august || jj maybank || scout’s writing challenge
pairing: jj maybank x fem!reader
word count: a whopping 7.3k
summary: y/n returns to the island for her yearly visit with her cousin, Kiara. she loves everything about the outer banks, except one impossible blonde hair, blue eyed boy [enemies to friends to lovers]
warning: nothing that isn’t mentioned in the tv show therefore there is cursing, fighting, mention of abuse, underage drinking, blood || lmk if i forget anything || definitely typos || i also didn’t proofread this so sorry
This is my first time writing for outer banks, so what better way to join a writing challenge organised by the queen herself @ptersparkers. I hope y’all enjoy it and please lmk what you think of it ♡ ♡
The whole month of August was dedicated to traveling to the outer banks, ever since you could remember. Your earliest memory on the island was when you were eight years old and your cousin, Kiara, almost drowned in the marsh; you remember laughing uncontrollably, not really understanding what was going on until your parents scolded you. You have always been close with Kiara; when you were away for the other eleven months of the year, you would constantly message and snapchat each other back and forward.
As you grew older, each year in obx came with new experiences. When you were thirteen, you had your first kiss on the dock with some brown-haired kook that you and Kiara were infatuated with that year. When you were fourteen, you got into your first fist fight with none other than JJ Maybanks and that was the beginning of the end for you. Ever since that eventful summer, you and JJ barely managed to be in the same room with each other without biting each other’s head off. You rued the first day you met him when you found him attractive, never more nauseated when you think of that memory.
At the age of sixteen now, you couldn’t be more excited to go back and visit your cousin and the rest of your extended family. This time your parents weren’t tagging along and trusted you to stay safe under the watchful eye of Kiara. When you were on the phone with Kie, days before your arrival, you both gushed about the numerous adventures you were going to take together. You were back in the outer banks no longer than four hours before you were dragged down to the boneyard, a memorable place that you found bliss in.
“Aye, there she is!” You heard John B yell over the chatter of the crowd down at the beach, he raised a red cup in your direction as a greeting. You laughed aloud, twirling before flinging yourself into his embrace. And it was official, John B gave the best hugs.
“Hey, don’t be hogging her,” Pope whined, pulling you from his best friend’s grasp and bringing you into a rib crushing hug. Okay, maybe it was Pope that gave the best hugs. You were so overwhelmed by the love that they were showing that you hadn’t noticed the blonde-haired boy rock up next to the gang with a girl tucked under his arm.
JJ spotted you from the moment that you stepped foot onto the beach, he was whispering into some brunette’s ear when his eyes lifted to see your figure beside Kie. His jaw immediately clenched and the sudden distaste was evident in his aura, at least that’s what he was calling the feeling of nausea that washed over him from seeing you there. He has been so busy working, he hadn’t realized that it was already August - the month he could live without for the rest of his life ever since he was introduced to you.
The girl reached to grab his jaw to look at her, “Are you even listening to me?” She pouted, her red lipstick smudged from the earlier kisses she shared with JJ.
JJ hummed in acknowledgement, looking at his empty cup. “Let’s go get a drink.” When he walked up to his close friends, he grimaced at you being flung around by Pope. An odd feeling was at the pit of his stomach, it was almost like a mix of regret and jealousy but he ignored it, like every other feeling he had when it came to you. “Look what the cat dragged in.” He snarled, handing his cup to John B to fill up.
At the sound of his voice, your spine tensed up and you were released from Pope’s embrace to come face to face with your own nemesis. You ignored the girl that looked between the two of you, your friends’ breath hitched in their throat getting ready for another annual greeting. You cocked your hip, brow raised with a humorous look on your face. “Wow, JJ, surprised you haven’t ended up dead in a ditch yet.”
JJ scoffed and rolled his blue eyes, “How many kooks are you planning on fucking this time around?” He retorted, watching your eyes narrow. If looks could kill, he knew he’d be dead five years ago.
“Looks like you’re one step ahead of me,” You turned your attention to the confused brunette who was nibbling on her nails, “Honestly, sweetheart, if you’re lowering yourself down to this--”
“That’s enough, Y/N.” Kie interrupted you, placing a red cup in your hands and pulling you away from the blonde that sent anger through your veins. “I just don’t get it.” She sighed, sitting on a log near one of the many fires that were brewing.
You glanced subtly over your shoulder, seeing that your friends dispersed into different crowds but he stood where you left him. JJ’s eyes found yours, neither one of you looking away at first. It wasn’t until his girl pulled his face to hers that your eye contact was broken. Your brows creased closer, confused by the sudden feeling of annoyance that erupted inside you. For the first time, you weren’t annoyed at the man himself, just the fact that he was kissing some random girl.
A week into your visit passed by in a flash, just as it usually did. Kie kept her promise and brought you on adventures through back roads and hiking trails. On the slow days, you also helped out at The Wreck; you knew that your uncle would make you do shifts there so instead of him confronting you, you volunteered to help. It was late on Sunday, you offered to close up and let Kie go hang out with the gang. Despite her protests, she was out the door in less than ten minutes telling you to head over to John B’s when you were ready.
You plugged your phone into the speaker system, playing a random playlist that you created. The Rolling Stones blasted around the bar and you cleared off the remaining tables, twisting and turning to the music. There were no customers left and you turned off the ‘open’ sign. Just as you were about to lock the main door, your eyes spotted a number of hooded figures under the dim lights out on the street. You were about to ignore them until you realised that they were kicking the crap out of someone, and from the mop of blonde hair flinging around, you knew exactly who it was.
“For fucks sake,” You sighed, grabbing the closest object to you and rushing out to defend JJ. “Hey!” You yelled, rushing over to the crowd and getting the three men’s attention. “Bit of a pussy move jumping someone by themselves.”
The men, who you presumed were Kooks, didn’t scatter like you were expecting them to. Instead, they turned to look at you, eying you up. You heard JJ groan on the ground, you were surprised you could hear the sound of the beating of your heart thumbing through your body. The man in the middle stepped closer to you, “Ain’t you pretty…” He reached to caress your cheek but you slapped his hand away, earning mocking sounds of surprise from the others.
“Look, sweetheart, we don’t want to fight with you too.” The dark-haired man hummed from beside JJ.
“You wanna fight him, you gotta fight me too.” JJ tried to protest as the words left your mouth which earned him a kick in the stomach. The man in front of you looked back at JJ, which was the perfect opportunity for you to get your shots in. You kneed him in the groin, causing him to hiss loudly and lean forward. You threw your fist against his jaw, and then again, and another punch for good measure. He fell to the floor, holding his crotch. Your eyes widened when his friend lunged for you, grabbing you and flinging you to the ground. You winced when your shoulder took the impact, but you continued kicking out as the man tried to climb on top of you.
He grabbed your legs, locking them down with his own legs that were much stronger than your whole body. You grabbed his collar quickly, bringing his body to yours before you swung your head to headbutt him. Both of you groaned at the impact but you used this chance to kick his body off you and you climbed on top of him, swinging punch after punch.
Strong arms wrapped around you, pulling you off the man and you were about to swing a punch until you realized it was JJ holding you this time. You looked over his shoulder to see the third man knocked out, the other two scrambling away muttering profanities under their breath. You sighed in relief, crashing into JJ’s body, your adrenaline disappeared and exhaustion washed over you quickly.
“What the fuck was that?” JJ shouted, gripping your shoulders to look at you.
“That was just me saving your fucking life.” You spat back at him, looking up at his busted face. You suddenly became aware of how close he was to you, when your chest rose with your rapid breathing it was touching his bare chest. He wore his shirt unbuttoned, showing off his toned chest. You ripped your body from his grasp, stalking away from him before you had the audacity to check him out again. You could hear him following you closely and you sighed, holding the bar door open for him before locking it behind him.
The tension was heavy as you breathed heavily in each other’s presence but neither one of you wanted to break the silence. JJ walked over to the freeze, grabbing the loose ice and placing it in a cloth before handing it to you. He was trying his best to calm his heart, the fact that you were willing to fight three kooks for him had his emotions soaring in all different directions. And when he had to pull you off one of them, he couldn’t deny how sexy you looked throwing punches like it was your favorite hobby. He was meant to hate you, not want to fuck you right now.
JJ ran his fingers through his hair before getting some ice for himself. He leaned up against the isle, watching you sit on one of the bar stools, hissing as you covered your knuckles with the cloth. He nibbled on his bottom lip, glancing around the restaurant. “Where’s Kie?” He asked, his voice soft.
“JB’s.” You replied, not actually knowing how to hold a conversation with JJ.
“Cool…” He hummed, bopping his head to the song that was playing around you. “I think this is the longest we’ve ever been in the same room without killing each other.”
“Nah, instead I just almost got killed because of you.” You huffed, rolling your eyes.
“I didn’t ask you to come out and fucking fight.” JJ retorted, his voice rising with each word.
“And what do I do when the police pull up asking about some jackass that was murdered outside here?” You stood up from the barstool, ditching the ice in the sink. “Nah, sorry officer, I knew it was a good for nothing son of a bitch so I left him there to die.” You yelled, mocking a posh accent.
“You are impossible!” JJ spat, each word filled with venom and hatred. You pushed passed him, trying to get to the back room but he grabbed your wrist to stop you. You looked up at him, watching as his jaw tensed and his eyes studied your expression. Your features were stiff, your chest rising and falling with each deep breath. He was so close to you, you could feel his breath fan over your face. You waited for him to say something, and you were shocked when his eyes fell to your lips. His own tongue swiped across his pink lips but before this could go any further, you ripped your hand from his grasp and walked away into the back room, leaving him there.
“Where have you been?” Kie exclaimed when you walked into the chateau an hour after you were meant to. She looked up from the boys to your face, gasping when she spotted the darkening bruise that was starting to shot up around your left eye. “What happened to you?”
You glanced around the room quickly, noting that the blonde that left the Wreck was nowhere to be seen. “I-umh, I fell and hit my face on the corner of the bar. It’s nothing really.” You mumbled, wincing when Kie reached to touch it, “Don’t do that.” You hissed, slapping her hand away.
“Ouch…” John B whistled, tossing you a bottle of beer that was much needed. You downed it in half a second, before reaching for another one. The brunette boy shared a look at your cousin, which you ignored before crashing down on the couch beside Pope and released the bubble of worry that has been forming in your lungs since you left The Wreck.
You managed to avoid any questions from your family about your new black eye over the last few days, you also successfully managed to avoid JJ, which wasn’t hard when he was staying away from you. It was Wednesday, the sun was hanging high in the sky and Kiara was forcing you to go out on the boat with her and the gang. It didn’t take you long to agree, you refused to let JJ ruin your yearly trip. You walked along the dock beside Kiara, looking to where the HMS was pulling up to collect you.
Your eyes immediately connected with the blue-eyed blonde who was navigating the boat before he turned his attention to the horizon in front of him. Pope grasped your hand, helping you onto the boat and took the icebox from your other hand. You smiled at him, as a silent thank you and made yourself comfortable, despite being under the scrutiny of JJ. His face was still busted up, his lip was swollen and he had a black eye that matched yours perfectly.
JJ found the perfect spot to anchor the boat. He was a lot quieter than usual, he hadn’t spoken to you once which was odd, you were waiting for him to throw a nasty comment your way. You were sure you weren’t the only one to notice, Kie had given you a puzzled look when JJ turned his back.
“I think I could get used to this.” John B was the first to break the intense silence, sipping on his beer.
“Used to what?” You asked, biting the bate first.
“You and JJ getting along.” Kie and Pope both groaned in unison at John B’s words.
Kie slapped him on the back of the head, “Why jinx it?”
You ignored JJ’s stare and stood up on the boat, “I’m going for a swim.” You announced, stripping from your shorts and tank. You caught JJ’s eyes scanning up and down your body before he gulped, and chugged down his beer. You didn’t say anything to entertain the situation, you just dived into the marsh, wincing at the shock of the cold water.
The day passed by quickly and for the most part, it was filled with laughter and generally a good time. The sun was setting in front of you and you laid on the front of the boat soaking up the last of the rays, the others were chatting in pairs but you felt that you had chatted enough for the day. You bopped your head to the music that was playing from the speaker JJ brought along and you were lost in your own thoughts. You hadn’t noticed someone sitting beside you until their knee buckled against yours and you jumped at the contact.
JJ chuckled at your frightened state and you sighed, ignoring the blond. He handed you a cold beer and you reluctantly reached out for it. “I didn’t poison it.” He huffed, drinking is own full one.
“I wouldn’t put that past you.” You replied, eventually accepting the beer.
You sat in silence for a moment, you weren’t sure if you were enjoying his company. You could feel the warmth radiate from his bare torso and he smelt of seawater and weed; something about that combination weirdly comforted you. “Y/N, I… I just wanted to thank you for the other night.” JJ sighed, running his fingers through his wet hair. It was a good look for him.
“It’s all good.” You mumbled, focusing your attention on the sunset in front of you.
“No, honestly. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you just left me for dead.” JJ pursued his lips, swallowing back a lump that formed in his throat. You heard the croak in his voice and looked up to his face, seeing his blue eyes glistening. Was JJ about to cry in front of you? The thought made you uncomfortable, you didn’t know how to comfort someone you hated. But did you really hate him?
“JJ,” You sighed, sitting up straight. “I-that thought never even occurred to me… to leave you, I mean. You’re Kie’s friend, and that means I have your back.”
JJ licked his lips, looking down at you and he forced a closed smile, trying not to let the tears fall. “I was thinking… I think we should try to be friends.” You were shocked at his words, and you raised your brow as if asking him to elaborate on this sudden epiphany. “I’m tired of arguing with you, and after seeing you beat up those two kooks, I don’t want to be on your bad side anymore.”
You stiffened a laugh, chuckling along with JJ. You shook your head, a small smile on your face before you nodded, agreeing. “Let’s try this.” You reached your hand out to JJ, watching him shake it as if you just made a million-dollar deal. “But if I remember correctly, you were once a victim of my right hook.”
“Please don’t remind me. That traumatized me.”
This trip was slowly starting to make its way into the top three of your favorites. Ever since JJ waved the white flag of surrender, everything felt a lot easier. You weren’t looking over your shoulder every twenty minutes waiting for him to make a comment and your brain wasn’t working on overdrive trying to come back with a good enough comeback. Instead, you were actually laughing with him and getting along with him better than you expected.
That’s how you ended up being the one to collect him from one of his work places. You were parked outside a massive, fancy hotel tapping your fingers against the steering wheel of John B’s van waiting for the blonde to appear. Never in a million years did you think you would willingly volunteer to collect JJ from work. You knocked down the sunshade, looking in the mirror at your appearance and cringing at the sight of the purple bruise still evident on your face. It was slowly getting better and sometimes, you even forgot it was there.
“That makes you look like a badass.” JJ chimed, jumping into the passenger side of the van. You jumped at the sound of his voice, shooting him a glare. “Sorry.” He laughed, a pink tint framing his cheeks.
You started the van up driving in the direction of John B’s house, the feeling of excitement brewing now that you were finally going to be able to join them down at the boneyard. You liked how there wasn’t intense tension surrounding you, it was comfortable despite only being friends for a couple of days. “For your information, I am a badass.”
JJ whistled, rolling down the window and sticking his arm out. “Don’t I know it,” He grinned at you, and you noticed a fresh cut on his face.
“How’d you get that?” Your eyes flickered from the road to his face, watching his fingers wipe the dried in blood. “Nearly seventeen and you’re still getting into fights…” You hummed, raised eyebrows.
“You’re not the only badass in this van.” He winked, making you roll your eyes.
“No, but you’re the only dumbass.” Looking out the driver’s window, you hid the smile that was spreading across your face. JJ chuckled, reaching for his hat to take it off and he ran his fingers through his mop of blonde hair before putting it back on backwards. “Do you want to go home first to get changed?”
JJ’s breath hitched in his throat, eying the shorts he was wearing and the grey shirt. He noted the blood stain on his shorts, but shook his head in protest. “Nah, I’ll be good.” You ignored the shaking in his voice, nodding in acknowledgement before stepping on the gas.
You walked onto the beach, side by side with JJ, and were surprised when you noticed how big the crowd already was. It was nearing the end of the summer, every touron wanted to get their last kegger in before they had to go back to their mundane life. You understood how they felt, knowing you weren’t going to be here for much longer. It didn’t take long for you to allocate the Pogues gathered around a beer keg and you danced over to where Kiara was, your hips swaying to the music. JJ couldn’t help watch you as you left his side, nibbling on his bottom lip. A blush crept up his neck when he realised that he was checking out your ass and he swallowed his saliva, bringing his attention to where Pope was.
“What was that?” His friend asked him, looking between you and the blonde.
“Umh, nothing.” JJ responded, taking the cup filled with liquor that JB offered him.
“You were totally checking Y/N out, man. Since when did that happen?” John B chimed into the conversation making JJ groan with annoyance.
“I was not.” He defended himself, chucking the beer back. His eyes looked over the rim of the red cup, watching you laugh with Sarah and Kie. His heart fluttered and that feeling of nausea was back, which he realised was not a feeling of being revolted by your presence, instead it was a mixture of nerves and lust.
“Look, he’s doing it again.” John B laughed, “I can’t believe this.”
“Can’t believe what?” Sarah asked, walking up to the brunette and wrapped her arms around his neck. Instantly, his arms circled around her waist pulling her body closer to him. JJ shot John B a pointed look, as if telling him not to say another word, but that only maybe Sarah’s face washed over with confusion. “What’s going on?”
“I just got into another fight with one of your kind.” JJ replied, finishing his drink and filling it up again. Sarah rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore him. She was used to his anger and distaste to Kooks and she just learned to live with it.
When you twirled around to the music, your body froze and your stare was focused on three Kooks making their own onto the beach. Their eyes were scanning the crowd, as if looking for something, or someone. You made your way over to JJ who situated himself on a large log beside Pope, you subtly tapped him on the shoulder and he looked up at you in shock. His eyes followed your stare and they widened, he stood up from his sitting position and grabbed your hand, dragging you in the opposite direction of the three boys that you punched nearly a week ago.
Your friends' eyes all followed your retreating bodies, confusion evident on everyone’s face but you decided it was best to explain later. JJ led you away from the scanning eyes. You couldn’t help but notice how warm his hand felt in yours, his fingers engulfed yours and when he pulled you in the direction of the lifeguard’s hut, your thoughts imagined other ways that he could use his strength over you.
“In here,” JJ instructed, opening the hut and letting you enter first. He closed the door behind him, his heart hammering against his chest as he looked out onto the beach from the windows and trying to scan for the men. He stood there in front of you, you remained in the middle of the wooden room, he was conflicted with his decision to bring you here but he wasn’t in the mood for another fight. JJ looked at you and he let out a nervous laugh, reaching to scratch the back of his neck. A string of giggles escaped from your throat and you shook your head, releasing a sigh of relief you didn’t realise you were holding.
“We can’t hide in here all night.” You chuckled, leaning against the bare wall. “Or we should have bought some alcohol if we were.”
“Shit, yeah…” JJ muttered, looking around the room to see that it was nearly empty. A desk and a chair occupied the room, an empty cooler and that was it. He hummed along to the music that felt like miles away but he knew the song well enough to go on his own. “We’ll just hang here for a bit, wait until they fuck off.”
“Were they the ones that gave you that cut?” You asked, bringing his attention to the new addition to his injuries.
JJ chewed on the inside of his cheek, not wanting to get into the conversation of him fighting but when you looked up at him with those eyes, he wanted to tell you every little detail. He wasn’t used to feeling like this around people, and he definitely wasn’t expecting to feel like this around you but you brought a sense of calmness to him. “No, this was actually Topper.”
“Is he still bothering you?” You gasped, shaking your head in disbelief. “They just don’t give up, do they?”
“Nah, they’re pretty stubborn.”
“Nearly as stubborning as the Pogues.” Teasing him, you liked the way that he didn’t take offense to everything you said now and how he welcomed little bickers with you. The longer you were stuck in the hut with him, the more time it gave you to watch him. He was definitely attractive, probably the best looking man on this island but there was something behind his eyes, something that made him look lost and sad. The thought of him hurting made your chest tighten.
JJ kicked your ankles gently, making you crash to the floor. He tumbled with laughter, bending over and holding his stomach. You looked up at him from the floor, shocked. “I-I’m sorry but you… you were asking for it.” He said in between his howls of laughter. When his laughter calmed down, you dived into simple conversation about your lives and it just flowed so easily. It wasn’t until the sun completely set that you knew it was time to burst this bubble you have formed and head back to the rest of the Pogues. JJ stood up first, reaching to grab your hand and pull you up. You expected him to let go but you didn’t complain when his fingers intertwined with yours and he walked out of the hut.
The smile on your face only lasted a couple of seconds, when you came face to face with a boy that you met briefly last week when you introduced him to your first. “That’s them, officer.”
“Wh-what?” You coughed out, looking at the three kooks that were occupied by the county sheriff. “What’s going on?” You yelled, when JJ’s hand got ripped from yours. The commotion slowed down, everything felt like a blur and you could hear the cackle of the three unnamed boys.
“You’re under arrest for…” The blood pumped in your ears and you looked at JJ in shock, his face going pale. You screamed when your arms were pulled behind you and tears formed in your eyes when the feeling of steel wrapped around your wrist.
“Hey, hey, leave her alone. It had nothing to do with her.” JJ yelled in protest, the sheriff looked at the boy before shrugging.
“Fine, looks like you’re my bitch for the night then.” He released the handcuffs that were on your wrist but the tears didn’t falter. You watched as he bent JJ over, tightening the cuffs on his wrist making him wince.
“JJ-” You started but he shook his head, ceasing your protests.
“This ain’t my first rodeo, princess.” The blue-eyed boy chuckled, but you caught sight of a single tear rolling down his cheek. You watched him disappear into the darkness with the sheriff, the three boys trailing behind them. You choked out tears before retreating back to the Pogues, hoping someone will be able to help JJ.
The days went by slowly, it was strangely quiet around the Chateau now that JJ wasn’t crashing there. The last you heard, bail was posted but he hadn’t left his house since. When you went back to the gang, they kept interrogating you with questions about what happened the night at The Wreck and you came clear with them. It was silly not telling them when it first happened, especially Kiara, but it just felt like a secret that bonded you and JJ. You didn’t realise how much you were missing the blonde; everytime the door to John B’s house, you perked up but then deflated much to your other friends’ dismay.
You only had a week left on the Island and the longer you were alone with your own thoughts, the more you began to see JJ in a different light. When the anger and frustration towards him that fogged your mind dispersed, you couldn’t help but deny the obvious connection you had created with him in such a small time. It’s why you found yourself walking towards his house, knowing where he lived because Kie would drive by to pick him up with you in the car sometimes.
When the house came into view, you hitched a breath of nerves. How were you going to tell the man you once hated that you actually liked him? The only benefit to this plan was that you were leaving soon, so if he didn’t share the same feelings, it would give you a year to get over him. You walked up the trial, seeing someone on the porch. The closer you got, the more attention the man paid to you.
“Can I help you?” He called out, making you stop in your tracks.
“H-hi, I’m just looking for JJ, is he here?” Your voice was shy, almost weak as the man stared you down. He stood up from the stool he was sitting on and leaned up against the wooden porch, eying you up and down. You swallowed back a lump in your throat, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.
“What’s a pretty girl like you want with a piece of shit like my son?” The words JJ’s father spoke shocked you, your eyes widening.
“E-excuse me, sir?” You stuttered, not sure if he was joking with you but his expression remained stern. You were about to answer his question when JJ walked out of the door, not noticing you at first. His grey cap rested over his messy hair and he was wearing an unbuttoned shirt. He looked at his father before following his line of sight and his blue eyes widened when he saw you.
JJ rushed from the porch, grabbing the top of your arm and pulling you away from his house. “What are you doing here?” He hissed through clenched teeth. He dragged you out of sight from his father, who returned to what he was working on before. You were still in shock with what his father said about him, and it wasn’t until JJ spoke again that your attention was brought to his face. “Well?”
Your eyes scanned JJ’s face, his whole left side bruised and his lip was busted again. He hasn’t been seen around the island in days, and your eyes trailed down his chest that was exposed, showing more bruises littering around his torso. “JJ-” You gasped, reaching out to softly caress his chest. JJ winced at the touch, not because it hurt him but because it brought a sudden wave of comfort over him and his eyes fluttered closed. You began putting the pieces of the puzzle together and your heart ached. “JJ, was this your father?” You whimpered, his eyes locked on you and the watering of them gave you your answer. “Oh my god…”
“Look… Y/n, the boys know, alright? I-it’s not some crazy secret…” JJ muttered, his bottom lip began trembling and you immediately wrapped your arms around his body, pulling him closer to you. JJ hesitated for a moment before he circled his arms around you as well, bringing his face into the crook of your neck and you could feel his chest heaving as he sobbed into you.
You didn’t care how much time passed by as you stood there holding JJ, you wouldn’t care even if it started lashing rain. You were going to hold him for as long as he needed. “I’m so sorry…” JJ huffed into your neck and his breath tickling your skin, sending goosebumps down your body.
“No, JJ, you don’t have to be sorry.” You whispered, running your hand up and down his back as a soothing technique. JJ pulled back, much to your dismay and your hands left his body. The coldness immediately swamping around you, but you tried to hide the disappointment on your face. “Was this my fault?” You asked, pointing to his busted lip.
“What? No, of course not.”
“If you didn’t get arrested that night, would this have happened?” You questioned again, and you felt nauseous at the look on JJ’s face that confirmed your thoughts. “Oh god…” You mumbled, your hand covering your mouth as you started to cry. “I’m so sorry.” It was your turn to apologise, and you kept repeating it over and over again.
JJ hesitated again before wrapping you in his arms this time. “Look, if it wasn’t that night. It would have been another night. I don’t blame you in the slightest.” JJ reassured you, brushing your hair down with his hand. He’s never comforted a crying girl before, and he never thought he would be the one to ever comfort you but he liked it. He liked looking after you.
“I’m sorry,” You said again, causing JJ to groan. “You don’t deserve to be treated like this.” You whispered softly into his chest. The words caused JJ’s heart to skip a beat, you saying that meant more to him than you’d ever known. He was the one that gave you such a hard time on the island, he knew you gave him just the same amount of challenges, but to hear you say that he deserved better made him feel like he already had better with you.
“Stop saying that.” He chuckled, smiling amongst the tears trying to ignore the bubbling feeling of adoration. His eyes were red and puffed, his face flushed and you knew you probably resembled his look, except he probably pulled it off a lot better than you did. “What has you here anyways?” JJ asked, wanting nothing more than to bring the attention away from his father’s antics.
You sighed, realising that now was definitely not the time to tell him how you truly felt. Licking your lips, you forced a closed smile in his direction. “I-we missed you, we wanted to see how you were doing.”
“We?” JJ asked, raising his brows and his lips held a teasing smirk that made your stomach erupt in butterflies.
“We, you know, your friends.” You laughed, smacking his chest playfully.
“That’s a pity…” He replied, pouting at you.
“What is?” Your eyes narrowed, daring him to continue this banter that was bouncing between your bodies.
JJ was about to say something but his father’s voice interrupted him. He yelled something incoherent and JJ groaned, “I have to get back.”
You grabbed JJ’s hand in yours as he started to walk away, pulling him to a stop. He raised his brow in your direction, but you just sent him a small smile. “Come by the chateau tonight, please.” You didn’t want him going back to his father but you knew you had no power over him and his decisions. JJ returned your smile, his eyes softening and he tugged his hand from yours, walking back to his house.
When JJ walked into the chateau later that night, he was met with the cheers and sighs of relief from his friends. He greeted everyone with hugs and fistbumps before his eyes found your body, he sent you a quick wink and you just rolled your eyes, biting your bottom lip to stop the grin erupting on your face. It was a relief to you that he was here, you knew he was safer here than anywhere else on the island.
It shocked you when JJ took a beer from the fridge and planted himself down beside you, his thigh touching yours. He stretched his legs out in front of him and he slumped closer to you. “Hey,” He said, flinging his hat off to hit John B on the head. His blonde hair remained tousled around his forehead, even after he dragged in fingers through it. Oh, how you wished you could feel your fingers going through it. The thought caused your face to heat up, and you turned your attention to Kie and Pope in their own conversation.
The night passed by quicker than you wanted it to. Another day closer to returning home. It was nice having everyone back over, it just wasn’t complete when JJ wasn’t around. He brought a light of joy and laughter to the room, despite the circumstances that he was going through. You appreciated him, a lot and you wish you could tell him just how you felt.
Kie stood up from the floor, arms stretching above her head and she looked at you. “Ready to go?” You hummed in agreement, trying to hide your disappointment as you followed her actions.
JJ’s heart raced when you stood up and he reached out to grab your wrist, you looked down at him in confusion. “I-uhm, I can walk you home in a while, if you want.” He mumbled, trying not to gain the attention of his friends but it was too late. Kiara’s eyes widened, Pope and John B shared a bewildered look and you looked like a deer in the headlights.
You swallowed back the shock before nodding, “Yeah, yeah, I’d like that.”
“Well, okay. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” Kie hummed in confusion, not knowing what was going on.
“I’ll come with you then.” Pope smiled, not wanting Kiara to leave by herself even though he knew no one would mess with her. They both left together after saying their goodbyes. It was just you, JJ, and John B left in the living room.
John B twisted on his heels, looking between the pair of you. JJ nodded his head towards his bedroom, trying to get him to leave them alone. John B choked on the beer he had taken a sip of, “I’ll leave you two… alone?” John B furrowed his brows and retreated to his bedroom, muttering something underneath his breath.
You stayed quiet, picking at a loose thread on your shorts. You were very aware of the fact that JJ was looking at you, studying your facial expressions. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you just there.” JJ broke the silence, you twisted on your seat to look at him, shaking your head.
“You didn’t embarrass me, JJ. Why would you think they did?”
“They probably think something is going on between us,” JJ chuckled, and you tried to play it off as a joke, “I just wanted to say thank you, for earlier I mean. You didn’t have to come over to check on me.”
“I wanted to.” You smiled at him, watching him suck in his bottom lip. You wanted to groan at the action, finding it unbelievably sexy. “I never thanked you for taking the fall for me either.”
JJ sighed, running his hand over his face. “It was my fault you got into the fight, it was the least I could do especially when you hated me at the time.”
Hated me. The words suppressed your mind, they got you thinking. “To be honest with you, JJ. I don’t think I ever really hated you.” You looked at his expression seeing it softening and he looked more vulnerable than he usually does. “I think it was a way to disguise other feelings…” You added, cringing when the words left your lips.
“W-what?” JJ questioned, sitting up straighter. You quickly stood up from the couch, the action startling JJ and he followed your lead. He stood up, watching you nearly start hyperventilating. He grabbed your shoulders, stopping you from pacing and his eyes studied your face. “You like me?” He asked, his pink lips parted.
You whined something inaudible, avoiding his face before nodding shyly. “Yeah, I do, JJ and I don’t know when I started to feel like this, it… it just happened.”
“Are you sure?” JJ insisted, his arms still holding onto you tightly. When you nodded again, JJ pulled you closer to his body and scanned your face quickly, for any hint of regret or hesitation, before he crashed his lips onto yours. JJ forgot what it was like to share a kiss with someone he actually cared about, he was sweet and patient with it. He brought his hand to your cheek, cupping it as his lips moved with yours. Your world felt like it was spinning, like this couldn’t be happening but it was. You were kissing JJ Maybank and your heart was filling with love, admiration, happiness with every second that passed.
JJ pulled away from your lips, his eyes fluttering open and you could feel his lashes tickling your face. You opened your eyes to see his blue orbs sparkling. “Do that again.” You whispered, bringing your lips to his, not wanting to forget how this moment felt. You ignored the twisting in your gut reminding you that you were leaving in less than a week, that you would be leaving this island and not returning for far too long. It was as if the same feelings washed over JJ and he pulled back, sighing. “What?” You whispered.
“I just can’t believe that it’s taken me this long to feel this.” JJ enlightened you, embracing you tightly. “And I’ll be losing you soon.”
You lifted your palm to JJ’s face, brushing your fingers over the evident bruises before kissing his nose, then each of his cheeks, then his lips again for a second. “You won’t ever lose me, JJ. You’re stuck with me now.”
He chuckled at your words, bringing his lips back to yours and you fell into a sweet routine that consisted of the perfect amount of talking and kissing. You both agreed to not talk about you leaving, enjoying every moment that you had together from then onwards.
🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻
apologies for any typos, i wasn’t arsed to proofread it after spending hours writing it oops
but pls gimme feedback, i beg, ty
