#im not tagging mileven because im not trying to start anything but anyway

[didyoupainthis]

I’m gonna say this might be controversial only because I’m blatantly comparing Mileven and Byler but I’m gonna say it now, this isn’t me comparing them in a Mileven vs. Byler way. It’s just what I’ve always inferred about the differences between them based on what’s shown. I’m also someone who only watched ST for the first time last year so I never had any kind of attachment to Mileven which I think makes it easier to notice things imo

I feel like the biggest difference between Mileven and Byler is that Mileven gives teenagers that like each other and Byler gives teenagers in love. I do personally think Mike is probably gay (I say probably because realistically I think he’d just be unlabeled) but he clearly wants to like El because apart from him believing it’s what she also wants, it’s also just what he thinks is ‘normal’

I don’t think Mike and El being actually in love was ever something that we were meant to believe in the first place because the writers have never done anything to show that they are. They’re a typical teenage couple, they’re typically shallow and they’re forcing themselves to bring up ‘love’ because it’s apart of dating. The two have never actually had any heart to heart moments ever since they got together. Every moment they’ve had alone together since S2 haven’t really been meaningful or romantic at all when you break them down; The scenes of them making out, El saying she makes her own rules after Mike said he doesn’t like her spying, Mileven reading the M&M ingredients for reconciliation, El deciding they’re together again, Mileven fighting about love and then the SBP conversation that actually didn’t have a clear topic and was eventually interrupted by Argyle

In comparison, Byler has the love already without even being together. They’ve already passed all the stages at this point, developing their feelings slowly over time but they just never went through this together. They both have had the time to work out their feelings and what they want on their own

I still remember when Caleb said Lucas and Max’s love is real unlike Mike and El’s, that was honestly iconic but also very true. Mike and El clearly love each other but I just don’t think their whole romantic relationship deal was ever supposed to be perceived as ‘deep’ I would say. They’re not each other’s person and they know that. I don’t think El is gonna be finding her person anytime soon for the sole reason that romantic love isn’t even what she wants, nor is it something she was ever ready for. She wants to be loved and she is. She wants to be her own person and she is

And Mike wants to be needed by someone and loved for who he is, despite his insecurities. He wants to feel equal to this person and this person is Will

[northcarolinanative]

𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 (𝟽)

Chapter 7: I’m Not Giving Up 

Description: John B’s Sister comes home from staying with their mom, only to find out that her brother is missing and her dad was murdered. JJ may have just lost his best friend. Her and JJ have to figure out what to do and how to pick up the pieces.

A/N: This is going to have like 100 chapters probably jk maybe, anyway… Tell me what you think, I love hearing feedback from you guys. Also, my requests are open and so are my messages:( pls message me!! Hope y’all enjoy :) 

Need to catch up? Ch.1 / Ch.2 / Ch.3 / Ch.4 / Ch. 5 / Ch.6

I woke up and fluttered my eyes open. I heard rustling and all I saw was darkness. I realized that JJ and I were still intertwined from the position we were in the night before. I was faced with his chest, his head resting on mine, and his arm wrapped to cover my face. He was warm and I could feel a sudden draft of wind, making me move closer to him. I started to doze back off in the warmth of the bed. Things we’re black, but I heard people walking, and then an “Shhhh,” followed by papers rustling. “What is all this?” I felt JJ move his head from mine. I wasn’t dreaming, was I? 

“I see you’re coping by throwing yourself at the tourist girls per usual.” l definitely wasn’t dreaming someone was in the house. I jumped at the sound of the voice, not sure why it had scared me so much. I felt JJ wrap his arms around me a little tighter. 

“It’s just Pope and Kie,” JJ said to me. I slowly sat up in the bed looking at both of them. I knew they were hurting, but throwing that insult at JJ, uncalled for. I moved my hair behind my ear, my face turning red from the position that they had found JJ and I in. I just smiled as both of them looked between JJ and me with a stunning glance on their face.  

“Y/N?” Kie was the first to speak, before running up to me and giving me a soft hug. “What the hell? When did you-” She stopped, taking in that I was here, in front of her. 

“I got back a few days ago” I said shortly, looking over to JJ who was looking at Pope giving each other glances. 

Pope finally looked my way. “Honestly didn’t think we’d ever see you again.” He chuckled at his own statement. 

“Y’all can’t get rid of me that easily now,” I said trying to lighten the mood. “What are y’all doing here?” I asked getting up from the bed, pushing JJ off in the meantime so I could fold it up. He let out an annoyed groan but ended up helping me as we listened to Kie and Pope. 

“We thought we would come by, see if everything was alright over here. You know, maybe clean the place up.” Nothing about seeing if JJ was staying here, maybe that’s why they were here, just didn't say it. 

“Yea, somehow Y/N got me to clean the house up her first night back.” JJ joked as he put the last cushion on the couch, flopping down on it. 

“How did you manage that Y/N?” Pope laughed with him. The air was thick, now it was Pope and Kie sharing glances, and I remembered what JJ told me about their maybe relationship. That wasn’t the only reason the air was thick. 

We all were at a loss for words without John B. No one knew if it was okay to joke and laugh, or if we should all be crying. The air in the room was so thick it was almost hard to breathe. We all sat around, JJ pulling out his Juul and taking a few puffs, relieving his own feeling of tension. 

I broke the silence, moving toward the maps. “What have you guys been up to?” It was a simple question but asked much more than just that. I wanted to know how they were doing after losing John B, but more importantly why that had not reached out to JJ. Maybe I was being too hard on them, it had only been a few days, but until now they did not know that JJ wasn’t alone. 

“Uh. Not too much. We went to the tent to see Shoope a few times, other than that, trying to figure out where to go from there, how to move forward.” Move forward. Ouch.

“Yea. I mean we’ve been at the Wreck almost all day with my dad, he doesn’t really want us to leave with all this still going on. He thinks they’ll pin it on us.” 

I quickly looked at JJ, giving him a questioning look. Why would they pin anything on the other pogues? JJ made it seem like everyone knew by now that Rafe was guilty. “He’s probably looking out for us. You know Mr. C, Y/N always looking out for us.” 

I mumbled a “right” making a mental note to ask him about it later. I moved to start cleaning up the maps. I had no plans to tell the other two what JJ and I were up to, as they were trying to “move forward.” John B had told me that they believed our dad was dead, even when we didn’t, but I thought maybe since it was their friend this time they would think differently. 

“So what is all this?” Pope asked, moving to look at the maps scattering the counter in front of us. 

“Nothing,” I said. 

At the same time JJ spoke up “Wild goose chase, part 2.” I shot JJ a look. If looks could kill he would have been dead. 

Kie looked between the two of us and then grabbed the last map on the table that I hadn’t folded up yet. She looked over it and then back at me. “Are you really trying to find them?” She looked at JJ. “You both still think they're out there?” 

I took the map out of her hand and quickly folded it up to move it into the bin with the others. “Of course I do Kiara.” I used her full name, something I tend to do when I am mad. I was shocked that she expected anything different. “I am not giving up on my brother, not now! It’s only been a few days, and you both are ready to salute him goodbye!” I motioned between her and Pope. 

“Y/N, if they were there don’t you think the police would have found them by now, huh?” She asked moving closer to me. I didn’t like this, the pogues were normally supportive, but something had changed. 

“Yea, because their top priority is finding some fugitive from the cut that's been lost at sea.” Sarcasm dripping from my words “If we don’t stick up for them, who will, huh?” I fired back, mimicking her tone. 

“You know, your brother said the same thing, look where that got him. You would think after what happened to your dad and your brother chasing things lost at sea, you would learn not to.” 

I stopped what I was doing. I froze. I could not believe that she said that. “Kie what the hell?” Pope said to her. He looked at me with pity in his eyes. 

“Yea what the fuck Kie?” JJ stood up and walked in my direction. 

She looked around and quickly walked out of the house, Pope nodded at JJ and quickly followed her. It wasn’t a few seconds after the door shut that JJ wrapped his arms around me in a hug. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. 

I pulled away from JJ. “I’m gonna go sit by the water for a bit. I need to clear my head.” I said before starting towards the back door. 

“You sure you’ll be okay by yourself?” I smiled back and just nodded before turning back to the dock. 

I sat down letting my bare feet rest in the water. The water was cool, as it was still the morning. Kie really gave up on John B, so did Pope. It hurt me to think like that, but what if they were right? What if all this work was just JJ and I trying not to process our emotions, something neither of us handled well. I did not want to think about John B or even the way that my heart sped up around JJ. My mind shifted to JJ, the new relationship that had seemed to form the past few days. It wasn’t anything I should be thinking about, but it helped me from thinking about John B. JJ and I had always been friends, but recently, with the constant comforting touches and the nights that we had shared, made things feel different. 

As if on cue JJ came walking down the dock, and like that my alone time was over. JJ never was one for being alone anyway. When he reached me, he leaned down and handed me an open beer. “Thought you could use this.” He said as I grabbed it. “Do you need more time?” He asked. 

“Nah. I just need to cool off after that…” I paused as I watched him sit down, “heated discussion.” I laughed. 

“She shouldn’t have said any of that, it was uncalled for.” There it was, those constant, reassuring touches, as he put his arm lazily around my shoulders. “I’m sorry.” 

“We aren’t being crazy are we?” I asked looking up at him. “I mean she is right isn’t she? In some respect at least? I mean I’m literally doing what I was complaining about both of them doing, hunting a shipwreck.” 

“We aren't hunting a shipwreck Y/N” He paused and looked at me. “We’re hunting our friend, your brother, we’re looking for someone, not something. It’ll be worth it in the end, Promise.”

We sat like that on the dock in silence for a while the breeze came off the ocean. “Kie really thought I was just some tourist you were macking to help you cope?” I laughed nudging JJ slightly. 

“I know. She really has no faith in me.” He shook his head but I could hear the sarcastic tone in his voice. “Plus, you have changed since last summer. Your hair is longer and it’s all light and sunny. Plus you’ve grown up, I mean we all have. I don’t blame her for not recognizing you” I just looked back down at the water, a blush creeping up to my cheeks at his sudden affections. “Plus we could be macking, I’m not objecting” I turned quickly to look at him after his sudden statement. He had a huge smile on his face. 

“What?” I nervously laughed. 

“What?” He laughed back. 

-- 

MASTERLIST 

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