#kiara carrera one shot

[writing-with-emy]

Hi!! I was wondering if you would do a request for your Eras Festival?? For paper rings with Kie where it’s them in poguelandia and they make each other little rings and think back to all the memories they have had?

Paper Rings - Kiara Carrera x Fem!Reader

KIARA CARRERA MASTERLIST | ERAS FESTIVAL MASTERLIST

SHIPPING: Kiara Carrera x Fem!Reader (WLW) REQUESTET?: Yes (and yes they are open) SUMMARY: While sitting making little rings out of gras, you talked about the past on outer banks, laughing and reminiscing about your adventures together.

WORDCOUNT: 1.810 Words (short for my standards, surprisingly) PROMPTS: None WARNINGS: Underage drinking, smoking weed, swearwords, A/N: after the ending of The Eras Tour, and not being able to sleep at night I finally got to write my requests a bit. As always, English is not my first language so if there are Grammar mistakes, I am so sorry, but I hope you like it and it was somewhat, what you imagined a bit! -

The Sun hits just right while you and Kiara were sitting up on the cliff near the already prepared Fireplace, for the moment you are going to see Help. You have no idea how long it has been since you and your friends landed on this deserted Island, probably a few weeks, maybe a month or two, who knows. All that matters right now are you, your friends and your girlfriend and the survival on this Island in the middle of the Ocean. You were looking down to your other friends when you heard your girlfriend speak up.

“God, as much as I love it here, I would give everything right now to have a warm Shower.”, she said, a desperate look on her face while looking up from her making. “I know, you are probably not the only one here. Even though I feel like JJ enjoys it a bit too much living without basic stuff.”, you smirked at her, knowing the reaction of your friend when that topic was first brought up. “I know right? Just like the time when we had like no running water, because of a storm that had occurred prior.”, she remembered, looking at you in disbelief. “I know, it took literally weeks for the water to run again!”, you replied with an annoyed tone in your voice.

You two shared a laugh about the memory in your heads, the water completely stopping on the whole Outer Banks, probably was the worst. Well at least for you guys on the Cut, the Kooks had the water faster running again, than you could blink in a second.

“Hey, do you remember the night that we first met?”, you suddenly asked after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah, wasn’t that like in seventh grade?”, she looked back at you. “Yes! I believe it was a Keg Party at the Beach.”, you recalled. “Shit, yes! Wasn’t that like your first ever Keg Party?”, she laughed. “Oh God yes, yes it was. I’m so glad my Mom didn’t separate my head from my Body when I came home the next day.”, you remembered embarrassed.

“I know! ”, she started laughing. “Hey, that's not funny! I probably like weed, alcohol and what not! Fuck JJ and John B were as High as the Moon that night!”, you said laughing.

-

*Flashback 2016*

First things first, you were nervous as shit. You told your parents that you were sleeping over at a friend's house, which is true in some way at least, what they don’t know is that your friend had planned that you were going to the Keg happening at the beach. When you arrived you saw all of the People in your age group or higher at the beach, with a bunch of tourist teens having a great time. Your first impression of the drunk teens, the loud music blaring over Bluetooth speakers with the newest hits, all dancing and laughing was weird of some sort? Well, the smell of sweat, salt air, beer and a smell you couldn’t yet sort in made your stomach turn a bit– and your nerves didn’t help a single bit. You followed your friend through the crowd of teens until you stopped, before you were four teens, briefly introduced as JJ, John B, Kie and Pope who seemed just as nervous to be here as you. The first thing in a truly classic JJ way was him holding the Joint out to you and asking if you wanted a hit, which your friend declined in your name. A few moments later, you were sitting with the Pogues and chatted away, barely sipping on your beer. You and Pope bonding over the fact that your parents probably will kill you when you get home tomorrow, you saw your friend chatting with the other three and you don’t know when but at some point Kie came over to you annoyed over the fact how high JJ and John B are, best presented with JJ falling over laughing at something John B said.

That was the first time you and Kie met, starting to have conversations about the most random stuff, not knowing what the future will bring for you.

-

You were both laughing your asses off discussing that evening. “You know, that night I never would have thought what would happen in the future.”, she said smiling. “What exactly? Us coming together or being stranded in the Caribbean?”, you asked her. “Both somehow? I don’t know, but looking back it was probably clear as day for everyone else.”, she explained with a look on her face, which explained to you that she was deep in her thoughts. “Well, looking back at us coming together was pretty much an accident. But probably my favorite one yet.”, you smiled at her while taking her hand in yours.

Which was true, you and Kie getting together was an accident, a happy one to be fair. It was during the whole Gold from the Royal Merchant thing that happened, JJ said as usual something stupid and you were 10 minutes away from punching him in the nose; luckily for JJ, Kie was there to stop your actions. Later at the same evening, while chilling in the Cats Ass, aka the Hottub, you were talking to Kie when your Attention was taken from her for a few seconds and she accidentally let it slip that she is in love with you. That statement not only took you but also her and your friends who were also sitting in the same Hottub off guard, she tried to leave fastly and pretended like nothing happened, yet you reacted faster and got her to calm down and take a walk with you. Long Story Short, you had your first Kiss that evening.

“I still find it embarrassing how it just slipped out of me.”, she said, hiding her face in her hands. “I think it was quite cute.”, you slightly mocked her with a smirk. “Oh yeah, don’t think I let you forget the Kiss we shared, where you accidentally kissed my chin instead of my Lips.”, she said looking at you defensively. “To my defense, I had alcohol in my blood system and was tipsy.”, you grinned at her. “Yeah sure, keep telling you that, miss perfect.”, she laughed.

You weren’t Tipsy at all. You pretty sure sobered up when she let her love confession slip and were nervous as shit when she leaned into you for that kiss. Anyways, that was probably the best first Kiss you ever had, nothing in comparison with the other people you kissed.

“Hey, do you remember when we watched that one TrashTV show? The one where the girl wanted the most expensive ring possible for her wedding?”, you asked. “Oh yeah, I remember that. I still hate how materialistic she was, just because her fianceé had money.”, Kie replied. “Well, even though I like shiny things I would also marry you with paper- or gras rings.”, you said. Kie couldn’t do anything other than to smile at you and lean in for a Kiss you gladly accepted and reciprocated.

After you two separated you remember the day you told your parents that you were together, which you couldn’t keep from bringing up. “Hey, remember the day we told our parents when we were together.”, you looked at her curiously. “Yeah, like it was yesterday.”, she said. “Well I don't like that she’s a Pogue.”, you started mimicking her father. “But at least she can’t get you pregnant.”, you two finished and laughed at that. -

*flashback*

Well the day you decided to tell your parents was a hell of a ride. Even though you already knew, your parents don’t have a problem with you liking girls, it was a whole other story for Kie and her parents.

The drive to her house wasn’t that long, but that day especially it felt absolutely short. When you went in, you were already greeted with the face of her father who was all but pleased seeing someone from the Cut in his house. Her mother was the opposite, she knew your mom from school back in the day so she welcomed you with a warm smile. At least someone is somehow pleased with seeing you.

You sat her parents down in the living room, nerves finally striking you too now that you see them in front of you.“Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you.”, Kie startet off.“What is it?”, asked her mom calmly, while her father just had an unfazed look on his face.“I-”, she stopped to take a deep breath.“Mom, Dad, I’m Bi and Y/N is my girlfriend.”, she said.To be fair none of you two could really read the face or thoughts from her parents.“Well, that is something new..”, her mom started off.“And..?”, Kie asked.“No.”, her dad interrupted when her mom wanted to speak.“What No?”, Kie asked.“I’m not letting you date a Pogue, no matter the Sex.”, her dad continued.Short Story, that ended up into an argument, where you and Kie just left without a goodbye.

“Wanna talk about what happened when we were at your place?”, you asked when you arrived at you home.“No, I’m Okay.”, she said, letting herself fall onto your bed.“Stop telling me you’re Okay Kie, I know that you are not.”, you let yourself fall next to her.That night she slept over at your place, cuddling up in the bed.

The next day her parents called you both back to their place, where her father declared while he was not happy that you were a Pogue, at least she can’t get pregnant by you.

-

You came out of your Bubble when you heard Sarah call for you two to come down, because the sun was setting and coloring in the most beautiful pinks and oranges you have ever seen. Luckily you two had finished the rings and gifted them to each other, while making your way back down to the Other.

“Ah there they are, the two love birds.”, JJ called out. “Come shut up.”, you said grinning, while flipping him off. “You know JJ, I start to think sometimes that I actually hate you.”, Kie said while sitting down next to you for the Bonfire. “I am going to pretend that I didn’t hear that.”, he stated while getting the fish ready.

The rest of the evening was spent with stories and reminiscing about the time back on the Cut or Chleo telling you about the adventures she had lived.

And with the Pougelandia flag waving in the wind, your friends chatting away and your girlfriend in your arms living a somewhat life on a deserted Island, you felt like you could be like this forever.

[writingreadinglurkingandsmirking]

Get Out Your Map - Kiara "Kie" Carrera x Reader

Dear Reader Duology: Part 1, Part 2

Summary: You have been overworking yourself for months now. Your girlfriend Kie has been watching you tear yourself in every direction at the expense of yourself. When work issues boil over, you are done. You need to get away. And you want Kie to come. But, Kie’s a bit confused and hesitant. You don’t exactly take that well, though. Not today.

Word Count: 3.5k+

CWs/TWs: She/her pronouns used, adult/profane language, relationship stress and fighting, being overworked girlie, mentions of harassment at work

Note: Did I rush this to get it out for pride? Yes. Did I still have fun? Yes. For the next of the Dear Reader duology installment we have our babygirl Kie! Happy pride to the Kie lovers I had to get this in under the wire for the WLW obx fans byeeeeeeeee

For the past four months, your girlfriend had been watching you work yourself down to the bone. And Kie was worried about you. Truly, she was. She hated watching as you ran yourself ragged knowing that there was nothing she could say or do to stop you. For years you two had been the closest of friends. But, you’d always kept her at arm’s length when it came to finances and independence. She thought that you getting together would change that. Then, she thought that your one-year anniversary would change it…then your second…then your third. But, it was just starting to register with her that you might never be even remotely willing to rely on her. For anything, it seemed like.

So, consistently she stewed in silent worry, taking every crumb of love and attention that you’d give her and returning it tenfold in the hopes that it’d help you relax and open up to her a bit. Unfortunately, even the best-laid plans can go awry. You didn’t take any form of the love she offered and use it as reassurance that she was there for you. Instead, she got exhausted assurances that you were fine, accompanied by borderline fake smiles that made her worry for you all the more.

Kie knew well that this stress would eventually have to come to a head. It always does. She was prepared for when it would. Or, at least that’s what she tried to tell herself. Yet, when you came home today, visibly shaking, clothes from your serving job absolutely filthy, and looking somewhere between distraught and furious, she was caught off guard. She knew that you could’ve kept going with pretending everything was fine more or less forever. Throughout your school days, she watched you spend entire academic years just pushing through. Throughout college she watched you turn off your brain almost entirely during the semester. So she knew well that you could’ve—and would’ve—just kept your head down, nose to the grindstone, and continued on. Because of that, she also knew that something big had to have happened for you to show up in such a distressed state.

“Babe,” Kie said, voice cautious and surprised at the same time. She froze from her spot on the couch watching you walk in, face blank.

“Don’t,” you said, voice monotone, not even displaying the exhaustion that she was sure you were feeling. You started to walk stiffly and swiftly to your shared bedroom. Kie followed not even two full steps behind you, pushing the door so you couldn’t close it before she entered. You gave her a firm look, voice warning. “Kiara. Don’t.”

Oh. You’d whipped out her full name. Something fucked had definitely happened. She intended to find out.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, fairly gentle in her probing. “What happened?”

“I quit,” you replied plainly, voice flat.

Kie’s eyes bulged in surprise, her mouth falling open in surprise. “What do you…huh?” she asked, struggling to fully grasp the words that had come out of your mouth.

“I. Quit,” you repeated, voice harsher this time. “I walked out and I’m never going back to that stupid fucking place. And I have to go to the sheriff’s office in the morning.”

Immediately, Kie grabbed your hand to stop you from moving and walking away from her. She looked at you seriously, even more concerned now. “Babe, please tell me what happened,” she said, reaching out to stroke your face. You pulled away and Kie sighed, frustrated, saying your name halfway between a plea and a curse. “I want to help you. I need you to trust me.”

“I do trust you!” you snapped back. “I just need a fucking minute!” You ran your hands down your face, even angrier than she was. “And I need to get out of these filthy clothes and shower!”

Kie clenched her jaw, swallowing her anger down. She knew that if she pushed you too far that not only would you clam up, but you’d run away. Or push her away. Either way, she wasn’t willing to risk it. She cared about you way too much. And she needed to be sure that you were actually going to be okay. So, patience was the game here. And she was going to play it until your stubborn ass talked to her. She could do it. She had before. She had no doubt that she’d have to again. And, most importantly, she knew you’d do the same for her.

“Okay,” Kie granted. She took a half-step forward, gently raising your hand to her lips for a kiss. “I’m sorry.” She saw you deflate at her apology. “I love you.”

You sighed, eyes closing. “You don’t have to apologize. You didn’t do anything, Kie,” you muttered. “I love you.” You pulled away from her. “I’ll talk to you when I’m cleaned up, okay?”

Habitually, Kie nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. “But you don’t have to if you don’t want to, still.”

“I know,” you said, turning to the bathroom and walking in.

You shut the door quietly behind you and Kie waited for a few moments until she heard the water from the shower flick on. Then, she exited your bedroom. Kie drifted into your shared kitchen and started making some tea for the both of you knowing damn well that you’d say it was too late for you to be drinking coffee if you wanted to get any sleep tonight. She waited as patiently and calmly as she could manage until she heard you emerging from the bathroom and then, a bit later, your bedroom into your living room. Kie brought two mugs over, setting one in front of you, and looked at you, face neutral and open to keep you from shutting down on her. You looked at her and sigh.

“Kie, love, you don’t have to wear kid gloves to talk to me,” you said, reaching out to grab her hand. You squeezed it and mimicked her earlier move by raising the hand to your lips and pressing a gentle kiss there.

“I’m not,” Kie said, lying through her teeth—and doing it poorly. You gave her a flat look. “Okay, maybe I am. I’m just worried about you.” Kie scooted closer to you, laying one hand behind you on the couch, legs tangling with yours. When your hand moved down to rub her leg absent-mindedly, she knew that you were at least relaxed enough for her to ask the question again. “What happened? Why’d you quit, babe? Are you…are you okay?”

You sighed and leaned back against the couch, hand stopping its movement, simply resting on her leg, and just looked at your girlfriend for a moment, face troubled. And that just worried her more. You’d always hated working at the steakhouse, Kie knew that well considering you’d been working there since the end of your high school days. The steakhouse was frequented by pretty much exclusively Kooks, more often the wealthiest and most asinine of them, and most often when they were striking up stupid and sometimes evil business deals. So, yeah, the steakhouse was obviously an unpleasant place to be. But, the steakhouse was also where you pulled in the majority of the money that you made. Not only did they actually pay you a, gasp, borderline livable wage before tips, but the tips themselves were often extravagantly good. So, to give that up, the bad had to be far outweighing the good.

“Mr. Johnson was coming in, right? And he only lets me serve him now because he hates everyone else and the way that they make his drinks. No big deal because he’s always been nice to me—you know that I like him, he’s a…pretty nice old guy. But, today, Mr. Johnson brought in a new business partner. Some asshole from the mainland,” you said, looking down at your lap now instead of at Kie. “And he was making some…off-color remarks. But, hey, I’m used to that, you know? So it wasn’t that big of a deal. Not really.” You blew out a sigh and shook your head. “But then he grabbed my arm and he tried to pull me into his lap. While I was carrying a tray of food.”

“What the fuck?” Kie demanded, already angry and knowing it would only get worse from here.

“Naturally, it spilled because uhhhh some dipshit fucking grabbed me,” I said. “So that’s why my clothes were fucked. And the guy’s clothes were messed up too. So then he was pissed and screaming at me like I did something wrong. He was saying everything under the damn sun, this, that, the other about me being stupid, incompetent, the works. And Mr. Johnson started telling him off but then my manager came over and it just…escalated.” You shook your head, brow pinched in irritation and upset.

“Babe,” Kie said, trailing off, frowning.

You let out a shallow laugh. “No, it still gets worse,” you assured her, a faux smile on your face. “Because the manager came over and even though Mr. Johnson was actively telling off his potential business partner, his stupid ass business partner started spouting shit off to my manager. Obviously, it was fucking Max on today and not Caleb, so it was worse than it even would’ve been. So Max started to…berate me in the middle of the floor, very fucking loudly. And he wouldn’t stop even when Mr. Johnson tried to make him. And then it just kept escalating and the store owner came over and joined the fray. And now everyone’s screaming at each other and I’m just stuck in this group of crusty old white men just yelling and I’m upset trying not to cry. And it’s the fourth time in a month that someone’s tried to pull some shit like this.”

You raked your hands down your face in frustration and Kie felt her heart stutter in her chest. She knew you wouldn’t get upset just over some stupid guy grabbing you. Not anymore. You were horrifyingly used to being objectified from so many years in the service industry. Kie reached out, rubbing your shoulder soothingly, trying to make sure that she wasn’t looking at you with the intense level of worry that she was feeling, knowing damn well that she was barely succeeding in that endeavor.

“So I’m like it can’t get worse, right? Like I’m actively thinking that to myself. Well, I was wrong. Because then the fucking jackass reaches over and backhands me in the fucking face,” you said, voice hot with anger.

“He assaulted you?” Kie asked, horrified and righteously furious.

“He fucking did,” you confirmed, turning your face. And now that you weren’t actively hiding from her, she could see the faint outline of a hand on your cheek. “But he hit like a bitch, luckily, so I’m like…fine. But then because he did that, Mr. Johnson was about ready to strangle the man. Even Max started yelling at this guy and ran off to call the cops. And then other people at the restaurant had to step in because the guy kept trying to step to me. And by that point, I was ready to beat his ass, so then two other servers were trying to get me back while everyone was trying to make sure this loser didn’t make a run for it.” You groaned and shook your head. “I swear to fucking God, Kie…just such a fucking mess. Then Shoupe showed up, obviously, and it turned into an even bigger thing. And then…seven thousand years later I finally got to come home.”

“Why do you have to go to the station in the morning then?” Kie asked, confused.

“Another statement, I guess,” you muttered, shrugging. You leaned heavily back and gave her a half-smile. “Wanna know how I quit though?” Her brow furrowed and she nodded. You let out a tiny laugh and Kie saw a spark of actual amusement in your eyes, which relaxed her just a touch, just enough to listen. “I shouldn’t say I quit. I should say that Mr. Johnson quit for me.”

“What do you mean?” Kie asked, turning her head, looking not unlike a confused puppy for a second.

You smiled at her. “After the cops left, Max looked at me and he was like ‘Oh go home and relax the rest of the night and come back tomorrow with your head on straight at four to make up for the hours you’re missing’ or some bullshit. And Mr. Johnson glared at this man and said, and I am quoting him here ‘If you think she’s coming back, you’re stupider than I ever thought, Max, which is impressive because you’ve had the intellect of a bowling ball since you got that fourth concussion playing high school football.’”

Kie snorted at the words and you two looked at each other with your eyes sparkling in amusement. “Holy shit,” she giggled.

“I know,” you said, smiling. “And then he said that I wouldn’t be coming back tomorrow or the day after or the day after or again to work for the steakhouse because I would be working for him. So…guess I got a new job?” You gave your girlfriend a half-smile. “Upgrades, am I right?”

Kie made a noise of surprise at the news. It was shocking that the man would actually offer you a job just like that. But, Kie supposed that when she really thought about it, it did make sense. Everyone on the island knew Mr. Johnson as a crotchety, no-nonsense businessman that you only went to if you needed to get things done. He hated pretty much everyone, you’d been wholly right in that. And he accepted only perfection. But, he absolutely adored you. Had since the first time you served his table at the steakhouse at the ripe old age of seventeen. And now, many a year later, he still adored you. Secretly, Kie thought you probably reminded him of the daughter he’d never had but would’ve wanted and that’s why he went to that stupid steakhouse so often, but she’d never said as much to you.

“That’s great, babe. Are you gonna actually take the job?” she asked.

You nodded, leaning your head back to look at her. “Yeah,” you said, “and said he’d have me start in two weeks and that I should take the time to rest up…go on vacation…enjoy myself a little bit because then we’ll hit the ground running.”

“Sounds like him,” Kie said, nodding in return.

“What do you think?” you asked.

“About the new job?” Kie asked.

“About going on vacation,” you corrected. “About taking a week away with me.”

A look of shock took over Kie’s face. She looked at you with undisguised confusion, brow furrowing. “What do you mean? Now?” she asked. You were always crazy responsible with money and time and had slowly but surely embedded those same qualities into Kie. “Is that…is that a good idea?”

You raised an eyebrow. “How would it not be?” you asked, the amusement fading from your voice. You sat up slightly, hand falling from her leg to look at her. Kie immediately knew that she’d made a misstep with her words and silently cursed herself for it. “I got assaulted, had to lose a job that I’ve been at for a long time, and have to deal with the goddamn cops again after years of not having to deal with their shit since everything calmed down…and you think me taking a break wouldn’t be a good idea?” You shook your head, face pinched in frustration. “Really, Kiara?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Kie said, unable to help the defensive inflection of her voice.

Equally unable to help yourself, you gave her a mocking sort of look. “Listen, I know that I’ve never had enough money to live on the nice side of the island, Kie, but I can afford a vacation for a week,” you said.

“I never said that,” Kie argued. “I never even implied that! Ever!”

“It’s not hard to guess what you meant, Kiara!” you snapped back.

Kie grit her teeth, saying your name in a low, warning tone. “Just because you’re pissed at me, doesn’t mean that you get to take it out on me.”

“Oh, is that what I’m doing?” you asked sharply, rising from the couch, putting space between the both of you.

“Yes! It is! And considering how much I’ve tried to be there for you the past four months while you worked yourself to the bone and acted like our relationship wasn’t even a top-five priority? I really don’t appreciate it,” Kie retorted, more than a little pissed off now, clenching and unclenching her fists in a desperate ploy to alleviate some of her overwhelming feelings. It did nothing to sort out the anger and hurt swimming in her chest from your words. You looked stunned by her words and that only served to piss her off more. “What? Do you not like that for one second I’m being honest with you right now?”

“You know what I don’t need right now?” you snapped. “Shit from my girlfriend! Especially after the shitty four months that I’ve had and after just getting assaulted by some fucking guy and I have to go to the police station in the morning.”

Your name fell sharply from Kie’s lips before she could control her tone. “You know damn well that’s not fair,” she said, warning. She felt her heart clenching in her chest, unable to understand how this stupid fight was escalating so much so quickly when she was literally only worried about you. “I’m not giving you shit. Me caring about you isn’t giving you shit. Don’t put that on me.”

“I’m going to the mainland tomorrow after I’m done giving my statement to Shoupe. Come with me or don’t,” you said coldly. “I don’t care. But I’m taking this goddamn vacation that I have more than earned. And I am getting the fuck away from this island so I can actually reset for once in my goddamn life, Kiara.” You stalked over to the door, pulling it open. “I’m gonna go stay at a hotel for the night. One that I can, you know, afford to spend money on for one night.”

Kie sighed, hurt and frustrated and tired all at once. “Babe don’t go,” she said. “We have to talk about this. Don’t run away from me.”

“I’m not running,” you all but hissed. “I’m taking a break before we both say things we’ll regret.”

Angry but worried, Kie rose to her feet and followed you to the door, grabbing your hand before you could storm away. You looked at her, eyes colder and harder than ice. “You mean more to me than this fight,” Kie said bluntly. “I love you. And I’m still worried.”

For a moment, just one, you paused, eyes softening. But, then they hardened again and you pulled away. “I love you too,” you said stiffly. “And I still need space. Don’t worry about me.” You glanced back at her after grabbing your bag from the table near your door, keys and all. “I’ll say goodbye before I go tomorrow.”

“Babe…please,” Kie said, pleading.

“I have to go,” you said, refusing to look at her before you left your shared place, gently shutting the door behind you.

Every ounce of Kie wanted to throw the door open and follow after you. Every ounce of her wanted to bring you into her arms and comfort you from the absolute bullshit that you’d been going through. But, she knew better. She knew you wouldn’t take it well. And she knew that she didn’t have the patience to do it right, not really. So, instead, she numbly walked back over to the couch and sat. She sat and worried over the possibilities of where you were at, if you were safe, and if you were actually that angry with her. She worried about if you were okay, if you would have proper support for what happened today without her, and if you would even talk to anybody about how you were feeling or what had happened.

And, the thing that occupied most of her haunting thoughts, she worried about the state and future of your relationship. She loved you. She didn’t want to lose you. Without much thought, she pulled out her phone and opened the Maps app. Perhaps it was time to get out of her head, out of her worries that you’d helped instill in her in the first place and just enjoy time with you. Perhaps a vacation was what you both needed. Perhaps that’d fix things.

She only had a few hours to decide, but, decide she would.

Were you worth it?

Yes…in every life, in every world, yes.

[railingsofsorrow]

could you do Kiara carrera x male reader, in which the reader is jonh b's older brother

Begin Again

[kiara carrera x reader]

summary: “Got some nice waves?” You sat down on the sand, looking at her briefly before quickly looking away. You were scared she would tell you to fuck off. But you deserved it. “Not as nice as yesterday.” When she spoke, you could swear angels were singing in your ears for the first time. God must be real because you had prayed to hear her voice so close to you again and it finally happened. “Waves are harsh today.” “I'm sure you could take the challenge.” “I'm done with challenges.”

pairing: kiara carrera x male!reader; jj maybank x kiara carrera (not endgame!)

warnings/content: mentions of missing parents, dead bodies, basically mentions briefly obx s1 and s2 plots; discusses break-up; longing (like a lot); this is mainly about healing, the idea of taking a break from something and coming back; jiara mention (they are not endgame in this!! bear with me); this is also about friendships!!: tw!luke maybank (mentioned); paragraphs in italics are flashbacks.

w.c: 3.7K

A/N: this was a rollercoaster because I started writing and I didn't stop? like it just happened. this is very loosely inspired by begin again. I got carried away I'm sorry it took long! here it is. good reading <3 sorry for any typos!

navi

masterpost

obx masterlist

request me something!

[part of the taylor swift anthology]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

❝I've been spending the last eight months

Thinking all love ever does

Is break and burn, and end.❞

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“This is honestly so stupid.”

“There it is. The sentence you reserve for me only. I was missing it, man. Truly.”

The older boy shoved his little brother's face away playfully, a hint of a smile on his lips but he would never admit it out loud that he too missed his brother over the course of six months he spent away from the Outer Banks. 

There's come a point where change is inevitable and you understood that the moment your dad, Big John Routledge, went missing a few years back. He wasn't dead, alright? Missing. Just missing. Which was what you repeatedly told you and your brother so you wouldn't lose it completely. 

From that moment forward, everything went downhill. Or not. It depends on a lot of perspectives. You know, before, when you and your stupid friends couldn't catch a break and there were gunshots and threats and rich Kooks being revealed as murderers. . . Things seemed to be the worst of the world. The prospect of getting buried in all those revelations that you never thought would come to light just seemed to be the only option for you. Back then, right. 

All because of that stupid gold. 

It's odd how something can bring joy and despair and happiness all at once. 

You're the responsible one in the Routledge family. Always pulling your brother out of bed to go to school, making sure the bills were being paid and that he stayed out of trouble. That last part, you never succeeded on, but at least you tried. Oh, that you did. 

You would do it all over again. For your dad. For John B. For the Pogues. But you needed your distance, your peace, at some point. When hell ended. When the gold was found and you saw the big satisfied grins in your friend's and brother's faces, you finally knew you could get out of that fucking island where it felt as if you were constantly suffocating. 

Upon stepping back into the land that brought you agony and joy, as soon as you smelled the air, you knew home was just a few minutes away in the form of stupid jokes and cold beer. 

When you reached Poguelandia — stupid ass name but they never cared for your opinion on these things anyway — expecting to meet with your little brother's coffee brown eyes, instead you were met with the kind of warmth that only her eyes could bring you, the one that drew you in mystery and deceived you into stepping into a trap. You fell into it once. Then you ran off because a boy scared of love like you shouldn't be around a girl that wanted to conquer the world and make it a better place. 

I'll come back every month. I'll never stop visiting. You said in the past. John B once told you how you were shitty with keeping promises when they weren't made for him. And that promise hadn't been made for him, you said it to the girl you swore you'd never let go. But as soon as the opportunity came, you did exactly that. 

And no, you didn't come back every month. You needed distance. You needed peace. Kiara couldn't take the burden to provide you that, despite her presence diminishing that hole in your chest after everything that happened. Your dad. The gold. Your brother dying and coming back to life. Getting stranded on an island.

So, as soon as the acceptance letter came and you were sure your brother would be safe, you took the chance. You got out. You didn't know if leaving was harder than staying but it sure felt like your chest was being ripped off when you said goodbye to the island you've lived your entire life in. 

I'll come back, don't fucking pull anything stupid, John. You had told your little brother. Warned most likely. Because if he did pull anything like another gold hunt, you'd come back just to pinch his ear. We'll keep in touch. And you did. To your brother. Pope as well, occasionally, you were best friends but the boy understood you needed some time on your own. 

Coming back to Outer Banks did felt like home but also as if a cold bucket filled with ice throwing at you all your regrets was being dumped on your head. You just didn't have time to process that you were seeing her again when JJ Maybank whistled loudly and walked past the girl to envelope you in a brotherly hug. 

Your brother and the rest of your friends soon showed up and you were pulled inside to sit around their living room to talk. It lasted hours. The sun was setting when you had a sip of your last beer while you watched with a lazy smile as your friends bickered about something. You missed that. 

Kiara was still as beautiful as the day you left her. Her hair had lighter strands, you wondered if someone helped her dye it like you did on a drunk afternoon or if she now went to a hair salon to do these stuff. She hasn't looked at you yet and you respected that. 

But you couldn't stop looking at her.

Pope informed you through the phone one day, something that made your breath catch in your throat. But what did you expect her to wait for you? No. She's allowed to live. Nobody should wait for anyone. It just wasn't fair. 

“Look, I don't know if John B told you but. . .” by the way he hesitated you thought something bad happened and you were already thinking about buying a ticket first thing. But your fingers hovered over your laptop when he finally spit it out. “JJ and Kiara. They're together.” 

“That's great. I'm happy for them”

That conversation echoed in your head as you studied the two of them while your ears were paying attention to Sarah's voice about. . . Something. It wasn't important.

JJ had always been like a brother to you. Your dad let him crash at the Chateau — rest in peace, your old home  — every time Luke Maybank acted like the piece of shit he was and stained the blond boy's skin with purple bruises that would last more than a week. You could never resent him for being with Kiara. He wasn't stealing her because first of all, she wasn't a prize to claim and secondly, who wouldn't fall for Kiara Carrera? 

She was made of magic. Or she had created magic. You didn't know. She was something powerful that couldn't be explained by science or anything else in the books.

You cared for both of them still. But you weren't made out of concrete, alright? These years had not diminished your feelings for her and you didn't think that could ever happened. Sometimes it could be a curse and sometimes it could be a blessing. 

You just hated feeling like that because it felt like control slipped from your fingers and when did that ever happen to you? You. The one people turned to when they needed advice. When they were in trouble. You. Who knew exactly how to proceed in any given situation. You. Who loved a girl whom you left in the cursed island and swam away before you could suffocate in the blood-stained waters any further. 

“How's university life's been treatin' ya.” 

Your neck snapped as you turned to look at the boy that used his cap backwards. You always told him it made him look like a douchebag. He'd ruffle your hair in response. 

JJ didn't change much, but he did have a new look in his eyes. Maybe he was actually living now and not just surviving. You were glad his father was long long gone.

The two of you were never much for deeper conversations. JJ was a closed off person and John B was his best friend, not you, so you were sure they talked about that stuff within themselves. You never thought in the months you've been gone that this would change too. Because here was JJ Maybank, resting his elbows on the railing and staring at the horizon as his azure eyes turned sea green in the sunlight, attempting a conversation with you that was more than offering a joint.

“It's fun.” You shrugged, setting the beer bottle down to mimic his position. 

“What you always wanted?”

The answer used to be yes without a doubt. 

“Yeah,” you said, eyes trailing down the grass and up the sky again. “What I always wanted.”

“You're missed here.” 

You turned to look at him, a brow raised in questioning that got JJ to laugh, exposing his crooked teeth for a second.

“I mean. We all miss you, sure. You know that.”

“I do. . .”

“She missed you like hell though.” The sentence hits you like a car crash, you barely have time to get back on your feet before he carries on, without looking at you but eyes trailed forward. “It's not my place to judge. I would've left too, probably. I know why you did it.”

“Spit it out, JJ.” You were out of patience. You felt cornered, like you've been punched and all air left your lungs. Suffocating. Fear of facing the truth. The mess you've created. 

But when did you ever created messes instead of fixing them? 

“It wasn't fair and you know it.” 

Pressing your lips into a thin line, you shifted, shoes grazing against the wood. 

Suddenly everyone knew what happened between you and Kiara. Except that it wasn't sudden. Everyone just knew before it even happened. It was in both of your lingering gazes and in the timid smiles. Right there.

“And it would've been fair to me if I had stayed?” You asked him, ready to defend yourself even though you didn't really have. to. That was JJ you were talking to. He wasn't looking for a fight to defend his girlfriends' honor. “I know it wasn't fair. I just— I tried to do what was necessary to not hurt her. To—to not make it worse.”

JJ let out a chuckle. “Man, that backfired.”

“I know.” You quipped, bitterly. You hated yourself for it. 

“Like I said. Not my place to judge—”

“It kind of is.” 

“but don't go on breaking her heart again, alright? Just. . . Try not to?” The blond grimaced, scratching the back of his neck. He didn't know how to do serious speeches. He just wanted to make his point clear. “Look. All I'm saying is that I know you care about her and she cares about you. It adds up, just make it happen. You guys will figure it out somehow.”

What.

“What?” You were sure you got a whiplash. “What are you talking about?”

JJ offered him a tired sigh. “We all know you and Kie had something—”

“Aren't you dating her?”

He received a look as if he had two heads. 

“What? No.” JJ scrunched his nose and shook his head. “No. She's one of my best friends. That doesn't even—”

“But Pope told me—”

A loud groan.

“Okay, yeah that was. . .” JJ looked down at his boots before knocking an invisible rock. “Like I said, she's one of my best friends. It didn't work out.” JJ then looked at him. “It wasn't serious, man. We both agreed it meant nothing.”

Oh. 

So that means. . .

“So don't be a pussy.” You winced at the playful punch on his shoulder. “Talk to Kie, yeah? She deserves at least that.”

━━━━━━━━━

No matter how good it felt to leave Outer Banks, you still admitted it would always have the best sunset in the whole world. No comparison was worth it. 

No other place displayed the warm glow of the sun being covered up by the fog that mixed purple and indigo together. Watching the sunset at the beach was your favorite activity of the day. Yours and Kiara's. 

You found her in the sand, bikini wet from surfing and her legs thrown out in front of her as she basked on the last glow of the sun of the day.

Nostalgia gripped you tight and almost made you stumble back.

“We should get a dog.”

Kiara said it as a joke because they would never be able to properly care for a pet in their current situation. John B and Sarah stuck in Nassau and they were gathering evidence to clear his name. 

You were practically yanked out of the house by Kiara. She had warned you about the dangers of self isolation but you never really noticed when you did it. Your mind too busy with getting your brother back home.

“Yeah. And name it turtle.” You indulged in your girl's idea, laying your head on her stomach after she adjusted her body on the sand. It became familiar how she'd run her fingers through your hair after a good surfing afternoon. 

“Over my dead body.” She gently tugged on your baby hairs, too distracted by the sunset to scold him for the awful name. “I could live here forever."

You pressed your lips against her wrist, biting her skin softly and earning a smile. 

“I'm gonna take you away someday. Show you the entire world.” You promised, looking into her eyes. “You deserve more than this island.”

“I'm happy here. With you.” Kiara whispered before kissing his forehead and leaning back. “But I wouldn't mind traveling the world.”

“It's settled then.”

Your feet began walking towards your lost lover before you could register. 

“Got some nice waves?” You sat down on the sand, looking at her briefly before quickly looking away. You were scared she would tell you to fuck off. But you deserved it.

“Not as nice as yesterday.” When she spoke, you could swear angels were singing in your ears for the first time. God must be real because you had prayed to hear her voice so close to you again and it finally happened. “Waves are harsh today.”

“I'm sure you could take the challenge.”

“I'm done with challenges.”

You swallowed hard, burying your toes deeper into the wet sand.

“Why are you back?” Kiara hadn't said your name since six months ago, when you hugged her for the last time and her voice cracked in your ear, tears staining your shirt. “Got bored of the university too?”

“Kie, I never got bored of you.”

She rolled her eyes with a scoff. A strand of her curly hair fell off her shoulder, dripping down. 

“I'm sorry.”

“It's not that easy.”

“I know and I don't expect you to forgive me.” You were quick to say, wanting to shift closer to just touch her but you held back. “I was an idiot for leaving. I never meant to hurt you, that was never my intention, you gotta believe me on this, okay? Kie, I—”

“Don't.” Her eyes were pressed shut so hard she was seeing stars. “Don't say it. I believed it the last time and look how it turned out.”

You clipped your mouth shut, desperately wanting to disagree with her because you leaving did not meant you didn't love her. That never changed and it never would.

“You were an idiot for leaving but I didn't hate you for it.” Kiara played with her bracelets. He observed she still wore the one he gifted her on her sixteenth birthday. Kiara loved matching bracelets and although you sucked at handmade gifts, you made two bracelets, one for you and one for her. “I hated you for not coming back and you promised you would.”

“I know.”

“Why didn't you?” 

You've had a lot of arguments with your brother because you have a perfect answer at the tip of your tongue at all times. Sarcastic little shit, he says. 

The truth? You wanted to run away. The distance you needed was from the disturbing memories that included near-death situations and dead bodies. Not from Kiara. Being away from her killed a part of you inside and you wanted that part back. You couldn't function well without it. 

“I was scared.” You admitted, a hint of shame in your tone. “I was scared this island would swallow me up as soon as I stepped back here. I was scared I was gonna lose more than I already had.”

“I would never let you drown—”

“It is not your burden to carry, Kie. It never was.” You shook your head, interrupting her. “I. . . I regret leaving you. I broke my promise and it's been hell living with it because I miss you all the damn time.” 

Your breath caught in your throat and she turned to look at you. That skeptical gaze in her eyes whenever she was seeking bullshit in anyone's speech. 

“And I still love you.”

“Dude, I told you not to say it!”

That earned a laugh from you when you tried to cover it up but it was useless, she was already glaring heavily at you. How weird it was that it brought you a sense of satisfaction? You loved her laugh. You loved her glare. You loved her everything. 

“That doesn't change anything. It doesn't erase that you took off—”

“I'm well aware—”

Kiara pointed a finger at you. “I wasn't finished.” So you clipped your mouth shut, why wouldn't you? “That doesn't erase those months. It doesn't.” Then the frown between her brows softened to something a little more vulnerable. A little more I-don't-hate-you-so-much. “But I'm willing to... Think about it. Forgiving you, I mean.”

Your heart leaped in your chest and you tried playing it cool, you really did. But you just weren't able to hold back the happiest grin splitting your mouth open.

“That's all I'll ask of you.”

“Yeah.”

You bit your cheek, drawing in the sand with your index absentmindedly. 

“So do you still like... Love me or...”

“You're pushing it.”

You chuckled, offering her a sideways glance. “I'm messing with you. This is a peace offering, alright? I'm not gonna expect anything. I just... I just want you in my life.” And you decided to add, for good measure, because it was the truth. “I'm not leaving again, Kie.”

Her dark chocolate brown eyes trailed across your face, a strand of her hair fell from behind her ear and she pushed it back. It would fall again in a second. 

“You're not going back to university?”

“I'm transferring.” You clarified. “Closer.” 

“Oh.” 

She was surprised. So were you when you made the decision a month ago. John B had been the first and only person you told. Now, Kiara knew it too. She had been the main reason for your decision. The girl retrieved the feeling of home you had lost before you left Outer Banks. Home was home because of people. It had stopped being home because of that as well. But now, after your so-requested distance — it had been necessary — you acknowledge that the people that were still here brought light to your grey world even though you had lost some along the way. 

Kiara Carrera could very much be a star in the sky. The whole sun, really. She was the color you wanted to paint your life with again after so many months spent colorless. If you could have a fraction of her brightness close by, you didn't care for anything else.

You missed sunsets on the beach, date nights to the movie theater and random road trips to see a smile in your girl's angelic features. 

“Good for you.” Kiara mumbled, placing her arms above her knees to look directly at the waves. 

Your lips stretched into a soft smile. 

“Yeah, good for me.”

Your friends were like surprise birthday parties not always welcomed. They'd appear unannounced in the most unpredictable moments. 

You cursed your entire family line when John B's sweaty arms wrapped around your shoulders, the rest of the loud group not far behind. The moment between you and Kie coming to an end.

“How are you two doing? Up for a little bonfire tonight? A little gettin' drunk?”

When your eyes met Pope's, you both shared eye rolls. 

“I'll never look at you and see past a five year old, John.” 

“And I'll never look at you and see past your annoying sarcasm, big bro.”

Kiara laughed and you heard heaven's doors opening. “He got you there.” She shared a glance with you and turned away to Sarah and Cleo. 

You were too focused on her to listen to the boy's plans for the bonfire. Which was always the same process.

Stepping back into a cursed land could also be a step to begin again and that couldn't be bad, could it? Not when it meant sun-warmed skin, salt air and coconut sunscreen took you home more than anything or any place ever could. Not when Kiara Carrera drifted her eyes to you and you were sure you would never drown in the bloody waves of Outer Banks again.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

❝. . .But on a Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again.❞

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[maybanksprincess]

isnt the same without you.

warnings: comforting, fluff, insecurity, a little bit of blood.

summary: jj goes to a party without reader for the first time, and when jjs phone dies, she starts to overthink. (based off this ask, thank you anon!)

a/n: this is sort of short because its just a blurb, but i really love this request, its so cute!

pairings: insecure!reader x soft!bf!jj

you weren't feeling up to this big party that everyone was attending tonight. unfortunately, you and jj were planning to go for a few weeks now, and since you didn't wanna go, you didn't wanna stop him from attending it as well.

he insisted that he would stay home and look after you, he offered to buy you snacks and even watch those cheesy romcoms that he absolutely despises, but he tolerates them because you love them.

but you assured him it was okay, and he can go even if it made you feel a little uneasy.

you had never done well with being away from jj for long periods of time, let alone him going to a party without you. but you told yourself to 'grow up' and 'stop being a baby' about it. you needed to get a grip.

you decide to text him about an hour in, just to make sure he was safe, and then you promised yourself you would stop bothering him after that.

imessage:

11:01 pm: hey jay! im just checking in to make sure your okay, i dont wanna bother you or anything so im gonna let you have fun! bye i love you <3

-

you chew your nails, anxiously waiting on a response from your boyfriend.

about five minutes went by, and you were constantly picking up your phone, swiping up for any sign that he had read the text or responded. but there was nothing.

you waited another ten minutes, then got back to anxiously checking it again, still nothing. delivered.

you told yourself your being dramatic, and went to occupy yourself with doing the dishes, and sweeping the kitchen floor. by the time you had gotten back to your room about fifteen minutes later, there was still nothing.

you toss your phone down onto the bed, feeling frustrated but also upset at the same time. had he been hooking up with another girl? is he drinking too much? what if hes talking to someone else?

all these thoughts cloud your mind, and you find yourself biting down on the skin beside your nail bed. as your chewing away at your skin, your phone dings unexpectedly, causing you to jump a bit, tearing a piece of your skin off. (ouch.)

the sting of the bare skin makes your eyes water a little, a bead of blood trickling down your finger. "ow." you mumble, before picking up your phone and looking at whoever texted you.

it was jj. all your pain was instantly forgotten the moment you seen his text on your screen.

imessage

jayj🤍: "hey beautiful, im sorry i didnt text you back. i forgot my charger like a dumbass. but im at home now, and i didnt have fun. it was boring as shit without u baby."

you instantly reply to his message after reading it, your heart no longer feels like its carrying a weight anymore.

you: "thank you for texting, i was worried sick baby...i literally hurt my finger trying to answer the phone. I thought you might've been cheated on me or something."

you send that text with a underlying hint of insecurity in it, hoping he wont just brush you off. your in need of some reassurance from him right now.

jayj🤍: "baby you hurt your finger?!! and what do u mean 'cheat on you'? thats not even possible for me mama."

the next text eases your worries a bit, but you wanted to get everything off your chest.

you: "i just hate being without you for a long period of time, i wish i would've let you stay in with me tonight, but i know how excited you were for the party."

jayj🤍: "oh baby, no. parties are not the same without you. i would never cheat on you, im sorry if i made you feel that way, but that isn't me. you know your stuck with me forever mama, whether you like it or not."

now all your worries and insecurities are instantly gone, touched by your boyfriend's loyalty to you.

after you let yourself think for a moment, you remember the minor injury you caused yourself a few minutes back and wince slightly at the sting.

as if exactly on cue, jj double texts you.

jayj🤍: "oh and im on my way with some bandaids and snacks, i love you baby. unlock the door for me beautiful."

after he sends that text, you hear jjs dirtbike pull up.

[insidekatmind]

A lovely chaos-Pope Heyward

Laughter bubbles uncontrollably in your throat as your hands grip the steering wheel of the Pogues’ beat-up van. Adrenaline rushes through your veins, and everything feels ridiculously funnier than usual. The wind blows through the rolled-down windows, mixing with the screams and hysterical laughter of your friends as they cling to anything they can to avoid being thrown around.

"BABE! PULL OVER!" Pope shouts, his voice full of panic as he clutches the passenger seat.

"AHHH!" Kiara, JJ, and John B scream in unison, swinging back and forth like rag dolls. JJ, who was laughing along with you just minutes ago, now has a shadow of concern in his eyes as he grips the headrest of the seat in front of him.

You, however, are too caught up in the moment to realize the chaos you're causing. Every turn feels like an adventure, every pothole an explosion of adrenaline. "I’m driving so well!" you exclaim through your laughter, your voice high-pitched and out of control.

"NO, YOU’RE NOT!" Kiara screams, her hair wild and covering half her face as she desperately tries to grab onto something stable.

You burst into laughter, your chest shaking uncontrollably, and without even realizing it, you press your foot harder on the gas pedal. The van lurches forward, speeding up as the road blurs around you. The laughter in your head drowns out everything else, and the chaos in the back feels like part of the thrill.

"BABE! SLOW DOWN!" Pope yells, his voice strained as he clings to the dashboard, wide-eyed.

"OH MY GOD!" Kiara shrieks, gripping the side of her seat as the van bounces over a bump. JJ’s laughter turns into nervous chuckles, and John B braces himself against the door, shouting something you can’t even hear over the wind and your own giggles.

The faster you go, the funnier everything seems. You don’t notice the van swerving slightly or the way your friends are being thrown around like loose luggage. For you, it’s just a ride, and in your current state, it’s the best one of your life.

"but it's funny" you say laughing like a little girl. All the Pogues seem to have a worried expression on their faces

"Hey, this might be fun for you but we're not. So please slow down," Kiara says

You giggle uncontrollably, your hands still gripping the steering wheel as the van zooms forward. The chaos in the back barely registers—Kiara screaming, Pope yelling, JJ and John B holding on for dear life. Everything feels like a game, like a scene out of a dream you’re not fully awake from.

But then, your eyes catch something in the distance. A dog. A fluffy, adorable dog trotting by the side of the road. Without thinking, you slam on the brakes. The tires screech, the van jerks violently, and your friends are thrown forward with a collective yell.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Pope shouts, his hands still braced against the dashboard.

Ignoring their protests, you throw the door open and jump out, stumbling slightly as your feet hit the ground. “It’s a dog!” you squeal, your face lighting up as you make a beeline toward the unsuspecting animal.

Behind you, the Pogues groan and scramble to recover from the sudden stop. “SHE JUST LEFT US!” Kiara exclaims, throwing her hands in the air.

“Why am I not even surprised?” JJ mutters, shaking his head, though there’s a small grin on his face as he watches you chase after the dog.

Kiara, Pope, JJ, and John B get out of the van and look at you with a mix of concern and annoyance. You approach the dog, your eyes wide with excitement. The dog turns to look at you, its tongue hanging out of its mouth.

"Babe, what was that all about?" Pope asks, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You almost gave us a heart attack."

You crouch down slowly, your knees wobbling a little as the world feels slightly off balance. The dog looks up at you, tail wagging cautiously, and you reach out to pet it with both hands, a goofy smile spreading across your face. The fur is soft under your fingertips, and you can’t help but giggle as the dog leans into your touch.

“Love,” you say softly, glancing over your shoulder at Pope with wide, adoring eyes. “Look how beautiful this dog is.”

Pope can't help but soften at your words. Even though he's still a bit frustrated from the sudden stop and the near-accident, seeing you so enamored with the dog makes his heart melt. He strolls up beside you and looks down at the dog with a smile.

"Yeah, it's a cute dog," he admits, his eyes flickering back to you. "But maybe next time, slow down a bit. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

You keep petting the dog, your fingers now scratching behind its ear. It seems to genuinely enjoy the attention, its tail wagging more enthusiastically."You have such a way with animals," Pope murmurs, a hint of admiration in his voice. "I guess that's just one of the things I love about you."

You look up at him, a happy smile on your face. The world around you seems to have slowed down a bit, the colors swirling together in a pleasantly dizzying way. You wonder if the weed is still making you feel giddy and carefree."Well, I think all animals love me," you reply, giggling. "Just like you do, right?"

Pope rolls his eyes playfully, a smirk on his lips. He reaches out and ruffles your hair."Yeah, I do love you. Even when you drive like a maniac and make us all almost get whiplash."

you smile sweetly and hug him. "love, I'm sleepy" you murmur softly into his chest. Pope wraps his arms around you, holding you close in an embrace. He can feel how loose and relaxed you are, thanks to the weed.

"Of course you are," he murmurs, a fond smile on his face. "You'll probably pass out any second now."

Kiara and JJ look at you and Pope with sweetly while John b smiles at you two. "let's get back in the van, this time I'll drive" says John b.

Pope nods in agreement, still holding you in a protective embrace. John B starts herding the group back to the van, while Kiara and JJ follow closely behind.”Yeah, maybe let's let someone else drive this time," Pope teases as he guides you back to the van.

you smile softly and Pope picks you up, and you cling to him like a Koala. Pope lets out a chuckle as you wrap your limbs around him, koala-style. He lifts you up effortlessly, making his way back to the van."You're like a little koala, clinging to me for dear life," he teases, a grin on his face.

You hum softly into Pope's chest as you and John b, JJ and Kiara walk into the van. Once in the van, everyone settles back into their seats. JJ and Kiara look on in amusement as you continue to cling onto Pope like a spider monkey."This is so cute it's almost nauseating," Kiara remarks with a grin, rolling her eyes.

Pope leans back in his seat, adjusting your weight on his lap. His arm draped around your waist, his fingers drawing small circles on your back."You're like a little koala that can't let go," he says again, his voice soft. Kiara and JJ give each other sly grins, watching the cutesy moment unfold.

You hold Pope closer and whisper "I love you" and then fall asleep. As you doze off, your head resting on Pope's chest, he can't help but smile. He looks down at you, admiring your peaceful expression as you sleep in his arms. Softly, he whispers back in your ear."I love you too, crazy koala-girl."

[baebankz]

thigh fucking

Summary: since jj is always in control you thought it was a good idea to please him in a way you have always dreamt of. letting you fuck him with your thighs.

warnings : smut, spitting, arousal, explicit language, warnings: smut, spitting, arousal, explicit language. thigh fucking. kissing, mature content 18+.

domfem x submale

disclaimer: This is my first smut, lmk how i did and idk how long this acc is but ik it’s quite long.

have fun.

It was currently 10:54pm on a Friday night and you had just gotten on your pyjamas after a quick night shower. They were not covering much, but this was always the best choice of clothing when it’s summer in the outer-banks. You huffed as you fanned yourself with a pice of paper sitting on your desk as you made you way to edge of your bed, picking up your phone with your free hand.

“come on” you gritted to yourself

JJ was meant to be coming over tonight. You both thought it was the best time to spend time together alone since your friends never really gave you that space and have severe attachment issues, and well, your parents are currently on holiday, therefore you thought a win is a win.

Shortly after, you heard your phone ding. Your head immediately popped up from your desk that you had been sitting at while scrolling through your laptop trying to find new summer dresses on different websites. You groaned as you stretched your body to the side of the bed your phone was laying on and opened your phone to see one message from JJ.

You smiled as you read the message

JJ: I’ll be 5 minutes baby

“Took you long enough” you muttered to yourself, you sighed as you dropped your phone again, not even bothering to reply to him. As you continued to shop, getting bored of the website you had been looking on. You heard your front door close, you immediately shook the feeling of unease off when you remembered it was almost definitely JJ.He always let himself in when your parents weren’t in, he claimed your house as his second home, and your parents claimed him as a second child. They loved him, probably because he put on a sweet lovesick puppy show in-front of them for you.But behind closed doors, he was definitely something else.

You didn’t bother to get up from your seat, you just waited for JJ to open your door and barge on your bed, making himself comfy.

But instead he opened the door and slowly walked through it, a massive grin on his face as his eyes lit up to see you. He was wearing a plain white time top. and some grey joggers.

Fuck.

You turned your attention to his face. Spinning yourself on your chair as you smiled at him. He dropped his bag and walked over to you. It seemed he had already took his shoes of downstairs, Good boy.

You lifted yourself up and he immediately wrapped his arms around your waist and his face was suddenly buried in the crook of your neck. You could feel his hot breath against your skin as he held you tightly, his hands roaming everywhere, he rests his hands underneath your bottom.

“hi baby” he breaths against your neck as he leaves a wet kiss on your shoulder

Your arms that were wrapped around his neck soon made their way to his hair, tugging at his hair which made him let out a groan. A groan that you could never get tired of hearing.

It made your legs buckle

JJ was a lot taller than you, which made it easy to hold you in place. He then picked you up and walked over to the edge of the bed. Where he sat down and placed you on his lap, hooking your legs against his hand so he could split them apart to sit on the outside of his thighs.

“You look so handsome” You murmur to him as your hands cup his face.

JJ’s eyes immediately melt. He feels vulnerable in a sense of a way that he’s trapped, But trapped in a way he doesn’t want to escape.

“Say that again” he asks, him bitting his lip as he drops his head into your half covered boobs. He’s proud of himself for not touching them yet, on a normal daily basis within 10 seconds of seeing you he would’ve lapped his tongue around them. But for some reason, he feels as if he can’t move, He feels like…

you’ve got full control over him.

“your so handsome, such a pretty boy” you whisper against his ear as you trail your finger up his toned biceps.

oh they were so fucking sexy.

JJ immediately got chills, he felt blood rush through his body and his mouth gaped open, like he was waiting for you to shove your fingers into his mouth, He wanted you, there was so many signs to show it.

“What’s the matter, hmm? Your getting so flustered when all i���m doing is calling you handsome..” you innocently smile as you wrap your arms around the back of his neck. Your chest now pressed up against his.

He groans, his mouth moving closer to yours. He wants a kiss.

You smile as you connect your lips with his. Ruffling his hair up with your fingertips, earning a small whimper from his mouth,

Oh, how that turned you on.

You kissed him harder as his hands found way to cup your ass.You slightly bucked your hips on-top of his lap, which made you moan into his mouth as he whimpered again. It’s normally him in control when it comes to situations like this, but you wanted to try and be the one to please him for a change, you wanted to see how submissive he can be.

“Let me make you feel good, handsome” you breath against kisses, still feeling slightly hot from the friction below you.

“please” he whimpers. His hand immediately going to the waistband of your shorts. Your natural instinct to roughly move his hand away. You looked at him with big eyes as you smiled and pushed his chest down, so now that he’s laying on the bed with his back.

“Let me do it the way i want to, for a change” you demand as you look into his eyes. JJ was way to flustered in his own desire to disagree, he loved this, seeing you all in control while he was getting hot and bothered within the minutes counting down. He nodded, to occupied with your pretty face to speak, his hand went to cup it. His thumb stroking against your cheek.

You smiled softly, you were so in-love with him.

“What do you want to do to me, beautiful?” he manages to breath out in a quiet voice. Your push clenched at his words. And he could feel it against his aching bulge.

Your smirked as began to take his T-shirt off for him, him obeying well and lifting himself up to give you easier access. “You wanna know, baby?” you question as you bite your lip, removing your thin right top from your body, making your breasts spring free.

JJ’s eyes glistened, you could’ve swore abit of dripple came out of his mouth. His hand immediately comes to palm your breasts, circling his thumb against your hard nipple. It made your head fall back as you licked your lip. JJ was now on the verge of crying. He wanted to flip you over and fuck you so badly, until you were seeing starships. But oh how badly he wanted you to take care of him.

“yes please, mama… don’t make me wait any longer, please.” he pleaded, now both thumbs on both breasts.

“I’m not going to make you wait any longer baby, i don’t want to make this… hard for you” you joked as you looked down. The dark red tip of his cock had pushed itself out of the waist band oh his joggers, a slight bit of precum staining the rim.

You shuffled to the side so you could remove both his boxers and joggers, along with your shorts. You threw your shorts towards JJ’s face. A whole of one of the legs caught around his nose. He whimpered. He would smell the wetness.

“please mama” he begged

you climbed on his lap again. his long shaft hitting his belly button. Your mouth watered.

“how about this” you started, giving him a few kisses on his lips which he returned sloppily.

“i want to fuck you with my thighs, is that okay with you?” you ask, tilting your head to the side as you smile. It made JJ fold every time.

He groaned at your words, his hips shifting upwards to meet any friction he could find

“mama, please, do anything to me..” he whimpered. his fingers brushing against your side. He knew if he took control you wouldn’t speak to him, he knew how to be good. Sometimes…

“ You want me to be on-top… or can i trust you to do it, and you will not slip up?” you question sternly, JJ knows if he fucks up he’s not fucking you for potentially a week.

“i can do it” he mumbles weakly.

“ are you sure” you question

JJ nods hesitantly, he’s scared he’s not going to be able to keep control but he tries his best anyways. He’s able to flip you both over, shuffling up more on the bed. you place your arms were it’s most comfortable. JJ has his hands steady on your backside. He could come from the view of you he bit his lip as he put you slightly more stable on your knees. he placed his cock abit lower than your pussy hole. Around the area your thighs meet, without any concern he pushes his cock through it. the feeling of your warm squishy thighs coating his long cock made him over edge horribly.

Moans, moans and more moans. that’s all you heard off of him.

His grip on your ass turned your skin purple as he slides his cock backwards and forwards in-between the crease of your thighs.

“fuck mama, so fucking good” he groans as you start to shuffle your thighs against his movement, you are able to feel his cock slightly hit your folds making you whimper every so often. His cock was majestic in ways on you could understand. Only you.

“such a handsome boy” you moan out as you feel him start to accidentally slip inside of you. He realises what he did

“m sorry mama” he whimpers but it feels too good to reject it.

“come inside of me, pretty boy.” You breath out.

JJ makes no room to argue as he slams himself in you. seconds later filling you up with his warm milky sperm. He collapses onto of you. His dick pulsing against your ass as his nose is against your shoulder.

“fuck, he in control more often please mama.”

[cakesunflower]

lovelorn (and nobody knows) [rafe cameron au fic] chapter 16

Summary: Isla Carrera had planned for the summer before college to be focused on three things: helping out at her family’s restaurant (the helpful daughter), preparing for college (the good student), and having fun with the Pogues (the loyal friend). But one fateful night, where her car breaks down and her rescuer is none other than Rafe Cameron, seems to send her summer down a path she didn’t see coming–one teeming with a secret, illicit romance with the last person she expected. And if her friends and sister found out, Isla isn’t sure they’ll be so understanding, no matter what her feelings are.

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

A/N: I might start being silly and include fake instagram posts for this fic, one of them included in this one. I just hope it shows up LOL. Of course, I can't find exact pics for the situations I need them for, so the pictures in the posts are just there for you to see the poses/style of the pics I have in mind, and you picture the cast + Isla for them.

“Now this is what I’m talkin’ about,” Cleo coos, the satisfied smile evident in her voice as she stretches on the chair, dark skin glowing under the sun.

Isla grins from her own chair, laying on her stomach with the sun on her back, mostly exposed thanks to her bikini, while she reads the latest Emily Henry book laying before her. Music plays from a speaker somewhere, burgers and hot dogs being cooked on the grill manned by John B, as the rest of them lay and laze around on the deck of The Druthers, Sarah’s dad’s yacht.

It’s not often they hang out at Sarah’s house, and even less so on Ward’s yacht. Most of their time is spent on The Cut, at the beach, the Chateau. It’s where they’re most comfortable together, as a group. But when it’s just them, with no one else disrupting them, moments like these where they can use the yacht and it just be their group, they take advantage of being on Figure Eight. The Cut is their side of the island, no doubt, but between Sarah’s, Isla and Kie’s homes being on Figure Eight, Cleo coming over all of the time for girls’ days, JJ and Pope making deliveries on Figure Eight for Heyward, and John B, of course, spending time at Sarah’s place, they all end up spending time on this side of the island, too.

Isla knows, though, some of her friends aren’t always totally comfortable being here, since The Cut is what they truly know. Sometimes, if they’re feeling particularly stubborn—especially JJ—it’s like pulling teeth trying to get them to hang out somewhere on Figure Eight, or even just Sarah’s house. And Isla gets it; Kooks are assholes and when they see outsiders—or Pogues—they get all righteous and pick fights. Isla knows that Pogues can sometimes be just as bad over on The Cut, but at the same time, no one really kicks out the Kooks when they crash Pogue parties. So Isla can’t really blame her friends for not coming to Figure Eight if they don’t have to. It feels too Kook-like, according to JJ, and Isla agrees sometimes.

But today is an exception. It’s a beautiful day and Sarah had asked Ward if they could use the Druthers; not to take it out or anything, but leave it sitting at the Camerons’ dock while the Pogues hung out on it, grilling food and drinking, ahem, responsibly. 

They wanted to just have a chill hang out following JJ quitting his job, even though he didn’t want to be in Kooklandia. But Sarah had given him puppy dog eyes and Kie had smiled flirtatiously, and so he had joined them on the yacht, too. Plus, with enough beers and a few hits of the joint Kie had rolled, JJ has mellowed out.

Kie hasn’t said if anything happened between her and JJ when she left the yacht club with him, despite Isla questioning her. Isla hopes that her sister would tell her if something did happen, but that hope itself seems a little hypocritical, coming from her. So, Isla doesn’t push.

“How much longer on the food, John B?” Kie asks where she sits on the cushioned bench stretching along one side of the deck. She plucks the strings of her ukelele, playing the tune of the Arctic Monkeys song playing through the speakers.

“Two minutes,” John B calls back, waving at the smoke rising from the grill. Next to him, Pope had sliced tomatoes and pulled lettuce leaves, and is now slathering mayonnaise on the burger buns. They both stand shirtless in just swimming trunks, though John B wears a Kiss the Cook apron that Sarah gave him to shield his bare chest from potential oil splatters. 

Before lunch is served, Isla places a bookmark in her book before getting up, heading inside the lodge to go to the bathroom. She sees Wheezie on the couch, laying comfortably and seemingly playing a game on her phone. She had asked to hang out on the yacht with them today, and since they all like Wheezie, there was no reason not to invite her.

After Isla quickly uses the bathroom, she walks back out and smiles at the youngest Cameron. “How’s it going, Wheezie? Why’re you sitting in here?” Isla asks, sitting at the end of the L-shaped couch to face Wheezie laying on the other end.

“I get burnt too easily, no matter what kind of sunblock I use,” Wheezie says as she sits up, back resting against the arm rest.

“Well, the food is about to be done,” Isla says, glancing over her shoulder out the sliding glass doors. Looking back at Wheezie, she grins teasingly. “Want me to bring your food in here for you?”

Wheezie rolls her eyes, but she grins. “I think I’ll survive.”

Isla laughs as her gaze shifts, catching sight of the few beaded bracelets Wheezie wears on her wrist. Isla’s smile turns softer, Rafe’s face flashing through her mind. She drags her teeth across her bottom lip before commenting, “I like your bracelets. They’re pretty.”

“Oh, thanks,” Wheezie smiles, raising her wrist to give it a little shake of her bracelets.

“You make them yourself?” Isla asks, despite knowing the answer.

“Yup,” Wheezie answers, pushing up her glasses. “I have a huge bead collection. I even sell them online sometimes.”

“Yeah?” Isla grins, eyebrows rising. “Can you make me one? I’ll pay,” she adds, wiggling her eyebrows.

“First one’s free for friends,” Wheezie replies, which only widens Isla’s grin.

Just then, John B’s voice calls out, “Food’s ready! Come and get it!”

As she and Wheezie get up, the younger girl asks, “I have, like, a crap-ton of colored beads and different shaped beads, like stars and hearts, stuff like that. Is there anything you want specifically?”

Isla considers for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek. Rafe’s eyes flicker through her mind. “Baby blue beads, if you have them? And heart beads.”

Wheezie nods a couple of times. “I can do that!”

“Thanks, Wheezie,” Isla smiles as they step back out onto the deck, catching sight of her friends gathering towards the food.

Isla helps herself to a burger, piling on some lettuce and slices of tomatoes before stepping over to the cooler to grab a drink. Except when she opens it, her eyebrows furrow together. “Hey,” she calls over her shoulder. “Where are the sodas?”

“No sodas!” JJ shouts where he sits towards the front, raising his can of beer. She doesn’t need to see his eyes, which are shielded by sunglasses, to know he’s drunk as she catches sight of that lazy grin on his face. “Beer day only! You think Kooks drink Coke or water when they’re chilling on their yacht?” he snorts, patting the ledge of the boat.

“Seriously?” Isla groans. She’s already one beer in and isn’t particularly in the mood for another. “There was supposed to be water in here, too.”

“Come on, man,” Pope sighs in exasperation towards JJ, hand resting on the top of his cap.

Isla puts her plate down, taking another paper plate to cover her food from potential flies or bugs. “I’m gonna get the drinks,” she says, huffing out a breath as she reaches for her denim shorts and pulls them on. She knows the soda cans and water bottles are in the fridge at the house.

“I can go,” Pope says. “It’ll be heavy.”

Isla scoffs, throwing him a look. “I’ve lifted heavier shit at the restaurant,” she reminds him in a deadpan tone, pocketing her phone. She squints at the length of the dock leading to the Cameron estate, cracking a smile. “I’ll be back in ten.”

She walks off the Druthers and begins the trek down the dock. The music from the yacht grows more and more distant as she walks further down the dock, pulling out her phone and going to her texts.

To: Rafe

you back home yet?

Four steps later, his response comes in.

From: Rafe

Yeah, just got back in. You guys still on the Druthers?

To: Rafe

yeah but i’m coming into the house to get some drinks

From: Rafe

Thought you guys would be stacked up on alcohol

To: Rafe

alcohol, yes. but we need water and sodas too lol

She pockets her phone, getting off the dock and approaching the back glass doors of the house and walking inside. Isla hears someone moving around in the kitchen and when she walks in, she grins at the sight of Rafe. He’s in the process of making a protein shake, it looks like, dressed in gray pants with a light blue button down tucked in, sleeves rolled to the elbows. 

Isla bites her smiling bottom lip, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall on her side as she watches him. She knows he’s just coming back from some meetings that he sits in on with his dad, already having a place in Ward’s company for him to one day take over. Rafe’s watch shines on his wrist and her smile widens when she sees one of the beaded bracelets on his other wrist, the beads dark in color.

“Hi there,” she greets, catching his attention right when he puts the lid on the blender.

Rafe looks up, gaze finding hers and a smile instantly finding his face. It makes her heart flutter, how quickly the smile appears when he looks at her. It lights up his entire handsome face, his feelings so evident, and a comforting fire spreads through Isla—to know she’s the reason for that smile.

“Hi, pretty girl,” he says, blue eyes dipping down the length of her, her skin electrifying with delicious awareness everywhere his gaze touches. He rolls his bottom lip into his mouth as she walks over, and Rafe nods towards the box of Coca-Cola and some water bottles sitting on the counter. “Got your drinks out for you.”

“Why, thank you.” The corners of her lips dip downwards in a teasing grin, cheek turning into the shoulder she lifts. “You—” Her hand reaches forward to hook a finger through his belt loop, closing the gap between them while tilting her head back to smile at him as he looks down at her, eyebrows raised. “Look ridiculously handsome.”

It’s unfair how nicely the button down stretches across his broad chest and shoulders, strong forearms shown off with how the sleeves are rolled up. “Oh, yeah?” Rafe murmurs, his one hand leaning against the counter while the other slides up her long dark hair, threading through the strands before his hand cups the back of her head. He applies just the slightest bit of pressure to pull her head back while dipping his head, Isla’s eyes fluttering shut when his lips press to her smiling ones.

She hums into the kiss, chest against his torso and lips parting against his. “Mm, I can’t stay for long,” she murmurs, laughing breathlessly as Rafe trails kisses along her jaw, down her neck. Her head tilts back, eyelashes fluttering in response to his lips working along her neck, a breath shuddering out of her. “Rafe, your parents—”

“Dad and Rose are at work,” he tells her. Isla’s thighs clench when his teeth graze against her skin.

“Okay, but don’t—” Isla laughs when he teasingly, lightly, nips at her and her hands press to his chest. “Do not leave any marks.”

Rafe groans. “Boring,” he says, but when he pulls back he’s grinning. His hands shift so he’s cupping her cheeks, thumbs lightly digging into the dents of her dimples when she grins up at him. “Your cheeks are flushed,” he comments with a chuckle.

Isla hums. “Hot day. Are you going back to work?”

Rafe nods. “Yeah, got an hour and a half to kill though,” he tells her with a meaningful raise of his eyebrows.

“Oh-ho, don’t look at me,” Isla laughs, shaking her head. “I gotta get back to the others.”

But Rafe wraps his arms around her waist, hugging her to him with a burgeoning grin. “I’m sure you have some time to kill,” he muses, and Isla yelps in surprise, hands gripping Rafe’s shoulders, as he lifts her and sits her on the counter, the cool marble chilling the bare skin of her thighs. He kisses her again, hands sliding down her sides, teasing the band of her shorts. “We can be quick,” he says, each word emphasized by a kiss as his fingers brush over the button and zipper of her shorts, but he doesn’t go any further. “Hmm?”

He pulls back to look at her questioningly, but Isla chases his kisses, making him grin knowingly, and she groans because of course she can’t say no to him. “We really will have to be quick,” she says breathlessly, heart thumping at the thrill of anticipation.

Rafe’s smirk is wicked and eager, fingers working to undo her short’s button and zipper. And it’s risky—oh, it’s so risky, but cautious is thrown out the window the second Rafe tugs her shorts off, taking them off all the way and dropping them to the floor. Isla kisses him again, eager to feel the softness of his lips and taste him, as she feels his fingers work at the bows on one side at her hip of her bikini bottom, undoing it to pull it off.

His kisses trail down her jaw, her neck, and Isla’s head tilts back as his lips travel down her sternum, her stomach as he pulls her closer to the edge of the counter before he drops down. Isla’s heart is thunderously in her chest, lips parted as she watches Rafe part her legs further, an eager gleam in his eyes that meet hers as his tongue licks a stripe up her center.

“Oh—God,” Isla shudders, one hand finding the back of his head and the other gripping the edge of the counter, watching and feeling as he licks at her. Electricity shoots through her veins, watching her boyfriend who is dressed up the way he is, as he eats her like she’s his last damn meal, holding back nothing.

Isla’s breaths come out sharply, a moan escaping when Rafe’s teeth graze her clit, the moan becoming a cry when he sucks her clit into his mouth, his fingers digging into the flesh of her thighs before his tongue does something—alternating from fluttering and fucking her, making Isla throw her head back as stars begin to dot her closed lids. Her fingers tighten in his hair, no doubt messing it up, but neither of them seem to care as her hips start moving at their own accord, her breaths coming out like whimpers as she looks down at Rafe, watching him lick and kiss and suck at her.

He looks like he’s in fucking heaven, which only makes her skin fire up more, desire and exhilaration and the slight alarm of potentially getting caught mix together to make her head spin even more. Over the thundering of her heart, Isla can hear the crude sounds of him eating her out, sucking at her lips and tongue licking into her. Rafe knows exactly what to do, showing just as much attention to her clit, and it’s enough for Isla to feel that familiar tensing, electrifying sensation low in her abdomen.

“Oh, God, Rafe—I can’t—I’m gonna—Please.”

Rafe hums against her, giving her clit a slow, wicked suck, and Isla is falling apart with a sharp cry of his name. White flashes across her closed eyes as her climax wracks through her, shaking as Rafe lets her ride through it on his tongue, taking in whatever she can give him.

She’s seconds away from collapsing on her back on the counter—oh, she can’t believe they just did that on the Camerons’ kitchen counter—but Rafe’s arm is around her waist, holding her up as he rises to his feet. When Isla looks at him, trying to catch her breath, a smirk dances on his lips, sinfully shining, as his hand presses to the small of her back, his skin hot against hers.

“Look at that,” Rafe muses cockily as Isla’s slightly widened eyes meet his. “Knew you’d be a good girl.”

Isla exhales sharply, her racing heart only just beginning to settle. “You’re crazy,” she remarks. “And a menace.”

He grins shamelessly. “You like it, though.”

She shakes her head, but smiles nonetheless with heat in her cheeks as Rafe gets some paper towels and helps her clean up. When he helps her off the counter, Isla’s knees shake only a little bit, but she’s able to stand as Rafe ties the strings of her bikini bottoms against her hip. “I can’t believe we just did that,” Isla whispers, hands on her warm cheeks as she watches Rafe tie a cute little bow before he bends to grab her shorts. “On your kitchen counter.”

“It’s no big deal, Isla,” he tells her with a light chuckle, holding her shorts up by the band for her to step into. 

“Your family cooks and eats here!” Isla hisses, one hand on his shoulder to keep her balance as she puts her right foot into the shorts and then the left. “I mean, that’s—”

“Baby, baby, stop worrying,” Rafe cuts in with a gentle laugh, buttoning and zipping her shorts before cupping her cheeks. Despite her mild freak out, she’s more than a little endeared that he practically dressed her after making her see stars. Chivalry isn’t dead, afterall. “I’ll clean up, if that helps.”

Isla’s eyes widen. “You better,” she says before reaching for the long box of Coke cans. “I gotta get back before they start asking questions.”

He nods to the water bottles. “Let me get you a bag for those.” He opens one of the lower cabinets and pulls out a plastic bag, putting the water bottles in there before handing her the bag. “You sure you don’t need help?”

Isla smiles, stepping over to him. “I’ll be fine, babe,” she says, rising on her toes to give him a quick kiss. “I’ll call you later?”

Rafe grins. “Looking forward to it.”

*****

The yard of the Chateau, with the view of the water, looks gorgeous.

Under Sarah’s leadership, the girls had transformed the outdoor space into a pretty, Pinterest-inspired dinner area. Isla and Kie had borrowed their dad’s pick up truck and used it to bring the bigger supplies, like folding tables and extra chairs. The sunset makes the sky bleed orange into red, reflecting off the water, and the fairy lights that are stretched along above them and tied around the trees and back porch pillars add a fantasy-like glow. 

The tables, just two and big enough to fit all seven of them, are covered with a rustic linen tablecloth that will probably get stained by the time dinner is over. There are two cute centerpieces of vases stocked with wildflowers that Isla had picked. The girls all each cooked multiple things—especially given there will be three teenage guys with them who can each eat two people’s worth of food. There’s lasagna, chicken pot pie, Cleo’s famous sandwiches, stuffed peppers, garlic bread. Not to mention the other bits of dessert to go with the birthday cake. Over the screened in porch, facing their set up, a custom made Happy Birthday John B! banner hung, along with balloons tied to the tops of their chairs.

“Okay, Pope just texted,” Cleo announces, her phone screen lighting up her face. “They’re ten minutes out!”

“Okay, okay,” Sarah rushes and Isla smiles in amusement because her friend almost resembles a headless chicken. But she looks pretty, unsurprisingly, in a pale yellow summer dress and sandals, hair in loose waves with the front braided back. “We’ve got everything, right?” she asks, her eyes critically looking over the table set up.

Kie nods, brushing away a fallen leaf from the table. “Good to go, dude,” she confirms, grinning excitedly.

They go inside the house and begin bringing the food out, which they made sure is warm and set it out on the table, though they don’t take off the lids or Seran wrap off the top of the dishes so flies or bugs don’t get into the food. Soda and beer bottles are also brought out and Isla bites back a smile as she watches Sarah needlessly—and nervously—straighten out the utensils placed by the plates.

“We’re good, right? This is good?” Sarah asks, looking around.

“Would you calm down?” Isla laughs, walking over and gripping Sarah’s shoulders from behind before hugging her. “John B’s gonna love it.”

Sarah’s nervousness is only a sign of how much she loves John B, and this is totally not the right time or circumstance to suddenly feel the dull ache of yearning deep in Isla’s chest as she thinks of Rafe. It’s accompanied by the sharp sting of jealousy that comes with witnessing her friends be so openly in love and together, while Isla feels as though she can’t share the beginning bloom of her new relationship with Rafe.

Maybe cowardice is holding her back. No matter when or how Isla tells her friends, she knows that their reactions are not going to be good. The guys and Rafe, with his friends, have gotten into plenty of fights and spats over the years, and Isla isn’t sure her friends are willing to move past that. Part of her worries that Rafe could spend the next few years being civil and, hell, even nice to them without their relationship being revealed, and it would still take a while for her friends not to hate him. Sarah would be the easiest to win over, Isla figures, because her relationship with Rafe has gotten better over the last couple of years.

But the Pogue versus Kook mentality that smothers their island is the root of the resentment between them. Perhaps it’s a bit delusional, but Isla hopes that if she can see Rafe has changed, that he’s a better person than the asshole who used to get into fights with JJ, John B, and Pope, then her friends can see it, too. They would just have to get past, well, the past. And that, she fears, isn’t going to be easy.

“What’s with all the lights?” Isla hears John B’s voice, and she pulls out of her thoughts quickly enough to join the others in exclaiming, “Surprise!”

She sees John B’s eyes widen, hands up in front of him as he says, “Oh, shit,” while a grin grows on his face as he looks at them all with shock lighting up his eyes. “What?” He laughs as JJ grabs his shoulders and gives him a shake, grinning, while Pope steals a page out of JJ’s books and gives John B a noogie.

“Happy birthday, John B,” Sarah smiles, walking over to him and throwing her arms around his neck. His arms instantly wind around her waist, and Kie whistles when the two of them share a kiss. When they pull back, Sarah’s smile widens. “Hope you’re ready to eat,” she says, fingers interlacing with his as she pulls him towards the tables.

She lets go of his hand long enough for the rest of them to step in, and Isla grins at her friend as she wraps her arms around him. “Happy birthday, buddy,” she murmurs, giving him a squeeze that he returns. “Feeling old yet?” she laughs as they pull away, patting his shoulder. 

John B’s grin is wide and smug. “Nineteen and never felt younger,” he chuckles, hooking his arm around her neck before they all make their way to the tables. John B lets out a laugh, rubbing his hands together as he says, “Guys, this looks amazing.” To JJ and Pope, he smirks. “No wonder you boys kept me out all day.”

JJ grins, tipping an imaginary hat to Sarah. “We were under strict orders,” he says with a wink as they all sit down.

John B sits at the head, Sarah to his right with Isla next to her and Kie on the other side of Isla. JJ sits to John B’s left, and Pope and Cleo are opposite of Isla and Kie. Among the dishes, there are two three-wick candles adding to the ambiance provided by the fairy lights. “Wow,” John B says again when he sits, smiling in awe as he observes the spread in front of him. “You guys went all out, huh?”

Pope shoots him a grin. “Anything for you, Grandpa,” he says, everyone’s laughter ringing when John B throws him a feigned glare at the knock at his age. Comes with the territory when he’s the oldest of their group.

“Let’s eat!” Sarah says, gesturing for everyone to begin helping themselves.

Their chatter fills the air, along with the clinking of utensils against plates as they serve themselves, piling up their plates with the home cooked dishes. Cleo, having hooked up her phone to the Bluetooth speaker sitting at the base of the tree nearby, plays music in the background, not too loud to overpower their conversation but enough to add to the atmosphere. Dishes are passed back and forth, drinks are poured, and smiles are ever present as the seven of them get lost in this small world they’ve built for themselves. 

The guys regale their adventures from today, which was really just an average day in OBX for them. Out on the boat, fishing, surfing, their usual activities that they never get tired of. It’s why John B didn’t suspect the surprise dinner because nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Isla knows that Sarah also has a romantic dinner planned with him tomorrow, but she wanted all of them to spend his actual birthday together, as a family.

And that’s exactly what they do, constant laughter ringing out in between eating and drinking and taking pictures for their memories. “Yo, we should do these more,” John B comments at one point, reaching for his glass. “Like, these family dinners,” he clarifies, gesturing to the table with the glass and a smile.

Cleo points a fork at him, arching an eyebrow. “You say that now because you and the boys did none of the cooking,” she points out.

Isla snaps her fingers, nodding. “Exactly.”

“Next time, y’all are cooking,” Kie says, raising her eyebrow at all three of the guys. 

“You trust us in the kitchen?” JJ grins at her, leaning back in his chair with an arm thrown over the back of Pope’s chair. Isla doesn’t miss the way JJ is looking at Kie, a dimple in his cheek and his blue eyes glinting with something far more than something that can be clocked under the guise of a platonic relationship. 

Isla rolls her smiling lips into her mouth, hiding it behind the rim of her glass as she sips the Coke. Her gaze flicks to her left, catching Sarah’s own knowing, smiling gaze. On the other side of Isla, Kie snorts out a laugh. “I’m sure you boys are capable,” she muses and oh, man, those two are definitely flirting, whether they realize it or not.

Now Isla is really wondering if something did happen between Kie and JJ, and her sister just hasn’t told her about it. 

When they finish eating dinner, they all take the time to take some pictures before Sarah heads inside. She’s only gone for a few minutes, but Isla sees John B’s gaze constantly going to the house, like he’s looking out for her. It makes Isla smile, even as her phone vibrates and she checks to see a text from Sarah.

From: Sarah👸🏼🩵

coming!!!!

Isla thumbs up the message and goes on her phone’s camera, getting to her feet and wiggling her eyebrows at John B’s questioning look right as the backdoor opens and Sarah walks out. “Happy birthday to you. . .” She starts singing with a laugh, and with Isla recording, the rest of them join in on the singing as Sarah walks towards John B, holding the cake with two candles, reading 19, are lit on top and make Sarah’s smiling face glow.

The group of them sing happy birthday to John B as he laughs, delight lighting up his face as Sarah puts the cake in front of him on the table, her smile wide as JJ hands him a knife to cut the cake. “Cut it, old man!” JJ says over the rest of their cheering.

Isla records John B blowing out the candles before he cuts the cake, Sarah standing next to him with her hands pressed together after clapping, pressed against her smiling lips as she watches John B cut the cake. He takes a slice, then, and offers it to Sarah, and Isla and Kie whistle as he feeds it to her. And Isla is so glad she has that video to play it at their inevitable wedding, where they recreate that very moment with their wedding cake. Isla can already, so easily, picture it as she posts one of the photos they took tonight on Instagram.

“Alright, alright, step aside,” Pope says once they’ve finished, taking the knife from John B. “I’ll cut.”

Cleo slides up next to him. “I’ll give it out,” she says, grabbing the pile of small plates.

They get to work, with Pope cutting slices and placing them on plates, which Cleo hands to the rest of them. When Isla notes that JJ is occupied with Sarah and John B, she quickly but casually makes her way to where Kie is cleaning up more of the table and bringing dishes inside. Isla grabs the lasagna dish and hurries after her sister into the house, and Kie glances at her over her shoulder.

“What’s up?” she asks as they enter the kitchen, as though she knows Isla is after something.

“Come on, be honest,” Isla starts, placing the dish on the counter. “Did something happen between you and JJ the other day?”

Kie presses her lips together as she places the pile of dirty plates in the sink. With her back to Isla, her shoulders seem tense, bracing her hands against the counter before she slowly turns to face Isla. Isla, on the other hand, is watching her with eyes slightly widened with anticipation, biting back the urge to yell I knew it! before Kie even has had the chance to say anything.

“We’re going on a date,” Kie slowly says, lips twitching as though she is struggling not to smile.

But Isla’s jaw has dropped, eyes even wider as she stares at her sister in disbelief. So many thoughts run through her head in response to Kie’s words, her pulse racing in excitement, but the first thing she blurts out is, “And you didn’t tell me?!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down,” Kie hisses, widening her eyes as she walks towards Isla. “We didn’t wanna say anything to anyone until, you know, after. We don’t wanna bring any attention to it because we kind of just wanna see for ourselves, you know, if anything is there.”

Isla scoffs, forehead creasing as she shoots Kie a really? look. “There’s something definitely there,” she states as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world—because it is.

Kie rolls her eyes before letting out a breath, her shoulders sinking. Her expression shifts, then, and Isla recognizes the guilt that softens her dark eyes, the downwards tilt of her lips. “I know I should have told you. I’m sorry I didn’t.” Isla’s lips part, but Kie’s hands suddenly find Isla’s, cutting Isla off. “You’re my sister and, y’know, we tell each other all the shit. You’ve been trying to get me to open up to JJ about my feelings and I finally took your advice, and you’re the first person I should’ve told instead of keeping you in the dark.”

Isla can’t lie—the second Kie had told her about going on a date with JJ, Isla had felt a pang of hurt that Kie hadn’t said a word. That she had purposefully kept it a secret even when Isla questioned her about it earlier. Except. . . That’s hypocritical of her, isn’t it? Isla can’t truly, genuinely, be angry with Kie about this when she is keeping an even bigger secret about her own love life.

So whatever guilt Kie is feeling right now, Isla suddenly gets wracked with it tenfold, her throat drying and stomach bottoming out at the expression Kie wears. At this moment, Isla so badly wants to come clean. She wants to tell her sister about her own love life—her boyfriend. And yet, Isla doesn’t feel ready, and she doesn’t think Kie and their friends are ready to hear it, either. Never mind that it’s John B’s birthday and Isla doesn’t want to take the attention away from her friend and his day. 

That doesn’t stop her stomach from twisting, though, or feeling her skin prickle with guilt as Kie holds her hands. Kie’s secret with JJ is nothing in comparison to what Isla is hiding from everyone.

“Hey, no, stop,” Isla says with a shake of her head, forcing out a laugh through her bone dry throat. She squeezes Kie’s hands reassuringly. “I’m not upset, alright? I get it. You didn’t have to tell me anything until you were ready to.”

Kie blinks a few times, still looking worried. “Are you sure? Because, like, I know we don’t keep that many secrets from each other, if we even do, you know? I just—”

“Kiara,” Isla says, and the use of her full name has Kie pausing. Resisting the urge to swallow the guilt-laden lump in her throat, Isla smiles again. “You don’t owe me anything. I’m just glad you and JJ finally got your heads out of your asses,” she adds playfully, trying to lighten the burden on her chest. It only works a little when Kie laughs.

“Yeah, me too,” she smiles, nodding. To Isla’s surprise, Kie pulls her in for a hug, her arms tight. “Thanks for talking some sense into me about JJ.”

With her chin resting on Kie’s shoulder, Isla’s expression falls and her eyes squeeze shut, feeling like an absolute ass for the hypocrisy that tightens her stomach. Especially with Kie mentioning the lack of secrets between them, which has always been true—except this time. Isla tries reassuring herself that it’s for good reason, that Kie and everyone else aren’t ready to hear the truth that they don’t know even exists. 

Still, with her eyes squeezing shut, Isla pushes back the burning sensation. “Anytime,” she responds to Kie.

Thankfully, her sister doesn’t notice the way Isla’s voice has become hoarse with guilt in just that one word answer.

-----

taglist: @talkfastromance4 @you-got-me-starry-eyed @invisiblexcth @freshsturniolo346 @theafournier97 @danismyth04 @perfectprettypisces @pameluuu @melsbels-zip @gabrielapereze11 @katieeeeb @diary-of-jj @cenzie811148 @hangmanscoming

[moremaybank]

𖥔 ݁ ˖ 🛸 INFECT ME WITH YOUR LOVE 'N FILL ME WITH YOUR POISON ! ₊ ˚⊹ 👽 ♡︎

my mini take on kinktober '24! 18+ content below. enjoy ♡⸝⸝

— PROMISE ME , rafe cameron [10.10]

"you stay with me, 'cause nobody fuck you better."

rafe cameron x bsf!reader

thigh riding

cheating on your boyfriend is so wrong, but rafe makes it feel so right

— EDIBLE , jj maybank [10.11]

"touchin' on my body, i can't help but feel impeccable."

jj maybank x bratty!reader

overstimulation, dacryphilia

you mouth off, and your favourite pogue puts you in your place. with ease.

— CHOCOLATE , jj maybank [10.14]

"all i know is, it rains when it feels right."

jj maybank x insecure!gf!reader

praise kink, squirting, mirror sex

jj worships you when you're feeling down (and makes it rain)

— KISS IT BETTER , jj maybank [10.17]

"kiss it better, baby."

jj maybank x gf!reader

period sex

your period is ruining your day and jj makes it all better (like only he can)

more coming soon…

© MOREMAYBANK, 2024.

[raribella]

Love is Embarrassing | JJ Maybank

summary: although JJ had promised your brother he wouldn’t ever hurt you, you saw him kissing Kie while you were on a break.

pairing: JJ Maybank x Routledge!reader

genre: emotionally heavy anst, fluff in the end

contains: reader being a real bitch, mentions of Luke and parental abuse, inspired by some songs in the album “GUTS” by Olivia Rodrigo, kinda shitty ending but let me know.

word count: 2,7k

author’s note: alright I know I’ve been MIA and a bitch and I haven’t posted anything in months (worse if you see how much stuff is on my “upcoming works” section), but I’ve just had a lot of ideas, little time and little confidence to write. one of my best friends just showed me obx and I’m in love with this blonde and I got (I think) a spoiler about him and Kie and I just had to do something with my feelings.

This is a work of fiction. I do not own the characters of Outer Banks nor any characteristic of the show. I am writing this story solely for my own entertainment and the marvel or comfort of any readers.

“If I fuck up with her that might as well be the last thing I do in my life, John B! I mean it!”

the words that JJ heatedly uttered to your twin brother the day he found out about the two of you were repeating over and over in your head right now. You remembered it all too well; John B was seething, absolutely pissed, seeing red. You and JJ Maybank knew each other for as long as he and your brother were best friends, when you turned 14, he declared to all the Pogues that you were off limits, and about two months ago, you and JJ started seeing each other. One month into it and JB discovered you, which was easy considering JJ already spent most of his time with both of you at the Chateau. JJ promised his best friend that he wouldn’t fuck up with you because two things mattered the most for him in this life; their friendship, and yourself.

But as of lately, he was having some problems with Luke and he asked for some time “out” so he could figure his shit out without involving or hurting you and you disagreed but you’d do pretty much anything in this world for this man so you decided to say yes.

To his bullshit.

Bullshit, you figured out about half an hour ago, when you heard a confusing conversation between him and Kiara – the perfect one – and when you went outside to track the noise, you saw them kissing.

You were fifteen minutes late to leave for the weekly kegger and you forced yourself to lock yourself in the bathroom and call in sick – because that you were, and you wouldn’t handle being out partying and pretending like seeing the kooks, and seeing them two wouldn’t make you feel the same type of nausea at this moment.

Sarah was the third person to try and make you get out of the bathroom. The first being your brother and the second, Pope. Although you were thankful neither JJ nor Kie had tried to talk to you, when you heard your best friend’s voice, you were actually starting to feel sick, you were having a migraine from holding tears up, and you were sweating.

“Y/n, come on! You were so excited to come not even an hour ago, we’re already late and I don’t see why wouldn’t you want to come”

Your vision was blurry as you palmed the door and laid your forehead on it. Sarah realized that you really weren’t coming when she heard your voice crack.

“Sarah please, just, go on out without me this one time, I need not to be there right now and I also need to be alone please don’t ask me questions I can’t handle to answer you this moment I promise-“

As you rambled, she frowned from the other side of the door. Making sure to get everyone to leave for the Kegger, to try and remember asking you about this later on, and to reassure John B that you were actually okay.

You’ve been successfully avoiding JJ for about two weeks now. It started with enough discretion, allegedly going to the bathroom every time he entered a room, or offering everyone any snacks you would spend too much time preparing in the kitchen. For him, it started getting obvious when you looked the other way when he looked at you at the beach, or when you refused to surf and, as of recently, started slamming the doors on him. JJ was getting pissed at this rate. He started by simply frowning and brushing it off, but you couldn’t just keep slamming doors and not even looking at him, and if everyone else noticed, they just wouldn’t budge! The worst part is that he didn’t know what had happened nor if he could fix it. You understood him when he told you he needed time to figure out some stuff with Luke, but the truth was he was still very much freaked out about that. He still loved you, and he couldn’t afford to see you like this anymore, especially when such behavior was being directed at him. JJ missed you. Even if he couldn’t really figure his shit out, he missed you screaming at the top of your lungs as you entered the sea, he missed your smile, your laidback grin that he was the only receiver of, he missed your colorful bikinis, and how they embraced your features as you would jump onto every wooden swing near the shore, your curly hair flying everywhere filled with salt spray. He just missed you, the real you. And he had to talk to you to see if there was even a chance that he could get you back.

You, on the other hand, kept avoiding the questioning looks the pogues would send you every time you were harsh or avoidant at JJ, your brother even attempted to talk to you, silently, just with glances, and figure out if his best friend had hurt you. But even if he did, it only hurt because you loved him too much, and you decided it was best to protect him from John B’s wrath. You felt embarrassed whenever Kiara questioned you with her eyes as well; you felt embarrassed to be near her. You kept crucifying yourself and both her and JJ because of everything, often zoning out of the conversation and just bitterly reminiscing about the times you consoled your boyfriend as he cried late at night in your room, being gentle with his bruises. – thinking how could you be so stupid? giving up everything, betting on him against your brother’s better judgment. You kept paying attention to Kie and how, since that day, she looked like the sweetest thing of the Cut, the fucking hell-side of the island. Her perfume lingered in the air even at the beach and made you feel sick; you saw her everywhere now, even when you looked at him. You saw the scene of them kissing. Feeling every word she would utter toward you in conversation like bullets on your skin. As it was torture how she was the greatest thing to ever exist – how everyone loved her, how she was so much better than you; poisoning everything that you do and still being the sweetest friend, making you despise how rotten your mind was; how jealous your eyes were.

You were bottled up to the brim.

It started out simple enough. JJ had noticed everyone was doing their own thing at the Chateau; John B was absent for the time being, and you were alone on the couch, fidgeting, focused on whatever. It seemed like the perfect window to try and have an actual conversation about what’s been happening. He just didn’t expect it all to escalate so quickly. He didn’t expect you to have seen a part of his conversation with Kiara about his dad – but not everything, not the ending. – He hadn’t expected a conversation with you of all people to become a bomb with a short fuse that would explode into feelings tainted crimson. watching you bleed, making him bleed all over for you.

"Pogues don't mack on pogues, y/n! this shit freaked me out, your brother finding out freaked me out, yeah, even if he’s my best friend and I was afraid that-”

“Oh, so you go ‘round and fucking get with Kiara?! this is fucking bullshit, JJ! bullshit-

“Y/n, listen to me!”

You both were screaming, Kie’s eyes went wide as she tried calling your name as well but you had already started crying and couldn’t pay attention to anyone but him. At this point, as John B arrived at the Chateau and followed the noise, the people around you calming you down couldn’t be sure if they were afraid of his arrival or actually relieved. You kept interrupting each other. JJ pulled his hair and you pointed at yourself and to your side – as if Kiara was still there – strength marking red fingertips above your chest.

“‘Cause she’s not even a real pogue, right?! that’s why you got so confident about it, huh?”

it was almost as if the room went silent. Kiara decided to step outside to give you space; to take a moment to breathe in and take notice that you didn’t mean that. She was sure you didn’t. The rest of the group started to move aside as well although they could obviously still hear the commotion. Only you, John B, and JJ were in the living room. Your brother grabbed your shoulders from behind trying to ground you in any way he could, JJ growing nervous at the rate of the conversation and his friend’s presence.

You looked into his eyes and it was as if the blue in them was slowly fading, his eyebrows shot up and his mouth twisted in a clearly upset frown. As tears stained your cheeks, pride still overpowering your shame and feelings pent up, you started with more meaningless empty jabs, which, said angrily enough, would only make JJ bleed more as he fell silent himself.

“I really loved you, you know? You gotta laugh at the stupidity.. right? Come on you were going around doing that shit and I swear JJ I used to think was really smart… I was just a mesmerizing, paralyzing, fucked-up little thrill for you, tho… best friend’s little twin… ridiculous.”

At that, John B diverted his attention toward his friend with stern questioning eyes. JJ gulped.

“Look, man I just really need to talk to her and explain myself, ‘aight? I didn’t do what- Things are really not what they seem right now and I need her to-“

“Fuck, JJ, that’s bullshit! How can you not even flinch when you fucking lie like that! Things are just like what they seem you never even fucking loved me! You can’t love anyone, ‘cause that would mean you had a heart, right? But you’re a fucking Maybank! And I really tried to help you out all this time but now I know that I can’t!”

You were calming down, but exploded again, as the words left your mouth though, you started regretting them, the most deeply someone could ever regret anything maybe, worsening by the second as you saw the man you still loved muttering a small “no”, cracking at your words and shedding a tear. As Kiara heard what you said from the outside, she didn’t even think before bursting into the house again, turning every head in her direction.

“Y/n you’re spiraling and you’re saying things you’ll fucking regret! I kissed him, alright?! This is my fault. He stopped me, he loves you and he wouldn’t do that, okay?”

Though the words she was muttering were calming you down, she was calling you out, she was absolutely mad at what you said about JJ’s father because she had context and it was really fucked up. You felt small.

“Kiss?!” John B asked, his eyebrows shooting up. It wasn’t his intention to aggravate the situation but it was his little sister involved. JJ tried to start talking and explain the situation – which Kiara had left him to, but he could really only think about one thing.

“I- uh… did you mean it? What you said.”

JJ rarely expressed any sign of vulnerability, so as his voice broke, you felt like your heart did too, rushing to explain yourself now, and trying to get closer to him.

“I didn’t mean it, J, I really didn’t! God, I don’t even know how you can still even look at me right now I’m so sorry I was just so fucking broken at the idea of you che- of losing you, and I- I thought you had found someone else and I damn near started world war III right now and it’s just because I love you so much and I know you don’t deserve another fucked up demonstration of love, you deserve to feel so good, Jay, and I’m really sorry, I love you so so much, and I will understand if you never-“

You were interrupted by the shock of his own body against yours. The both of you were panting, crying, completely tired sighs leaving each mouth as if this was all going on for days and you were so hurt, yet needing each other so much. John B and Kiara were ‘okay’ enough with the newfound situation to leave you both to your own devices again, and you just clung to one another, sitting on the floor for what felt like hours until he decided to speak again.

“Y/n… I asked for us to take some time because it was becoming too real, y’know? What we felt for each other.. it was, touchable- it is. And when everyone else found out, and then John B… You know I don’t talk about this usually, not with anyone but you, but I didn’t want my dad to find out about us, to find out about you. I don’t want him knowing what you are for me I don’t want him knowing that laying a single finger on you can be worse than any punch he could throw my way. And I wanted to figure this out without you knowing about it because you’d say it’s fine, and I-“

As your mind processes his words, you start to think how in the world you got a man whose the first concern about a monster of a father would be you. How could you deserve it, especially after what you had insinuated about him. “It is! It’s fine, honey, we can-“

“No, y/n it’s not fine because I don’t ever want you to even worry your pretty little head about a situation like that, y’know? And It’s not fine because the pogues are my family and the love I feel for you, if anything would happen to you because of him I’ll be damned, damned, and in jail for murder, you can trust me I will.”

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. All you could do was keep the hold you had on each other, slightly caressing his head.

“Since I didn’t want you to know about it, I went to Kie, that night of the Kegger, and she tried to help me and she said she loved me and I did too but then she kissed me and I assume it’s what you saw but I did step back, I promise! I told her off… Y/n I told your brother that if I intentionally hurt you, if I fucked up with you like this then that might as well be the last thing I did in my life and I mean it. I love you so much, little Routledge, and I’m all in now. We can figure shit out as we go but as long as we have each other, okay?”

As JJ spoke, he held your hands, reassuring you at the end. Hours had passed ever since you started talking, so when the pogues felt everything was calmer they decided to go back in the house slowly – figure out how you were, what were the plans for the night.

“Do you really forgive me for what I said? I will understand, J, I’m so, so sorry, I love you so much” You touched your forehead with his, and JJ sighed, shaking his head slightly. “I love you. I love you, y/n… can’t be without you.”

And as you both kissed each other as if you were making up for ages lost, Sarah smiled at the corner of the room, John B interrupting the show. “Come on with the PDA, love birds… What are we doing tonight, then?” He half-heartedly scolded as you got up, hand glued to the blonde's. You let out a big sigh again, before brushing them off with an honest, but half-assed excuse, already making the way to your room.

“I mean, you could go to Heyward’s… I think we’ll just lie down a bit.. ‘twas kinda draining…” you saw a bunch of side smiles as the group left through the door, Sarah grinned, letting out a puff of air through her nose, and when Pope went to close the door, he screamed back in the direction of your room, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” which earned a scream back from an already lying down JJ, “might as well not do anything!” and for the first time in a while, you laughed, making your way to lie on top of him, his embrace being all you needed.

“You know… we could go out to surf tomorrow,” he offered, still missing the sight of a happy you, your bikini, and the ocean.

“First thing in the morning.” You answered.

[gimmebackmyskeeball]

needed to speak abt this cuz HELLO

might be controversial, might be a bit of a stretch, might be rude but some of y’all are WEIRD

madison has a gf, rudy has a gf, the two never publicly spoke about ever dating which means even if they did, they DON’T want people knowing or speaking about it

yes I liked Jiara, yes I miss Jiara, yes I think it was EXTREMELY forced but it was sweet, yes I don’t think JJ should’ve ever died and yes I think it sends the wrong message that contains ‘abused kids never get a happy ending’ which could cause some serious mental issues for kids that take it seriously— but that’s not what we’re talking about here

the season is OUT, jj DIED, rudy LEFT (he’s mostly likely not coming back) y’all have no business tryna create more drama

“madison didn’t recognized her own gf, she recognized rudy!!!!” don’t care. doesn’t mean they dated. nobody asked. shut the fuck up.

“rudison 2025 = jiara obx s5! jj comeback confirmed!!!” do u hear the shit leaving ur mouth? do u seriously hear the delusional bullshit that is leaving your mouth?

“they dated, y’all don’t GET IT” I’m employed, what does this mean? why do u care? WHYYYYY do u care? go get a job.

this shit is exactly the reason why the cast got fucking icky and why rudy left and now y’all wanna go out there and cry about jj’s death when all this time YOU WAS THE REASON

as a FUCKIN FAN I’m tired of hearing this bullshit imagine mariah or elaine (I have no comments on both, I’m not interested in their personalities, they can suck as people, doesn’t mean y’all have the automatic right to mess with their relationships)

I need y’all to be so fucking fr for one second, it is SO disrespectful and BORING to come out here and write paragraphs about why you think rudison ever happened. “it’s time for us to accept the truth!!” bitch, it’s the time for you to go do your damn assignments

y’all need to learn the concept of boundaries and sit your asses down and read fucking fanfiction to cope. I don’t wanna stalk madison bailey and see comments about her ‘BOYFRIEND’(?) rudy. you FREAKS.

[vampiretendencies]

i would die for your heaven

summary; everything jj would do taking a shower with you; headcanon version

authors note; this is a HEADCANON, i wanted to title it something meaningful though. requests are open, or if you’d like more of these that as well :) and this is a short one but i’m working on multiple things rn.

warning; this is fluff

pairing; jj x fem!reader

If JJ hears shower water running and he’s not there, he will pester you into letting him join always. He could literally be in the middle of smoking a blunt, either way he’s hauling it toward the bathroom.

Who does she think she is? To shower alone? Without me? He’d think to himself everytime.

Literally taken aback.

JJ always sees it as a two for one, he gets endless touching and everlasting glances at your figure from the moment he got in to the moment he got out.

But he wasn’t always languishing that shower in a sexual manner.

It was desirable to give his ethereal devotion to you.

In every way, all the love he kept hidden for years was reserved for a company such as yours.

This fascination of having you in any way you’d allow him to.

He’d always ease his way into the bathroom coming up with some excuse.

“Man, I suddenly have to brush my teeth”

“Whew what do you know, gotta’ piss now!”

Or he’d just just come out say “If you don’t let me shower with you, m’gonna make a scene!”

Either way JJ knew you’d give into him, there was no doubt in his mind. Reminding you of the time you said he was irresistible.

And a plus is that it’s JJ, like look at him.

You’d have some sort of melodic tune brewing into the steamy shower air

and he’d eagerly peek his head in through the curtain.

“Fuck, I made a good choice, when I chose you,” he’d ramble on to compliment you. “Sometimes a man just really needs a pat on the back for that.”

“You aren’t getting one.”

He’d smirk, knowing full well you were lying through your teeth.

“You know you want to, baby.”

“Don’t just stand there, get in!”

JJ would strip to nothing, nearly tripping over himself to gawk at you. He pulls the curtain open wide, happily stepping in, whilst you’d lean back under the searing water to wet your hair.

Hands immediately wrapping around your waist, like an instinct. Flesh got to the touch not only from the water, but because he’s salivating and his body was aching to be near yours.

“So, so pretty.”

He’d always mumble, skin sticking to yours whilst he greeted you with several kisses to your neck.

“Help me wash my hair?”

He would almost admit that it was his favorite part but it wasn’t, his favorite part was just being in your presence.

To breathe in your oxygen.

“Smells like yummy.”

“Vanilla bean, J.”

He said that the last time, but he did it again just so he could see that same wholehearted grin on your face.

[writingreadinglurkingandsmirking]

Pick Somewhere And Just Run - Kiara "Kie" Carrera x Reader

Dear Reader Duology: Part 1, Part 2

Summary: Still reeling from the fight you got into with your girlfriend, you’re not letting that deter you from going on vacation. You need this. You do. But, when you see her again, you remember all you want is her. But, like she always does, Kie reminds you that all she cares about is you.

Word Count: 2.1k+

CWs/TWs: She/her pronouns used, adult/profane language, relationship stress and fighting, being overworked girlie, making up and going on vacation with your baby

Note: Happy end of pride beloveds. As pride month slowly comes to a close, I send us off with a last WLW hurrah (for now) for our girl Kie

Waking up in a motel alone was about as depressing as you’d imagined it would be.

You slept like shit. You felt like shit. For a lot of reasons. Your slightly swollen cheek from being struck by a random man was a part of it. Your entirely overworked everything was also part of it. But, the biggest portion of feeling like shit was from the fight you’d had with your girlfriend Kie the day before. You sat up and looked at your phone, unsurprised to see no texts from Kie as of yet. But, you did see some other messages. A few from coworkers, a few from friends. You sighed and threw the phone down on the bed, dragging yourself out of it, feeling much like a zombie.

You took your time getting ready, feeling a pool of dread in your stomach. You knew that you were going to have to go to the sheriff’s office like you’d told Kie the day before. It caused a well of anxiety in your stomach that you did your best to quell. But, considering your previous experiences with the sheriff’s office when you and your friends were in high school, you couldn’t shake the sickly feeling of stress. When you checked out of the motel, you headed to the sheriff’s station with trepidation in every move.

“Thanks for coming in,” Shoupe said, greeting you upon your arrival. “We’re gonna make it nice and easy for you. Just gonna give us your statement in writing and we’ll talk about if you want to press charges or not.” He looked behind you. “Is Miss Carrera gonna be coming back with you?”

“No,” you replied robotically, shaking your head. “Kie’s at home.”

“Do you want us to wait for her? To call her?” he asked, far more patient than you’d ever expected to see him.

“No,” you replied, shaking your head again. “I want to get this over with, Shoupe.”

He sighed. “If you’re sure,” he granted. “Come on back.”

He led you to a nicely furnished, inviting-looking interview room. It made your whole body tense, even if it should’ve relaxed you. You’d seen enough rooms in this station to know what most interview rooms looked like. The furnishings didn’t change what the room was. Shoupe watched like a hawk as you sat down and started drumming your nails against the table. He slid papers and a pen over to you.

“We just need you to write down what happened in as much detail as you can remember, okay?” he said gently. “You’re not in any trouble.”

“I’d hope not, considering I’m the one who was assaulted,” you said dryly, picking up the pen he’d provided. You looked down at the empty sheets and sighed. “Fine.” You began scribbling words onto the page as quickly as you could manage, getting all the details down. After what felt like an eternity of writing, you shoved the papers back over to Shoupe. He went through the needlessly long process of parroting everything back, then getting you to say it on record on a camera, then asked if you wanted to press charges. You scoffed. “I don’t have sue-a-millionaire money, Shoupe. No.”

“You don’t need to have sue-a-millionaire money to sue this guy,” he said. You rolled your eyes. He said your name sternly. “This is serious. This man assaulted you and berated you. And from what Mr. Johnson has told us, he’d be more than willing to foot legal bills.”

Blowing out a sigh, you looked away. “Do I have to tell you today?” you asked begrudgingly.

“No,” Shoupe said. “We’d have some time for you to decide.”

“Great. Then I’m leaving and going on a vacation. And I’ll tell you when I come back,” you said, rising to your feet.

Reluctantly, Shoupe agreed to let you go without you telling him you wanted to press charges then and there. Clearly, the man was eager to get this guy for what he’d done…for some reason. But, after accepting you wouldn’t be doing that today, he assured you that he’d keep you aware of everything ongoing with the man while he was on the island. You gave a half-hearted acknowledgement of that promise and then practically fled the station, praying you wouldn’t have to see it again any time soon.

In the privacy of your own car, you laid your head against the steering wheel, shaking your head. You took a moment, not quite ready to go home yet, and texted your friends and…now ex-coworkers back to assure them you were alright and everything was great even though it obviously wasn’t and wouldn’t be. Mercifully, after responding, you convinced yourself to put your phone on Do Not Disturb. Only then could you bring yourself to drive home. Halfway there, you felt stress curling in your stomach and had to pull over to calm yourself down. After ten minutes of hyping yourself up to literally just go home, you forced yourself through to finish the drive back.

Once you parked outside, you didn’t give yourself time to think about it. You moved from the car to inside quickly and shut the door behind you. You let out a tiny sigh of relief that you were able to overcome the doubtlessly stupid anxiety that was trying to keep you from the person who was literally, as far as you were concerned, the love of your life. With still-lingering trepidation, you put your bag down and walked further into your home.

A wave of shock hit you when you saw Kie, sitting on the couch, diligently typing away on her computer, a look of focus on her face. Next to the couch, you clocked a few packed suitcases—two being yours—and you felt your heart stutter in your chest. At the sound of your footsteps, she looked up. When she registered your face, she moved her laptop off of her and stood, walking over to you.

“Kie, I’m sorry,” you said seriously. You immediately felt a small layer of the guilt that you felt dissipate. “I was being such a bitch and I shouldn’t have said that you were implying anything. Shouldn’t have said anything in general. I know you just want what’s best for me. What’s best for us. I feel like shit. I’m so sorry. I love you.”

“I know you are,” Kie said, standing in front of you. She wrapped her arms around you and brought you into a gentle kiss. She reached one hand up to stroke your face. “I know. And I’m sorry too. I got defensive for no reason.” She frowned as her eyes registered your face more and she said your name, sounding sad, then there was a hulking pause. “Your face.”

I shrugged, holding onto her. “It looks worse than it is,” you assured her. “It should be good by tomorrow, I think.”

“That guy’s a real piece of shit,” Kie muttered, voice heated. She shook her head, trying to focus. “I love you, babe.”

Sighing in relief, you felt another layer of guilt melt off your shoulders. You wrapped your arms tightly around your girlfriend, bringing her first into a loving embrace. You pulled back enough that you could passionately kiss her until you both lost your breath. Only when you both were borderline gasping for air did you pull back. Kie’s smile was gentle, but her eyes were bright. The happy shine in her eyes admittedly made your heart flutter.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been off for the past few months. I know that. You’re right. And it is because work sucked. But I’m not going to let that happen anymore. We’re adults. I have better coping skills. I need to remember to use them,” you said, voice still apologetic.

“Babe, it’s okay,” Kie said, leaning her forehead against yours. “We both will do better next time.”

“It’s not okay,” you corrected. “It’s not okay if I treat you like you’re not a priority—that’s never okay. And I will do better next time.”

Kie paused, looking at you. She knew that if she said anything to disagree with you, you’d just double down on calling yourself out. So, instead, she just nodded. She gave you another soft kiss. “Okay,” she said. She took a deep, shuddering breath and then smiled again, soft but excited. “I have a plan.”

“For what?” you asked, confused.

“Vacation,” Kie said.

You blanched. “Kie, we don’t have to go on vacation. Not really,” you said immediately. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to make you feel like you have to just because I was in a mood last night.”

“Okay, first of all, babe, stop. You were assaulted last night. You are fully within your right to have been in a ‘mood’ if that’s what you want to call it,” Kie said sternly. “And second, you were right. You do deserve a vacation. And I want to go with you. I don’t feel like I have to do anything. I want to be with you. I have some time I can take off, so I’m coming with you.” She paused. “Actually, I kind of took over. But you know what I mean.”

Despite yourself, exhaustion and stress and guilt included, you chuckled at her words. “Sounds like you,” you teased. You let out a sigh and moved your hands around her shoulders, locking behind her head. “Where are we going then, my love?”

“Athens,” she declared.

You sputtered. “Athens? Like…Greece?” you asked.

“Yes,” she said. “We both just got our passports renewed. We have enough time. And we’re going to love it.”

“I, uh, Kie that’s kind of a lot for a spur-of-the-moment trip, isn’t it?” you said, skeptical.

She shook her head. “I called my dad. He has a few travel agent friends who he hooked me up with. I talked to them this morning. I already have our flights booked and everything and by the time that we land they’re gonna have the hotel and transportation covered for us too. We’re all set. And I packed everything for us. I checked the weather and everything so I should have everything you could possibly need while we’re there. It’s gonna be mid-70s to low 80s while we’re there it seems like. So it’ll be a nice time,” Kie said, grinning at you. “And I already have a few things planned for places we can go and surprises I wanna show you. Actually—”

You cut your gorgeous, obscenely, and unfairly perfect girlfriend off with a searing kiss. “Kiara,” you interrupted, voice colored with amusement and adoration, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, babe,” she said, pausing, confused pucker to her brow.

“Thank you,” you said simply, pecking her lips again.

“For what?” she asked.

“Dealing with me…supporting me…planning this in literally less than twelve hours?” you suggested, laughing at her obliviousness to just how fucking amazing she was being right now.

Kie rolled her eyes. “Well, of course, idiot,” she said fondly. She looked into your eyes and gave you a loving smile that damn near took your breath away. “I love you. Doing this? For you? Easier than breathing, babe. Really.”

You sighed, melting into her touch more. “You make being corny cute. Even after all this time,” you said, unable to censor the thought.

It had the desired impact though. Predictably, your girlfriend flushed and swatted at your arm, pulling back from you. Having seen this coming, you grabbed her hand and pulled her into another searing kiss. Despite the blush on her cheek and the minor embarrassment you knew Kie felt at being called out for being so sweet to you, she leaned into the affection. She was, in fact, the one who lengthened and deepened the kiss, making it go on longer than even you had planned. You were definitely not complaining though. Still, when she pulled back she had a faux-put-upon look on her face.

“Look, I got you some coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Make sure you pack up whatever little things you want because we gotta catch a ferry today to get to the mainland. Our flight’s late tonight,” Kie said. Playfully, she slapped your ass. “So get a move on. We gotta get ready to go. The last ferry’s at 4 today and I wanna be on one before that.”

“Yes ma’am,” you said, swatting at her ass in retaliation before she could move away. She glared at you with absolutely no heat behind it and you gave her a shit-eating grin.

“You’re lucky I’m in love with you or I would beat your ass,” Kie said, voice holding absolutely not an ounce of threat to it.

“I know,” you said earnestly, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it. “Believe me I know.”

[rayaswrittings]

One night, Every feeling

JJ Maybank x Fem!Cameron!Reader

Synopsis: On your birthday, surrounded by the Pogues’ love and chaos, the night takes an unexpected turn for you and JJ. After months of denying your feelings, an evening of dancing, teasing, and vulnerability becomes the tipping point. Caught in the haze of emotion and reckless abandon, you act on what you’ve always felt but were too afraid to admit. A night meant for celebration becomes the one where everything changes—one night filled with every unspoken feeling finally laid bare.

Warning(s): 18+ only! Minors DNI, Mature themes, Language, the whole nine. Also very long! Apologies for mistakes :/

The warm glow of string lights wrapped around Poguelandia, casting golden hues over the small haven as laughter and music echoed from inside. Tonight wasn’t about running from trouble or chasing treasure—it was your birthday, and for once, everything else could wait.

Pope stood in the middle of the Kildare island co, tying the finishing touches on a banner that read Happy Birthday, Trouble. The letters were uneven and slightly crooked, but he stepped back with a satisfied nod. “Perfect.”

“Perfectly lopsided,” Cleo teased from where she was setting up the speaker.

“Hey, it’s got character,” Pope defended, shooting her a mock glare.

“Yeah, yeah, good effort,” Kie chimed in, carrying a tray of mismatched cups to the table. “At least you’re trying.”

Meanwhile, Sarah was kneeling on a chair, carefully balancing as she added an oversized sparkler candle to the homemade cake. “This is gonna look amazing,” she declared.

“Or set the place on fire,” John B muttered, earning himself a swat on the arm.

“Relax,” Sarah said, grinning. “We’ve survived worse.”

JJ, leaning lazily against the doorway with a beer in hand, watched the commotion with a smirk. “You guys are really pulling out all the stops, huh?”

“You say that like you didn’t spend an hour arguing with Pope about the playlist,” Kie shot back, raising an eyebrow.

“Hey, music’s important,” JJ said, feigning offense. He held up his beer in a mock toast. “You’re welcome for the vibe, by the way.”

“Sure, JJ. Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Cleo said with a laugh, cranking up the music.

As the first notes of a familiar song filled the air, you stepped into the room, taking it all in—the decorations, the cake Cleo and Kie had made you, the way everyone was buzzing with energy.

“There she is!” Sarah cheered, hopping off the chair and rushing over to grab your arm. “Birthday girl, looking beautiful as ever!”

You laughed, letting her pull you further inside. “You guys didn’t have to do all this.”

“Of course we did,” Kie said, grinning. “It’s your day.”

“Yeah,” JJ added, his smirk widening. “And you only turn, what, thirty?”

“Ha-ha,” you deadpanned, shooting him a glare.

“Alright, alright, everyone shut up!” Sarah’s voice rose above the chatter, her hands cupped around her mouth. “It’s toast time!”

You groaned, sinking onto the couch. “Oh, God, no speeches.”

“Too late!” Sarah said, laughing as she grabbed a cup and raised it high.

“To my amazing, stubborn, sometimes infuriating sister, who somehow manages to keep us all in one piece while also causing at least half of the chaos we deal with,” Sarah began, her voice full of warmth and humor.

Everyone laughed, JJ the loudest. “She’s not wrong!”

Sarah rolled her eyes but smiled. “Shut up, JJ. Anyway, we love you, and we’re so glad you’re stuck with us. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” the group echoed, lifting their drinks before clinking cups and taking long sips.

JJ, still leaning against the doorway, tilted his cup toward you with a smirk. “To the only person who can give me a run for my money when it comes to trouble. I’m proud.”

“High praise coming from you, Maybank,” you teased, raising your drink.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” he replied, his tone playful but his gaze lingering just a second longer than necessary.

The music shifted to a faster beat, and Sarah grabbed your hand, pulling you to your feet. “Nope, you’re not sitting this one out. Dance!”

Cleo was already swaying her hips to the rhythm, motioning for Kie to join her. “Come on, girl, birthday rule: you have to dance to at least three songs. Minimum.”

You laughed, letting them drag you to the middle of the room. As the music blared from the speaker, you lost yourself in the beat, spinning and laughing with your friends. Sarah twirled you around dramatically, while Cleo hyped you up with exaggerated cheers.

JJ watched from the edge of the room, a soft smile tugging at his lips as you danced. Pope nudged him. “You’re staring, man.”

“Shut up,” JJ muttered, taking another swig of his beer.

The music thumped through Poguelandia, and Cleo spun you around with a mischievous laugh. “Birthday girl’s got moves!”

Kie cheered, clapping along to the beat. “Yeahhh, I see you!”

Sarah leaned into John B on the couch, smirking as she watched the three of you take over the space near the speaker. “This is the most energy I’ve seen her have all day,” she joked, sipping from her cup.

“Alcohol does wonders,” John B teased back, earning a playful nudge from Sarah.

Meanwhile, JJ still leaned against the table, beer in hand, watching the scene unfold. His eyes lingered on you a beat too long, the way your hips swayed to the music and your head tipped back in laughter.

“Bro, you’re still staring?,” Pope said from beside him, smirking.

JJ didn’t even flinch. “Yeah? And?”

Pope raised his brows. “And maybe you should do something about it instead of looking like your about to combust”

JJ rolled his eyes and drained the rest of his beer. “Combust, my ass. I’m just appreciating the show.”

“Uh-huh,” Pope said, unconvinced. “What’s your excuse gonna be when I go out there and steal her for a dance?” He jokes, obviously knowing he would only ever choose Cleo.

JJ snorted. “Not happening, dude.”

Pope smirked. “Then prove it.”

JJ set his empty bottle on the table with a dramatic thud. “Fine. Watch and learn, Pope.”

Without hesitation, JJ sauntered toward the makeshift dance floor, his cocky grin in full effect. You caught sight of him as he approached, and the mischievous glint in his eyes made your heart skip.

“Finally decided to join the fun?” you teased as he stepped in front of you.

“Had to make sure you weren’t stealing the spotlight without me,” JJ shot back, his grin widening.

“Oh, I’m carrying this whole thing,” you joked, twirling in place. “Think you can keep up?”

“Please.” JJ grabbed your hand and spun you again, pulling you closer in one smooth motion. “I am the fun.”

The group cheered from the sidelines, John B letting out a loud whistle. “Yeah, J!”

Kie laughed, clapping. “Told you he’d cave eventually!”

Cleo leaned toward Pope, smirking. “That boy’s whipped.”

JJ ignored them all, his attention completely on you. The two of you fell into a rhythm effortlessly, his movements loose and confident as he guided you through the music.

“You’re not half bad,” you said, breathless from laughing and dancing.

JJ arched a brow. “Not half bad? Babe, I’m stealing the show.”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Okay, keep telling yourself that.”

JJ twirled you again, catching you by the waist as you stumbled slightly. His grip lingered, and for a second, the teasing grin on his face softened.

“You’re killing it, though,” he said, his voice lower now, just loud enough for you to hear over the music.

The sudden sincerity in his tone caught you off guard, your breath hitching as his hands steadied you. But before the moment could stretch too long, he stepped back, smirking again. “But don’t let it go to your head.”

You rolled your eyes, but your heart raced as you grabbed his hands and pulled him back toward you. “I don’t think you’re allowed to leave the dance floor yet.”

JJ laughed, spinning you one last time as the song ended. “Alright, birthday girl. What’s next? Shots or another dance?”

Before you could answer, Cleo stepped in, dragging you away playfully. “She’s mine now, Maybank. Go take five.”

JJ threw up his hands in mock defeat. “Fine, but don’t wear her out before the next song!”

As he retreated to grab another drink, he glanced back at you over his shoulder, his smirk lingering. Pope shook his head as JJ rejoined him. “You’re so obvious, man.”

JJ grinned, unbothered. “And you’re jealous you don’t have moves like me.”

Pope laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

But JJ wasn’t paying attention. His eyes drifted back to you, still dancing in the middle of the room, and for the first time all night, he let himself wonder if you had any idea what you were doing to him.

"You're gonna wear her out," Sarah teased from the couch, leaning into John B's shoulder.

"She's got this," Cleo said confidently, spinning you around.

JJ leaned back in his chair, watching as you danced with the girls. He tried to play it cool, his arms crossed over his chest, but the way his gaze lingered on you didn't go unnoticed.

"Sooo… are you just gonna sit there all night and stare?" Pope asked, nudging him.

JJ shrugged, not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him. "Someone's gotta make sure nobody gets too wild."

"Uh-huh," Pope said, clearly not buying it.

The song shifted again, this time to a bass-heavy beat that had Kie and Cleo moving with even more energy. You caught J's eye for a moment, your lips curving into a small smile, and his breath hitched before he quickly looked away, pretending to focus on his drink.

“I can’t watch this shit anymore, bro” Pope muttered under his breath, laughing to himself.

The game of Kings was in full swing after awhile, the table cluttered with empty bottles, cans, and half-finished cups that had somehow become part of the challenge. The air was thick with laughter, loud music, and the intoxicating scent of booze, and the more the night wore on, the more everyone seemed to loosen up.

JJ was sprawled across the floor, his legs tangled in a chair, and his voice already slurring as he cheered for whatever ridiculous thing someone had just done. “Yo, Pope! Keep that up and I’m gonna have to start calling you lazy!’”

Pope, already red-faced from a few too many rounds, laughed back, holding his drink up like a trophy. “Don’t start, Maybank! I’ll show you lazy!”

Meanwhile, Cleo was trying to maintain some semblance of composure, but it was clear the alcohol was doing its work. She’d attempted to take a shot when it was her turn, but it ended up splashing more on her than in her mouth. “Fuck, man! That’s a waste of good Vodka!” she laughed, wiping her chin.

You were sitting cross-legged on the floor, your laughter spilling freely with each passing round. JJ’s usual poker face had been replaced by a slightly tipsy, carefree version of himself, and he was absolutely loving it. You could feel the energy between you both shift as the alcohol mixed with the playful tension that had been simmering for days.

“Alright, alright,” Kie said, looking at the cards in her hand with a drunken frown. “I got a two. JJ, you know what that means, right?”

JJ raised his eyebrows, leaning forward with a wicked grin. “Oh, I know exactly what it means. You’re gonna do somethin’ crazy, aren’t you?”

You chuckled as Kie downed her drink in one go. “Your turn now!” she exclaimed, handing the bottle off to JJ with a sly grin.

As the night dragged on, the drinking games only seemed to get more ridiculous. There were shots, dares, and more rounds of Kings than anyone could count. But somehow, in the chaos, you and JJ became the focal point of the night. The two of you kept locking eyes across the room, the teasing glances and flirty remarks becoming a more regular occurrence.

JJ knocked back another drink, his eyes narrowing playfully as he leaned into you. “I think you’re tryin’ to make me jealous with how good you look tonight. Keep it up and you might get yourself in trouble,” he muttered, leaning so close his breath brushed your ear.

You felt the heat of his words, too drunk to care that the whole group could probably hear him. You looked at him with a drunken, teasing smile. “Oh yeah? You think I’m trying to make you jealous? Maybe I just wanna see you do something about it,” you shot back, not missing a beat.

JJ’s eyes widened, but then he laughed, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “Whoa, now, you’re not gonna get me to fall for that one. I know better.” He took another swig of his drink, leaning back with his arms crossed as if trying to play it cool—but the smile on his face betrayed him.

You scooted a little closer, the alcohol making you bold in ways you never usually were. “You sure? ‘Cause I don’t know if I’m buying it,” you purred, your voice low enough that only he could hear. The entire group was wrapped up in their own chaos, too drunk to notice anything between you and JJ.

Cleo, Kie and Pope were arguing over who could take the next shot the fastest, and John B and Sarah were wrapped up in their own world, holding hands while they giggled over something. The night had turned into one big blur, everyone losing themselves in the party.

But JJ, with his wild eyes, was only focused on you. “You better watch out, you’re gonna have me all over you, and I won’t let you live it down,” he teased, his voice low and confident—yet there was a slight slur to it.

You could feel the air between you both thicken as your proximity grew, and without thinking, you leaned in close enough to feel the warmth of his skin. “I can’t wait,” you whispered, your breath mingling with his.

JJ’s heart raced, and for a moment, he was frozen—his lips slightly parted, his breath shallow. He was too drunk to keep up the bravado. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Kook princess” he muttered with a half-laugh, before taking a long drink from his cup to steady himself.

A round of cheers erupted from the group as they realized it was JJ’s turn again. The game had gone on to become truth or dare, but mostly it was just dares flying around like crazy. Some kissed, some took shots they definitely had to pray on before taking, But he barely heard any of it. His focus was still locked on you.

“Okay, we’ve got a dare for you, JJ,” Pope suddenly interrupted, clearly not noticing the tension brewing between the two of you.

JJ snapped his head toward Pope, visibly trying to pull himself back together. “What’s the dare?”

Pope grinned mischievously. “Alright, I dare you to kiss her. Just a quick one, you know, to keep the night going.”

The entire group erupted in hoots of laughter and cheers, but you and JJ were suddenly hyper-aware of the quiet that had fallen around you two. The dare hung in the air like an undeniable challenge, and for a moment, neither of you moved.

Your heart was pounding in your chest, and JJ was staring at you, not backing away but not advancing either. The alcohol had loosened your usual restraint, and now it felt like the entire room was holding its breath.

“You sure about that, Pope?” JJ finally said, his voice low, his usual cocky grin replaced with something a little more vulnerable. He was trying to keep it casual, but his voice wavered slightly.

Pope’s grin only widened. “Come on, man. If you don’t do it, kie will.”

Kie and you laughed—The challenge was clear, and suddenly, everything felt too real. The room, the music, the group—everything seemed to disappear as JJ’s face was inches from yours.

You tried to keep your expression neutral, but the flush creeping up your neck and the way your stomach twisted gave you away. JJ turned his gaze back to you, his usual confidence faltering for a split second.

“Alright, alright,” he muttered, scratching the back of his neck as he stepped closer to you. His grin returned, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Rules are rules, I guess.”

Your heart hammered in your chest as he stopped just in front of you, the world fading out once more. His hands hovered awkwardly at his sides for a moment before one settled lightly on your arm, grounding you.

“You okay with this?” he asked softly, his tone so uncharacteristically gentle that it made your chest tighten.

You nodded, trying to act like your heart wasn’t about to leap out of your chest. “It’s just a dare, right?”

JJ’s lips twitched into a lopsided smirk, though there was a nervous edge to it. "Just a dare," he echoed, though the way his voice dipped made it sound like he was convincing himself.

As he leaned in, the room seemed to hold its collective breath. You could feel the heat of his body as he got closer, his other hand reaching up to gently cup the side of your face. The touch was warm, grounding, but it only made your heart pound harder.

When his lips finally met yours, the teasing atmosphere in the room evaporated entirely. It was meant to be quick, simple, but the moment JJ kissed you, the world narrowed to just the two of you. His lips were soft but firm, his hand tightening slightly on your arm as he lingered, longer than necessary for a dare.

A muffled cheer erupted from somewhere in the background, but neither of you pulled away. The kiss deepened, slow and magnetic, like neither of you could stop. JJ’s free hand brushed against your waist, almost instinctively, and the heat of it made your stomach twist in ways you couldn’t explain.

When you finally broke apart, both of you were breathless. The room burst into shouts and laughter, but you and JJ stayed frozen for a beat too long, staring at each other. His lips were slightly parted, his cheeks flushed, and his eyes searched yours, as though trying to decipher what just happened.

Your chest tightened, your lips still tingling as you tried to collect yourself. JJ took a shaky breath and stepped back, his hand dropping from your arm and face. He scratched the back of his neck, avoiding your gaze for a moment before glancing back at you.

“Happy now, Pope?” JJ’s voice cracked slightly, and he covered it by grabbing his beer and chugging half of it.

“Oh, we’re thrilled,” Pope replied smugly, raising his drink.

“You two sure took your time with that one,” Kie teased, raising an eyebrow at you both.

“Yeah, definitely longer than the ‘quick one’ we had in mind,” Cleo added with a knowing smirk.

Your face burned, and you quickly grabbed your drink, hoping no one could see how shaken you felt. Across the table, JJ was no better, his ears red as he avoided looking directly at anyone. But every so often, your eyes met, and the tension between you sparked all over again.

“You gonna survive over there, JJ?” John B teased, tossing a bottle cap in his direction.

JJ rolled his eyes, though his smirk had returned, even if it was faint. “I—“

“Okay! Next dare,” Kie announced, clearly trying to keep the game going and cutting JJ off—to which he was very thankful for.

The game carried on, the laughter and teasing filling the space again. But for the rest of the night, you couldn’t stop glancing at JJ—and every time you did, you caught him looking back, his expression unreadable but heavy with something unspoken.

The night was far from over.

——-

The group had shifted to the couch area, most of them completely drunk and sprawled out, as the music continued to pulse in the background. The playful tension from the dare hung between you and JJ like an electric current, the air thick with unspoken words.

You and JJ hadn’t spoken much since the kiss, both of you trying to act as if it hadn’t just happened. But the way your eyes met every now and then, and the way your body seemed to gravitate towards him without thought, was enough to make everyone else notice.

John B, already tipsy and leaning into Sarah, was the first to break the silence. “Okay, okay, we need to start another round of something. Before I close my eyes and never open them” He looked between everyone, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the two of you. “But someone better keep an eye on JJ and the birthday girl. Looks like they’re gonna start their own game soon.” He winked, half-joking, but it didn’t land as lightly as he probably intended.

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the blush creeping up your neck. “Shut up, John B,” you mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in your seat, pretending to find something interesting about your drink.

JJ, sitting across from you, caught the blush and grinned. “What, you embarrassed now?” His voice was light, teasing, but the heat in his gaze betrayed his casual tone. He knew exactly what was going on.

“No,” you shot back quickly, rolling your eyes dramatically. “Not embarrassed. Just… I don’t know, maybe your just a bad kisser.” You swirled the drink in your hand, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Yeah, maybe… but you know,” JJ started, leaning in closer, his voice low, “Your body says otherwise” He smirked, and there was something in his voice that was far too confident, even for him. “If you want another try, all you have to do is ask”

The words hit like a shot of tequila, and you felt the heat rising in your chest once again. For a moment, you just stared at him, your pulse quickening. “What makes you think I want that?” You were drunk enough to be bold, but the teasing in your tone didn’t match the rapid beat of your heart.

JJ’s smirk softened, his eyes flickering to your lips for the briefest moment before looking away. He leaned back in his seat, glancing at the group, and then back at you, his voice suddenly quieter. “I’m just saying, I wouldn’t mind,” he said, shrugging, like he was trying to act nonchalant. But there was something in the way he said it, the vulnerability in his voice, that made your breath hitch.

You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or the way he looked at you, but you were suddenly drawn to him in a way you hadn’t expected. The playful flirting had turned into something more, something deeper.

Before you could respond, Cleo stood up, raising her cup dramatically. “Okay, okay! Time for some more chaos! Who’s up for another round of… whatever we’re doing?”

The interruption snapped both of you back into the present, but the heat between you didn’t fade. The night was still young, and now, everyone was shouting for another round of drinks.

“Fine,” you muttered under your breath, standing up and turning to grab another drink. “But I’m keeping my distance from Maybank for the next round.”

JJ raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I bet you are,” he teased, but his smile faded as he noticed the slight shift in your attitude. The flirting had stopped, and there was something else there now, something neither of you were ready to deal with.

But before either of you could speak again, Pope and Cleo dragged everyone back into the living room, launching into another round of Kings, laughing and joking as they set everything up.

As the night wore on, the group’s energy shifted. People began winding down, some already half-asleep on the couches, others still caught up in the haze of drunken laughter. You and JJ remained in the same space but kept your distance, the unspoken tension between you both thickening with every passing second.

Eventually, the music died down, and the room grew quieter. John B and Sarah were wrapped up in each other, and Cleo had snuck off to sit by herself, letting the alcohol take its toll. Pope was sitting next to you, chatting about something, but your mind kept wandering back to JJ. You hadn’t realized how badly you’d wanted him until this moment—until that kiss and the lingering feeling it left in its wake.

“Hey,” Pope’s voice broke through your thoughts. “You good?”

You turned your head to look at him, trying to hide the conflicted look on your face. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… a little too drunk,” you laughed, but there was an edge to your voice that betrayed you.

Pope raised an eyebrow. “If you say so. But just know, JJ’s been acting weird since the kiss. He’s too drunk to admit it—and I’m too drunk to go in depth about it, but he cares about you.”

You blinked, surprised by his honesty. “What are you talking about?” you said quickly, trying to sound casual, but your heart was racing.

Pope shrugged, his eyes softening. “I know JJ. He’s not good at talking about his feelings. Especially when it comes to you.”

Before you could respond, you caught JJ glancing at you from across the room. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes betrayed him. It was as if he was trying to keep his distance, but the pull between you both was undeniable.

He quickly turned his attention back to his drink, avoiding eye contact. You could feel the weight of his gaze even from across the room, and for a moment, you wanted nothing more than to walk up to him and pull him close. But you also knew that whatever was happening between you two—this unspoken tension, this flirtation—wasn’t something you were ready to figure out just yet.

The group around you began to fade into the background as you and JJ shared a moment of quiet understanding from across the room. No words were exchanged, but the silence spoke volumes. And just like that, you knew whatever was to come—it wasn’t going to feel good in the morning.

——

As the night stretched on, the weight of the alcohol settled in, and the chaotic energy of the group began to wane. The music faded out, and the laughter that had filled the room softened into sleepy chuckles and half-hearted conversations. The sounds of glasses clinking together became less frequent, replaced by tired yawns and people stretching, making their way to the camp fire outside and blankets that had been carelessly tossed around the circle.

You were sitting closer to the fire, taking in the warmth again your skin, your legs tucked under you as you quietly observed the others. John B and Sarah were curled up together, already half-asleep, with his arm slung around her shoulders. Pope and Cleo, though still conscious, were drifting into a peaceful silence, their eyes barely open as they snuggled into the cushions. Kie had already went inside a few minutes prior, complaining about how she had to be up early tomorrow morning. The only ones still wide-eyed were you and JJ, and despite the heaviness of the night, neither of you seemed ready to let it end just yet.

JJ, sitting across from you, had his elbow resting on his knee, his eyes trained on the fire in front of him. He seemed distant, but his occasional glances toward you didn’t go unnoticed. You caught his eyes again, and this time, instead of looking away, he let them linger.

You let out a quiet breath, unsure how to proceed. “We should probably help clean up,” you murmured, breaking the silence, your words a little slurred from the alcohol.

JJ chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair with a slight tilt of his head. “Eh, we’ll get to it tomorrow. It’s too late for that now. Let them sleep it off. We’ve earned a break.” His voice had a playful tone, but there was something in it, a flicker of something deeper, that caught your attention.

“Yeah, I guess,” you said quietly, nodding, though your eyes were still locked with his.

A few more moments of silence passed, the fire crackling softly, the only sound besides the occasional rustling of blankets as everyone else settled in for the night.

Suddenly, Cleo stood up, stretching and yawning loudly. “Alright, guys,” she said with a teasing grin. “I think it’s time for me to pass out. You know where to find the blankets.” She glanced at you and JJ. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, alright?”

“Trust me, Cleo, we’re just gonna… just chill out,” JJ said, flashing her a grin.

“You two are trouble, you don’t fool me” Cleo called over her shoulder, not looking back as she walked toward the makeshift sleeping area. Pope was already settling beside her, clearly exhausted from the night’s events.

With a small wave, Sarah and John B followed suit. “Goodnight, guys,” Sarah called, already half-asleep as she leaned into John B’s side, and they made their way to the back rooms of the house.

A quiet hush fell over the fire, and the last of the group had all but drifted into the house, leaving you and JJ alone, just the two of you still sitting in the dim glow of the firelight.

JJ was sitting on the edge of a chair, his elbows resting on his knees as he twirled an empty beer bottle in his hands. His hair was messy, falling into his eyes, and there was something about the way he looked at you now—unguarded, raw, like all the walls he’d built around himself had crumbled under the weight of the night.

You sat only a few feet away, mind swaying from the alcohol coursing through your veins, watching him with a mix of amusement and apprehension. He hadn’t said much since the others left, and for once, you didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable; it was charged.

“You know,” you finally broke the quiet, your voice softer than usual, “you have a really bad poker face”

JJ glanced up at you, his brows lifting in amusement. “Yeah?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. “And yours is any better, kook princess?”

You smirked at the nickname, taking a step closer. “You act like you don’t care about anything, but you do. A lot. You care about them”—you motioned toward the house—“you care about this place, and, whether you like it or not, you care about me.”

JJ’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, and you saw his jaw tighten as he glanced away, back at the bottle in his hands. “You’ve had too much to drink,” he muttered, his voice low.

“Maybe,” you admitted, taking another step closer. “But that doesn’t make it any less true.”

He laughed quietly, shaking his head. “You really don’t know when to quit, do you?”

“Nope,” you said with a small smile, crossing your arms over your chest. “Not when it comes to you.”

That made him look up, his blue eyes locking onto yours in a way that made your breath hitch. The firelight danced in his gaze, but it wasn’t the flames you were focused on—it was the way he was looking at you, like he was trying to decide whether to keep pushing you away or finally let you in.

He stood, starting to diminish the fire in the pit, and for a moment you wondered if you should tell him you didn’t want to go back in the house, the drunken words hanging off your tongue in the moment. JJ on the other hand, had already been walking up to you, dumping his drink with one hand and holding the other one out to you.

“Want some company tonight?” His words make your stomach twist. Of course you did—hell, you’ve been staring at him all night. You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or maybe just your overthinking, but the way he looked at you… it made you think so many things. Things you shouldn’t think about with your best friend.

You take your lip between your teeth, trying to hide the blush from your cheeks as you take his soft hand, nodding when you look up at him. You followed him into the shop, stopping to lean against the counter when he let go to put away some of the drinks back in the tiny fridge you had inside. You watched him, so many thoughts running through your head. You knew you wanted JJ… but for some reason—tonight was the night you were finally sick of waiting.

You watch as his muscle flex when he pushes the fridge door shut, making sure its broken latch actually stays. His messy hair is longer than usual, in need of a haircut but it clearly didn’t bother you in this light. Your mind ran wild with thoughts of your nails running across his arms, fingers intertwining with his blond locks. Fucking hell, why did you have to drink so much?

“You alright over there? Don’t tell me your day dreaming about me” his comment tunes you back in, your eyes averting to his and you notice how close he is to you now. Your eyelids were heavy, but your eyes said everything they needed to. You looked at him with passion, a clear and desperate need for him to just grab you and kiss you.

JJ’s smirk faltered slightly when he caught the way you were looking at him. His playful confidence wavered, and for a moment, it seemed like neither of you knew who would make the first move. The tension crackled like the remnants of the fire outside-intense and impossible to ignore.

"What?" he asked, his voice lower now, a nervous edge creeping in.

You shook your head, swallowing hard as you straightened against the counter. "You're just... annoying," you said, trying to say literally anything and sound casual, but your voice betrayed you, soft and breathless.

"Annoying?" he repeated, leaning a hand against the counter beside you, his eyes narrowing. "Funny, 'cause you're the one staring like I'm a damn trophy."

"I wasn't staring," you muttered, cheeks burning.

JJ tilted his head, his lips twitching into a lopsided grin. "Oh, you weren't? Could've fooled me."

You opened your mouth to reply, but he was already moving closer, his chest brushing against yours as his hand came up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. His touch was so light, so deliberate, that it sent a shiver through you.

"Careful," he murmured, his eyes dipping to your lips. "You're starting to look at me like you want something."

Your breath hitched as his words sank in, the weight of them making your head spin even more than the alcohol already had.

He was so close now, his scent-salt, weed, and a faint trace of cologne-making your heart race.

"And if I do?" you whispered, barely recognizing your own voice.

JJ's jaw tightened, his playful demeanor slipping as his fingers hovered just above your cheek. His gaze flicked between your eyes and lips, and you could see the internal battle raging inside him.

"Don't do that," he muttered, shaking his head slightly.

"Do what?"

"Say things like that," he said, his voice rough. "You're gonna make me do something stupid."

You leaned into his touch, your lips parting as your hand moved to rest against his chest. His heart was pounding under your palm, and it gave you the courage to press on.

"Maybe I want you to," you said softly, your voice daring.

JJ let out a low, humorless laugh, his forehead coming to rest against yours. "You have no idea what you're asking for," he said, his voice strained.

"Then show me," you challenged, your lips brushing against his just enough to make him suck in a sharp breath.

“Fuck it” He huffs, and it was safe to say you couldn’t imagine the extent of what would happen next.

His restraint shattered in an instant. One of his hands gripped the counter beside you, the other cupping your face as his lips crashed against yours. The kiss was fiery and desperate, his need for you pouring out in every movement. You gasped into his mouth, your fingers tangling in his hair as he pressed you back against the counter.

It was messy, intoxicating, and everything you'd imagined it would be. His hands roamed your sides, pulling you closer as if he couldn't stand even a breath of space between you.

"Fuck," he whispered against your lips, his voice thick with desire. "You're gonna kill me."

You pulled back just enough to look at him, your forehead still resting against his.

"Maybe that's the point," you said, a small, teasing smile curving your lips.

JJ let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head as he stared at you like you'd just turned his entire world upside down. His fingers brushed along your jawline, his gaze softening in a way that made your chest tighten.

"We’re so screwed," he murmured, leaning down to kiss you again, slower this time, more deliberate.

"Shut up and kiss me, Maybank," you teased, your smile breaking against his lips.

He didn't answer, but the way his hands tightened around you told you everything you needed to know. The tension that had been building between you all night finally melted away, leaving just the two of you and the undeniable pull that neither of you could fight any longer.

JJ’s kisses turned deeper, hungrier, as his hands tightened their hold on your hips, fingers digging into your skin like he was afraid you might slip away. He had you backed up against the counter, the edge pressing into your lower back, but the slight discomfort didn't matter. All you could feel was him—his warmth, his need, and the way he was finally letting himself give in.

Your fingers slipped beneath the hem of his shirt, brushing against his skin, and the sound he made against your lips sent a shiver down your spine. JJ broke the kiss, his lips moving to your jaw, then to your neck, leaving a trail of heat that made your head spin.

"You have no idea what you do to me," he murmured against your skin, his voice low and rough.

Your breath hitched, your hands roaming up his chest, feeling the hard planes of muscle beneath your fingertips. "Jayj…" you whisper, your voice soft but slightly shaking from the new sensation.

JJ pulled back just enough to meet your eyes, his pupils blown wide and his lips red and slightly swollen. "You're dangerous," he said, shaking his head with a crooked grin.

"Me? You're the one who can't keep his hands to himself," you teased, tugging at his shirt.

"Yeah, well, you make it impossible," he shot back, his grin softening into something more genuine.

He pulled you into another kiss, slower this time, but no less intense. His hands slid up your sides, his thumbs brushing the bare skin just beneath your shirt, sending a jolt of electricity through your body. You arched into him, your hands finding their way into his messy blond hair, pulling him even closer.

Somewhere in the haze of it all, JJ lifted you onto the counter, his hands gripping your thighs as he stepped between them.

The way he looked at you—like you were the only thing that mattered, made your chest tighten.

"JJ," you whispered, his name falling from your lips like a prayer.

His name coming from your lips had sounded like a prayer only he was meant to hear. It shifted every gear in his body when he heard it. That breathless, innocent tone of yours. "Fuck. Keep saying it” he mumbled against your skin, his voice thick with want, his forehead resting against yours.

You hesitated, your heart pounding in your chest.

“I want you, Jayj. You have me" you confessed, your voice barely audible.

JJ let out a soft laugh, his thumb brushing against your cheek. "That’s my girl" he said, his voice carrying an honesty that made your breath catch.

He kissed you again, and this time, it felt different. It wasn't just about the tension or the alcohol—it was about everything that had been building between you for so long.

"Tell me to stop," JJ murmured against your lips, his hands trembling slightly as they trailed up your thighs. "Tell me to stop before we change our friendship forever."

You shook your head, your hands cupping his face. "Don't stop," you whispered, your voice steady despite the emotions swirling inside you. “Please… don’t stop, J” With a final laugh, JJ pulled you closer, smashing his lips against your own once again. At this point, you wasted no time in letting your hands explore each others body. Your fingers felt his perfectly chiseled chest under his shirt as he left sensual kisses and bites against your neck, quiet breaths leaving your lips as you let your head fall back in pleasure.

He was the first to slip off your shirt, tossing it to a random side of the shop as he admired the sight in front of him. You were perfectly tanned, the curves of your breast inside your bra made it even harder for him to focus. You whine as he kisses your collar, growing more and more desperate by the minute.

He smirks against your skin, his hand slipping underneath your bra until it came undone. “Impatient girl—I’ll take care of you” you let it fall, not caring even a little bit that you were almost fully exposed to him now. The shop had thin walls and makeshift windows—someone could see you if they wanted to, but you didn’t care as long as JJ’s arms were wrapped around you.

You make brief eye contact with him before he moves down your chest, his large hands kneading your breasts while his lips move over them. You were on cloud 9—so drunk and so incredibly horny for the boy in front of you that you didn’t care if anyone heard.

“You are so goddamn beautiful, Y/N” he mumbles against your skin, a moan slipping from your lips as his fingers dug firmer into your skin. It was so rough, such hungry movements against each other. It was perfect.

“Fuck, Jayj…” your fingers comb through his hair, the nails on your other hand digging into the wood countertop under you. As much as JJ was enjoying watching you fall apart, he knew he couldn’t do anything with you on the counter like this. At least not what he wanted.

You felt his hands tug you toward him, so harsh he’d moved you swiftly. Your legs wrapped around his waist like an order, and it was—an unspoken one to you. Your arms lay around his neck as he carries you upstairs, lips on your the entire time and your surprised he didn’t fall.

He laid you back against the couch, the two of you barely fitting as he followed you down. The heat from his body radiated your own—making the moment all too real. “J… not fair” you hum, tugging at his shirt that was still fully on while you lay fully exposed from the waist up. He chuckles, leaning back and pulling it over his head, throwing it to the other side of the room.

"We’re playing a dangerous game, Y/N" He tells you with a sharp tone, moving to place his hands against the couch fabric, closing you between him.

You smirk, looking him up and down once before looking back to his face. "Isn’t that what we’re all about?"

The two of you laid there, staring at the other for what felt like forever until He finally gave in, cursing himself under his breath before he grabbed your neck to pull you into a rough kiss. Your body is flush against his as he completely explores your body with his hands. You could feel his growing erection, you could feel his hunger for your body like he felt yours.

"JJ" You mumble in a breathless moan. His lips remove from yours and move to your jaw, hungrily peppering wet kisses down it, all the way to your neck.

"You are so fucking hot, Jesus" He groans against your ear, placing soft kisses on your sensitive skin.

Your moans are what encourage him the most.

Hearing your sweet whimpers in his ear as he sucked on your neck felt like a dream. Believe god, he'd had that dream many, many times before.

"I've waited so long for this" Your breathless under him, gripping his hair between your small fingers. You could feel his cock pressing against you, begging for your tongue. It was big-he was so fucking big. It should've scared you but you were more intrigued, grinding your hips against his to gain some friction with the little time you had before he stopped your bratty movements.

"I know you have" He teases and you only roll your eyes, grabbing his hand that held you steady against him. You could feel his lips brushing your skin, he wanted to mark you, and you wanted him to. You wanted JJ Maybank to let everyone know you were his.

"Having an attitude isn’t that attractive on you, Maybank. I know you’ve wanted me like this ever since I joined the pogues" You hum, holding his head and slightly pushing it down so his lips reattached to your neck. "But that’s okay, I'll find someone else—someone who hasn't played with me for years"

A grunt escapes his mouth as if he had been fighting with the feeling, shaking his head between your neck before meeting your eyes again; your bratty, untamed eyes.

"You've waited so long I thought? So long your body even reacts when I look at you" He's so obviously joking and you love every second of it. Every word of degradation is like music to your ears, like a forbidden kink you didn't know you had. Only for JJ. "This is what you wanted, huh? All those looks you'd give me after l'd make out with random kooks—you were so jealous, Sweetheart"

Your ears are perking at his every word but your eyes were filled with annoyance.

JJ knew now so why would you hide it? Hide your jealousy? "Fuck, Y/N. I’m so drunk but I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you if I was sober either"

You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling you closer to his body then before with a smirk, shrugging your shoulders.

"That doesn't matter. You have me now" His eyes. Oh god, his eyes were so hungry. At first you didn't know what to think but it only took you a few seconds to realize once his large arms were wrapped around your thighs, pulling your body close to him.

His chin sat against your stomach, staring up at you like he had been waiting for you to say something.

But you didn't know what he was planning until his thumb was ghosting around your clothed clit, that same smirk pulling at his lips as he watched you.

He slips your shorts off with ease, along with your black lace underwear, tossing them both to the side.

"Fuck" You breath heavily, leaning your head back against the sheets, not even realizing the boy under you was now fully under you. "S-shit!" Your hand fell clasp over your mouth to silence your moan, eyes falling back on him under you. Except now, his face was pressed into your dripping wet cunt, and his fingers teased what his mouth didn't. "Fucking hell, J" You mumble under your unsteady breath, trying your hardest not to moan because he had just started and you didn't want to seem weak.

But holy shit, this boy knew how to use his tongue.

Your hand fell atop his head in hopes to gain some sort of stability but that quickly failed, given how badly he was attacking your clit. His mouth was warm against you and you already knew you'd come soon. It was like he knew your body inside and out.

"I know your not holding back on me, are you?" His words vibrate against your cunt making you jolt, thankful his arms held you down so you wouldn't squirm. JJ was in pure bliss under you, relishing in your sweet taste that so effortlessly painted his tongue. You were wet, your cunt was begging for more even if you were a crying mess above him, like it finally found what it had been longing for.

"Jayj…" He chuckles at your attempt at retaliation but still manages to one up you, slipping two of his fingers inside you. “J-JJ, let me-"

"No" He only uttered one word but it was enough to make you listen like a trained dog, allowing your legs to tremble against his face. You could've taken it had you been prepared, but it had been far too long before any guy had done this to you.

"You taste so fucking good, Y/N" His fingers curl against your spongy walls, pushing his tongue against your clit quickly as your moan's increased.

It was so clear you were already on edge, about to let go without it being over five minutes. You find your pride slipping from you in a matter of seconds, begging the man to let you come as your fingers tug his hair. You couldn't hold on, your legs were far too weak.

"Please, please-Jayj, please" His ears are perking as you moan his name, begging for him, moaning for him. Normally, he'd take his time with you but now?

He needed to release all that tension between the two of you from years ago, he knew he couldn't last much longer. He needed to be inside of you, and for that exact reason is why he only sped up under you.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Your mind tried to come up with some sort of reason as to how you got yourself here, How you got your best friend between your legs, and definitely how you were about to fully submit yourself to this boy while your true feelings for each other were unknown. He was thinking the same thing; how did he get so lucky to have you above him?

"That’s it, just let go for me, Pretty girl" In only seconds, you're coming undone above him, legs almost falling weak as they shook from your release, sending shivers throughout your entire body. JJ’s still torturing your body, pumping his fingers into you at a faster pace. It was clear, he was trying to kill you.

"J!" You cry, gripping his hair with a begging tone. You couldn't take it much longer. You had to push him away. Finally, after what felt like forever, he removed his tongue from you, letting his fingers slip from inside you. His strong arms are the only thing that held your legs still, and you could see your release painted on his chin once he looked up at you.

"Holy shit" You curse under your breath, chest heaving as he stood to his feet. You look at the boy above you, noticing once again how he towers over you. “Dick” you push him before laying back against the couch in a huff, your body still shuddering and your heart coming down from the high he had given you.

He bites his lip, admiring your perfect body that had been on almost full display for him. He leans down when you notice how hard he is, lifting your chin with the hand he hadn't used on you.

You watch through your eyelashes as he sucks his finger clean from your release, biting his lip with a silent chuckle at how lovingly you looked at him. You grab his hand, pulling it closer to you until his other finger was pressed against your lips-to which you copied his action from before, staring into his eyes as you did.

"That’s my girl" He knew you liked that. It was so obvious—the way your legs clench together at his praise. He pulls his hand away and moves it to your neck, pressing a soft but sloppy kiss to your lips. You could taste yourself from him, and God... it was so fucking hot.

Your hand feels his body effortlessly until you reach his aching print, a small smile pulling at your lips against him.

"Let me" You mumble breathlessly, placing your hand over his cock. You could feel how desperate he had been for you, how badly he wanted you in that moment. His hand wraps around your throat firmly, pulling your lips to crash back into his own. He was so rough and impatient—you loved it.

"No. I need you. Right now" His voice is deep and makes your skin shiver, the way his hands touch you so delicately but with control. It was slightly dark around you, only lit by the string lights strung high up around the outsides of the shop.

"You have me, Jayj. You’ve… you’ve always had me" Your words make his and your own stomach twist into knots, he almost felt bad. He waited so long to make the move, afraid he misread the signs, but he'd never admit that. You allow your hands to travel down his bare abs, feeling every chisel between the pads of your fingertips. When you reach his belt, you're quick to help him tug his pants off, watching him with the most admiration.

"I won’t be able to look at you with anyone else after we do this" He looks at you once more, both of your hands laid on the waistband of his underwear. You lay your free hand on the side of his neck and use the other to touch him lower. Right where he wanted you the entire time.

His breath shutters at your bare touch, something he's wanted for so long was finally right in front of him. You were all he wanted and he prayed you ensue him just as much.

"You mean… everything to me, Jayj" You tell him truthfully, watching his eyes soften just before you pulled his face down to kiss his lips. Except this kiss had much more

meaning-the kiss after you'd admit your feelings for one another.

He leans you down, closing you between his large body and his bed, your hand is still pressed into his print, but he's already slipping his underwear off by the time you can notice.

Fuck. He was going to ruin you.

Your hands cup his face when his tip presses against your entrance, slick coating it by the second. You wanted him for so long, you didn't care if it hurt at first.

You just wanted him.

From the moment he pushed inside of you, the only feeling you could endure was love. He was slow, gentle to help you get used to his size. The boy peppers kisses to your neck as he pushed further, comforting your slightly pained moans that slip from your lips without warning.

"Mmm" You let out a soft moan once his tip is past your entrance, the hard part was now over. You look at him with your lips parted, brushing your thumb over his bottom lip. He pushes your hair out of your face before kissing you, and you weren't prepared for when he pushed into you fully with one snap of his hips.

Your toes curled and your nails dug into his skin desperately, the feeling was almost indescribable. You just felt... full.

"Oh my god" You moan against his lips, throwing your head back as he strokes you slowly, massaging your thigh. You looked so perfect like this, so pretty in this light. Your body was almost bare for him, and your body was welcoming him with open arms—he couldn't get enough of you. "J... JJ" one of your hands release his shoulder to grip the sheet underneath you, teeth catching your bottom lip between them.

"Fuck, Y/N. I can’t…" He bites his lip, moving his head down to your neck, placing sloppy kisses against it. His hips find a steady pace at first and gradually work their way up, starting deep, then fast to your skin. "God, you feel so good" one of his hands travels up your body until it reaches the curve of your breasts, his large hands teasing your nipples.

"Such a tease, J…" Your breathless words are too late when he's already looking over your now fully bare body, completely discarding your words. Jesus, you were so perfect.

"You are so beautiful, Y/N" He presses a kiss to your lips before moving down your body, trailing his wet tongue down until he reached your nipple. He couldn't take his eyes off you, the curves of your body... you were practically made for him. A shuddered moan escapes your lips when he swirls his tongue around your hardened nipple, kneading the other with his free hand.

"Mmm!" Between the stokes of his hips and the sensations he brought to your skin, you couldn't hold much in. You were sure you were being too loud but the two of you didn't care. It was just you and him, nobody else.

His strong arms capture your thighs, pulling one of your legs to rest against his shoulder. "JJ! I can't... oh my gosh" Your little voice is projecting off the walls of the empty room but you don't care, only worried about the boy above you. Your head was still slightly spinning from the drinks you endured earlier that night and it only mixed with your horny mess of a body, begging Colby for more. "It's so good... fuck! You're so fucking good!"

"Look at you. Such a fucking mess under me. You needed me just as much as I needed you" He grabs the back of your head, pulling you up slightly so you were at an angle you couldn't look away from him.

His big eyes were burning holes into your own, hips rutting into you like he had something to prove.

Which he did.

"Gonna come..! J, I'm gonna come!" You’re a whining mess under him and he loves every second of it, pushing his hips into you faster then before.

Your small body was like a toy in his hand and you were at his every command, doing everything he said.

"Come for me. Want you to scream my name so all of those no good kooks hear how much of a slut you are for a ‘worthless’ pogue like me” You knew it was a bad idea but who were you to decline that request? You were already screaming as it was. "My dirty girl, Your so fucking hot like this”

"I'm coming! I'm-oh my god I-" Your voice is cut off by your loud moan, leg shuttering against his shoulder as you felt your release threatening to push over. His tip was kissing your cervix repeatedly, and you knew you couldn't last much longer. "J..!" You cry out, pressing your hand to his chest as if that was going to do anything. Your orgasm finally tipped, and you felt it hit you like a truck.

"That's it, Baby. That’s my fuckin’ girl" His thumb rubs circles against your clit as he ruts into your harder, watching your liquid spurt from between the two of you. "My god, Y/N. So fucking good for me"

"Jayj... please—Jesus—“

"Your body is calling mine for more. You want more" You grip his large arms until your knuckles turn white, scratching along his tanned skin. You curse at him, not wanting to hear his teasing any longer. "Fuck me? I'm only giving you what you want" You look at him with an angry look for a second before completely switching, a smirk pulling at your lips.

He pulls out of you all at once making you whine, not able to protest before he's already flipping you over onto your stomach and pushing your ass in the air.

You giggle, stretching your arms in front of you as you arch your back against him, begging him to forgive you. "I was only joking, Pretty boy" You hum, looking back at his face.

He doesn't say anything and grabs your hips roughly, pulling you back onto his length that so easily slipped inside of you. Your eyes roll back almost instantly as he bottoms you out, pushing his cock as deep as he could reach inside you. "This is what you wanted? Never knew you were such a brat" He growls against your ear, slamming himself into your harder than he had been before. You couldn't even think straight, you were already so fucked out you didn't even remember what it felt like to not be fucked.

"fuck! Right there! Please, J—Mmph!" Your begging voice is music to his ears, your hands reaching back to hold onto his warm body as he pushed himself against you. "You're so deep... so fucking good to me, J" He hums, leaning against your body so you were entirely pressing against him, his tongue running along your skin. Once again, you could feel his sloppy kisses against your shoulder and your neck.

"Nobody can have you like I can, Y/N. Your mine. You're all fucking mine, you hear me?" You cry out a yes, the sound of your skin slapping against each others being the only thing that could be heard. "That's it, just like that, my love" He praises against your ear, holding your hips to press into his.

"JJ, I'm gonna come ag... oh my god" You whine into your hand, feeling the pressure building up fast inside you. He's a grunting mess above you so you knew he was close as well, he was only holding out for you.

"Come with me. Please, don't hold out on me"

The snap of his hips slow down the closer he gets, and now your body is flush against his own, rocking back and forth to his pace with his face buried in your neck.

"That’s it—that’s my pretty girl. My fuckin’ girl, come for me and only me, yeah?" You moan at his words, throwing your head back against his chest as his fingers circle your sensitive clit. you couldn't hold it anymore, and neither could he. "I'm right behind you"

Drunk sex always felt way too good but usually it was faster and much sweatier, this felt far too different.

Even if your hips moved fast against his, it still felt like everything had been in slow motion. The way his hands held your delicate body in his embrace as he thrust his hips up to meet your own, how his lips parted in anticipation to kiss yours, JJ was so hungry for you—his body, was hungry for you.

"J... JJ!" His name rolls off your tongue in a beautiful moan. You can feel his slight hesitance but the eyes you give him are enough to tell him exactly what you wanted. You were on birth control—and you wanted all of him, just as you said.

"Fuck...!" He curses under his breath, your moans filling his ears as you clenched down onto him. He continues to coach you to it, and with one last snap of his hips and circle to your clit, you felt your body release it's everything onto his. He shushes your loud scream while silencing his own grunts, fingers digging into your hips to pull you close, painting your walls with his white, hot release.

For awhile, All that was heard was your heavy breathing and the sounds of the tv in the other room, and you soon found yourself collapsed on top of him against the couch. Your chests were heaving horribly, and the sweat that dripped from your foreheads were now everywhere. You look over at the boy next to you, only to find he had already been looking at you, both of you breathing heavy-lips parted.

It only took a second for one of you to start laughing, and JJ leaned over to kiss you again, this time staying there for the longest he could.

You hum as he pulls away just a tiny bit, still close to your face. Your eyes are shut, relishing in the feeling you had. How do you go on from this? Clearly you two loved each other, but you prayed it wouldn't be weird...

"Come here" He lays his arm out, pulling your body closer to his so you could lay your head against his chest. The room was hot, despite that fact it was basically without windows, and smelled of pure sex but neither of you complained. You were just happy.

"Jayj..." You mumble after awhile in silence, tracing lines on his chest for the 2nd time. He hums in response, the tips of his fingers brushing through your soft hair. You almost feel bad, as it you're about to ruin the amazing night you had —but you had to say it. "Where do we go from here..?"

Your voice is low and nervous, so focused on the negative that you couldn't even see the obvious answer. JJ made it clear what he wanted. He couldn't go back to normal with you—not after this night.

“Don’t worry about that right now, Alright? We’re both still drunk as shit, let’s enjoy the quiet night we have and face the music tomorrow, yeah?” He pushes strands of your hair from your face, and a slight tug at your heart subsides but you know it’s okay. You knew this could never be casual to either of you.

“Don’t keep me waiting, Captain Maybank” He chuckled, leaning his head down to press a kiss to your forehead. You smile, interlocking your fingers with his own against your shoulder. You couldn’t believe it—you were actually here with him.

After all this time.

“Only the best for my girl”

I literally haven’t written in so long. Sorry if this was rushed, the ORIGINAL VERSION was super long so I had to cut it down 🥲

[somethingswift19]

Imagine Barry is Only Sweet to You

Just a little blurb because Barry isn’t shown enough love

“Yeah man I’ll be right over,” you overheard your boyfriend talking to someone on the phone. Laying on the couch you waited for him to come back over to you so you could continue the snuggling session.

“Hey princess,” Barry caressed your cheek. “I’ll be right back I just have to go pick up some stuff from my supplier. I’ll be back in 30 minutes tops.”

You sat up and pouted. “I can just come with you!”

He let out a chuckle, “No sweet girl. I don’t want you anywhere near this life. No need for you to be involved.” Barry placed a kiss on your forehead before standing up. “I love you babydoll.”

“I love you too baby,” you couldn’t help but smile at the man in front of you. “Please be careful!”

“Always, princess.”

So I’m so sorry if this was terrible! Literally writing this quick while I’m at work😂 but Barry doesn’t get shown enough love I swear

[insidekatmind]

Secret Relationship~Pope Heyward

You stretched out on your towel, the sun warming your skin as you adjusted your sunglasses. The ocean waves crashed softly in the background, blending with the occasional laughter from JJ and Pope out in the water. Kie was next to you, eyes closed, soaking up the sun in peaceful silence.

It felt like a perfect Pogue day—until you felt cold water splatter all over you.

"Gah!" you gasped, jolting upright as droplets hit your skin. You ripped your sunglasses off, narrowing your eyes at the culprit.

Pope stood there, grinning mischievously, shaking his hair like a dog. "What? You looked like you were overheating."

"You’re dead," you threatened, grabbing your towel to swat him.

Pope laughed, easily dodging the swing. "I couldn’t resist."

Kie opened one eye and chuckled. "You two are the worst at keeping things casual."

You shot her a look. "Shut up."

Pope flopped down onto the sand beside you, his wet board shorts brushing against your leg. The heat from your tanning session was immediately replaced by his cool touch.

"How was the water?" you asked, pretending not to notice the way your heart raced when he leaned a little closer.

"Perfect," Pope said, eyes softening as he glanced at you. "You should come in next time."

"Maybe," you teased. "If someone promises not to splash me like a maniac."

JJ ran up, dropping his surfboard dramatically onto the sand. "Did I miss something? Why is she threatening to murder you, Pope?"

"Because he—"

Before you could finish, Pope shot you a warning look, and you bit your tongue. JJ knew nothing about your relationship, and you weren’t ready for him to find out. Pope was right. If word got out that the daughter of Sheriff Shoupe was dating a Pogue, chaos would follow.

"Because he’s annoying," you finished, standing up to shake the sand off your towel.

JJ squinted at you suspiciously but shrugged it off. "Fair. Hey, you guys hungry? We could hit The Wreck."

Pope glanced at you. "What do you think?"

You hesitated. "Sure. I could eat."

---

At The Wreck…

The four of you sat at a corner booth, JJ devouring a basket of fries while Kie sipped on a lemonade. You and Pope sat across from each other, sneaking glances when no one was looking.

"So," JJ began, pointing a fry at Pope. "What’s up with you lately? You’ve been acting weird."

"Weird how?" Pope asked, trying to play it cool.

JJ shrugged. "I don’t know. Distracted. Secretive. You hiding something from us?"

Your heart skipped a beat, and you quickly looked down at your burger to avoid JJ’s curious gaze.

"JJ," Kie groaned, rolling her eyes. "Not everything is a conspiracy."

JJ smirked. "Maybe not, but you gotta admit—"

The sound of the doorbell interrupted him, and you froze as your dad, Sheriff Shoupe, walked in. He scanned the restaurant, his eyes narrowing when he spotted you.

"Dad," you greeted, standing up awkwardly.

"What are you doing here with them?" Shoupe asked, his tone disapproving as he eyed Pope and JJ.

"Just grabbing lunch," you said, keeping your voice steady.

Shoupe’s eyes lingered on Pope a little too long, and you saw Pope shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"I’ve got my eye on you," Shoupe warned Pope before turning to you. "We’ll talk when you get home."

With that, he left, and the tension at the table was thick.

"Well," JJ said after a beat. "That wasn’t awkward at all."

You sighed, rubbing your temples. "He’s just… overprotective."

Kie gave you a knowing look but said nothing.

As soon as JJ got up to grab another drink, Pope leaned over. "You okay?"

"Yeah," you whispered. "But this is exactly why we need to keep this quiet."

Pope nodded. "I get it. But we’ll figure it out, okay?"

You smiled softly, reaching under the table to squeeze his hand. "Okay."

Just then, JJ returned, plopping back down with a soda. "What’d I miss?"

"Nothing," you both said in unison.

JJ raised an eyebrow. "Sure."

He didn’t look convinced, but for now, your secret was safe.

You smile and hold his hand tighter under the table

Pope smiled back, his fingers intertwining with yours as he gave your hand a gentle squeeze. It was a small gesture, but it sent a wave of warmth coursing through your body.

JJ glanced between the two of you, a little too observant for comfort, but said nothing.

The rest of the lunch was filled with casual chatter, but you felt Pope's presence keenly next to you. Every passing moment heightened your awareness of him, the secret touches and subtle glances making your heart pound louder than any conversation.

When it was time to go, Kie and JJ headed back to The Chateau, leaving you and Pope alone for a moment.

"I guess I should go," Pope said, his voice low.

"Yeah," you murmured, feeling a pang of disappointment. You didn't want to say goodbye yet.

Pope studied your face, a silent understanding passing between you. He was struggling just as much as you were.

"can I at least give you a kiss" you murmur playfully touching his shoulders

Pope's eyes darkened at your words, his hands finding your hips and pulling you closer.

"I think that's the best idea I've heard all day," he murmured back, his lips brushing against your cheek.

You tilted your head, your lips meeting in a gentle but passionate kiss. It was brief yet filled with an intensity that left you both breathless.Pope's eyes darkened at your words, his hands finding your hips and pulling you closer.

You tilted your head, your lips meeting in a gentle but passionate kiss. It was brief yet filled with an intensity that left you both breathless.

You deepened the kiss and added tongue.The kiss, once started innocently, took on a different tone as you added tongue. Pope's grip on your hips tightened, and he pulled you even closer, responding in kind.

His fingers tangled in your hair, angling your head to deepen the kiss further. It was hungry, desperate, and filled with the pent-up frustration of keeping your feelings hidden.

You were both lost in the moment, the world around you fading away. His kisses trailed down your neck, sending shivers down your spine.

A part of you knew this was risky, that someone could see. But in that moment, you couldn’t bring yourself to care. All that mattered was the feel of his lips on your skin and his body pressed against yours.

You moan and give him more space "god I missed this".

"Me too," he breathed, his hands tracing down your sides and settling on the curve of your hips.

The sound of your moan had sent him reeling, and he reclaimed your lips in an urgent kiss. "You drive me crazy, you know that?" Pope whispered against your mouth.

you murmured happily into the kiss, holding him tighter. at that moment jj came back and saw the scene.The sound of a wolf whistle interrupted the intimate moment, and you broke apart to find JJ smirking at you.

"Well, well," JJ said, leaning against a parked car. "What have we here?"

"shit" you whisper.Pope tensed beside you, his expression hardening as he looked at JJ. "It's not what it looks like."

JJ, however, just chuckled, enjoying the spectacle. "Really? Because to me, it looks like you two were about to get a room."

"We weren't," you protested, your cheeks flushing.

JJ raised an eyebrow, a smug grin on his face. "Oh, come on. You two have been acting weird all day, sneaking glances, giggling... Don't even try to deny it."

Pope took a step forward, his voice stern. "JJ, listen—"

But JJ interrupted him, holding up a hand. "Save it, man. I figured it out a long time ago. You're not as subtle as you think."

Your heart sank. You had been so careful, so calculated, and yet JJ had known all along?

Pope's jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists.

JJ's tone softened, his smirk fading into a serious expression. "Hey, it's cool. I get it. You two like each other, and you've been tryna hide it. But secrets have a way of getting out, you know?"

You could feel the tension in the air thicken. Pope was on edge; JJ's casual attitude irked him.

Pope took a calming breath before speaking. "Yes, we've been seeing each other. But we've been keeping it quiet for a reason. If my dad finds out..."

JJ nodded understandingly. "Hey, I get it. Sheriff Shoupe ain't a fan of us pogues."

He paused, considering something before he continued. "Look, your secret is safe with me. I won't say anything."

Pope's shoulders dropped, some of the tension leaving his body. "Thanks, JJ."

"Just don't be shocked if Kie figures it out too," JJ warned with a small smile.

You groaned inwardly. Kie was observant; it wouldn't be long before she caught on too.

"Great," you muttered. "Just great."

JJ chuckled, patting you on the shoulder. "Chin up, kid. This is the Outer Banks. Nothing stays a secret for long here."

There was some truth to that. The community was tight-knit, and gossip spread like wildfire.

You rolled your eyes but couldn't help the smile that tugged at your lips. JJ was right.

Pope shook his head, a reluctant smile tugging at his own mouth. "You're infuriating, you know that?"

JJ flashed a cocky grin. "It's part of my charm."

With that, he turned and headed back to his car. You and Pope shared a look, relief and resignation mingling in your gazes.

Once JJ had driven off, you and Pope were left alone again. The silence between you was loaded with the weight of JJ's discovery.

"So, that went well," you said with a nervous laugh.

Pope let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. "As well as it could've, I suppose."

He looked at you, his eyes serious. "We need to be more careful. If JJ noticed, Kie definitely will. And your dad..."

you kiss him to reassure him .The feeling of your lips on his immediately calmed his nerves. He relaxed into the kiss, his arms encircling you in a tight embrace.

For a moment, there were no worries, no fears. It was just the two of you, wrapped up in each other's arms.

[smokingsoothesthesoul]

# RAFE CAMERON & POGUES — CHRISTMAS

ִֶཐི༏ཋྀ ────୨ৎ──── you spend christmas with your boyfriend, rafe cameron, your family, and your best friends, the pogues (jj, john b, sarah, pope, kie).

ִֶཐི༏ཋྀ — pairing: kook!reader or pogue!reader x rafe cameron

author’s note: soo... this is late asf but i hope y'all will love it because ik i did. enjoy!

word count : 1.9k

the kooks were known for their obnoxious celebration of christmas on the 25th, it was no debate to them. you were either there or you were cast off.

georgia, your mother always made sure, both you and your brother attended, occasionally your sister when she was in the obx.

it wasn’t a hassle to any of you, since you knew that it was tradition for your family to celebrate christmas, on the night of the 24th. this year you’d invited your boyfriend; rafe, his sister and the pogues, your closest friends. it had been a rocky road, but they could at least be cordial with each other, even friends at times.

you’d decided that secret santa would be done, just to make it somewhat more lively. your mom had spent the whole day cooking away in the kitchen, you tried to help but her only answer was for you to leave the kitchen. it wasn’t that you were bad at cooking, your mom just preferred it this way.

you took it upon yourself to decorate the room where the festivities would take place, and make it look christmasy, your brother helped as-well, deciding to make snowflakes. everything was ready.

so when the guests started to arrive, you didn’t bat an eye. you had all decided on wearing pajamas. and you had chosen some snoopy onesies, your favorite.

the first ones to arrive were, sarah wearing a wine the pooh onesie, and rafe wearing some loose red and black checkered pajama pants with a long sleeved red shirt.

jj came in wearing; sullivan from monster inc onesies, john b; a honey onesie, pope; a mike wazowski onesie, kiara; a elf onesie.

safe to say everyone was on some theme. you had bought rafe a onesie to match with you, but you knew it’d take you begging for him to actually put it on.

so you made your way upstairs and hoped he followed, and he did.

“rafe, i bought you something,” you said, handing him the bag.

rafe looked confused, presents weren’t being opened yet, but he still opened the bag and when he saw what was inside, he let out a sigh.

“i’m not putting this on,” he stated simply.

you let out a sheepish smile, before pouting and asking, “please?”

he shook his head, “no.”

you softly asked again, “please rafe?”

the same answer. you held in a sigh of annoyance before giving your best pout and pleading once more, “pretty please? for me?”

he looked reluctant to deny you again, so you took that as a win and clapped cheerily before he could once again refuse.

if you pretended he already agreed maybe he wouldn’t refuse again, so you did. you opened the package, leaving him dumbstruck but at this point he should’ve been used to it. if he even hesitated for a second when you wanted something, you knew you’d got it.

“here, change, and then come downstairs,” you said all giddy, clapping your hands in excitement, leaving the room.

you were all just waiting for rafe to come down now, sarah and john b were on a rocking couch, sarah sprawled over john bs lap. your mom and brother were on another couch, sitting side by side. and jj, pope, and kiara were on the last couch. which meant you and rafe got the lovesac which was a huge comfortable bean bag bed.

as he came downstairs, jj was in a playful mood so he wolf whistled at rafe to annoy him. which rafe returned with a middle finger and an eye roll.

you couldn’t help but laugh at their exchange and patted the spot next to you so rafe could sit next to you.

after he sat down you asked, “so who wants to go first?”

your little brother jumped out of his seat, and raised his hand excitedly, “me me me,” he pleaded.

you couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, “yes, you can go first.”

he went to grab the present from under the tree before making his way to the blondie, sarah cameron.

“here you go, i hope you like it,” he said with a hint of nervousness in his tone.

as sarah opened her gift she turned to look at him, surprised to see what he’d gotten her.

“how did you know?,” she asked genuinely, before pulling him into a hug. she had actually really wanted this, she’d been eyeing it but didn’t know if she should get it.

“i remember you were talking about it once with my sister, while you guys took me to get ice cream,” he replied softly.

he had gifted her a gold bracelet with charms on it, and a hand drawn card along with it.

“i love it, thank you,” she said, wanting to tear up. something about little kids and their adorableness always hit her right in the heart.

he smiled happily at the fact she actually liked his present. it was hard for him to actually get her something because he kept overthinking everything.

“and i got pope,” sarah said, handing him a bag. she’d gotten him two gifts not knowing if she would be able to secure the one she wanted.

as he took out the first one, he smiled, it was a candle, mahogany scented. he had a weird candle obsession. they always liked to make jokes about it, but it was the one thing that brought him comfort, in an odd way.

“thank you,” he said before pulling out a piece of paper.

“so i want to clarify that i technically might’ve committed identity fraud but nobody has to know,” sarah explained, even though it didn’t make much sense to the others.

pope wanted to cry on the spot, but somehow he held it in, barely though. in his hand was a certificate of 10,000 dollars from a scholarship.

“i- i don’t know,” he uttered, lost for words before sarah cut in, “no need to say anything.”

he grasped into his chest and let out a huff, trying to control his emotions, gratitude overcoming him.

“my present doesn’t seem that good,” he said playfully while his voice cracked, still filled with emotions.

he handed his gift to kiara, “hope you like it,” he said.

kiara unwrapped the gift, and smiled warmly, in it was a bracelet set, not a bead one no. a specific metal with charms kit. she’d be able to make anklets now. her favorite, better yet they were turtles, waves, seashells, etc charms in it.

“thank you pope,” she said leaning in to side hug him.

she then proceeded to hand her present over to john b, “i think this might help out,” she said.

as he unwrapped the box he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle it was all his clothes that’d been borrowed from the pogues, kiara had gone to everyone’s house and stolen them back.

but that wasn’t the only thing, on the bottom was a license plate, ‘P0GU3S’ it read.

“thank you kie,” he said, smiling at her as he planned when he’d be changing out the plate with the one he had now.

“i got georgia,” he said handing her a small envelope he origami’d out of red card stock paper.

unfolding it, she took out a paper that read, ‘spa day certificate.’

“ohh yess, thank you kiddo,” she exclaimed, in excitement, she'd been meaning to make her way into charleston for a massage soon, and this would be the perfect reason.

as she stood up, she grabbed her gift and handed it to jj. to which he received with a smile, he hoped it was something he wanted or needed.

she’d somehow got him the perfect thing, she’d gotten him an orbeez gun, a nerf gun and given him a monopoly get out of jail card to which he scrunched his nose in confusion.

“the guns, because apparently you’re a bullshiter who for some reason won’t let them go, and the monopoly card, is literal. you want out of jail, make a call,” she explained, knowing he always got himself into trouble and at least with that she hoped he’d call even if he didn’t want to.

jj smiled and got up from his seat and hugged her, she had always been somewhat of a mother figure to him and he really appreciated her.

“thank you,” he said, genuinely.

“i got mr. moody,” jj said, as he handed rafe his present.

rafe was curious as to what was in it, there wasn’t much he could actually want, but at the same time he knew that maybe it’d be meaningful, so far everyone’s was.

as he unwrapped it he found a classic maroon steel car model from the 80’s, he was surprised. jj collected these like his life depended on it. When he visited him, he always looked at this specific one, for some reason he had really taken a liking to it but he was never able to find it. and he always had too much pride to ask jj.

“thanks jj,” he muttered still in awe at his gift, he couldn’t believe jj would give him this.

“you better take care of it,” jj said, slightly threatening, but rafe understood why, so he nodded in understanding before grabbing his gift and handing it to his girlfriend.

you had just received a small box, you wondered what was in it. you knew rafe would give you something meaningful. it wasn’t even about money with you or him, both of you had it so there wasn’t any need. as you opened the box you wanted to cry.

“to be seen is to be loved,” you muttered softly, as you took out the locket from the box. it was a heart shaped silver locket.

inside it was a picture of you and rafe, but the kicker he had engraved the back with ‘kookies’ written across. something you often said you and him were. because you were both kooks but also kooky aka crazy at times. you couldn’t hold back and kissed him but before it went too far you pulled away, jj’s fake throat clearing didn’t help either.

“sorry,” you sheepishly said, before smiling at rafe.

standing up you walked towards a big present and looked at your brother, “this one’s yours,” you said before he ran to it and began tearing it apart excitedly.

“oh em gee, thank you!!!” he exclaimed in joy. he had just unwrapped a truck for him. you had charged it overnight so he could use it tomorrow.

“you can now drive,” she said playfully, knowing the car wouldn’t make it too far, but he was excited and that was enough for her.

“we’re not getting him out of that driver's seat for a while,” your mom commented before standing up, “i bought some gingerbread house kits, if you guys want to partake?” she finished off.

everybody nodded in excitement, this christmas would be one for the books. everyone got something meaningful. it really was the thought that counted. and they wouldn’t have had it any other way.

they were a family, a confused, fucked up family. but a family nonetheless.