’s truck, all of them asking if you were okay. You barely answered, eyes trained on JJ’s form as he slammed on the brakes, using his momentum to pop a wheelie and change directions. 

“What’s he gonna do?” Cleo looked at you as if you had the answer.

“I don’t know,” You choked out, “I don’t think he knows either.”

JJ moved forward slightly to pick something off the ground before gunning it full speed towards the cruiser. 

“Topper!” You yelled as you watched JJ slam the rock into the cop’s windshield. The police didn’t hesitate to yank the car around to follow him instead. “We have to go back!”

“Stop the truck!” Pope and Cleo copied your idea, yelling into the small window that accessed the main cabin. You watched until you lost sight of JJ to the darkness of the night. Topper slowed down a second later. The pit in your stomach grew as he turned the truck around, racing back in the direction JJ was going in. 

“Turn left!” Pope called out as a service road came up.

You could vaguely hear Sarah and Topper arguing before he listened to the change of direction. Your eyes caught sight of JJ on the road running parallel, the cops directly behind him. Your chest was aching as you watched, unable to look away no matter how much you wanted to. 

Pope called out more directions for Topper, the noises turning blurry around you. Cleo’s hands latched on your shoulders, pulling you into her so you had someone to lean onto. You struggled to get air in your lungs with every inch of your body in panic mode. 

You watched carefully as JJ pulled onto the overpass you were about to go under. There was a bright flash of light and the sound of a car horn before a loud screeching noise took over your senses. You could feel the truck slide beneath you, suddenly horizontal on the road.

You moved before your brain even had a chance to process what happened. “Pope, go!” Legs aching as you jumped from the tailgate, the first thing you noticed was JJ’s bike in a tangled mess just inches away from where Topper’s truck had stopped. 

“JJ!” Your throat burned from the force of your scream as you tried to find any sign of him. There was busted concrete under your feet, but nothing that indicated he was even down here. “JJ, answer me! Where is he?”

Your friends descended into panic behind you, yelling out for your boyfriend. Sarah’s arms caught you the second you wavered, both of you hitting the ground harshly. You fought to get air into your lungs as you continued to look for JJ. 

“Maybe he’s up on the bridge?”

“No, no, no,” You gasped for air, Sarah’s hands forcing you to put your head between your legs in an attempt to avoid you passing out. Tears burned in your eyes as you realized that was very much a crash he wouldn’t survive. “Fuck.”

The world blurred for a moment, your body numb as you tried to breathe through the panic attack. It was always so much worse when it involved JJ and any harm coming to him. You shifted, legs digging into the concrete below you as Sarah rubbed your back and tried to talk you through it.

“I wish I could say I did that on purpose, but that was the gnarliest powerslide I’ve ever done.”

The second you registered the voice behind you, air flooded your lungs as you coughed aggressively. Your head snapped up, Sarah moving to get on her feet as you turned, not trusting yourself to stand yet. God damn this boy for being so reckless.

Pope reacted first and slammed into JJ forcefully, “You’re alive!”

“Shit, that was gnarly!” Topper himself was even surprised at the sight he witnessed.

“That was trucking, dude,” JJ attempted to compliment the Kook back before he was getting attacked by Sarah Cameron’s hands against his chest. “Oh, Jesus. Oh, God.” She didn’t hesitate to bring him into a bone-crushing hug, chastising him for being so dangerous. 

You stared up at your boyfriend, unable to move as you watched your friends rejoice at his presence. Moments like this were Earth-shattering to you and took a while to get through. You couldn’t brush off near-death experiences like you used to. 

“As nice as these pleasantries are, we really need to move.”

Sarah reached over to you, hands pulling you off the ground to a shaky stance. JJ was there in a second, his hands replacing your best friend’s as he grasped your elbows to keep you steady. You stared right into his eyes, knowing your own were teary. You could’ve slapped him. “Don’t… don’t you ever do that again. You hear me?”

JJ pulled his lips in tightly and gave you a nod, knowing he had no room to argue. You collided with his chest a second later, a heavy sob finally making its way out as you clung to him. JJ let out a sigh, the adrenaline slowly seeping from his body as he held you against him. 

“Hey! Hey, you kids, don’t move!”

JJ was grabbing your hand the split second a flashlight ran across the two of you, practically sprinting to the truck. He lifted you into the back seat next to Kiara before climbing into the bed of the truck with Pope, telling Topper to go. 

You tucked your legs up onto the seat to curl into a ball, knowing the pressure was the only way to get your racing heart to calm down. Usually, this is where JJ would happily hug you senselessly, but you didn’t have time to resort to that. 

“Hey, hey. You okay?” Kiara’s hand was cold on your leg, grounding. 

You let a deep breath out between your lips, head leaning against the headrest as you forced a nod. “Yeah. Just gotta…gotta breathe through it.”

Sometimes it felt so silly to deal with your anxiety like this, like you were looking for constant attention and reassurance. Not that you could help it, but you wish it didn’t have to be this way. You wish losing your friends wasn’t such a big fear of yours, wasn’t a possible reality. 

You filtered out the yelling that started between your friends and Topper. There was no doubt the cops were set to catch up to you. You didn’t really care how fast Topper was driving the truck, but evidently, everyone surrounding you did. 

Suddenly, the vehicle hit a large bump in the road causing the wooden crate to fly from the back of the truck. Topper screeched to a stop just before everyone flew out of their various positions to check on it. 

You opened your own door to meet them on the road as Pope tossed the top off to check on the cross. To your luck, it was filled with multiple tires full of concrete. 

“What the hell?”

“It’s fake.”

Pope leaned down to inspect it. “It’s all freaking fake.”

“Pope, I’m so sorry,” Sarah apologized solemnly. 

You sighed, knowing all of your efforts were in vain for the Heyward’s heirloom. The sound of police sirens started getting louder, which mean you needed to get back on the move. 

“Y’all hear that? Okay, I can’t be here. My grandfather’s a judge.”

“Dog, would you relax?” JJ tried to get Topper to chill out. “They’re not gonna think some dude in flip-flops is part of a robbery.”

You took one last look, reassuring Pope that it would be okay before climbing back into Topper’s truck to get the hell out of there and go home.

--

You were exhausted by the time you guys got off the ferry. The group had practically pulled an all-nighter with the nonstop running and you were fully prepared to sleep the day away. Topper was kind enough to drop you all off at the Chateau, an awkward conversation forming between him and Sarah before you caught sight of the Twinkie in the yard. 

“John B!” You took off running as your brother walked out of the screen door with a beer in hand. He very clearly didn’t expect you to come at him full speed and the drink almost slipped from his hands when you ran into him. “You’re okay.”

He stayed silent but returned the hug, making you look up at him. It was obvious to anyone that he looked exhausted. He shook his head and let you go. “You were right.”

You didn’t dare ask him to explain at the moment, not that it would’ve been possible since your father stepped out of the Chateau a second later. Your friends lost their shit, Pope and Kiara letting out bursts of excitement to see him. JJ even embraced him a second time, jumping on his back just like he would do when you guys were kids. 

Everyone gave a quick recap of your time in Wilmington before John B explained the treasure hunt he went on with your dad to Charleston. “Yeah, yeah. So, we um, we went to the archives in Charleston, and, uh, it was a dead end. A dry hole. So.”

The tone of his voice was enough to tell you he was lying. You were sure your friends could pick up on it too, all of you knowing each other well enough to tell easily. Pope counted on his fingers. “So that’s the gold, the cross, and now El Dorado. We’re three for three, guys.”

You watched your dad give a subtle nod to your brother, Sarah catching it too as she glanced at him before her eyes moved to you. Why John B was lying to all of you, you had no idea. There was no doubt in your mind that it was your dad’s bidding, though.

Pope threw his beer can wildly, letting out a sarcastic cheer. “The streak continues. That’s great.”

Kie and Cleo were quick to follow him away from the house, calling out goodbyes as they passed. JJ was the next to get on his feet. “I’m going fishing. Thanks for the beer.”

You moved with him to stop him short of leaving. It would be a lie if you said you were comfortable with him walking away from you, especially with how the last few hours had been in terms of safety. “J, you sure you’re okay?”

You could tell he was forcing the smile on his face as he nodded. “I’m good, babe. Promise. Just wanna go clear my head for a few.”

“I’ll be here, okay? Come get me,” You didn’t specify for what, leaving the reason in the air. If he needed you, you’d be there, no matter what. JJ nodded and gave you a soft kiss before turning on his heels and walking away from you. “I love you!”

He paused in his exit to look back at you. “I love you more.” 

JJ was one of those people who just needed space to process. You totally understood, giving it to him when he asked, but it always made you iffy that he was lying to himself. He shouldered a lot of your burden because you were comfortable sharing that with him. He wasn’t like that and dealt with it on his own. You always reminded him you would be happy to listen to anything he said, so the offer was always there.

Turning around, you could tell Sarah had the same hints about something being off based on the way she was speaking to John B. You let out a sigh and made your way inside to hopefully escape all the tension lingering. The screen door slammed a moment after you were inside. You turned to see your brother following you, his jaw clenched, whole body tense.

“Hey,” You whispered in case he didn’t want to talk about it. John B met you in the kitchen, leaning against the counter opposite you. “I’d ask if you’re okay, but I think I know the answer.”

“Um, we’re leaving, again.” You weren’t surprised by his words and merely nodded in return. What you didn’t expect was for your brother to step closer with shiny eyes full of tears. “What you heard out there, it was all a lie. We found the other piece to the idol. And-and Dad gave Limbrey some fake shroud so she could walk again, and I cannot keep lying to them, Y/N!” His voice cracked on your name. There was no point in saying that you saw this coming from a million miles away.

“It’s okay, JB.” You moved forward to pull him into a hug as he let out a few deep breaths. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll figure everything out. Just, be careful, okay?”

John B was quick to agree, recomposing himself before giving you a goodbye and leaving to get in the Twinkie. You were left with the mess on your hands, stuck in the middle of your brother and your friends, just hoping things could hold on a little longer until you could find a way to fix everything.

--

You kept to yourself the rest of the day, taking the time to catch up on some much-needed rest and attempting to clean up the house to the best of your ability. You knew at some point shit would hit the fan again so you didn’t mind the downtime on your hands. This felt normal to you - to be home by yourself with everyone out on their own adventures. This was how everything was before your dad went missing, before you were thrown headfirst into taking care of yourself and your brother. 

Eventually, the silence got to be too much and you found yourself on the path to JJ’s house in hopes to find him there. Evidently, your brother had the same idea. The Twinkie was already in sight as you walked through the grass to where you caught a view of your brother and JJ. Your boyfriend was sitting on the rotting wooden steps that led up to the patio, John B standing near the driver’s door of the van.

They both looked at you once you were close enough that they could hear your footsteps. JJ let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked back at John B. “Does she know?”

You seemed to take everything in at that moment. Your dad was nowhere to be found and if you had a say, John B looked a little worse for wear. JJ patted the spot next to him so your brother would sit and hesitantly, John B did as he asked. You stood a few feet away from them as your boyfriend rubbed his face stressfully. 

“I don’t know what to do, JJ.” John B’s voice was almost inaudible. “How the hell do we get to South America?”

“No clue…but, we’re gonna figure it out. We always do.” You watched the two of them lean on each other, JJ’s arm wrapping around your brother’s shoulder. This was the John B and JJ you’d grown up with; two dumbasses where nothing mattered at the end of the day so long as they had each other. Their friendship had been poked, prodded, and pulled at over these past few months but here they were, proving all your doubts wrong. 

“So. Is someone gonna tell me what the hell is going on or am I just gonna have to figure it out for myself?”

--

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