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oliveswiftly · 5 hours ago

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PAIRING ➔ jj maybank x pogue!reader

WARNINGS ➔ drowning/ near drowning experience, mention(s) of blood & death, swearing, jj telling reader he’s in love with her, pogues just being pogues

SYNOPSIS ➔ boat adventures with the friend group are never normal, but when an accident happens, all hell breaks loose and it sends the group into a frenzy.

A/N: i told you guys this would be my personality from now on & not proofread, because y’all know i can’t spell, this is a reoccurring issue

BASED OFF THE SONG capsize

being up at the chateau was an everyday thing. when you weren’t home, you’d be lying around the chateau.

there wasn’t anything wrong with your parents, you just preferred to be around your friends all the time. the five of you were inseparable and quite frankly, from the day they first met you, you considered them family.

boat days were always fun whether it would be an adventure or just an actual boat day.

you could never turn them down, you were already with the people you loved, so being out on the water drinking a couple beers and partying on ‘hms pogue’ was your guys thing and it was almost the only thing you guys did (besides coming to the near brink of death most of the time.)

you sat on the porch along with kie waiting for jj, pope, and john b to finish cleaning up the house after last nights fiasco.

“look pope, all i’m saying is that you should’ve just played beer pong with us, you might’ve liked it.” jj said as he walked out the door with pope, flipping his hat backwards with a shit eating grin on his face.

and you sure did love it.

“j, you were damn near butt naked dancing around the backyard with a duck floatie on your head, while threatening to rub your ass on john b.” you said as kie laughed right next to you.

“hey, y/n, loved the show so i don’t know why you’re complaining.” jj said before he tapped his finger on his tongue before putting it on the side of his ass and making a sizzle sound.

you laughed before playfully punching his arm.

you all trailed off the porch and all boarded hms pogue. “so pope, you gonna have fun today and live a little?” you said nudging his arm while wiggling your eyebrows.

pope whipped his head towards you, “y/n i always have fun so i don’t know what you’re talking about.” john b snorted and shook his head. “you haven’t done anything fun since your pants got hooked onto the railing, that was almost two weeks ago.”

you & jj both slapped your hands against your mouths before giggling like little kids. “what’s so funny?” pope questioned, this caused you two to pretend to wipe your mouths and clear your throats and sitting up properly.

“i’m sorry sir, i apologize for my immature reaction, it won’t happen again sir!” jj said as you both saluted him while laughing. this caused pope to roll his eyes and look away from you both.

kie took a seat next to pope as she sat back next to him, “here”, she said before handing him a beer. he smiled at her before accepting the beer and opening it.

meanwhile, you & jj had already beat him to it and were seeing who could shotgun faster than the other.

you had kie cheering you on while john b & pope cheered on jj. before the other three knew it, you slammed the small aluminum can on the bottom of the boat floor and threw up your arms in the air cheering. “take that jj!” you said while laughing.

for a moment jj swore he felt his heart beating a mile a minute, it was a little cliche of him to feel something like this during this moment.

he held his hands up and got on one knee, “i surrender, your highness!” he said laughing.

now you were the one who was feeling something in your heart, something like butterflies.

“get up you dork.” you said laughing.

john b had figured that this was the perfect time to lower the small anchor from the boat so you all could settle down and finally get the party started.

“hold on john b, i think there’s something in the water.” pope said before standing up and moving to the bow of the boat.

“very funny pope, john b just keep going.” kie said, there was a hint of worry in her voice, that went unnoticed by you, but you said nothing and decided to make nothing of it.

you stood at the back of the boat standing with your arms crossed along with jj sitting right next to you. everything was still for a moment.

but before you knew it you were sent flying backwards which caused you to fall and hit your head, in which the hit had enough force to ultimately send you flying off the boat.

everything was a mess, clothes, phones, & bags were all scattered on the boat. it took everyone a minute to recuperate and snap back into reality.

“everyone okay?” john b croaked as he held his shoulder. it didn’t take jj long to figure out that you were missing. “y/n. where’s y/n?!” he said frantically looking everywhere for you.

kie was nearly on the brink of tears before she spotted you. “jj she’s over there!” she said as she pointed to your limp body that was face down. jj wasted no time, jumping into the water and swimming over to you.

approaching you, he noticed a streak of blood, “no, no, no.” was all that he muttered to you before flipping you over on your back.

his mind was racing a mile a minute, seeing that you had a small gash in the side of your forehead. he quickly swam his way back to boat, “jj are you okay?” pope asked him frantically, “don’t worry about me! worry about y/n!” he said before john b and kie carefully pulled you back into the boat.

jj hopped back onto the boat before pope took control of the boat and turning it back around in hopes to find help quickly before making it close enough to the chateau in case things really took a turn for the worse.

he quickly made his way over to you and was panicking, to be honest he was losing his mind. he didn’t know how he could live in a world without you.

he wouldn’t admit it, but he was in love with you. he tried to make it so obvious, but you never caught onto the clues. almost everyday, he wished he could pull you to the side and tell you how badly he was in love in with you. he never knew what was holding him back.

“cmon y/n, don’t leave us now. not you.” he brought one of his hands to cup the side of your face and without thinking, he ran his thumb across your cheek.

he wasn’t gonna lose you not here and not now.

without thinking he leaned closer towards your face, hoping to hear that you were breathing. he sat back up and rolled you over onto your side.

kie was now in full on tears, she was watched her friend as the life was slipping away from her, pope had his palms resting on the top of his head, john b witnessing everything in disbelief. this wasn’t the way they wanted this day to go, not to witness their best friend dying.

before you knew it your eyes shot open and you were overwhelmed with the feeling of coughing up water. “there you go y/n. we’ve got you. i got you.” jj said as he held you closer to him.

your arms reluctantly wrapped around him as hot tears spilled from your eyes and down your cheeks. kie, john b, and pope all immediately came to over to you and jj and hugged the two of you.

you sat in the living room curled into jj’s side, your head resting on his shoulder. the sole thing comforting you now was the feeling of jj’s fingertips running up and down the sensitive skin of your arm. you stared into a empty space, not even beginning to find anything.

“i thought i lost you for good y/n.” jj quietly spoke up.

his words snapped you back into reality, and you looked at him. “i really did, i don’t know what i would’ve done with myself if i did lose you. you’re such an important girl that’s been part of my life. for a long time i’ve been falling in love with you y/n, i couldn’t bring myself to confess it then, but this was too much of a close call. i love you y/n.”

“i love you y/n.”

those were the only 4 words that somehow brought a ringing sensation to your ears. without thinking twice, you brought your hands up to his face and quickly pressed your lips against his. jj pulled you closer to him as if you’d slip out his grasp at any moment.

pope opened the door, he almost opened his mouth to say something but he caught a glimpse of you & jj. he smiled and silently cheered on jj for finally doing what he said he’d do one day.

pope quietly closed the door and went back to the porch with kie & john b.

you pulled away from the kiss and you looked him in his baby blue eyes. they were filled with so much love and hope.

“i love you too jj.”

he placed his lips on your forehead, you were his girl. he kept an oath to himself, he was always going to keep you save no matter the circumstances.

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oliveswiftly · 5 hours ago

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Swell- JJ Maybank

Requested: No. Requests are open for JJ though. Gif not mine- Creds to owner.

Summary: A close encounter with death while surfing leads JJ to show his true feelings towards you. (No warnings beyond what is shown in the show)

Word count: 2.3K

Radio Broadcast: Tropical Storm Jonah continues to make its way towards the Carolina’s… “You guys hear that?” John B asks the pogues sitting around the living room of the chateau eyebrows going up for a moment.

“Surfing the swell?” JJ replies, mouth breaking out into that contagious smile leading you to do that same.

“No you guys- remember last time. Agatha- double overhead.” Pope begins to try and reason with the other two boys.

“Yeah and we surfed her.” John B says dapping JJ up.

“Why are we even debating this? When have you guys ever done the safe thing?” You interject into the conversation giving each boy a pointed look earning a smirk from Kiara.

Giving in, Pope breathes out, “Fine.” Earning cheers from the rest of the group. You all make your way to the shack outside where all the boards are kept. Pope is on the far wall helping Kie get her board down. You’re raised up on your tiptoes reaching as best as you can to get your board down. You never understood why the boys kept your and Kie’s boards up so high. You can barely get your fingertips into contact with the board when JJ comes up from behind you to reach around you and help get it down.

You can feel his toned body behind yours and while it's only for a moment it sends sparks throughout your body. JJ Maybank, fiery hot-headed salt-lifer, who you have known since middle school. He’s pulling the board down and giving you a smile, smelling like sweat and heat and boy, making your body feel like it's on fire. He passes it to you and you mutter out a thanks watching as he moves to grab his own.

“You’re staring.” John B says catching you.

You open your mouth to object and close it knowing he’s caught you red handed.

“Go ahead. Scold me.” You smirk waiting for him to bring up the coveted ‘no pogue on pogue macking’ rule.

“You can’t seriously still be hurting for him.” He says stepping closer so that the two of you can continue to have this conversation without anyone overhearing.

“I would love to tell you no Booker, but…” You drift off going back to glance at the blonde-haired boy.

You had drunkenly mentioned to John B once that you had a crush on JJ. It was the beginning of high school and the skinny boy you had known as JJ Maybank had turned into a lean muscular young man. You hadn’t been the only girl to notice how well puberty had treated him either- plenty of other girls flocked to get a shot at him. Two years later and you still had a thing for him.

“Why not just tell him?” John B asks. You’re shocked he says it because usually he shrugs it off or barrels into all the reasons it can’t work.

“There’s a rule about this.” You say trying to avoid the real reason. John B gives you a look seeing through your bullshit. “I know him too well. He won’t go for it.”

“I say this with the utmost respect, but it’s JJ and you’re a girl, so there’s a chance.”

You roll your eyes at his response, “Thanks for always having my back B.”

“Anytime.”

“Come on you two! We surfing or what?” JJ calls out to you and John B, already in the twinkie with Kie and Pope.

—--------------------------------------------------------

You guys aren’t the only ones with the bright idea to catch a few waves during the swell. There’s only locals around on the beach; tourists too scared to be out with the impending storm. Most of those around are other kids you go to school with. A few of them, having scored some beer, end up passing it out to everyone. You’ve had enough that you’re feeling pretty good. You’ve hit a few good waves, but they're only getting better as the storm rolls in.

Kie and Pope have long since retired to sitting on the beach. John B and JJ have been daring one another to surf larger and larger waves. You’ve been hanging back in the take-off zone floating along on your board to watch for a while now. The wind has picked up and it's started to rain, but the alcohol surging through your body is making you brave.

“Next one’s mine.” You say catching both boys off guard.

“Like hell it is.” JJ says quickly.

You're taken aback by his words for a moment, and then it clicks in your head- he must be trying to make a joke so you reply, “I’ll be so safe, JJ.” Alluding to the long drawn-out inside joke between your group, giving him a drunken smile.

“You’re drunk, if you try and surf one of those waves you’re gonna break your damn neck.” He says looking too serious.

A few other locals overhear your exchange and you're met with catcalls and boos to JJ’s objection. The attention, which would normally make you shy away, is only filling you with more confidence.

You turn to JJ with a challenging look and say, “watch me,” as you paddle out to drop in on the wave.

You’re not sure why it’s so important for you to show JJ up right now- maybe it’s just the beer, or the fact that 3 girls from school have been flirting with him since you’ve got to the beach, or that he looks so incredibly hot shirtless and surfing with the rain rolling off of his body, or that he has been so oblivious to you and your feelings for the last two years.

You’re actually up and on your feet on the board and you hear cheers. This has to be the biggest wave you’ve ever surfed. One moment you’re up and feeling so sure of yourself and then you’re flying off of your board into the water. Then it’s darkness.

You’re fighting to resurface, but the current keeps pulling you deeper. You kick your legs, but you’re so turned around you’re not sure which way is up or down. You thrash and grab, but there’s nothing- your lungs are screaming for air. You feel a strong arm wrap around your middle and then you break the surface of the water. You’re coughing, spitting up sea water, and gasping trying to get air in.

“Here grab your board.” It’s JJ’s voice in your ear as he pulls you towards your surfboard keeping his arm around your waist the whole way. He helps you climb on top to a seated position and then he’s sitting across from you on his board. His hands are all over you checking to see if you're alright.

“You okay? Jesus, when I didn't see you, I thought…” He stops speaking like he’s listening to your harsh breathing.

“I’m fine.” You say as your eyes meet each other.

“You don’t sound fine.” His worried expression, soft hands, and inquisitive eyes on you finally break you and you begin to cry. “Hey, it’s okay. Can you get back to the beach?”

You suck it up and nod. You both paddle back to shore.

The group rushes up to meet you two and everyone is fussing over you as you watch JJ walk up to some guy from school. Then everything that makes him JJ- your JJ- falls away, and he loses it.

He’s on the guy, grabbing for his throat, smashing his fist into the guy’s face twice before John B and Pope can tackle him to the ground. JJ rolls free and throws his head into the guy's stomach, bringing him down, where they roll, punching each other’s ribs, really ripping each other apart, not like some fight in the school hallway that’s just for show.

You realize Kie is holding on to you and you’re pretty sure it’s the only thing keeping you up right now. She’s holding your head to her chest, worrying with your hair and you can hear her heartbeat pounding in your ear. She yells something, but you can’t quite understand it.

For a few moments no one can get the two boys separated, and it looks like they’re going to have to just have it out. You’re not even sure why JJ went after the guy in the first place. John B finally gets his arm around JJ’s neck and pulls him away. John B releases him and JJ is wiping his face with his forearm, one eye already swelling shut.

JJ turns and yells to the guy, “This spot of the beach is ours! Don’t let me catch you here again, and you never ever drop in on a girl, you creep!”

“If she can’t handle it, leave her at home. She wasn’t supposed to wipe out that hard.” The guy laughs and there's a smugness to his tone that blows your mind.

JJ makes a choked sound and takes a run at the guy, almost getting a hold of him again before Pope and John B pull him back.

—------------------------------------

It’s a quiet ride back to the chateau. JJ is unusually quiet- he won't look you in the eye and his jaw is tense. You feel tears come to your eyes looking at him; in your drunken state you forgot to secure your ankle strap on your board. How could you be so stupid and now JJ’s mad and worked up and it’s your fault.

You take deep breaths and blink rapidly to try and keep any tears from spilling out of your eyes. Kie notices and pulls you back into her.

Once you’re back at the Chateau Pope and John B jump out to put the boards away and JJ storms inside. You let a few tears slip, “He’s so mad at me.” You whisper.

“He’s not mad. He was just worried about you. We all were.” She reassures you.

“He told me not to surf that wave, Kie.” You shake your head.

“Just let him cool down.”

You two head inside. John B and Pope are hanging around the living room. They both give you a concerned look, but you give them a small smile to let them know you’re okay. You want to listen to Kie and leave JJ to be, but the image of him pummeling that guy on the beach won’t leave your mind.

You follow the hallway down to where his room at the chateau is. The door is cracked and you can see him sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. He’s got a fistful of hair in each hand. “You look how I feel.” You try joking from the doorway.

He looks up and you can see his eyes are red like he’s been crying. You rush into the room to sit beside him, “JJ- I’m so sorry.”

He gives you a confused look, “Sorry? What are you sorry for?” Then he’s worrying over you again trying to get another inspection in, “what hurts?”

You brush off his worries. “I should have never tried to take on that wave, and I wasn’t even strapped to my board- how stupid am I?” You rush out feeling ashamed and embarrassed for causing such an ordeal. “We were just supposed to go and have fun.”

He uses a hand to move your face to lock eyes with him and you feel that familiar twist in your stomach that only occurs when you’re looking into his deep blue eyes. “You could have died out there.”

“I know. What even happened? One minute I was on my board and then nothing.”

“That jackass dropped in on your wave and knocked you off your board.” He tenses up again.

“I am so sorry JJ. You shouldn’t have gotten into a fight for me. I was fine.”

“You didn’t see yourself when you came up out of the water. I thought I had lost you. He hurt you, so yeah, I lost it. Same as I would have if it were Kie. You’re my best friend. You don’t let someone you care about get beat on. Ever.”

“Right- same as if it were Kie.” You say and can’t help letting your tone show that it’s not the answer you want. You go to stand, to get out of his room before the weight of his confession of seeing you the same as Kiara crushes you and causes you to cry all over again.

Then JJ’s kissing you, and it’s like he can’t get enough, or like he thinks he won’t get another chance. He breaks the kiss off and is breathing hard running a hand through his hair. He has a look of disbelief on his face like he can’t believe he just did that and shakes his head. “I huh- I shouldn’t have. I didn’t mean-” He stumbles out his words.

Before he can try to start another sentence you’re back on him- kissing him hard and when he registers what’s happening he’s kissing you back just as aggressively. You both pull away breathing hard and smiling. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” You breathe out.

You stay there just breathing each other in for a moment when JJ finally breaks the silence, “They’re gonna kill us.”

You narrow your eyes at him in question. “No pogue on pogue macking.” He explains still holding onto you.

“I almost died today- I think we get a pass.” You tilt your head at him.

He starts to slowly lean back towards you tilting his head as he comes closer, “How many passes do you think it gets us, because I have to do that again.”

Just as your lips meet again, Pope comes down the hall to the doorway, “Oh guys! Guys! It’s happening- it’s finally happening!”

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oliveswiftly · 5 hours ago

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If We Go Down | J.M.

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Reader

Summary: When JJ gets knocked off the boat and almost drowns, you do everything you can to keep his head above the water. Later, John B tells him how you saved his life.

A/N: I saw a post about jj not knowing kie almost drowned for him and I had to write something based on it. As usual I couldn’t figure out how I wanted to end it so it just cuts off. It’s also not entirely proofread lol

As I am an adult, all characters I write for are written as adults. Any minor characters will be aged up to the general range of their actor’s age.

Warnings: violence, almost drowning

Word Count: 1.5k

This was absolutely going down as one of the weirdest weeks of your life, and with everything you and the pogues had gotten up to in the past year, that was saying something. But sneaking onto a ship to save Sarah from her fucked up family and, hopefully, getting back the magical golden cross that once belonged to Pope’s ancestors, that definitely had to take the cake.

You and JJ have been paired up on this expedition, seeing as you always make the best team, and have been tasked to lock the passengers and crew hull. Piece of cake right?

JJ leans against the wall next to the hull door, pressing himself as close as he can so as to not be seen. You follow suit on the opposite side, peaking around the corner to count everyone who entered.

“How many?” JJ whispers to you. You hold up three fingers. He peaks through the doorway and holds up six more. After a minute, you hear the Cameron’s coming. Around the corner you see Rafe, Wheezie, and Rose enter the hull.

You turn back to JJ. “That’s everyone,” you whisper and nod your head towards the door.

“Except Ward. We need Ward.”

“We don’t have time to wait, J.”

He pauses for a moment and then with a sigh, he motions toward the door. The two of you bolt towards it, pressing your full body weight against it in an attempt to slam it shut. You aren’t fast enough, the crew pushing back against the heavy door.

“Close it, close it!” JJ yells.

“I’m trying!” You push with all the strength you have, JJ pressing his body up against yours. “Lock it!”

He slams the lock in place and you both take a deep breath. From inside the hull you hear a crew member yell, “Try the other door!”

You and JJ lock eyes. “There’s another door.” In a split second you’re both sprinting to the other side of the hull, slamming and locking the door before they can escape.

“Oh my god,” you breathe out.

After dealing with the hull, you and JJ help Pope hook up the cross to the crane so that he can move it to the lifeboat. Then it's time to head up to the deck. The two of you move about the ship considerably less carefully now that the crew and passengers have all been taken care of. Or so you thought. As you round the corner to the stairs, you come face to face with the angry captain.

“I don’t see him,” JJ muses, looking over the side for John B.

“JJ.”

He stops in his tracks. “Of course,” he quips, “There’s more of you.”

“Get down on your knees,” the captain orders.

“Yeah, that's not gonna happen.” JJ charges at the captain, who swings his machete, narrowly missing JJ’s head. You grab his arm as JJ pins him against the wall. He lands a punch to the captain's temple and you pull a door hitting him square in the face, knocking him to the ground.

As JJ squares up, you look over the side of the boat to yell for your friends. You don’t get a chance before JJ gets knocked to the ground, hitting his head against the boat, leaving him in a daze.

The captain turns on you, swinging his machete as you try to scramble away.

“Y/N!” JJ scrambles up, slightly dizzy. “Y/N!”

He lunges for the captain, trying to keep him away from you, but catches an elbow to the throat, throwing him even more off balance. He stumbles again.

The captain turns toward you, swinging his machete but you duck, causing him to miss. His hand keeps moving with the force of his swing, bashing the blunt end of his weapon directly into JJ’s temple. The hit renders JJ unconscious, knocking him backwards where his legs hit the edge of the boat, and he tumbles overboard.

“JJ!” You scream, moving toward the edge of the boat. You kick the captain as he whirls on you again, knocking him to the ground. It gives you just enough time to climb up on the ledge and leap without hesitation.

You gasp as you resurface, the cold water knocking the wind out of you. You wish you had a minute to adjust, but you know you have no time to waste as you turn and see JJ floating face down in the water. Paddling over as quickly as you can, you flip him over and lift his head to your shoulder.

“JJ, JJ wake up!” You tap his face lightly, straining with the effort to keep both your heads above the water. You know you won’t be able to hold on long. “Help! John B, Pope, anyone!”

“Y/N!” You hear faint voices coming around the ship. “Y/N! JJ!”

“You hear that? John B’s coming. Hold on J, just hold on.” Your voice cracks as you plead with him.

“John B!” You yell again as loud as you can, but your strength is fading.

You can feel yourself slipping further into the cold water, fighting with every bit of strength you have left. There’s nothing left you can do, you keep treading water, but the water starts lapping over your face. You know you can’t support the weight of two bodies any longer, but you refuse to let JJ go. As you suck in one last deep breath, the water engulfs you.

If you go down together, so be it. You won’t leave him to die.

Just as your vision starts fading to black, you feel a pair of hands grabbing your shoulders. JJ’s weight starts lifting off you as you feel yourself rising through the water. You grab onto JJ’s waist tighter as you break through the surface, not wanting to lose him.

“Y/N,” Kiara calls out to you, “It’s okay. Let him go, we’ve got him.”

You look up to see John B and Kie hauling JJ into the lifeboat and reluctantly relinquish your hold. Pope pulls you the rest of the way into the boat and you all collapse in a jumble between the benches.

Before you even have time to catch your breath, you’re up again, moving to where JJ is leaning against the side of the boat, eyes still closed, chest not rising.

You shake his shoulder gently. “JJ, wake up. C’mon J, please open your eyes!” You plead, eyes burning, filled with tears. Behind you, your friends exchange worried glances.

“Please,” you whisper one last time, “I need you.”

He jerks suddenly, sputtering as he coughs up the water in his lungs. Everyone lets out cheers and sighs of relief.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, dude,” John B laughs.

“Oh thank god,” you murmur, feeling like you can’t breathe. Tears stream down your cheeks faster than you can wipe them away.

JJ turns to you, eyes stopping on your hand resting on his shoulder. He smirks at you. “Sup?” You let out a watery laugh. Same old JJ, always cracking jokes.

You shake him gently. “You scared the shit out of me, you asshole.” Pulling him close, you cradle his head in your arms, careful to avoid the spot where he was hit.

Later that night, you sit around the fire Pope built on the little uninhabited island you were all currently calling home. “Poguelandia” as JJ had dubbed it. He seemed to be feeling alright, but you kept him in your sights at all times. The hit he took to the head was pretty major and you couldn’t help but worry about him.

Everyone chats in pairs. Sarah and Kie debrief on what happened to one another while on the boat, Pope and Cleo discuss the best course of action for shelter, and JJ and John B sit next to you, roasting fish over the fire. You just sit quietly, watching JJ out of the corner of your eye, not really listening to their conversation until you hear your name.

“Seriously dude, you should’ve seen her. Y/N was ready to go down with you,” John B explains, “By the time we got there you were both going under, but she wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t even let go of you as we tried to get you in the boat.”

JJ turns toward you. “You really did that for me? You could’ve drowned.”

You just shrug in response. “I wasn’t going to abandon you. If you go down, I go down too.” He just looks at you, an unreadable expression on his face. “It’s not a big deal, J. I’m just glad you're okay.”

JJ scoffs. “Not a big deal? Y/N, you saved my life.”

Your eyes well up with tears again at the reminder of how close you came to losing him and you turn away, not wanting him to see. “Well, I mean you would’ve done the same for me, if the roles were reversed, right?”

JJ takes your chin in his hand, turning you to face him. He wipes away a tear as it falls, thumb brushing over your cheek.

“I would risk my life for you in a heartbeat.”

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oliveswiftly · 5 hours ago

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𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄.

summary: even though jj refuses to admit his feelings for you— he doesn’t want anyone else to have you.

warnings: cursing

prompt: “why are you mad?” “i’m not mad , i just think you can choose better people to kiss.”

The dynamic between you and JJ was undoubtedly strange. You’d two hold hands , hug for longer than ‘friendly’ hugs usually went for , have sleepovers where you’d cuddle and kiss his cheek. It was like a relationship without the title and without the kissing and sappy lover girl esqe commitment.

But it started to get hurtful. To be the girl that was always there , the only girl that was ever there , and still be seen as nothing more than just a friend. God , how you absolutely hated using the word ‘friend.’

There was hookup after hookup , one after the other. JJ would tell you all about them , seeing nothing wrong in confiding his deepest thoughts with his ‘best friend.’ It was harmless in his mind. If you were too hook up with anyone , he’d want to hear about it. I mean— it’s not like there were guys lining up for you at the door. You were stagnant and clearly into JJ so most guys didn’t bother trying. So while JJ figured he’d be okay with hearing about it— it turned out to make him feel the complete opposite.

All four Pogue’s were sitting around the fire in John B’s backyard as you sat there bashfully , remembering your work shift earlier that morning.

It had started like any other day— the same old faces that come for the same old cup of coffee. Some were a bit less frequent and the tips were all in the same. Business wasn’t necessarily ‘booming’ but it was a moderately profitable day. Today had seemed like any other day— until it wasn’t.

A boy who was not much older than you were had walked in and you swore your heart stopped. There wasn’t many people you looked twice at , beings that you suffered with the cruelty of unrequited love. But this one had made you look twice. His hair was shaggy brown , stopping right above his eyebrows. His green eyes seemed kind , the minute he had mumbled ‘hello’ to you.

You were surprised he asked for your number. The banter between the two of you , and how charming he was seemed to brighten your morning just a bit— and since JJ hadn’t seemed to be confessing his undying love for you any time soon , it seemed to be the right time to try and put yourself out there.

“No way you actually gave some random guy your number.” JJ scoffed from the side of you. He wasn’t sure why hearing you talk about another guy that way made him feel so. . . mad. Sure he cared about you , but never really paid attention to what kind of care it was. He always chalked it up to knowing you his whole life , declaring you his bestfriend for life. But watching the way your eyes danced amongst the flame with a certain girlish glow , his heart beat faster than he had ever felt before.

You rolled your eyes. “Okay and? It’s not like you don’t give out your number at every boneyard party.” You defended yourself.

“She’s right.” Pope pointed at her.

“Yeah I think it’s sweet.” Kiara gushed , hyping it up more than it really was. She knew JJ had a crush on you— anyone with two eyes could see that. He was just too stupid to bother realizing it. “It’ll be like those movies where the girl falls for the guy from the coffee shop.” She placed a hand on her heart dramatically. “That’s like , super romantic.”

“I know!” You sighed dreamily. You had always been such a romantic. Reading , writing , watching it. Those silly little cliche book plots coming to life.

JJ rolled his eyes. “It’s not that romantic.”

“Why’re you being such a hater right now?” You asked JJ , crossing your arms over your chest annoyed. “You should be happy for me! Stuff like this never happens to me.”

JJ began to think back over the years before realizing that you were right. You were always with him or the other Pogue’s and when there were parties , he’d find some girl to mess around with somewhere before finding you so you two could go home together like you always had. He hadn’t remembered the last time you even talked about liking someone. His chest began to ache at that— feeling bad. Of course he wanted romantic stuff to happen for you so why did he feel so defensive about it? Sighing , he shook his head of the confusing feelings. “You’re right , I’m sorry. What was his name?”

He swallowed down whatever he thought he was feeling , doing what he did best ; ignoring the problem until it eventually went away. Because he couldn’t think of you like that. . . The two of you were just friends. You always had been— right?

John B and Pope shared a knowing look. You smiled obliviously and continued.

“Nate.”

“Nate?” John B asked with his face turning red.

“Yeah?”

“As in Nate Montero?” Pope pressed further.

JJ shifted in his seat uncomfortably , looking at you. “As in the guy who cut my hair in Kindergarten?!”

You covered your mouth as you gasped , remembering how much JJ had cried because some kid on the playground cut a chunk of his hair off. The name did seem familiar to you at the time but you hadn’t even remembered then. JJ’s face was scrunched up with disgust while the Pogue’s doubled over into laughter. How ironic.

“It was a long time ago!” You groaned.

“I don’t give a shit! That little bastard cut my hair. The hair I had been growing for years.” He threw his hands up in the air. “You can’t go out with him.” JJ said immediately with his nose turned in the air.

“Oh yes I can.”

JJ raised his eyebrows at you , taken aback by the seriousness in your voice. Something bubbled inside of him— something he couldn’t quite figure out. Whatever it was , though , he didn’t like it. “That’s like a betrayal!” He said after a few seconds.

“John B literally dates Sarah Cameron!” You pointed out , giving him a soft smile of apology when he shot you a look. “Sorry but it’s true.”

“She isn’t wrong.” Kiara chirped up.

“You’re literally friends now!” Scoffed John B.

“Yeah— now.” You pointed out. “But at first there was hella beef that was deeper than getting your hair snipped in Kindergarten.”

John B groaned. “Can we not bring me up into this? This is between you and JJ.”

“There’s nothing between me and JJ—” you ignored the way your stomach began to hurt at that. The words only fueling your desire to see the guy , Noah , from the coffee shop again. “I’m seeing him.”

“Y/N this conversation isn’t over!” JJ called after you once you picked up your beer can and started walking towards the house. You didn’t bother looking back , throwing him the middle finger as you disappeared behind the doors.

JJ’s eyes turned to slits and looked at the Pogue’s with an annoyed expression. “Can you believe her?”

“Believe what? That she finally finds a guy attractive other than you?” Kiara folded her arms across her chest. “If you aren’t going to be with her then let someone else who wants to be and be happy for her.”

JJ furrowed his eyebrows at Kiara. He glanced at Pope and John B before looking back at her. “Y/N/N does not find me attractive.” He waved her off.

“Oh please.” Pope muttered under his breath.

“I say we just let this play out.” John B stretched out with a yawn.

“This could end badly—” Pope pointed out.

“Or JJ will finally get his head out of his ass.” Kiara snorted.

JJ stood up in front the Pogue’s with an uneasy look. “I don’t know what you’re all talking about but the only way this ends badly is if Y/N decides to go ahead with that guy. He’s bad news.” He huffed , running back into the Chateau.

“He’s so jealous.” John B smirked while shaking his head.

“Very.”

It had been very tense between the two of you. You were so mad at him for thinking he had any right to tell you who you could or couldn’t date— especially after years of pining after him , and watching him go through girl after girl without so much as glancing your way. You weren’t going to keep hoping for someone to look at you anymore.

Nate had texted you to meet up and you did. It was a nice date , nothing too fancy or mind blowing. Just a simple date. One that ended in a small goodbye kiss on John B’s front porch— the place you normally stayed on on the weekends when your parents were out and about , barely thinking twice about you.

You were glimmering when you walked back in. You figured the Pogue’s would be in the backyard like they always were , so you breezed past the living room and into the kitchen for a glass of water. Your thoughts were everywhere because you did like Nate , and the kiss left you breathless— but it wasn’t like what you thought it would be. Though , none of the past kisses ever were. There was always something missing , making you rethink them.

“Oh so the traitor is back.” JJ strolled into the kitchen without looking at you , his tone hard.

This had been the first time in the past two days he bothered talking to you. You figured he was just pissy you decided to go out with Nate after all , despite the silly Kindergarten incident.

“Why are you mad?” You put down your water bottle and stepped in front of him so he couldn’t look away from you.

“I’m not mad. I just think you could choose better people to kiss.” JJ said. His fingers dancing towards the side of her face.

You felt your breath catch in your throat. Pulling your face away from his hand , you sighed. “If this is about what happened in fricking Kindergarten—”

JJ grabbed your face in his hands , your cheeks hollowing out between your teeth as he did so. You looked at him through fluttering eyelashes , your cheeks burning up. “This isn’t about what happened.” He murmured to you.

This whole conversation had him thinking. That feeling he was feeling— it wouldn’t go away. He had tossed and turned all night that night because his stomach was so sick thinking about you with someone else. He didn’t know why it never occurred to him that you’d eventually find someone else. He didn’t know why he wasted away all this time being with girls who didn’t mean anything. JJ wanted to kiss you. And to hold you like more than a friend. He didn’t want you with Nate— or with anyone. And he felt so bad about never realizing it , and always pushing away those feelings you’d make him feel because he was scared to lose you.

But he couldn’t lose you to someone else.

“I don’t want you to kiss Nate. . .” JJ breathed , inching closer to your face. Your eyes were wide with shock as you watched him , your heart beating crazily in your chest. He still held your face in her hands , watching your reaction to his words. He only hoped that you’d want to kiss him back.

“JJ—” you mumbled. “What’re you—”

“I want to kiss you.” JJ told you , swiping his thumb on your bottom lip. “Only if you’ll kiss me.”

Your heart began to race as you studied JJ’s face. The crush that you had buried inside of you for years was bursting in your chest , making friends with the butterflies in your stomach. Your mouth went dry as you looked at him. JJ left go of the hold he had on you to simply cup your cheek.

“JJ don’t be mean.” You whispered. “If you’re doing this just because I went out with Nate—”

“This isn’t because of Nate.” JJ cut you off. “Not completely , anyway. It was at the beginning but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. His hands on you.” His left hand slithered down to your waist , snaking around it. “Your lips on his.” His other hand pulled at your bottom lip again. “I got jealous.”

You stared at stunned. “Jealous?”

“I think I like you , Y/N.” JJ sighed to himself , looking at you sweetly. “And I think I’ve always known but I just ignored thinking it would go away.”

You swallowed thickly looking up at him. “Did it?”

“No.” He shook his head. “It didn’t.”

“Then. . .” you took a deep breath and stood taller , clearing your throat to sound more confident. “Then I think I want you to kiss me.”

With wild eyes , JJ was treading a line he wasn’t sure it was safe to cross. But the way his heart burned inside of his chest , his ears ringing and pulse getting faster— it would be worth whatever outcome if it meant he got to feel what it was like to kiss you. JJ got closer to you , so close that you felt his breath fan your face. “Do you think or do you know?”

Quietly you weighed your options in your head. There were so many things going through your mind , telling you a million different things. But the way you felt was telling you to kiss him. Finally. After all this time— you wanted to make him wait it out like you had for so long. But you couldn’t control yourself. “I know.” You took the initiative to connect your lips to his , tired of this waiting game. It was either now or never.

He kissed you back immediately. His hands finding home around your waist. His knees felt weak and your heart felt mushy. As your head tilted to the side , a sense of relief fell over you. This was it. This was why no other kiss had ever compared or felt like it mattered. Because it was JJ , it was always JJ.

He was your missing piece to it all.

JJ was the first to pull away , breathless. He felt crazed as he looked at you with eyes wild. Nothing had ever felt like this with him— no other girl could ever compare to you.

“Like I said. . . this ended badly!” Pope bursted out , practically falling out into the kitchen. Kiara and John B rolled their eyes at him.

“Finally!” Kiara groaned. “I was so sick of the sappy back and forth shit.”

“I for one , agree.”

You hid your face in your hands embarrassed while JJ smirked triumphantly. “I have a full head of hair and I got the girl.”

“I hate you.”

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oliveswiftly · 5 hours ago

Text

Pieces of You // JJ Maybank

summary: you had grown tired of JJ's reckless nature and were suffering the silent treatment post-argument. so it's only fitting the next time he's careless it's to save you.

request: Heyyy, I love your work with all my heart!! I was wondering if you could write a JJ x reader fic, where in S3 at the end of episode 8 Topper burns the chateau down, but JJ has to save them because they didn’t notice the fire or anything? That would be so nice:)

warnings: minor injuries, angst bc it's me, crappy ending bc I didn't know what else to write ok

navigation

Things had been a little too crazy for you and the Pogues. John B had supposedly managed to get arrested after knocking the shit out of Topper. Sarah did cheat on him after all, so his reaction was warranted in your mind. Kie had been busy dealing with the backlash of her parents while Pope and Cleo seemed to be the only duo without any major complications. Granted, Cleo did have to talk the boy out of killing Rafe for melting the cross but hey, minor details.

You and JJ however, were in the middle of the biggest argument you’d seen. At this point, you don’t even remember how it all happened minus the fact that the two of you stopped speaking shortly after his whole bike incident. JJ had the habit of being a little too careless for someone who had people that needed him and loved him. You were growing really tired of his reckless behavior. You loved JJ more than anything, but sometimes you wished he saw that his actions affected more than just him. You needed to know that he would be okay if you weren’t around to approve of his actions and make sure he didn’t go too far.

JJ had been avoiding you since the moment you caught his gaze on the busted concrete. He knew he was fucked, and royally too. You’d warned him about being more careful and here he was doing powerslides from overpasses.

He couldn’t get the words to work right to explain to you why he acted the way he did. It wasn’t just for the adrenaline rush, or because of his upbringing. JJ genuinely would do anything for you and the Pogues. He just happened to jump to the craziest way of getting there instead of taking the time to think it through.

“Will you just talk to me please?” His voice was pleading as he watched you move around your bedroom in a rushed fashion. You’d been quiet since Topper had dropped everyone off and your boyfriend was losing it with the silence.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you want to talk to me now? Where was this initiative when you practically dumped me off your bike into the truck bed? Or, better yet, where was this when you just stared at me blankly like I wasn’t sobbing over the fact that I thought you were dead?” You were getting angry quickly and JJ didn’t like it.

He hesitated in his response, enough that you let out a huff of air in annoyance before turning away from him again. Recently, JJ panicked easily. It all started once he lost John B but got better for a while, especially when he had you. Now that everything was colliding, JJ was panicking.

“I just didn’t know how else to get the cops away from-”

“You didn’t have to do something that involved you almost dying, JJ!” You shouted this time as the random pieces of clothing dropped from your hands. “I know you care. You care a lot for everyone but JJ… I care about you. I care so much that you break my heart when you do things like this because I can’t lose you! And neither can our friends! I know you don’t think far enough ahead for your personal consequences but please… please think about how everyone else would react if we lost you.”

JJ walked out on you sometime after that. You’d clearly upset him and your friends definitely felt the awkwardness but if you were honest, there was so much tension between everyone right now anyway. Your small family was starting to waver but you knew everything would work out.

Sarah had called you all over to the Chateau, promising good news. You had yet to see her as you slowly approached the group, Kie, Cleo, Pope, and JJ already in attendance. There wasn’t much conversation to begin with, but it all fell silent the moment you stepped into view. Kie gave you a reassuring smile that didn’t do much to ease your nerves.

The blonde girl that had asked for your presence came walking down the steps of the Chateau not long after, sparing the awkward silence. “Hey, um, thanks for waiting. Look who decided to come home.”

John B stepped out of the doors of his childhood home, looking relatively fine for the hell he’d been through. You were shocked that he had managed to get out of jail so quickly, especially with Topper’s family status being put into play.

“Welcome back,” Cleo greeted with a smirk on her face.

“Whoa! Good to see you, man.”

You let out a small laugh at John B’s surprise presence. “Welcome home, JB.”

“You gotta be kidding me,” JJ scoffed from his spot across from you on the large tree branch. John B tucked his hands in his pockets and walked towards all of you solemnly. He looked really upset if you were being honest and it made you wonder what had really happened.

“I have something I want to share with you guys,” Sarah said as she pulled the attention back to her. “I can get us down to Orinoco.”

“Are you serious?”

“What?”

“Okay, how’s that gonna happen?”

“My dad’s gonna let us use the plane-”

“Ward?”

“Your dad?”

You rolled your eyes at the pop-up comments that seemed never-ending. “Can y’all let the girl speak? Geez.”

Sarah’s gaze met yours as she offered up a small thankful smile. “We lay low tonight, then wheels up first thing in the morning.”

“Okay, that’s a lot to process. Your dad actually helping us,” Pope recounted in shock. “So we trusting Ward now?”

“Trust Sarah,” Kie offered with a solidifying nod at her own words.

Pope and Cleo seemed excited about the plan as Sarah spoke up again. “But wait, I also just have one more thing to say. Um… since we’ve gotten back from the island, I’ve done some things I regret. A lot.”

Kie cleared her throat in the awkward silence that followed.

“Yeah, uh…” To your surprise, John B broke the quiet. “I feel…I feel like we’ve all done a thing or two that we regret.” His eyes glanced at the blonde next to him before he looked towards the ground again.

Sarah continued, “And I don’t…Poguelandia, guys. It’s all I’ve been able to think about. We were all together on that island and it was a good thing and I don’t want to ruin a good thing. And I-I just wanna know, are we still all in? Are we still all together? Because I am.”

Kie was the first to agree, wrapping Sarah in a hug before Cleo piled in on top of them.

“I still can’t believe you got the plane!” Pope smiled as he brought the Cameron girl in for a hug. “That’s actually insane.”

You took a deep breath as you watched them, well aware of JJ’s eyes on you. He’d been staring for a while now, always observant when it came to you. You took a few steps forward to embrace Sarah before retreating back to your own space next to Kie.

“Let’s go get Big John, alright? What do you say there, shit bird?” JJ tugged Pope under his arm as he regarded your friend. You found yourself pulled into the group hug next to Kie and Sarah, all of you waiting for John B to complete the circle.

“I think this deserves a woogity.”

You watched from the corner of your eye as John B stayed still in his spot. You shook your head slightly and made eye contact with him while smiling. “How long are you gonna pretend you’re not coming over here?”

Your best friend’s blank exterior broke at the question, glad to see a smidge of positive emotion from you over the past few days. He caved and made his way toward your group, quickly throwing his arms over your shoulders.

“Come over here, funny man. We don’t bite.” The seven of you hugged each other tightly, finally all back in the same place for once in what felt like forever.

“Oh, we’re really doing this, aren’t we?”

Your small family was slowly rebuilding as everyone made their way into the Chateau for the night. John B and Sarah were quick to excuse themselves to his room, leaving the rest of you to entertain yourselves.

“Jay,” You whispered his name quietly as he brushed past you to the kitchen in search of a beer. You blinked sudden tears from your eyes and looked up to the ceiling in an attempt to not cry.

Letting out a deep breath, you quickly made your way to the guest bedroom where you and JJ had spent most of your time. You stared at the colossal mess of your things scattered amongst his along the furniture and floor. Your chest ached at the sight, wishing the two of you weren’t on such poor terms at the moment so you could actually enjoy the peace before setting off on another treasure hunt.

Busying yourself with a shower in the attached bath, you figured some quiet time would help you clear your head and hopefully come up with a game plan of what to say to your boyfriend. You didn’t mean to make him feel like shit for expressing his love the way he did, but you were scared for him.

The hot water of John B’s shower was soothing as you took the quiet time for yourself. Eventually, you had to leave the comforting steam when it began to run cold. Completely disheveled and stressed, you pulled on some comfy clothes and attempted to dry your wet hair before you had to face the music again.

You let out a sigh and reached for the metal doorknob to walk back into the spare bedroom only for a searing pain to stretch across your hand. Jumping back with a yelp, a rush of panic overwhelmed you once you realized how hot it was in the small bathroom.

“JJ!” You yelled instinctively as you searched for the hand towel to possibly grab the handle with. The fabric held the heat off long enough for you to open the door. The sight of bright flickering flames filled the room you and JJ had claimed for yourselves, burning pieces of each other into ashes. You stumbled back in shock before the adrenaline kicked in and you ran into the smoky room in hopes of salvaging some of the items.

“Y/N!” The boy in question came flying through the bedroom door a second later. He could barely see you through the thick smoke but managed to catch a quick movement of your figure across the room. “Y/N, we have to go!”

Your heart was pounding in your ears too loud for you to register his voice. The few items you’d grabbed in a rush were thrown in a canvas tote bag Kie had given you before you spun straight into JJ’s chest.

“We gotta go, baby, come on.” JJ tugged his your t-shirt up over your mouth and nose to help filter the smoke before doing the same and leading you out of the room. Most of the house was covered in the bright orange light of the fire as you observed it in shock. You could barely focus as JJ pushed your hips towards the window of Big John’s office that was left open from their prior escape. He was quick to climb out and turned back to catch you. Glass shattered from another window causing the two of you to duck down and JJ to grab your wrist to tug you away from the structure.

JJ’s grip on your wrist eased up as he brought you towards the dock where everyone had gathered in their escape. Your boyfriend’s touch was gentle as he helped you sit on the ground to take a deep breath and cough out the smoke in your lungs. “It’s okay, ‘m right here, baby.”

Everyone was visibly relieved when they saw you and JJ come running from the smoldering flames on the side of the house. It all happened so fast that they felt guilty for completely forgetting you were in the shower. JJ had taken one small look and took off before anyone had a chance to stop him.

Your hands were shaky with the anxiety and fear that was coursing through your body. In the few moments before you found JJ, you were thinking the worst. You thought you were going to lose the person who mattered most to you in the midst of an argument and that was terrifying. You’d never forgive yourself if you lost JJ ever, but to be on rough terms was a nightmare you’d never recover from.

“Hey, hey. Look at me. Everyone’s fine, I’m right here.” JJ’s blond hair was suddenly visible in your view as he forced you to look up at him and uncurl from the ball you’d shifted into. “What did you grab?”

You released your suffocating grip on the bag you’d practically filled. In the midst of your panic, you didn’t realize your friends had moved away to give you and JJ some space. You settled back against the posts of the wooden dock to watch as he went through the items you grabbed.

JJ’s favorite hoodie, a handful of Polaroids Kiara had taken of your group, his rings, the necklace he’d saved up to buy you for your anniversary. JJ was careful with the items as he shifted through them, his eyes suddenly damp with tears.

“Y/N, sweetheart, all of this is replaceable. You aren’t,” He consoled as he finally made eye contact with you. Both of you were crying now, emotions running high from the events that just took place.

You took a shaky breath as you fought back the sob threatening to break through. “I...I felt like that room was us. All of our memories, and it was just crumbling and you weren’t there. JJ, I can’t lose you.”

“I know, I know.” JJ didn’t hesitate to pull you against his chest as you cried against him. He’d felt the panic himself a few moments before when he realized you were still showering and blissfully unaware of the damage awaiting outside. JJ refused to let you be in pain because of him and his actions from here on out. It wasn’t fair to any of your friends but especially you. “Not doing anything majorly stupid from here on out. Maybe just a little here and there, but-”

You laughed slightly and pulled your head from his shirt to look over his shoulder where the Chateau was crumbling from the flames. Heart heavy, you leaned your cheek against JJ’s shoulder and let him hold you, hoping this was the lowest your group could go and things could only look up from here.

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oliveswiftly · 5 hours ago

Note

Hi there! I came across your blog today and i love your writing! I was wondering if you do imagine requests from people and if you do, if you could do one of JJxReader and storyline of the reader has an abusive parent like JJ but only Kie knows because that’s her best friend plus the parents knows how to hide it. So when the reader shows up with bruises scattered on her face unannounced, everyone gets worried ? Thank you love❤️

i got you | jj maybank

gif creds to its respective owner ! <3

SUMMARY: you've been struggling in silence almost your whole life, with only one of your best friends aware of your abusive father. after one disastrous night, your worst fear comes true when your boyfriend inevitably finds out your painful secret.

PAIRINGS: jj maybank x fem!reader

WORD COUNT: 7.3k

WARNINGS: fluff, ABUSE (PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THIS IS A TRIGGER FOR YOU)

A/N: first request kinda nervous lol but seriously thank u so much for sending in a request, i'm sorry this took so long to get to. i hope you enjoy :)

again, i need to reiterate that THERE IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THIS STORY. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. basically what you see happen to jj in the show is how Y/N's home life is like. reader feels some guilt, like her problems don't deserve attention, which is NOT true. everyone's trauma is valid, this is just one of the things she struggles with.

if you go through anything depicted in the story, you are not alone. please feel free to message me to vent/discuss resources. i love u all <3

☼ ☼ ☼

You gently bop your head to the music coming out from your car’s speakers, tapping your fingers on the wheel and keeping your gaze on the doors of The Wreck. You roll down the window to get a better look, eyes searching for your curly-haired best friend.

You spot a couple tourons walking in and out before you see Kiara emerge from the white wooden doors. You honk the horn at her, in short playful beeps, and she flashes you a big grin.

“How’s it going, Kie?” You ask as she opens the car door and gets in the passenger seat, “Good shift?”

“Eh,” She waves her hand at you, “I cut up vegetables for a good two hours, so, that was fun.”

You laugh as you put the car into ‘drive’ and exit the parking lot. “Well, you smell heavenly. I could go for a fish-and-chips right about now.”

She groans, leaning her head against the window, “Please, don’t talk about food right now.”

You stop at a red light and turn to look at her. “At least you have all that to soak up the alcohol tonight.” You say, wiggling your brows. Her face slightly lights up at the mention of the kegger you and your friends were throwing. It’s about 3pm, and you’ve made plans to get there around 5.

Kiara folds her hands in her lap, expectantly. “Wanna come back to mine to get ready? I can text the boys to pick us up on the way there.”

“Uh…” You start, but close your mouth before you can answer, as flashbacks from earlier this morning play through your head of your dad screaming at you for having to take the car. “I might just go home for a bit, if that’s okay. I need to help my brother with something.”

She furrows her brows at you and tilts her head, “Isn’t your brother at his friends for the weekend?”

Shit. You begin to fumble with your fingers, praying for the light to turn green. “Yeah, but, I promised to do his share of the chores so he could go.” You feel bad for blatantly lying to your best friend, the girl who’s literally seen it all. You can easily just tell her the truth about how your parents were upset with you and that you didn’t want to play with fire, but you think this is the easiest way. You did not want to burden her with all the shit that you have to deal with at home.

The light finally turns green before she can question you anymore, and you decide to play some music to ease the light tension floating through the air. The rest of the drive back to her house is chill, windows down as you sing along to the lyrics while Kiara hits her vape.

When you pull up to her driveway, you’re just about to give her a hug when she says, “Y/N, is it your dad?”

You instinctively lean back from her, getting a bit defensive. “No.” You quip, and look straight ahead. “I told you, I’ve gotta clean the house.”

You see her purse her lips through your peripheral before she lets out a sigh. She definitely can see right through you, but she’s known you long enough to know when you don’t wanna be pushed any further.

“Just… Call me, okay?” She says.

You nod at her, and force yourself to smile. “Text when you’re on your way.”

~ ~ ~

“Oh my fucking God!” You scream through your bathroom door that you’ve just slammed shut, running your hands through your hair, “I’ve already told you! I’m just going out with my friends!”

You jump as the door flings back open, smacking against the wall and causing you to fall back against your sink in surprise. Your dad storms in, veins protruding from his neck as he points his finger at you, “Don’t you dare slam the door on me!”

Your previous yelling is suddenly turned into a pathetic whisper as you lock eyes onto the man you unfortunately have to call your father. “I didn’t mean to–”

He makes his way over to you, his finger right in your face. You try to create more distance between the two of you, but your space is limited as your back painfully digs into the hard porcelain of your sink.

“I don’t care what you’ve told me, you don’t talk to me like some spoiled brat, you understand?!”

You swallow and don’t say anything else, because you know if you do, it’d just anger him more for ‘talking back’.

His finger presses into your sternum, and you’re sure it will start moving with how hard your heart is beating. “You’re not going out tonight, and that’s final.” He says through clenched teeth.

“I already told my friends I would,” You say, quietly.

He lets out a barking laugh which only makes you more scared as he gets louder. “You think you can just walk all over me, don’t ya?”

You shake your head, “No, I–”

“And you think I’m just gonna let ya treat me like shit?” He questions, removing his finger from your chest. “No kid of mine is gonna step all over their father like he’s just some dirt under their shoe.”

You continue shaking your head at his delusion. All you did was come home, say hi, and try to retreat into the safety of your room. Of course, you only just made it through the front door before he started to interrogate you, asking all sorts of questions about the car and where you’ve been. It didn’t take long before it turned into a full-on heated argument, since he found out you were going out to a party.

“I’m not stepping all over you, I’m just trying to tell you that I’m going out with my friends. Why is that so bad?” You ask, trying to push him away from you. The foul smell of cigarette smoke was making you sick.

“Nah,” Your father shakes his head menacingly at you, “You think you can just take my car whenever you want for your little friends, take advantage of your mother’s food and shelter, come and go whenever you please? All while treating me like shit in the process?”

You feel more anger bubbling up inside you at the mention of your mother. You hate when he brings her up in arguments because it’s always at his own convenience, only when he can use her against you, like she hasn’t been in the same position as you are right now many times before.

“Don’t talk about Mom,” You say through your gritted teeth. “She’s done more for me and my brother than you’ve ever–”

“Shut up!” Your father yells, smacking the wall behind you, inches away from your head. You hold your breath and look down at the floor, awaiting the consequences of his outburst. “You ungrateful little bitch, shut up! You have no idea what I’ve done since the day you were born!”

You almost laugh at his comment, but restrain yourself for obvious reasons. You knew that your father had a difficult upbringing himself, as you never even spoke to your grandparents before. But how can you appreciate him when he makes every night a living hell for you? How can you be grateful when he makes you feel guilty simply for existing?

“Y/F/N, that’s enough.” You hear your mothers voice from outside your bathroom.

Your father whips his head around to look at her. You gaze at her with pleading eyes, begging her to just leave it alone. If she gets involved, this night will turn into something completely different.

“She understands,” Your mom continues.

“Don’t fucking speak for her!” Your dad shouts before turning back at you, “I’m the man of this house, you’ll answer to me yourself.” He spits at you.

It takes everything in you to comply, but you do it for the sake of you and your mother, “I understand.”

“You better.” He begins walking away from you.

“But I’m still going out with my friends, Dad. I already made the plans–” You curse internally for saying any more, because in a split second you feel a sharp sting on your cheek.

“What did I say about talking back to me?! Huh?!” He shouts at you as you hold the side of your face and try to stop yourself from crying. “You’re not going anywhere tonight, or you’ll be sorry.”

He stares at you for a few more moments before leaving the room, brushing past your mother’s shoulder and heading down the stairs.

Once he’s gone, you immediately turn towards the mirror and examine your face. He didn’t hit you as hard as he usually does, so there was only a slight red tinge to your cheek. You sigh in relief as you realize you can easily fix any evidence with a bit of foundation.

Your mother opens her mouth, but is soon shut up at the sound of your fathers voice bellowing out from downstairs. “Don’t you fucking talk to her, Y/M/N! She needs to mind her fucking manners in this house.”

So instead, she sends you a sad smile and reassuring gaze, almost as if she’s telling you it’ll be okay. You roll your eyes at her silence and close the door, pulling out your makeup bag.

You were right, only a thin layer of foundation is enough to make your skin appear smooth and glossy like it once was. After you apply some mascara and chapstick, your phone dings with a notification.

Kie: heyy, the boys just got to my house. we’ll come get u in 5.

With hesitant fingers, you reply.

Y/N: don’t worry about it, i’ll meet you guys there :)

Kie: u okay?

Y/N: yes. just need to finish washing these dishes.

Kie: we’ll come get u if u need, Y/N.

seriously it’s not a big deal

Y/N: i know, that’s why i’m telling you i’ll meet you there.

just go, kie. i’ll text when i’m leaving.

You sigh as you place your phone down and swallow the lump in your throat. The last thing you want is for your friends to show up at your house, especially after being yelled at for that reason. Your father was pretty adamant about letting you out of the house, so if you wanted to go, you'd have to sneak out.

You slowly open your bathroom door and make your way to the top of the stairs, leaning your ear down to listen to what your parents are doing. All you can hear is the quiet muffle of a sports game and clatter in the kitchen. The coast is clear.

You quickly change into shorts and a cropped sweatshirt, tying your hair back with the elastic band that was previously wrapped around your wrist, and grab your bag. You quietly begin to open your window, looking back every few seconds in caution to make sure you don’t hear anyone come up. Once you get the window open, you carefully stretch yourself through the small opening, closing the window behind you with extreme care.

You let out a breath of relief at the fact that you’ve made it out safely, and begin to climb down the side of your roof and onto the crates stacked at the side of your house. You decide to make a run for it as soon as you hit the ground, not taking any chances with being caught.

Soon enough, you’re on the road and on your way to your friends. Your true family.

~ ~ ~

It doesn’t take long for you to spot your blond boyfriend, who’s currently doing a keg stand with John B and Pope holding him up. You push your way through the loud chatter crowding the beach, and smile at them once they notice you.

“There she is!” JJ says with a howl, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before holding his arms out to you.

You laugh as he takes you into a bear-hug, kissing your temple. “You’ve certainly had quite a bit to drink already.”

He shrugs, a playful smirk curving at his lips. “Just a bit.”

“Y/N, hey.” Kiara comes into ear shot and hugs you as well. “You okay?”

You groan, “Kie, would you stop asking? I’m here, aren’t I?”

The concerned glint in her dark eyes doesn’t go away, so you resort to wrapping your arms around Pope and John B’s shoulders, smiling around at your friends. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to get fucked up.”

And you really are. Sometimes you get so overwhelmed when thinking about your family and your future, not knowing when you’ll be able to get out, and especially not knowing if you’ll wake up tomorrow unharmed. You want to forget about it all, and spending the night drinking and having a good time with your best friends is the best way to do it.

“Sarah, pass me that drink your holding, will you?” You grin.

Sarah smiles at you, about to pass it over when JJ says, “Nah, you want this shit, right here.” He hands you a cup, the one he was previously drinking from. You laugh, taking it from him and chugging it all down in one go. “Damn,” JJ grins at you.

You squint your eyes at the burning liquid inflaming the walls of your throat, already feeling better. “Refill!”

You get your refill. And again. And again. You’ve finished so many cups throughout the night that you can’t even count anymore, exactly the way you like. Being with your best friends and boyfriend was absolute bliss compared to the scrutiny you face at home.

Some point in the party, Sarah snaps a shot of you laughing and dancing with JJ, and you find yourself wishing you could be that picture, frozen forever in this moment.

“I love you, J, so much.” You say as you hug JJ, even though upbeat music is echoing throughout the beach. “You know that, right?”

You feel him grin against your ear, “Yes, I do. You tell me almost every day.”

“I can’t help it,” You chuckle, leaning your head up, resting your chin against his chest and looking right up at him, “I do. I love you so so so much.”

“The best part about you is that it’s not even the alcohol talking,” He teases, but leans down to kiss you. When he pulls away, he places both hands on your cheeks and whispers, “I love you too. My pretty girl.”

You feel tears prick in your eyes, and you aren’t even sure why. Maybe it is all the alcohol, but you just feel so warm and full of love that you can explode. You guess that everything you don’t get with your family, you make up for it with your friends.

“Are you crying?” JJ asks, with slight concern and confusion, interrupting you from your swirling thoughts. When you don’t say anything back due to the fear that if you do you’d get worse, he pulls you into his arms and slightly chuckles, “Baby, what’s the matter?”

“Nothing!” You drunkenly shout over the music and into his shirt, but you can see your mascara smudging on the white fabric of his tee. “I don’t know why I’m so emotional right now… I– Blame it on the drinking, I guess.”

He nudges his chin down so he can get a better look at you, and presses his lips together in a way that suggests he knows you’re not telling him the true story. He’s right, but you definitely weren’t going to give him all the details. “I just… hate my fucking dad.” You say, slightly hesitant but also loudly as you can’t force yourself to act put-together when you were feeling anything but.

Then you suddenly feel ashamed that you even brought it up at all. Why are you here about to spill all your issues about your home life to your boyfriend who experiences a much worse fate every day? You know he would tell you that your problems are just as important as his, but you definitely didn’t feel that way.

You’re about to take it back when JJ brings one hand up to stroke your hair, “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

You laugh through your teary eyes at the absurdity of it all. He’s completely unbeknownst to the problems you face at home, but here this boy was, knowing damn well about who his own father is, and he’s still making sure you’re his first priority without even bringing up himself.

“No, everything is fine.” You say, pulling away slightly so you’re face-to-face with him.

He furrows his brows and begins to say, “Are you sure–?”

“Yes,” You cut him off by quickly pecking his lips. “Let’s not talk about parents, yeah? The night is still young, and I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.”

He looks conflicted, as if he wants to press further, but appears to shake off his thoughts and smiles at you. “Listen, they’re playing your favourite.”

You grin, feeling content once again as you grab his arm and make your way to the middle of the beach, dancing and laughing together next to the blazing bonfire.

~ ~ ~

About a few hours later, you find yourself throwing up into the ocean, gripping onto your stomach. JJ’s laughing and holding your loose ponytail away from your face. “Easy, babe.”

You groan and wipe your mouth, cupping some water in your hand and gurgling the salty liquid in your mouth to wash the horrid taste off from your tongue. When you turn to him with a groggy look, he smiles and kisses you. “Okay, I think that’s enough for tonight.”

You gently shove him, “Shut up, you can barely walk yourself.” You’re right, because your playful push almost knocks him over. Laughing, you two wrap your arms around each other and walk back to the party.

“Alright, y’all, I think it’s time to head out.” Sarah says once you and JJ make it back to the group.

You let out a defeated sigh as you look around the beach, seeing people slowly leave the party. “Nooo,” You mumble, resting your head on JJ’s shoulder, “I’m having so much fun.” You drunkenly slur your words.

Pope laughs at your comment, “It’s almost midnight.”

Your eyes widen as you shoot your head up, feeling dizzy at the abrupt motion. “Shit. My dad’s gonna kill me.”

Kiara quickly looks at you, taking your words very seriously. Since most of you are more than intoxicated, you’re afraid that she’ll spill your abuse to your friends, and you can’t have that happen. She’s the only one that knows about your dad, and you’d like to keep it that way. Especially having a boyfriend who goes through the same – if not, worse – treatment as you in his own home, you can never want him adding your burden to his plate.

“No, no, no,” You shake your head at Kiara, “It’s all good, he thinks I’m asleep.”

“You snuck out?” JJ looks at you with a smirk, “That’s my girl, just like me.”

You forcefully grin back at him, partially truthful because his words of endearment always get you feeling happy, but also strained because he doesn’t know it’s much more serious than just you having a bit of rebellious fun.

“Right, well, I can’t drive.” John B says blatantly, and holds his keys out to the group. “Pope, you’re the only one who just drank a couple beers.”

Pope rolls his eyes, taking the keys from John B. “How did I know this was going to happen? I swear, I can never have fun like the rest of you guys.”

You laugh and ruffle his hat over his head, “Like you’d ever get as drunk as us.”

He deadpans you, “Keep the sign–”

“Yeah, yeah,” JJ says as you all begin to walk to the van. “You keep the signal clear, we know.”

It takes you all a few minutes before you’re finally inside the car, due to all of you stumbling and laughing over each other. But once you’re finally buckled up inside, you notice Pope driving the familiar route to John B’s house.

“Wait, no.” You frown and reach to the front seat, placing your hand on Pope’s shoulder. “I need to go home.”

“I thought we were all crashing at John B’s tonight?”

“I can't,” You begin to shake your head, anxiety coursing through you. “I need to be home when my parents wake up.”

“No,” JJ mumbles, half passed out from the liquor, “Stay.” He whines, gripping your waist and pulling you back into his lap.

You close your eyes at the feeling of your boyfriends callused, yet soft hands holding you close. You sigh into his touch as you feel him kiss the top of your hand, and all you want to do is tell Pope to keep driving, so you can spend the night with the person you love the most. Completely safe and at ease.

But you can’t, or you’ll ‘be sorry’. “Home, please, Pope.” You say, sadly clinging onto JJ’s shirt as you take in his scent.

JJ says lowly into your ear, sleepiness evident in his tone, “I want you to stay, baby.” He buries his head in your neck, “Stay with me.”

You feel like crying at the soft tone in his voice, but all you can do is hug him back, cherishing the last few minutes alone with him before having to inevitably go back to your own personal hell.

Once the van pulls up to your house, you have to shake JJ awake to say bye. “Goodnight,” You coo at him, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips as he struggles to open his eyes. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“M’kay, sunshine. Love you.” He says, quickly falling back to his slumber.

You say bye to the rest of your friends – only Pope and Sarah were still awake – and exit the car, miscalculating your step and landing on your ass. You let out a groan as you place your hands on your lower back, stretching out the ache.

“Oh my gosh–” Sarah pops her head out the window, smacking her forehead against the top of the car, “Do you need us to walk you inside?” She rubs her head, looking at you through her fingers.

“No, no.” You get up slowly, wiping the gravel off your legs. “It’ll just be worse. Pope, don’t wait up. Get the rest of these fuckers back safe, okay?”

Pope nods at you, sending you a smile and placing his hands on the wheel, “I’ll wait for you to get inside.”

You begin walking to your house, but throw your hand up towards Pope, gesturing for him to drive. “Just go, I have to sneak in. I don’t want them hearing a car engine when I come inside.”

He looks a bit cautious, because this definitely goes against his morals. He always waits for his friends to get inside before leaving, but you guess he believed you when you said that it’ll make matters worse if your parents catch them. Of course, if any of them knew about what ‘worse’ actually meant, you doubt they would let you ever step back inside your house.

As you make your way to the crates to start your climb back up, you realize just how drunk you are. You usually struggle with trying to sneak back in sober, let alone after a night of drinking countless shots. You grip onto the corners of the first few crates, but quickly slip off, causing one of them to knock over and land with a loud bang! in the grass.

“Shit, shit, shit,” You curse to yourself, feeling the world spinning around you. You turn back around to see if Pope did end up waiting, so that you can tell them you’ve changed your mind and you’re coming with them. But, he listened to you, so he’s gone.

You have no choice but to attempt to enter through the front door. You aren’t that religious, but you find yourself praying to the gods above that your father won’t be asleep on the couch like he usually is. The paranoia oozing out of your pores doesn’t seem to help sober you up at all, as you feel like you have no idea what’s going on while making your way to the door.

With shaky fingers, you begin to rattle with the doorknob, finally getting it to inch open. You aren’t sure if it’s because of how silent the night is or how drunk you are, but the screeching sound that it initially makes seems deafening.

Once you’re inside, you try to adjust your eyes to the dark room, having only the light from the fridge provide some sight.

Wait– The fridge light. Why is it open?

“Where the fuck have you been?” Your father suddenly comes into view, crushing his beer can down on the kitchen counter as he slams the refrigerator door shut.

“I– I just went for a quick walk. To clear my head, that’s it, I swear–” You stutter, choking over your words and feeling light headed as you see him stomp over to you.

“Bullshit. Fucking lying right to my face. Unbelievable!” You barely notice his fist swing at you before it makes contact with your cheekbone. “Your bed was empty all night!”

You can’t even process the pain of his fist before he’s breathing right in your face. Based on the strong stench of alcohol that clouds your senses, you can tell he’s also been drinking. Both of you being drunk out of your minds was definitely not a good thing.

“What are you, fucking drunk?!” He booms at you, grabbing a fistful of your hair and pulling you closer towards him as he looks in your eyes. “The fucking nerve you have coming home like this–”

You welp at the harsh pulling coming from the back of your neck, and you push him back as hard as you can. He knocks into the coffee table before looking up at you with murderous eyes.

You’re so petrified that you can’t even move, even though he’s coming back at you, fast. “You stupid bitch– Putting your hands on me?!”

You reach behind you, gripping onto the front door knob, but before you can even begin to twist it open, you feel hands around your throat. Your father throws you back and behind him before smacking your face with the back of his hand. “How dare you?!” He yells, and you hear your mother running down the stairs.

He raises his hand again, but you shield your face and cry out, “Stop! Stop it!”

Your mother grabs your fathers arm and tries to restrain him, but that seems to only strengthen his determination, as he pushes your mother off him and hits you again. All this screaming, crying, and violence was too much for you right now. Your pain mixed with the burning liquor bubbling around in your gut causes you to feel sick again.

You feel the same retracting sensation in your throat from earlier at the beach, and suddenly vomit spews out of you, pooling at your feet. Your father lets out a disgusted shout as he wipes some off his jeans. Your head is pounding, you can barely make sense of your surroundings. All you know is that you’re on the floor now, laying on your side and trying not to focus on the pain that’s overcoming your face.

You slowly start to drift in and out of consciousness, and you can only manage to make out increments of what your father is saying to your mother, “Your daughter comes home drunk… You deal with this shit… I’m fucking done…”

The last thing you remember is looking into your mother’s teary eyes and her whispering, “It’s okay, honey. Go to sleep. You’re okay.”

~ ~ ~

You wake up suddenly, jolting up and throwing your legs off the side of the surface you were laying on. You realize you’re on your couch, and based on the bright sun glaring through the blinds, it can’t be much past 6am.

Looking around your living room, you notice it’s completely cleaned up. Your mess – as well as your dad’s bottles and dishes – was gone.

“Mom?” You call out, and almost right after she walks into the living room, holding a glass of water.

“Hey,” She sighs, handing you the glass, as well as an ibuprofen. “How are you feeling?”

“Where’s Dad?” You ask, gripping the cup so hard you feel like it might scatter to pieces at any second.

She places her hand on your knee, “Gone. He left last night after I told him I’d call the police. He’s probably crashing at the Maybanks.”

Worry immediately consumes you, but is quickly put to rest after you remember that JJ wasn’t home. He was safe at John B’s. You let out a sigh of relief, closing your eyes and burying your face in your hands after swallowing the pain-killer.

“Listen, honey…” Your mother starts, “This won’t happen again. I promise you. I’m sorry it took me so long but I–” She catches herself, and she looks like she’s holding back tears. “I’ll get us out of here. I promise you.”

All you can do is smile sadly at her and nod. Sometimes you find yourself holding some sort of resentment against her for not leaving sooner, but you always remember how she goes through the same thing as you. Having no money, it’s not that simple as to just pick up your things and leave. Your mother was a victim to your father, just like you were, and you feel proud of her for finally getting herself out of the black hole.

“Thanks for cleaning up,” You mumble, getting to your feet. “I’m gonna wash up.”

You reach the bathroom and gasp as you see your reflection. This has never happened before. Sure, your father would have nights that were worse than others, but never has it shown on your face like this.

You count about five different marks on your face. Your eyebrow has a small cut on it, and you have one bruise directly under your eye, one on your jawline, and few red marks scattered throughout. You didn’t feel much pain, probably from the numbness you have towards the entire situation and the ibuprofen. After splashing your face with cool water and brushing your teeth, you start to get your bag so you can begin the cover-up process, but panic suddenly shoots through you.

You left your stuff in the van. Kiara still has your bag.

“Fuck!” You shout, pressing your forehead against the mirror. Your heavy breathing fogs up the reflective surface as you begin to list your options. You don’t have very many. Your bag has almost everything in it… Your makeup, your wallet, and most importantly – your phone. So you can’t even text your friends to drop it off, or call your brother to see if he could quickly pick it up. You have nothing.

You enter your kitchen and check the time on the stove. 6:04am. The only thing you can do is go to the Chateau and pray that none of them have woken up yet. That way, you can quickly grab your bag and come home. That way, you can cover everything up and go about life like normal.

You quickly brush your hair, letting it frame your face to hide it as much as possible, and leave for your friend's house. You get there in record time, just under ten minutes. You give yourself a second to catch your breath and slow your panting before quietly opening John B’s screen door.

Everything in the house is still, and you see all of your friends sprawled throughout the main floor, sleeping everywhere from the floor to the couches. You take a low, deep breath as you tiptoe over their sleeping bodies, eyes scanning the room for your brown beach bag.

You finally spot it — right next to JJ’s arm, leaning against the couch he’s sleeping on. You slow down even more to ensure that you don’t make any noise, and hesitantly reach down to grab it. Once it’s hooked safely around your shoulder, you quickly begin to shuffle out of the room.

You almost make it to the door before you jump in your step, completely taken by surprise and almost dropping your bag.

“Y/N?”

You turn your head slightly and see John B lift himself up on his elbow, his other hand rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and squints at you, “Oh, hey. I didn’t know you spent the night? Didn’t you go home–”

“Yeah,” You press your mouth together and turn back to face the door. He didn’t notice your face, probably because you barely turned and he’s still tired. “I did go home, I just forgot something, so… I’ll just–”

You almost place your hand on the door handle before John B replies. “Oh, okay. I barely remember last night so that’s why I asked–”

“Oh my God,” Kiara’s loud groan joins in the mix, “Will you shut up, John B? I’m trying to sleep. Who are you even talking to…?” She sits up from her position on the pull-out bed, and before you can make a quick escape, she says, “Y/N?”

“Guys, just– Stop.” You say in a whisper-yell, “It’s fine, I just forgot my bag. I’m going back home now.”

“Wait, why don’t you stay for a sec?” Kiara says, but before your brain registers just how close her voice was to you as opposed to where it was before, you feel your shoulder being grabbed and pulled in the other direction. “You’re always in such a rush–”

Her voice quickly comes to a halt as she sees your bruised face. You lower your head in shame and feel your heart rate getting painfully quicker by the second. “Are you…” Kiara says, her face looking so disappointed that it was making you feel queasy. “What… Y/N, you–”

“What? What is it?” John B says, and it’s only a matter of seconds before he’s by your side and also inspecting your face. He immediately raises his eyebrows and covers his mouth, “Holy SHIT–”

“Guys, please,” You say in a low breath, already feeling the familiar sting of salt cloud your eyes.

“What the fuck?!” John B continues, looking completely baffled as his shout echoes the small room.

“Shh,” You plead, placing your hands on John B’s chest, “Please, be quiet. I don’t want to wake–”

“Y/N, are you okay?” Pope’s soft voice carries to your ears and you lock your puffy eyes onto his concerned gaze.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see JJ’s previously still figure begin to shuffle around on the couch. No, no, no… He can’t wake up. He can’t see this. Of course your friends would tell him after, but you just couldn’t stand the thought of him looking at your face and possibly seeing his own reflection.

Before you can see if he fully woke up or not, Sarah covers your vision of him as she immediately grabs your face. “Y/N, oh my God. What–”

“Guys, please!” You finally cry out, feeling extremely overwhelmed with all their concerned shouts and crowding in your face. “Just stop, just… I can’t.” You try to distance yourself from them, and they almost get the message as you feel their hands loosen their grip on you.

“Is that…'' Your throat closes and your chest tightens at the sound of JJ’s tired voice. “Y/N?”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I need to get out of here.

You try to turn around, but your friends are all so close to you that you can barely squeeze past. You hear JJ say from behind Pope and Kiara, “Move, what’s wrong–”

And there it is. The moment you’ve always prayed would never come. The moment where you have to see him react to the ugly truths painted on your face, the ones you desperately tried to shield from him for your entire life.

He suddenly looks wide awake. He wastes no time to roughly push past the rest of your friends and stand right in front of you. He’s about to reach up and grab your face, but quickly stops himself at the possibility that you didn’t want to be touched right now.

“Who–” He says, a look of pure rage overtaking his soft features. “Y/N, what the fuck happened– Are you… Fuck!” He looks completely at war with himself, as if he doesn’t know the right direction to approach this from.

You’re full on sobbing at this point. Seeing all your friends hammer you with questions and attempt to touch you was just too much, you can’t handle it. You feel yourself becoming more and more claustrophobic with each breath. You wrap your arms around yourself and hide your face, feet planted firmly in the ground as you fall frozen to your anxiety. You feel like you can’t breathe.

“Okay, guys– Shut up! Shut up!” Kiara shouts over the noise, “Everyone back the fuck away! Stop harassing her!” She pushes aside all your friends and turns you away from them, “Hey, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. Who do you want, Y/N? Tell me.”

You barely manage to mumble out your boyfriend's name, but she quickly nods and waves her arms to signal everyone else to leave. By the time they leave through the back door, you turn around to deal with the inevitable.

JJ’s look of anger seems to be almost completely faded, as it’s now replaced with a sad, defeated appearance. “Baby…” He whispers, slowly reaching his arm out to you. By the time his fingertips graze your arm, you crash forward against him and crumble into his arms.

He allows you to cry softly against his shoulder for as long as you need without saying a word. You regulate your breathing to the patterns he’s rubbing on your back as his scent manages to calm you down.

When you finally feel ready to talk, you slowly pull away from him and take a deep breath. You can practically see all the worst-case scenarios swimming through JJ’s blue eyes as he looks at you, but he waits for you to speak first.

So you tell him. You tell him all the gruesome details about living with your father, and what you’ve had to endure alone for as long as you can remember. You tell him about your family situation and how it was never this bad. You tell him about all your feelings and fears and everything else in between.

You tell him everything. Way more than what anyone else ever knew.

You don’t know how long it’s been that you’ve been ranting and JJ’s been patiently listening, but you're grateful that your friends remain outside and out of earshot. You will tell them all, eventually. But this in itself was a huge step and you definitely wanted to take it at your own pace.

When you’re finally done, all he does is press his forehead against yours and let out a long sigh. He closes his eyes for a few moments before finally opening them. They’re slightly tinged with a glossy pink, and your heart squeezes at the sight of seeing JJ cry for you.

“I just… I just wish you told me. You didn’t have to deal with this on your own, Y/N.” You shake your head at him, but he places his hand on your jaw. “I understand why you didn’t, though. I get it, completely. But I know more than anyone what it’s like.”

“That’s the problem, J.” You say, sniffling. “You go through ten times worse than me–”

“Stop,” He interrupts, and places the other hand on your face as well, brushing the hair away from your eyes. “Don’t ever say that. Look at you, Y/N.”

“No, but, I told you– This never happens. Not like this. This was the first time.”

“It doesn’t matter, Y/N. There shouldn’t even be a first time.” He gently combs some stray hairs behind your ears, “I swear to God, Y/N… I’m gonna kill him–”

“JJ,” You stop him and grab his hands, bringing them down and interlocking your fingers with his, “No. He’s with your dad. And he’s… Gone. He won't be coming back anymore.”

JJ lets out a disgruntled sigh, and you aren’t sure if it’s relief that you won’t be put in that situation anymore, or because he’s mad that his dad is friends with yours.

“Y/N, listen to me.” He squeezes your hands more tightly, “I swear on my fucking life… I will never let that happen to you again. I promise you.” He kisses your fingertips and closes his eyes, and you pull him into a hug. He holds you close up against him and says into your hair, “You’re gonna be okay, baby.”

“I know,” You swallow and bury your face deeper into his neck, “Thank you. For everything.”

He doesn’t reply to that, and you’re sure it’s because he doesn’t feel like he needs to be thanked for anything at all.

“I love you,” You whisper.

JJ presses a soft kiss against your temple, lingering his lips on your forehead as he whispers, “I love you.”

A wary knock on the door catches your attention, and you crane your head around to look at the screen window. You see Kiara staring at you cautiously, silently asking if everything’s okay. You sadly smile at her as you motion with your hand that they can come back inside.

When your friends make their way into the living room, they’re surprisingly quiet. The last thing you want is for them to walk on eggshells around you because of this. So, you smile at them and say, “I’m okay, guys. I promise. It’s… a lot, but, I’ll tell you all eventually.”

“I’m sorry we freaked out, Y/N.” Sarah speaks up, “I hope we didn’t make you feel worse.”

You shake your head at her, kindly. “No, you didn’t. Trust me, I’m so thankful that I got you guys. I know you were all just worried.”

Pope presses his lips into a line, “Do you need anything?”

You let out a breath, “Honestly, today I think I just wanna relax and be with my friends.”

John B nods, “Yeah, yeah, for sure.”

“Thanks, guys.” You say, resting your head on JJ’s shoulder. “How about some breakfast?”

“Good idea, I’ll go scavenge John B’s fridge.” Sarah says, and they all get up to move to the kitchen.

“Hey,” JJ nudges your head with his shoulder that you were lying on, “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I can do that later.” You shrug.

He grabs your hand and begins to pull you to the bathroom. “Y/N, how many times have you done this for me? Now let me help you.”

Not much of what you always used on JJ was stocked in John B’s bathroom, so he only had a couple things he could help with. But, nevertheless, it made you love him even more. He gently cleanses your cuts and applies the relative creams to your bruises. His touch is so careful, as if he’s afraid of accidentally hurting you.

You find yourself watching him intently the entire time, and by the time he’s done, you can’t help but kiss him. He gently kisses you back, his hands resting at the back of your head.

After you pull apart, you hug him. For the first time, you feel completely at home.

“I got you, baby. Always.”

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oliveswiftly · 5 hours ago

Text

Assigned Seat (JJ Maybank x Reader)

Word count: 2.8K

Summary: JJ won’t sit in the correct seat because it’s not next to you

Tags: fluff, mutual crushes, lots of flirting, JJ being cute, slightly oblivious reader, getting together, everyone ships, just cute fun fr

A/N: binged obx and this is my first fic for it and of course I had to write for JJ- he’s my fave. also, it’s s2 when school starts but let’s say they know that john b is alive before the first day of class bc I don’t want this to be angsty lol

cross-posted to ao3 • writing masterlist

First day back in your first class of the day—Mr. Sunn’s history class—and you were greeted with a seating chart. Usually, you would just sit with your friends, but now you saw that Pope and Kiara weren’t in the same row like they usually would’ve been when you all shared a class. You didn’t even see JJ at all yet. You wondered if he’d show up. It was the one class that you actually had with him, so you hoped he would. Otherwise you wouldn’t see him until lunch break.

You found your seat with ease, but gave Kie a light frown when she turned around and saw you weren’t anywhere close to her or Pope.

About a minute before class was about to start, JJ walked through the door. He spotted you and grinned. He headed for the empty seat beside you and dropped down in it.

“Hey,” JJ greeted. “I was almost late but here I am.”

You laughed a little (mostly because of how proud he sounded). “Yeah, I see that.”

“So, what’s up?” he asked, side eyeing Kie and Pope. “Are we avoiding them for some reason or…?”

“What? No,” you replied quickly. “Appreciate that you were instantly on my side, though,” you said with an amused tone.

JJ smiled at the comment. “I appreciate the appreciation.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled back nonetheless.

“If you two are done flirting, perhaps Mr. Maybank could move to his correct seat and we can get class started,” Mr. Sunn called out suddenly. You and JJ both were startled, realizing he was talking to you

JJ furrowed his brows. “Correct seat?” he whispered. “What is he talking about?”

“There’s a seating chart,” you muttered back, finally remembering.

“What?” JJ asked a little louder. “That’s lame,” he grumbled.

“Well, tough,” Mr. Sunn replied, clearly having heard. “And according to my lame seating chart, you’re on the other side of the room.”

“It’s an empty seat,” JJ pointed out.

“Actually, it’s Mr. Kane’s seat,” Mr. Sunn gestured towards a boy standing near you guys that you embarrassingly enough just now noticed.

“Well, great, he can have my seat,” JJ suggested with that cheeky smile of his.

Mr. Sunn looked from JJ to you. “You must be something special, Ms. Y/L/N. I’ve never had someone fight so hard to keep a seat.”

All you could do was laugh awkwardly, very aware of all the eyes on you. You gave JJ a look, asking for him to save you from being the center of attention on the first day. The only way he could was by relenting.

With a sigh that you would deem dramatic, JJ stood and grabbed his backpack. Mr. Sunn held up the seating chart paper. Everyone watched as he went to the front of the class and glanced at the paper, and then found his actual seat on the opposite side of the room.

“You can see your girlfriend after class,” Mr. Sunn commented in response to your friend losing the argument.

You weren’t his girlfriend, but neither you or JJ corrected him. You didn’t because frankly, you’d gotten your fill of attention. You weren’t sure why JJ didn’t, though.

Besides, you weren’t totally against people thinking that. It was still weird having a teacher call you out like that, though.

The kid who had been waiting for JJ to vacate his seat gave you an apologetic look before turning his attention to pulling out a notebook.

You made eye contact with JJ across the classroom and he winked.

“Now that everyone is in their correct seat,” Mr. Sunn announced. “We can get started with class.”

Everyone turned to focus on Mr. Sunn going over the first day syllabus, except for Kie. You caught her looking at you and you met her eyes. She raised her brows as if to ask, “what was that?”

You shrugged, telling her that you didn’t know. It was true, you didn’t.

After class, no one brought it up so you didn’t say anything about it either. You all went about your day and soon, the whole seat incident left your mind.

The next day you were reminded of it.

You arrived to history with Pope, chatting about the syllabus and what supplies you still needed to get. Kie was already in class. You said hi and then bye and headed to your seat. JJ was the last to show up, cutting it close again. You gave him a small wave, assuming you weren’t going to get to talk to him until after class.

Except, he walked right up to you and sat down next to you.

You raised your brows at him. “What are you doing?”

“Well, hello to you too,” JJ acknowledged with a light chuckle.

“He’s gonna tell you to move again,” you predicted.

JJ shrugged it off. “Like some seating chart is gonna keep me away from my favorite girl,” he retorted in a playful tone.

You smiled, ready to go along with his flirting. “Favorite, huh?”

He put his elbow on his desk and leaned on his hand. “What, you didn’t know that? I coulda swore I made it obvious.”

You hummed, ready to hit back with a sly comment. Until you were interrupted.

“Is this going to become a daily occurrence?” Mr. Sunn’s voice tore you and JJ away from the gaze you held. You both looked to the front of the class, where he stood watching you two. “I believe you know your correct seat, Mr. Maybank.”

“I forgot, actually,” JJ lied easily. “I’m pretty comfortable here, though.”

Mr. Sunn rolled his eyes and held back any indication that he found the situation as funny as you did. “I can’t have my students revolting,” he decided. He pointed to JJ’s assigned seat, waiting for him to move.

“It’s only 45 minutes, JJ,” you told him. “I think you can survive.”

“Fine, fine,” he told you and Mr. Sunn. He got up and moved to his seat. The boy that sat next to you came out of nowhere and took the seat.

After class, you met up with your friends. You were about to walk with JJ to the hall where both your next classes were, but Kie decided something different.

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” she announced. “Y/N- come with me?”

Except you didn’t really feel like she was asking.

“Um, sure,” you agreed and headed off with her in the other direction of the boys.

“Why do girls always do that?” JJ wondered, watching as the two of you turned a corner.

“Girls just do that,” Pope explained. “This time they’re going to talk about you, dude. For sure.”

“About me?” JJ furrowed his brows. “What about me?”

“About how you like Y/N and that it’s totally obvious now. To everyone.”

JJ just shrugged. He thought everyone already knew. The only person he really wanted to know was you, but you never seemed to think he was serious. You always flirted back and that was fun, but maybe he had to up his game.

Oddly, no one brought up the seat incident yet again as a group. Kiara and Pope did observe you and JJ closer, but even if the flirting was a little more obvious, it didn’t go beyond that.

Next day in history, it was a repeat of the previous days.

“I’m starting to think you like me,” you joked to JJ when he sat down beside you.

“It took you this long?” he responded teasingly. You tried to not read into it, not wanting to get your hopes up. Not realizing that he was hoping you would read into it.

Mr. Sunn looked up from his desk when the bell for class to start rang. Immediately, as if in a force of habit, his eyes landed on you and JJ. Once again he would have to start the class period by telling JJ to move.

“You must have amnesia,” Mr. Sunn directed towards JJ. Everyone knew that, he didn’t have to say his name.

You and JJ exchanged a look and a small laugh. You’d gotten over any level of embarrassment that came from people chuckling and eyeing you and JJ.

“Can’t you just make an exception?” JJ asked. He was bargaining but didn’t have anything to offer.

Kie threw a smirk over her shoulder at you, but you avoided eye contact.

Yesterday she had spent the “bathroom” trip convincing you that JJ really did like you—as more than just a friend. She knew you liked him, but also knew you were avoiding telling JJ. You didn’t want to mess with your friendship by making what you had always assumed was just friendly banter into something awkward and feeling like an idiot for thinking it was some kind of signal if it wasn’t.

If she hadn’t sworn to JJ that she wouldn’t tell you how he felt, she would have cleared it up yesterday. But of course you didn’t know that.

Mr. Sunn’s lips pulled into a tight line. You couldn’t tell if he was genuinely annoyed or amused. “If you’re next to her, how can I expect you to pay attention in class?”

At that, the whole class chuckled. Even you. At least Mr. Sunn had a good sense of humor.

JJ blushed a little at that. You hadn’t seen him flustered like this in… well, it had been a long time. He couldn’t think of a comeback as quickly as he usually did. Too many seconds passed for him to recover, so he had no choice.

JJ grabbed his backpack. “I’ll see you after class,” he promised.

“You always do,” you replied just loud enough for him to hear as he stood. He shot you a smile before walking over to his assigned seat.

Class moved slowly, although at least the subject was mildly interesting compared to your other ones this semester.

When the bell rang, you waited for your friends and you all walked out of class together.

“JJ, are you trying to get in trouble?” Pope asked, almost accusingly.

JJ scoffed out a laugh. “Don’t be dramatic, I’m not gonna get in trouble over a seat.”

“Interesting that you keep going for a seat that’s right next to Y/N,” Kiara mused in a knowing tone.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” you told her, but not in a serious way. You and JJ flirted but you didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable by her comments, implying that there was more.

Turns out it was the opposite. You didn’t see the way JJ looked at you. You were focused on the eye roll Kie gave before saying bye and heading to her next class. Pope followed suit, leaving you and JJ to walk to your next classes together.

“Y’know, if Kie wants to think… that,” JJ started, referencing her very obvious implication. “Or if anyone else does… I wouldn’t mind.”

You stared up at him, a bit taken aback. You and JJ had always been close and flirted, and even though you had a crush on him and all your friends were convinced he had a crush on you, neither of you brought it up or confronted it. JJ was taking the first step.

“I wouldn’t mind either,” you admitted, smiling lightly.

JJ looked surprised, then relieved. “Really?”

You only let out a small laugh, “I’ll see you later,” you told him. You were about to walk to your class further down the hall, but stuck around for a moment longer. “Tomorrow, just sit in your seat,” you suggested. “Mr. Sunn is a chill guy but it’s gonna be a long year if we start off annoying him.”

“We’re not annoying,” JJ faked offense. “But yeah, alright,” he relented. “I guess I’ll just have to stare longing across the class,” he teased.

Your smile grew. “Yeah, I guess so,” you replied smoothly. Then, you walked away towards your class.

“We’re still meeting up with Pope and Kie later, right?” JJ called after you.

“Yeah,” you called back, not looking over your shoulder.

You hung out with your friends later and gone about your day. You and JJ of course flirted, but nothing more than usual. Pope didn’t bring it up again and Kiara just shot you knowing smirks.

Next day in Mr. Sunn’s class, much to your surprise, when JJ walked into class he gave you a light wave and continued on to his assigned seat. He was following your advice, which was a hard thing to get JJ to do. You looked over and realized he was standing near where his seat was.

And that someone was already in it.

The guy who was supposed to sit by you was in JJ’s seat. Meaning there was an empty seat right beside you.

JJ looked over his shoulder at you and grinned. He waltzed over, suddenly in a much better mood.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked you cheekily.

You looked past him to see the guy in JJ’s seat. He gave you a shrug and a look that said, “you’re welcome.” You almost laughed.

“I guess not,” you answered JJ, looking back at him with a smile of your own.

He sat down in the seat, victorious.

Mr. Sunn walked in when class started and went to the board.

“I see my words mean nothing to you, Mr. Maybank,” Mr. Sunn said, spotting JJ.

A smirk crossed your friend's face. “Actually,” he started, perking up. “My seat was taken.”

Mr. Sunn looked at JJ's actual seat and sighed. The kid looked a little guilty but didn’t say anything. He looked back at JJ. “Fine, you win,” he decided. Then, he began to write on the board.

After class, you and JJ parted from Kie and Pope to walk together to your next class.

“I can’t believe he finally gave in,” you said with a laugh.

“I can be persuasive,” JJ replied smoothly.

You let out another laugh. “That was not persuasive. That was…I don’t know what that was,” you admitted.

“Fine, but I got what I wanted,” JJ revealed. It was no surprise, but there was something underlying in his tone.

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” you held your hands up in surrender. The two of you stopped outside of your class and faced one another.

A small smile tugged at his lips. “I would hope not.”

“I’ll see you later,” you told him. “Don’t miss me too much,” you decided to add on.

“Oh, baby, I always do,” he played along casually.

Your face felt warm at the nickname, but you didn’t say anything more. When you all hung out later, the interaction played through your mind.

You were too distracted to realize JJ was staring at you all night—or at least that’s what Kie had told you later.

The next day in Mr. Sunn’s class, JJ was there before you. You couldn’t remember the last time he was ever in a class before you. You walked to your seat and he smiled up at you.

“Hi there,” you greeted, sitting down beside JJ. “For once you actually came to class early,” you pointed out.

“Well, I had a reason to,” JJ replied with a smile. “I wanted to ask you something.”

You chuckled, thinking of a joke. “Do you need an alibi?”

“Ha ha,” he said sarcastically. “I’m serious though.” Your expression turned confused. “Not like, serious serious. Don’t look so worried.”

“Alright, what is it?”

“After school today would you wanna hang out? Just me and you?” JJ asked with a hint of nervousness.

“We hang out all the time,” you started knowingly. “So if you’re asking…” you mused, suppressing a smile (you were having a hard time with that, though). “Is this you asking me on a date, JJ?”

“Maybe,” JJ said with a tad of nervousness. “Would you want to?”

“Yeah,” you answered without hesitation. You could’ve held out longer and maybe messed with a little, but you decided against that.

JJ looked pleasantly surprised. “Really?”

In your head, you were beaming with excitement. Out loud you confirmed, “it’s a date.”

“Don’t let me interrupt,” Mr. Sunn called to you and JJ, interrupting. “But since it seems important, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sharing with the class.”

“Well, I’ve got a date later, so that’s pretty great,” JJ practically bragged, not missing a beat. “As for how that goes, I don’t kiss and tell.”

JJ shot you a wink after that, Kie and Pope looked over their shoulders so fast you thought their heads were gonna spin, and Mr. Sunn actually looked impressed.

“About time,” someone in the class spoke up. It was an unfamiliar voice. When you located the source, you found it was the boy in JJ’s old seat.

And what did you do? Well, all you could do was let out a laugh and share a smile with JJ.

You had a feeling this class was going to be much more fun now—although, maybe not as much fun as your date with JJ.

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