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Stupid Things (Good Outcomes) || JJ Maybank || Two
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Enter Rafe Cameron, stage left.
JJ visits his brothers grave and Rafe Cameron shares some information that he didn’t know about his brother. Back in Los Angeles, Christopher Diaz is a national treasure and calls JJ out for acting weird. Aka, it’s a filler folks!
Sorry for the late update, I haven’t had internet but I wanted to get this out.
Words: 1795
Warnings: gay (or at least bisexual) Rafe my beloved. Christopher Diaz calls his uncle JJ out. Bobby Nash is deciding if he wants to adopt this white boy or not (he does). JJ almost sounds homophobic for .2 seconds sorry
Gravel crunched under the blonde’s feet as he wandered through the cemetery. Realistically, he knew exactly where he was going. Hell, he’d done it so many times in the last twenty three years, it was second nature to him now.
This time, however, he was clutching a bouquet of tulips that he’d actually bought, not a bouquet of the wildflowers he’d picked on his way. Finally, his feet came to a stop and he found himself sitting in a grassy spot, staring at two polished headstones. Well, it was one big one actually but there were two names engraved into it. Two birthdates, two death dates, two people he should have a relationship with but didn’t. One of them he never actually officially met.
Juliette Kate Maybank
October 11, 1980 - April 22, 2002
Tyler Royce Maybank
June 13, 1997 - September 21, 2012
JJ, of course, knew the story of how his mom died. Complications of pregnancy, pre-eclampsia to be precise. His father had always liked to tell him it was his fault that she was gone, and now as an adult, he knew that that wasn’t the case. As a kid however, that had hurt him deeply. He knew now that it could happen to any pregnant woman and it just so happened that it came on fast with his mother, forcing doctors to deliver him nearly two months premature in an attempt to save her life. The effort had been futile, though, because she died two days later at the tender age of twenty one.
And JJ? Well he had spent the first three months of his life in the hospital. Actually, his father almost just left him there (and if JJ was honest about it, as a teenager he wondered if his life would have been better if he had) but strong words from Anna Carrera had made him change his mind.
Despite not getting to know his mother, from the moment he could remember, Tyler Maybank would bring him to the cemetery to leave flowers on her grave on Mother’s Day and her birthday. For the last thirteen years, though, he’d been coming on his brothers birthday as well.
“Hey Ty.” He murmured. “Twenty eight today, huh? I wonder what you’d be like now? Still my annoying older brother, probably. You’d probably be married and have your own kids by now, or would be telling your wife that you didn’t need to have kids because you had me.”
“Would you be proud of me? I think you’re the only one who ever was.”
“He would be. Your mom too.”
The voice took him by surprise and he was suddenly looking up at no other than Rafe Cameron who had his hands shoved into his jeans pockets looking nervous.
He hadn’t actually seen Rafe since they’d gotten back from South America. There’d been rumors that he was in jail, or rehab, but eventually the consensus was that he was hiding out on the cut drugged out of his mind. Of course, Sarah knew the truth, and had only stated that it wasn’t her story to tell.
Rafe’s hair was longer now, and he had the start of a beard, but JJ couldn’t help but notice that he definitely still looked good.
“I didn’t know you were still on the island.” JJ spoke. “You can sit, you know. Just wanted to have a beer with my brother on his birthday.”
“I uh, I haven’t left except for the six months after my dad died.” Rafe spoke, sitting beside him. “I got clean from the coke, started taking online classes and rebuilt Cameron Development with honest work. God, Tyler and I were going to break off from my dad and start our own company. Now look at me, twenty seven, single dad, and still technically working for my dad.”
“Single dad?” JJ raised an eyebrow. “Also, your dad is dead, like for real. I watched him launch himself off a cliff for us. That success is all you now.”
“His name is Jackson, or I just call him Jack.” Rafe told him. “He’s five now. Jackson Tyler Cameron.”
Before JJ could reply though, the older man was standing up and dusting his pants off. “For the record JJ, I started doing coke to get rid of your brother’s memory. It didn’t work. Also, your brother was gay, but he wasn’t out yet, so he would have had a husband and not a wife, and honestly? It probably would have been me.”
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚ ───
JJ sat quietly, staring at the table in front of him. It was a day off from the academy and everyone had to work, so he’d offered to hang out with Christopher all day, and had brought him to the firehouse to meet up with everyone for dinner after giving him way too much screen time and letting eat way too much sugar.
“You okay JJ?” Mari sat in front of him with a confused look. He glanced up at her and nodded, then looked back down at his hands.
“He’s been weird all day.” The voice belonged to Christopher, making JJ turn to look at him with narrowed eyes.
“Traitor.” JJ’s tone was joking, but Chris just shrugged and continued.
“He’s been quiet and was way too quick to let me play video games all day. But he won’t talk about it, because he likes to act like Dad or something.”
“I’m fine.” JJ confirmed. “And next time I’m not letting Chris win when we play Fortnite.”
“J, you know we aren’t going to judge you.”
“My brother was gay.” He practically blurted out.
“Okay, and? So is mine?” Mariella stared at him. “Wait, you’re not like homophobic or something are you?”
“No, of course not.” JJ half laughed. “I share an ex boyfriend with my ex girlfriend, who is now dating a woman. It just took me by surprise to find that out, y’know?”
“Why did he say was?” It was Hen that spoke this time. “You said your brother was gay not that he is gay.”
“He was gay because I’m talking about him in past tense.” JJ clarified. “As in he’s no longer with us, not on this mortal plane, yeeted himself into the afterlife.”
The medic was quiet as she took in the information he’d just told her. All eyes were on JJ and he was suddenly acutely aware that the Diaz siblings had been the only two that knew about Tyler.
“Uhm, I’m sorry.” She finally spoke. “Is that why you went home three weeks ago?”
“Yeah, Maybank, if you need someone to talk to, I can set you up with the department psychologist. I know you’re not officially a firefighter yet but you’re well on your way.” It was Bobby that spoke that time and JJ was suddenly super uncomfortable.
“No, guys, I’m fine.” He told them. “It was thirteen years ago. I went home three weeks ago to spend some time with my father figure, Heyward. It was also Tyler’s birthday. He would have been twenty eight this year.”
“Thirteen years ago?” Hen spoke. “You were just a kid, JJ.”
“I was ten.” JJ told her. “Tyler was fifteen, he got stuck in a rip current and drowned. My dad was thirty one and buried one of his kids ten years after he buried his wife.”
“So you really only ever had your dad.” Bobby spoke coming to sit with them. “You’re sure okay.”
“I’m fine. My mom died two days after I was born and I was in the NICU for three months so I don’t think she ever actually got to meet me.” JJ confirmed. “My dad was a drunk, and liked to shove his kids around. He got worse after Tyler died, because then all he had was a reminder of his dead wife. He eventually skipped town when I was sixteen, and I almost died like four times before my friend Pope dragged me and Jombee to his house and the Heywards took us in.”
“If you’re sure.” Bobby sighed. “I can’t make you talk to someone but the offer stands.”
“I’m sure.” JJ told him. “I don’t care that my brother was gay, by the way. It just threw me off because I found out he was gay from his ex boyfriend, who is apparently the man that made my life a nightmare growing up. Like my brother was dating the man who framed my best friend for murder and shot his sister.”
“You got out, that’s what’s important.” Mari told him. “What Rafe did to you and your friends was horrible. And you guys didn’t deserve it but you know what? You came out on top because I don’t think Rafe fucking Cameron is sitting on sixty seven million dollars and you are.”
“I’m sorry you’re sitting on how much?” It was the rest of the crew, other than Eddie, that was shocked that time.
“Oh you guys don’t know?” Mari teased. “JJ here is one of the six teenagers who found El Dorado and the Royal Merchant.”
“Once again Mari, the El Dorado thing is a technicality because I didn’t physically see it, only Jombee and Sarah did.”
It was quiet for a moment while the people around him took the information in. He didn’t like to flaunt his wealth, and now everyone in the room knew he was rich, but had decided he wanted to be a firefighter. He could see Bobby looking between him and Buck with a smirk, and it was like a light bulb went on in his head. Buck was also sitting on a shit ton of money and the rest of the crew were seeing their similarities for the first time.
“Okay seriously, what kind of names do your friends have?” Eddie finally spoke, attempting to change the subject. JJ couldn’t help but laugh.
“They’re nicknames.” He explained. “Jombee is actually John B but we’ve always called him
Jombee. His dad was Big John and so he became John B. Pope is also a John. His full name is John Paul, so we call him Pope. But if you want a ridiculous legal name? Sarah’s ex boyfriend. His name is Topper.”
“Topper?”
“Well I don’t care about his friends names.” Buck spoke. “What does JJ stand for?”
“Uh, well. Actually no one on the island actually ever cared enough to find out. I was always JJ to everyone, but legally and on my birth certificate and driver’s license it’s Jesse James.” JJ explained.
“Like the bank robber?”
“Like the bank robber.”
“Okay, JJ is my new best friend.” Buck announced. “We’re going to start a dead brothers club, so Chimney I guess you get to join too.”
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Stupid Things (Good Outcomes) || JJ Maybank || One
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Six weeks after the prologue, JJ goes home to see his family and let’s them know that he’ll be starting at the academy. Also some good old fashioned banter between Jombee and JJ.
Fandoms: Outer Banks, 9-1-1 (now on abc!)
Words: 1,874
Warnings: uncle JJ (bc that deserves its own warning). Mentions of JJ being a younger blonder Evan Buckley (which means Eddie has adopted him teehee). JJ has a crush. JJ finally feeling like he has a family I guess
The smell of burning charcoal was strong as JJ walked up the back steps towards his best friend's home. The chateau had long been rebuilt, with a couple extra bedrooms and another bathroom. What was once a rundown beach shack was now a proper house, with a back deck and a nice wrap around front porch.
He swung the back door open with ease, walking into the open kitchen to see Sarah chopping vegetables with John B nowhere in sight. He raised an eyebrow at her as she looked up at him, jumping when she realized who she was looking at.
“Oh my god.” She whisper-yelled. “What the fuck are you doing here!? Did John B just forget to tell me you were coming?”
“No.” He grinned. “He doesn’t know I’m here. Pope picked me up from the airport this morning. He told me about the surprise barbecue you’re throwing for Heyward, and I decided to show up. Where’s John B anyway?”
“Upstairs, getting Scout dressed for the day then he’s going to start grilling.” She told him. “Give me a hug before your favorite Routledge steals your attention for the rest of the morning. LA looks good on you, Maybank.”
“Thanks, Cameron.” He smiled, moving to hug the blonde before he headed upstairs, knocking on the toddlers door and opening it to see John B concentrating on finishing the pigtails he was putting her hair.
“Uncle Jay!” The girl practically squealed, launching herself at him just as her father finished her hair.
JJ bent down to scoop her into his arms, pressing his lips to her cheek. She grinned as he adjusted her on his hip, smiling at his pseudo brother who was just staring at him.
“Gonna catch flies that way, Bree.” He told him. “Hey Scout, why don’t you go see if Mama needs a hand making that salad. Uncle Jay will be downstairs in just a minute.”
As soon as the girl was down the stairs, JJ was walking across the room to sit on the bed next to his best friend. John B finally snapped back into reality, realizing his best friend really was there.
“When the hell did you get here?”
“About four o’clock this morning, Pope picked me up from the airport in Norfolk.” JJ smiled. “I’m gonna be busy for the next few months, so I decided to come visit this weekend. I already saw Heyward this morning, but I had to come see my favorite Routledge.”
“Of course, you didn’t come back for me, just my daughter.”
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚ ───
By the time everyone had gathered at the Routledge residence, it was obvious that JJ was nervous. He sat at the picnic table, sipping a beer while he watched his goddaughter talk her Uncle Pope into pushing her on the swing set. Scout’s laughter could be heard over a lot of things, making JJ smile as tried to hold a conversation with his makeshift family.
“So JJ, what’s with the LAFD shirt?”
Bobby Heyward’s voice brought JJ’s attention to the group again, and he gave them a weak smile. To be honest, he had forgotten that the black t-shirt he was wearing bore the LAFD logo. The shirt wasn’t his, although he did have four of his own waiting for him on his first day — the Monday after next when he returned to Los Angeles from his trip home. He could vaguely remember texting Eddie about the shirt when he landed in Norfolk while he was waiting for Pope to pick him up when he realized he was wearing it with a “I think I accidentally stole one of your shirts. It could be Buck’s, I don’t know.” All he’d gotten back was a cry-laughing emoji and a “don’t worry about it. We probably have 25 of them between the two of us. Now you’ll just have five.”
“Oh.” JJ spoke. “Uh, it’s either Eddie’s or Buck’s. I’m not sure. I was at their house for dinner and their son, Christopher was helping Buck serve dinner and accidentally tripped. I got lasagna all over my good button up, but they gave me a clean shirt.”
“Wait, who are Buck and Eddie?” John B raised an eyebrow over his own drink.
“Uh, well I guess I should start from the beginning.” JJ laughed. “Six weeks ago, I was sitting on the beach texting you guys and there was a little girl, eight years old. She was stuck in a rip current.”
As the words left his mouth, he could see the Heywards and his best friend visibly tense up, like they were all reminded of the past all of a sudden.
“She’s okay.” He confirmed. “She’s okay because I pulled a stupid JJ move, as Bobby would call it. I didn’t think twice, rushed in and got her out. I uh, provided CPR until the medics arrived. I actually saw her and her mother a couple weeks ago at the same beach and she’s fine. But uh, the medics and firefighters that turned up, they were with the LAFD 118. Uh, that night I ran into one of the medics, Mariella, and her brother Eddie. I uh, told them about Tyler.”
“You told strangers about Tyler?”
“I was a little tipsy, we were at the bar I work at.” JJ confirmed. “But I told them that I did it because I couldn’t watch another kid die like that. I couldn’t save Tyler, but I could save her. Anyway, they became friends because it gave me this feeling of being able to do something, to help people. They’ve helped, listened to me.”
“Well, I for one, think it’s great that you’re making friends in Los Angeles.” Yvonne Heyward spoke finally. “If one of my boys is going to live across the country from me, I’m glad he’s not alone.”
JJ couldn’t help but smile, thinking about how at just barely seventeen, the Heywards had seen their son show back up from South America with his two friends — dirty, injured and exhausted, and welcomed them into their home with open arms. Sure, the tiny third bedroom at the Heyward home had been cramped with two twin beds for him and John B, but it had felt like a semblance of home, a family.
They’d had family dinners, something JJ had never experienced except for the occasional dinner with his aunt and uncle when Luke would be drunk, stuck in a jail cell to sober up. Yvonne had helped JJ when he struggled with his homework, helping him finally get a diagnosis of ADHD and medication for it and it was thanks to her hard work that he managed to walk the stage with a B average his senior year.
“Well.” JJ started. He should just rip the bandaid off, right? How mad could they be? “I uh, I actually have the opportunity to do something with that feeling. I mean, to make it a career.”
He watched as his father figure raised an eyebrow at him comically. “Jesse James, what the hell do you mean?”
“Well there were options.” JJ explained. “My first option was I could work at dispatch. But you know my ADHD won’t let me sit still for long periods of time, so that really wasn’t a viable option. Finally Mari told me that in a couple weeks they’re starting a new class at the academy and I applied.”
“The academy?”
“The Los Angeles Fire Academy.” He clarified. “I got in, uh, I’m going to be a firefighter.”
The whole porch was quiet as everyone stared at him. It was almost as if he could feel the judgment coming off of John B and Sarah, but he couldn’t discern if it was good judgment or bad judgment. Finally, it was Pope that spoke.
“Are you sure JJ?”
“I’m sure.” The blonde confirmed. “I know that it’s a dangerous job, but really, I’ve always been the reckless kid, right? Besides, you wouldn’t believe the lack of fires we actually handle. It’s mostly car accidents and natural disasters.”
“Well.” Yvonne spoke again. “I think it’s a good thing, JJ. It’s something that will keep you busy, and it sounds like something you really want to do.”
“It is.” JJ confirmed again. “Mariella said she’d help me study for the written exams. That’s the part I’m the most nervous about, with the dyslexia and stuff.”
“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚ ───
The chateau was quiet, for the most part. JJ could hear the sound of the TV playing low downstairs, but he was too busy texting Mariella from where he had crashed on the guest bed.
The woman was currently on a twenty four hour shift and without so much as actually saying the word, had told JJ that they were having a relatively quiet night. No major calls, just a couple quick medical ones. JJ replied to her before opening the group chat that he’d somehow found himself added to that contained the entirety of the 118 and their families. Eddie had claimed it was because he was unofficially adopting him as a younger brother, even if he was a blonder version of his husband when they first met.
JJ: [photo] just thought you all deserved to see this picture of my favorite girl on the planet.
JJ: not being around her is the hardest part of being in la :(
Hen: oh my god I needed that cuteness.
Mari: how did Jombee manage to create something so cute
Eddie: I'm sorry, Jombee?
JJ let out a laugh, trying to decide if he should tell Eddie about why they call him Jombee, but before he could reply there was a knock on the door making him look up.
“Are you decent?”
“I’m not going to jack it in your house, JB, you can come in.” JJ rolled his eyes. The older boy came in, collapsing beside his friend on the bed.
“I’m so tired. It’s only like 9:30 and I’m ready for bed.” He sighed. “Don’t have kids, they're exhausting.”
“She’s not that bad.” JJ laughed. “You’re only twenty four. She’s two, how much damage is she going to do? Besides, won’t you have a second one here in a few months?”
“Don’t remind me.” John B groaned. “Listen, Scout was unplanned, but a welcome surprise. This one was just a surprise in general.”
“Have you ever stopped and considered your pullout game just sucks?”
“Rude. I don’t know how I’m the one with a kid and a half and your man whore ass doesn’t have any.” The brunette glared at him playfully.
JJ laughed as he texted Mari back. She’d just told him Eddie was still going on about “what kind of name is Jombee?!” and he was telling her about the conversation that he was having with said Jombee.
“Because my pull out game is significantly better than yours?” He laughed. “Oh and I know how to use a condom.”
“Okay enough about my sex life.” John B told him. “Who’s this girl you’re talking to and grinning like an idiot at your phone about?”
“Jesus Christ, Jombee, what are you, a fifteen year old girl?”
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The way I have already written nearly ten thousand words for this 9-1-1 and OBX cross over I’m working on
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Stupid Things (Good Outcomes) || JJ Maybank || Prologue
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All things considered, Los Angeles wasn’t a bad place to end up when you’re freshly twenty three. Sure, it’s no Pelican, North Carolina, but JJ Maybank likes well enough.
Words: 1,982
Pairings: JJ Maybank x OFC (Mariella “Mari” Diaz); mentioned Eddie Diaz x Evan “Buck” Buckley.
Warnings: mentions of drowning, sparknotes version of OBX as told by JJ Maybank. Eddie gets called a tonto. Mentions of Eddie being shot
Also on ao3
All things considered, Los Angeles wasn’t a bad place to be when you’re freshly twenty three. It was no Pelican, North Carolina, but JJ Maybank never expected he’d ever actually leave the damn island. Except, you know, for the time he was stuck on an uninhabited island with his friends for six weeks or the time he’d flown to South America in a cargo plane of weed, but neither of those things were so bad when he thought about them.
The studio apartment he rented in LA was expensive, but he had his share of El Dorado and Royal Merchant gold to help pay for that, and when you spent the majority of your high school days couch surfing because your one living parent was too drunk to pay the bills and he skipped town when you were seventeen, you learned quickly to not take up too much space. He liked the vibe of Los Angeles. The surf was decent, he worked as a bartender, and he’d even made a couple friends in his time there.
The surf was decent, the weather was nicer than North Carolina, and that day, a Saturday in May, JJ found himself sitting on a beach soaking up the warm sun while he sipped the beer he’d swiped from one of his friends that had joined him while he texted the Pogues back home.
Kie was telling him all about her most recent trip to Bali with her girlfriend, Avery. John B was giving him an update on the latest house he was flipping while also giving him updates on Sarah’s pregnancy and sending the most adorable photo of his two year old goddaughter, Scout, popsicle mouth and all as she grinned. He couldn’t help but smile at the photo, saving it to make it his lockscreen later.
He was replying to Pope about his plans to fly home for a few days in June for Father’s Day, planning a barbecue at the Routledge household to celebrate Bobby Heyward who had been both his and John B’s father figure after his own dad skipped town and Big John had died when he heard it. It was a mother, yelling at a girl no more than eight years old to come closer to shore because she was getting too far out.
He watched for several moments before he realized what he was seeing. The girl was swimming like she was attempting to get closer to shore but she was struggling and getting farther out. Fuck. He knew immediately what was happening, wasting no time standing up and ripping his shirt off before tossing his sunglasses and phone on the towel he’d been sitting on.
Getting to the girl wasn’t an issue, but he could tell she was exhausted and had inhaled an unknown amount of water in her panicked state. One arm wrapped around her tightly while he swam like hell to get them both out of there. The girl was unconscious by the time his feet were back in the sand and he went into action before looking at the panicked crowd that had gathered.
“Fuck, someone call 9-1-1!” He yelled before finding the moms eyes. “What’s her name?”
“Clara”
“Okay.” He tried to smile through his own panic. He continued to provide chest compressions and rescue breaths for what felt like a lifetime. His arms ached, he could hear the sirens approaching as he kept going, telling the girl to just hang in there. Finally, he could see paramedics rushing towards them, the mother of the girl telling them that her name was Clara Logan and she was eight years old. Before the woman could kneel down and take over there was a gasp from the girl, then coughing as she started to expel the water in her lungs.
He quickly helped stabilize her neck as they moved her to her side so she wouldn’t re-aspirate on the water before he let the medics take over. As he stood there, he couldn’t help but feel ten years old again. It was a feeling that he quickly pushed down as the medics worked quickly, stabilizing her and getting her on a gurney before one of the other firefighters stopped and looked at him.
“What’s your name, sir?” He asked.
JJ froze, looking at him before clearing his throat. “Uh, JJ. JJ Maybank, sir.”
“Well, JJ.” He started, sticking his hand out for JJ to shake. “I’m Captain Nash. Your quick thinking saved that little girl's life today.”
─── ・ 。゚☆: *.☽ .* :☆゚. ───
“Hey you’re the guy from the beach today, right?”
The voice brought JJ out his thoughts. The scene from that afternoon had been replaying in his head since he’d gotten home, his thoughts dragging him back to when he’d lost his brother. He’d decided that he needed to get out of his apartment so despite that it was his night off, he had come to the bar and was sitting in a corner booth with his beer.
“Uh, yeah.” He answered. “I’m JJ.”
“Mariella Diaz.” She smiled, sliding into the other side of the booth. “The tonto at the bar ordering drinks is my brother, Eddie.”
“You’re the paramedics that showed up, right?”
“We are.” She confirmed. “Although, I have to say it would have been a completely different outcome had you not been there. The mother said she was stuck in a rip current, those usually don’t end well. She said you just jumped in without a thought and pulled her out. Most people wouldn’t have thought to do that.”
JJ was silent, kind of shocked by this woman’s boldness. She’d just sat down and started talking to him like they were old friends and he didn’t know what to say. Before he could reply, her brother showed up and gave her a disapproving look.
“Mari, what have I told you about talking to strangers.” He told her, but sat down next to her anyway. “Here’s your straight whiskey, you crazy ass woman. I’m Eddie, by the way.”
“This is JJ.” She told him. “He’s the guy that jumped in after that little girl today, so not a stranger. I was just telling him that most people wouldn’t jump in like that.”
“Well.” JJ sighed as he took a drink. “I couldn’t just watch another kid die like that.”
Both siblings were quiet, looking at him with shocked expressions as they took in that information. It was clear that Mariella wanted to ask, but was afraid to so he just gave them both a weak smile.
“Thirteen years ago, I was ten years old and my brother, Tyler, took me to the beach. The surf was rough, but our dad had been drinking again and he wanted to make sure I was out of the house so we went to the beach. I was standing on the shore while he took our one surfboard out and he was knocked off. I didn’t know anything about rip currents but when the board came back and he didn’t, it scared me. I could just barely see him struggling. He was so far out. So I ran to the nearest adult and told them, but they couldn’t get to him in time. They finally got him back to shore, and did CPR until paramedics arrived, but it was too late.” He took another drink. “He was only fifteen. He just, he was the one that always took the brunt of what my dad did when he was drunk because he didn’t want me to get hurt. After he died, my dad got worse and eventually skipped town when I was sixteen.”
“Shit” she frowned. “I’m sorry, that had to be rough. Edmundo here drives me insane but a couple years ago he was shot and the thought of him dying terrified me. I couldn’t imagine if he actually died.”
“It was hard.” JJ told her. “But it’s been thirteen years, y’know? I still think of him all the time. If he would have gotten out, what he’d be doing now. It was part of the reason I even came to California. He always said he wanted to see the west coast.”
“That’s a good thing.” Eddie told him. “Keep his memory alive.”
“I uh, I came into some money when I was almost seventeen. It was kind of a local legend, this ship that went down with 400 million in gold.” JJ half smiled, thinking of the adventure he and his friends had gone on years ago. “The Royal Merchant. My friend, his dad was obsessed with it. Well, Big John went missing when we were sixteen and John B, he became obsessed that his dad was still alive.”
“Was he?”
“Yeah.” JJ laughed. “We almost died like, four times. John B was framed for murder by his girlfriend's dad and brother. I stole my dads boat to help them off the island when that happened. But the boat capsized in a tropical storm, they were presumed dead, then they weren’t dead and ended up in the Bahamas. Sarah’s brother shot her, she died for a couple minutes, they came back to North Carolina, John B was arrested. I got hit in the head with a machete.”
“Holy shit.”
“It gets wilder. We were stranded on an island for six weeks, and survived a plane crash. There was a train heist. Sarah’s ex boyfriend burned down John B’s house while we were all inside of it. Kie’s parents shipped her off to wilderness camp because “we were bad influences on her” and I busted her out, then rode in a cargo ship full of weed to South America.”
“Wait.” Eddie stopped the younger man. “I think my husband read an article or something about this. Four teenagers from North Carolina who found El Dorado.”
“Yeah.” JJ laughed. “We went through a lot of shit in like a four month time span. Also, technically only John B and Sarah found El Dorado. They were the only two who actually saw it. We were held hostage by this crazy man trying to get rich off of it and he was going to shoot Sarah, but her dad literally sacrificed himself to save her. Threw himself off a cliff taking one of this guy’s buddies down. Big John was shot and didn’t make it back. Anyway, they split the money six ways. We didn’t actually get any of it until we were eighteen, but I have a good little nest egg to sit on.”
“How much is “little”? I’m just curious.”
“About sixty seven million a piece.” JJ told them. “Actually, it’s probably more due to interest now. I kept most of it in a savings account.”
“He sounds like Buck.” Mari laughed. “And his trust fund.”
“Who’s Buck?” JJ questioned.
“My husband.” Eddie clarified. “His grandparents started a trust fund for him when he was little that he couldn’t access until he was twenty five, but didn’t tell his parents about it, only his older sister. So by the time they got back in contact, he was twenty six and this money had been sitting collecting interest for twenty years, so he had more money than he knew what to do with, so he just….left it sit. He used part of it to put a down payment on our house and start college funds for my son and our daughter. But otherwise, he just uses what he makes.”
“I don’t know, you just remind me of him. Especially when he was younger and super impulsive.”
“Well, maybe that’s a good thing.” JJ laughed. “It sounds messed up but I wasn’t trying to be a hero today, but when she came to, god it felt good being able to say I did that.”
“Well, your impulsiveness saved a kid's life today, JJ.” Mari told him. “And you should be proud of that.”
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Stupid Things (Good Outcomes) || JJ Maybank
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Gasp, another firefighter!JJ AU
All things considered, Los Angeles wasn’t a bad place to end up when you’re freshly twenty three. Sure, it’s no Pelican, North Carolina, but JJ Maybank likes well enough.
Or
JJ Maybank is at the beach and saves an eight year old girl from drowning after she gets stuck in a rip current. He doesn’t think, just springs into action. When he runs into the medic that responded to call, Mariella Diaz, and her brother Eddie that night at the bar, he tells her about how he wasn’t able to save his brother from the same thing thirteen years ago and how helping someone gave him a sense of belonging he really had never known and some how he finds himself applying to the Los Angeles Fire Academy, and eventually joining the 118.
Or
The Outer Banks x 9-1-1 Crossover that absolutely no one asked for but I wrote anyway. JJ Maybank x Original Female Character with a heavy dose of domestic married Buddie. (Aka Bobby Nash adopts another impulsive ass white boy and Eddie Diaz just wants a break)
coming soon to a tumblr and ao3 near you
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Okay listen, I haven’t written smut in ages so please be gentle with me
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Jeep Shirt — sneak peek
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So there’s no smut in the sneak peek, but I wanted to tease it a little bit. I hope y’all enjoy!
Tags: @pankowperfection @pankhoeforlife
The pair separated, her chest heaving as she tried desperately to suck oxygen into her lungs. She swore she could hear her heartbeat in her ears as her slender fingers barely tugged at the hem of his shirt in a weak attempt to get him to remove it.
JJ wasted no time, tugging the offensive piece of fabric off his torso before moving to connect their lips again. Winnie, however, bit her lip and brought a hand to his cheek. Unlike before, this touch was soft and caring and he couldn’t figure out why exactly — or at least he couldn’t until he realized that her eyes weren’t on her face, but the portion of his body the grey fabric had been covering moments before.
The bruises, in various stages of healing littered his upper body and she was frowning. He’d felt proud two weeks ago when he had managed to keep the blows off his face, but now the way she was looking at him was making him feel vulnerable. It was a feeling he hadn’t felt since they were sixteen and seventeen and she’d patched him up before Midsummer’s, not long before her brother took them on a wild goose chase for treasure that she wanted no part in.
“Jay”
Her voice was barely a whisper, barely audible over the noise of the box fan running full blast behind them. She was looking at him with such concern that it broke his heart.
“Don’t.” He started. “Don’t feel bad for me, Win.”
She scoffed, using the hand that was cupping his face to make him look her in the eye. “Jay. You’re an adult now. You can press charges against him. He doesn’t have the right to hurt you. He didn’t then, but he sure as hell doesn’t now.”
“I know, I did.” His reply was short. “Can I kiss you now? Not the first time I’ll’ve fucked you with some busted ribs.”
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Does anyone want a sneak peek of the JJ smut??
@pankhoeforlife, @pankowperfection ??
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Currently working on a JJ Maybank smut (that is a rewrite of something I wrote in 2021) and it’s already at 2000 words and I’m not even to the smut yet 😈
@pankhoeforlife I’m tagging you since you enjoyed the first one so much and your hint is this:
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Six Feet Under the Stars | Rudy Pankow | Masterlist
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When Thea Ross comes back into Rudy Pankow's life nearly five years after he graduated high school, he's not prepared for her to tell him that their last encounter before they moved to separate sides of the country resulted in more than he bargained for.
Prologue
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Six Feet Under the Stars | Rudy Pankow | Prologue
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When Thea Ross comes back into Rudy Pankow's life five years after he graduated high school, he's not prepared for her to tell him their last encounter resulted in more than he bargained for.
words: 3.5 k
A/N: Oh look I finally got around to posting this. This has been edited and this version @teelagurl558 hasn’t read yet teehee. Okay I am going to bed now.
tagging people who might be interested: @pankowperfection @pankhoeforlife @sweettartforrudy
“Dorothea Claire Ross, how dare you enter this room without giving me a hug.” Chase Stokes' voice rang out across the meeting room from where he sat on the opposite side and end of the table from where the bleach blonde had just sat down. She held back the urge to roll her eyes at the twenty-eight year old, standing up to walk around the table to give him a tight hug.
“Where’s Em?” He whispered in her ear, “You didn’t tell me you got the role, bitch.”
“Mama Jen has her, Rylie said she would bring her in a couple weeks when I’m settled in my apartment.” She whispered back. “And after I got the role, I disclosed to Jonas that you are my cousin and asked him not to tell you, it was supposed to be a surprise. Speaking of surprises, he’s not here yet?”
“No. He’s stuck in traffic but should be here soon, he’s supposed to be in front of you.” He confirmed. “You’re gonna have to tell him.” 
She glared at him but said nothing, pulling away to return to her seat and sip at her too large, extra caffeinated salted caramel cream cold brew. She knew Chase already had the order memorized from how long he’d been buying it for her, and she could tell he remembered as he made a gagging motion as she took a drink. With a smirk, she sent a playful middle finger his way. 
“So, uh, not to pry or anything but what was that about? Clearly you and Chase know each other.” Madison was the first to speak after a moment of silence. 
“Oh. Yeah, we do.” Thea confirmed. “Known him for all 22 years of my life.”
“Thea is my cousin.” Chase explained. “My mom and her mom were sisters. Thea’s mom unfortunately passed away when she was a kid, and my mom kind of took over in the mom department because no offense to Uncle Grant but he had no idea what he was doing, so she’s like my little sister. She moved to live with my mom when she was 17 and that’s when we got super close.” 
Thea snorted, trying not to burst into laughter at him when he referred to her as his sister. From the corner of her eye she saw Rudy walk into the room, so she didn’t say what she was about to, just bit her lip and smiled politely at the blonde who sat down in front of her, apologizing for being late.
Throughout the table read, Rudy kept staring at her like he knew her from somewhere, but couldn’t quite place where. She knew she was going to have to tell him everything and she was dreading it. As the room cleared out, the pair stayed at the table, and Chase shot her a look as he left, silently asking her if she was okay. When she nodded, he smiled and left, leaving her and Rudy the only two still in the room. 
She could see the wheels turning in his head, making her try not to laugh as she sipped on her coffee and gathered her things to head back to her apartment. Finally, with a shake of her head she spoke to him for the first time in nearly five years.
“Ketchikan High School.” She told him. “I can still read your mind, Rudeth. Just because it’s been five years.” 
“I thought it was you.” He said. “Your hair changed, and uh, you look good.” 
“Uh, thanks. You look good too.” She half smiled. “Hey, uh, I actually need to talk to you about something. It’s not work related and I honestly should have told you five years ago, but I didn’t know I needed to tell you.” 
The blonde man raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. “Oh?”
“Yeah, uh, would you want to come back to mine so we can talk?” She asked. “I mean, if it would be okay with Elaine. I don’t want to cause an issue with her, I’m not trying to break you up over you hanging out with me or something. Not that I think she’s a controlling person or anything. Jesus Christ, I’m just going to shut up now before I have to bury myself alive.” 
Rudy cracked a smile as he laughed. Thea stayed quiet as she took him in again. She couldn’t help but notice for the first time just how much her daughter actually looked like her father. It was the same crooked grin that Emma gave her on a daily basis, and if she was being honest it was probably her favorite thing about her ex best friend. 
“Yeah, no, it’s fine.” he told her. “She’s out running errands then she has a meeting as well. I’ll just text her I’m catching up with you. Did you drive?
“No.” She told him. “I took an Uber.” 
“Excellent, you give me the address and I’ll drive.”
So admittedly, the drive to her apartment was tense. She knew it wouldn’t be as carefree as the drives they took in high school. Chewing on her lip, she glanced at the man driving as she tried to not imagine how different her life would be if she’d managed to tell him about Emma when she found out she was pregnant, but she couldn’t help herself. 
Would they still be acting, or would Rudy have given everything up to support his family? Actually, that was a stupid question because she knew the answer to that one. She knew that if Rudy had even had an inkling that she was pregnant when he moved to LA, he’d have been back in Alaska, or joining her in Florida. He’d be working a dead end job to support his daughter and would be doing everything in his power to make sure she was getting everything she wanted and more. 
That had been a huge reason why she hadn’t told him, knowing that he’d give up all of his success in a heartbeat to support his daughter. She couldn’t dwell on that now, knowing that in just a few minutes he was going to know about Emma Raine Pankow, and she didn’t know how he was going to react to that. All she could do was hope that it went well. 
One thing was for sure and certain, Rudy Pankow was about to get the biggest shock of his lifetime in the form of a blonde haired, blue eyed little girl and Thea wasn’t the one to blame for him not knowing, at least completely.
☼☽⋆。°✧ ✧⋆°。☾☼
As soon as the pair were in Thea’s apartment, she was nervous. She didn’t know how to bring it up, but knew it was going to have to happen and soon. With a sigh, she let them and made a beeline to the kitchen to find them something to drink, playing her words over and over in her head as she considered how to break the news. 
“Who’s this? She’s adorable!” Rudy had picked up one of the framed photos of Emma waiting to be hung up from the counter, studying it closely. “Are you a mom, Thea?”
Okay, so maybe she didn’t actually have to tell him that she was a mom now. She did however, much to her dismay, have to tell him he was a father. That was the scary part. You can do this, Thea, just say it. Rip it off like a bandaid.
“I am. She’s four as of February 19th.” She told him, pulling two Pepsis out of the fridge and handing him one. “Her name is Emma, by the way. And her Nana and Gammy absolutely adore her.”
“She’s four?” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh fuck, Thea, if she’s four and she was born in February. I-.”
“I didn’t find out until I was already in Florida, Ru,” she said. “I didn’t have your new number and I tried messaging you on social media but you never answered. Your mom and dad, Gammy and Gamps, by the way, didn’t even know until I went back for Christmas. I was eight months in at that point.” 
“Can I meet her?” He asked. “I mean, I want to meet her. What does she call your dad and stepmom?” 
“Poppy and Lola.” She told him. “And Chase’s mom and stepdad are Nana and Pa.” 
“So Chase?” He asked quietly, not sure if he was really ready for the answer.
“Is my cousin, Ru.” She told him. “His mom is my moms sister. But he has been nothing but the best Uncle Chase to Emma Raine this whole time.” 
“Emma Raine?“ he smiled softly. “Like, after your mom?” 
“Mhm” she hummed, “Emma Raine Pankow. The plan was always to tell you, Ru. You have all your rights to your daughter, you’re on her birth certificate.” 
It was quiet for a moment, like Rudy was trying to absorb the information that she’d just told him. He was a father. He’d gotten his best friend pregnant the one time they slept together before they both moved to separate sides of the lower forty eight, and she’d kept it from him for nearly five years. He had a four year old daughter, and he didn’t even know it. This had to be some sort of cruel joke, right?
“Press is gonna have a field day with this, you know.” He half laughed. “”Outer Banks actor teen father” I can see the headline now. Of course, they’ll have to actually read the article to see that the mother of said child is my friend with benefits from high school turned co star. And I had no fucking idea the kid even existed.” 
Thea didn’t exactly like his tone when he said that, spinning on her heels to glare at him and trying to contain her anger. Unfortunately her temper had always been an issue for her, although it had gotten better with motherhood. But standing here, looking at him with so much anger on his face, like all the information had just caught up to him, and his condescending tone made her snap.
“Excuse me?” She started walking towards him. “I tried to tell you! I messaged you multiple times, I called your mother to get your new number and she never called me back. Which I took to mean that you didn’t want me to have your number. So I made an executive decision, asshole. I chose to keep my mouth shut. You wouldn’t understand, you can’t. You don’t understand Ru, I chose to do this. I chose to keep her a secret, the only other damn person on set that knows about our daughter is Chase. This far from my first role, you can fucking google me, but you won’t find one mention of Emma Pankow on the internet, unless you follow my damn private Instagram. Which you, by the fucking way, unfollowed six days after you moved. I wasn’t even settled in Florida yet but you know what was settled already? Your daughter in my body. I chose to keep my mouth shut, to keep her a secret and not ruin your life because I chose to ruin mine!”
“That wasn’t your decision to make,” he seethed at her. “It wasn’t your right to keep my daughter away from me for four fucking years, Thea! I had no idea she even fucking existed! I lost out on four years of being a fucking father to my child! Four years, Thea! I missed it all. I don’t have a god damn bond with my daughter because of you. Yeah, we were fucking teenagers when I oh so unfortunately ruined your life, but that wouldn’t have stopped me from giving everything up for her, for you. But you know that and you still selfishly kept her to yourself for four years. You’re right by the way, I did tell my mom not to give you my new number but it was for your own benefit, Thea! I thought you deserved better than me.”
Before she could stop herself, her hand came up and made contact with his face. The force of the slap made him gasp in shock as his hand came up to run where he was sure a red mark was forming. Deep down he knew he deserved it, but at that moment he didn’t really care. 
“I’m selfish?! You told your mother not to give me your phone number. I told her it was important, which she found out two months before your daughter was born. That’s selfish Rudy. If you wanted to cut ties with me you should have told me in the airport that day. Did you? No. Instead, you told me you loved me and that you would wait for me to finish high school and come to LA with you. That was the plan right? I go to Florida for my senior year and then I move in with you in LA.” Her voice was raw as she yelled at him. “So, yeah, Rudy, you missed everything, four years of it but it’s not entirely my fault, is it? You missed every doctor's appointment, every kick, the birth of your daughter. You know what else you missed? Me going back to school two and a half weeks after I had an emergency c section, against doctor’s advice, because I was so sick when I was pregnant I didn’t have any days left. You missed Chase working nights and then staying with your daughter from 7:30-4 every day so I could fucking graduate. You missed me not even getting to walk  across the stage because your daughter was in the NICU with RSV and they didn’t know if she was going to make it. That was the fourth time I tried to get your number, asshole. I thought that if she didn’t make it, you’d at least like to know I did everything in my power to make sure she did. You missed her first day of preschool, you missed her first steps, first words — which was fucking dad, by the way, and you missed so many sleepless nights, you prick. Not because I was up with her, but because I was crying over you. You were my best friend, I gave everything to you, and you moved to Los Angeles and dropped me like I was nothing to you.” 
Before he could respond properly, the door swung open, as she hadn’t locked it behind her and Chase came walking in, sighing and rubbing his temples as he took in the scene in front of him. Thea was seething, her chest heaving as she stood in Rudy’s face, waiting for him to respond and Rudy held a pissed off look on his face, his cheekbone starting to bruise from the force of the smack he’d taken minutes before. 
“Separate it.” He demanded. “I’m serious, I could hear you both from downstairs.”
“You don’t get to come into my apartment and boss me around, Chase.” Thea sent him a death glare as she turned to look at him. He knew she was pissed so he held back the urge to roll his eyes at her. 
“I have been bossing you around for twenty two years, Dorothea, and considering you can’t be trusted to not assault your fucking baby daddy? It’s clearly not stopping now.” He tried to stay calm. “Sit your ass down on that couch right now. Rudy, you can sit on the chair there.” He took a few steps into the kitchen to check her freezer for something to put on the blonde's face, deciding that the bag of frozen carrots was going to have to do before wrapping them in a dish towel and handing them over to him. 
“You’re bruising, that should help a bit.” He sighed. “Now, we’re going to talk like adults because we aren’t seventeen anymore. You guys have a child together whether you like it or not. You have an amazing four year old daughter that I knew was yours, Rudy, the moment I met you. And sure, I could have betrayed my little sister and told you but it wasn’t my place and right now we have bigger things to worry about than your butthurt feelings that you didn’t know because you chose not answer your fucking phone because your child is going to be here in approximately four hours.”
“Four hours?” Thea questioned. “No, Rylie isn’t supposed to bring her for two weeks. I don’t have her room set up yet.” 
“Rylie called me because she’s been trying to call you.” Chase told her. “Mom had to go out of town and Rylie has classes she can’t miss so she’s gotta bring her today. I came over to help finish getting the apartment ready,  but walked into world war three.” 
“Right so Rudy should leave.” Thea said.
“You told me I could meet her!” Rudy interjected. Thea rolled her eyes, but decided not snip back at him. 
“That was before you called me selfish for doing what I felt was right.” She was calm, almost scarily calm. Chase knew she’d reached a point in her anger where she was so angry she was calm, and knew he needed to step in. 
“Okay here’s what we’re going to do before Thea decides to break your nose, Rudy.” He started. “You’re going to leave, and tomorrow, I am going to take Emma to the beach. While I do that, you two are going to talk. Like adults, none of this screaming at each other shit. You don’t need it and neither does Emma.”
“Again.” Thea muttered. “Break his nose again.”
“I’m sorry what?” Chase questioned. It was Rudy’s turn to snort in laughter, wincing as it spread pain through his bruised cheek. 
“Thea broke my nose six years ago.” He explained. “That’s how I got the deviated septum.” 
“He deserved it then too.” Thea deadpanned. 
“I did not!” Rudy argued. Thea rolled her eyes at the blonde. It seemed like, for a moment, they were back to their old selves. 
Chase rolled his eyes, moving to stand between them as he fought off the urge to scream. He was twenty eight and it currently felt a lot like breaking up fights between his younger siblings growing up, except this time it was the woman he considered his sister and her baby daddy. 
“I don’t care if he deserved it or not.” He spoke calmly. “Rudy, I am politely asking you to leave and when you guys meet up to properly talk tomorrow, for the love of all things holy, do it in a public place.” 
“Why because she won’t assault me in public?” Rudy’s snark was back, making Thea clench her jaw. “Clearly you don’t know Thea very well then.” 
“Pankow, if you don’t leave I am going to let her knock the shit out of you.” Chase told him as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “You and I both know she can throw a punch, and I’m about four seconds from letting her do it.” 
“Okay, I’m going.” Rudy stood up, handing the bag of half thawed carrots to Chase. “Tomorrow then. I will text Chase to tell you where to meet up.” 
The Stokes-Ross cousins watched as the younger man walked out of the apartment, Chase sighing as he looked at Thea. 
“You can’t just hit people because you’re mad at them.” He sighed. “What exactly happened?” 
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” She told him. “I need to get Emma’s room ready and now I have to figure out childcare.” 
Chase looked at her with a frown. He knew that she was stressing out, and he didn’t know how he could help it but to help her get the place ready. The absolute one thing he knew for certain was that Rudy and Thea were a hot mess. They always had been, he knew that. He’d spent several weeks trying to get her out of her funk that she was in because of him only to have the truth come out that she’d given everything to her best friend before she moved. He’d been the one that drove her to Walmart at four am to get a pregnancy test, held her when she cried for days because it was positive and she had no way to get ahold of the blonde man. 
He’d been the one to sit at the hospital with her for nearly thirty two hours while she was in labor with her daughter, then was the one who stayed with Emma during the day so that Thea could graduate. In a way, he felt like he’d been playing dad to his co-star’s child from the get go, but he was going to make sure that Rudy got the chance to be the dad he deserved to be, even if Thea wasn’t happy about it. 
With a soft smile, he turned to look at the blonde girl and sighed.
“Okay” he confirmed. “Tell me what you want me to do.” 
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was I supposed to figure out my plot at some point or are we all just pretending
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heavy as ever (light as a feather) || buddie
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Author’s note: me?? Writing for something other than outer banks? It’s more likely than you’d think. Anyway, Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat wrote a gay anthem and it is my favorite All Time Low song and it is a Buddie song. So here’s almost 1500 words. Working title was “four times buck hears glitter & crimson by all time low + one time Eddie hears it with him.” You’re welcome.
Reminder: I am in the process of moving all my writing to this blog from my main blog. I mainly write for OBX and the actors there but there are a fair few of other fandoms mixed in. This is posted on ao3 under Vixfeetunder.
The first time Evan Buckley hears the song is through a wall.
It’s barely April, only three days in. Normally, Evan “Buck” Buckley didn’t pay attention to the various noises he heard through the walls of his apartment building. If he did, he’d be exposed to a lot more sexual noises than he’s willing to admit he’s comfortable with. While the loft is nice with his view and space, the walls are thin, and he makes a point to spend most of his alone time with headphones on.
However, that morning he’s faced with dead AirPods and running late for his shift, but he freezes as he hears the song through the wall. It sounds almost acoustic, but then the beat picks up and he can’t stop listening.
“I don’t want to wait until the sunshine fades and bury our love in a shallow grave.”
It’s a cute love song, he assumes, but he makes a mental note to google the lyrics later to find the song and listen to it properly.
Unfortunately for Buck, he doesn’t get the chance to look it up. The 118 are on non stop calls until the end of his shift, and he collapses into bed exhausted as soon as he’s home.
The second time he hears the song is as he’s leaving the grocery store.
If it were up to Buck, he’d survive off take out and spite but unfortunately for him, Eddie had seen the lack of food in his fridge and threatened to call his sister if he didn’t get groceries and something edible because mustard and bread that was on the verge of molding wouldn’t cut it. So he begrudgingly made his way to the grocery store, taking his time picking out fruit and veggies that he would try not to let go bad in his fridge, as well as some ready made things he could pop in the microwave after a long shift. Oh, and beer. Plenty of beer.
He’s just finishing up paying for the items when he hears the almost familiar tune of the song start playing. Part of him wants to take his time as he bags his own groceries to hear the whole song, but he decides against it, only hearing the first line as he walks out of the building.
“It’s a typical story, three in the morning.”
The third time he hears the song, he’s cleaning his apartment.
He doesn’t know how the song came about playing from his speaker as he washed the dishes, but it comes on the random Spotify station he’s listening to. This time, he catches the name of the song Glitter & Crimson and the band, All Time Low. The band sounds familiar, he thinks. Maybe it was a band he listened to in high school, or that’s popular on social media. (It’s both, he learns later. Their album Nothing Personal came out his senior year of high school, and their song Dear Maria, Count Me In is trending on TikTok). Either way, it is the first time he hears the song in full, and he can’t help but quickly add it to his liked songs. Hearing it once is one thing. Twice, that’s a coincidence. But three times? It’s like the universe is telling him to listen to the song,
He hums along like he’s always known the song, listening closely to the lyrics. It’s been months since he heard it the first time, but he does have to admit that he was right with his initial impression of it. It is a cute love song, but there’s something else. In his gut he feels like maybe this is a love song for people like him, the people whose love is still frowned upon in the year 2021.
Of course, it wasn’t like he was in the closet or something. No, he was out, at least to the people that mattered. The 118, Athena, Maddie, they all knew he was bisexual. His parents, however, he couldn’t care less if they ever found out about it, or their reaction over it. He was finally happy with who he was, and other people’s opinions didn’t matter to him, not anymore.
Unfortunately for Buck, he was cut short on finishing the song as he received a call from his sister, but he did catch a line that seemed to stick in his head.
“Hard to sit still when your head’s on fire.”
The fourth time Buck hears the song is live, but not by choice.
He didn’t willingly buy tickets for the concert, but he’d volunteered to help with first aid. Sad Summer Fest was set to be the next warped tour when it came to pop punk music, and it took him back to his high school days. It helped that he had heard of all the bands on the line up this year, sans a couple. He had seen the name of one of the headliners as he scanned the time sheet of sets, knowing that a couple bands were more likely to be sending mosh pit and crowd surfing injuries to the tent.
The show went off without a hitch, really. Buck and the other volunteers treated more dehydration than anything. There was a couple of alcohol poisonings, as well as a sprained ankle from the pit, but the show was enjoyable. He’s beginning to pack his part of the tent up when he hears the voice of All Time Low’s lead singer say that the next song is for the people about love and that love always wins.
He watches as amongst the crowd and darkening skies, hundreds of cell phone flashlights go up in the air, waving and bobbing as the song starts. There are teenagers and young adults clinging onto each other as they scream along to the song, and he’s sure some of them are crying.
And Buck? Well, he can’t help but watch in wonder as tears fill his eyes. Before he can realize what he’s doing, he’s pulling his cellphone out to capture the moment. He’s been to plenty of concerts in his lifetime but there’s something about this moment, all of these people feeling their true selves that make him emotional, and hearing the lyrics to the song just makes it so much more raw.
“How long can we be happy if happy ain’t meant for us?”
The first time Eddie Diaz hears the song is after a rough shift.
Firefighters and paramedics are supposed to save people. That’s literally in the job description but it hasn’t been like that all day. They’d responded to a multiple casualty event, and only three of the six victims made it to the hospital. Of the three victims who were DOA, two of them were children. One was a toddler and one was just a year older than Christopher — brother and sister.
He’s standing in Buck’s kitchen, a beer in hand. Chris is at Abuela’s, spending the night like he does when Eddie’s shift ends later in the evening. Buck had decided that neither one of them needed to be alone tonight, so they’d picked up Chinese food on the way home, and now he’s scrolling through his friend’s Spotify while Buck cleans up.
The one thing Eddie knows about Evan “Buck” Buckley is that he doesn’t change what he listens to very often. His Spotify favorites haven’t changed in the years that Eddie’s known him, so the fact there’s a new song at the top of the playlist makes him furrow his brow and question it.
Buck freezes as the music starts, low on the speaker. Eddie has to admit, the melody is nice but he can’t get over the title of Glitter & Crimson. Buck is humming along by then, moving to pull Eddie close to him and sway with him. It’s something they’ve done a million times in the seclusion of their homes, a little intimate moment together that would have anyone who saw them questioning if they were really just friends.
But the truth is, they both need this tonight. The weight of their rough shift seemingly falls off their shoulders as they sway to the music. The song is a little fast for them to be slow dancing to, but Buck always says you can slow dance to any song if you try hard enough, and right in that moment, Eddie is glad. He can hear Buck murmuring the words as they dance, making him sigh in content. This is their moment. Just them, together.
“No compromise and no second best. There’s no stopping now, this weight on my chest. I won’t settle down, I won’t settle for less.”
And if six months after that moment, Eddie tells a patient in the back of the ambulance on Chim’s day off that he first kissed his boyfriend while they slow danced to their song in his kitchen, then that is no one’s business but his.
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How’s the Drew starkey smut going ?!?!? I’m THIRSTYYYYYY
It’s coming! Slowly but surely, currently going under heavy editing
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I am writing a Drew smut and it’s already 3k words so uhhh you’re welcome @pankhoeforlife @teelagurl558
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I’m Gonna Love You Through It || JJ Maybank
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Warnings: mentions of miscarriage, mentions of car accidents, sad JJ which is a crim punishable with death or at least it should be. Implied married JJ x reader. This is the alternate version of twenty six letters
I am currently in the process of moving my writing from my main blog to this one. Please be patient with me.
It was an unseasonably cool October morning, but yet here you were, sat in the wet sand wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and JJ’s t shirt. Your arms were wrapped around your knees and you were fighting back tears. The storm from the night before had the waves worked up, so you were surprised when a blanket wraps around your shoulders and there’s a soft thud in the sand beside as someone sits next to you.
“I thought I’d find you here. Figured I’d better come find you before you turned into an ice cube.” he said. You looked over to see JJ sitting beside you, legs crossed and definitely dressed for the weather in his hoodie and sweatpants. You didn’t say anything, turning to continue to stare at the water in front of you.
It was quiet for a while after that. Neither of you spoke. You didn’t have to because you both knew what was going through your head. Today would have been your due date with your first child. Not planned, but wanted and ripped from you by a drunk driver. Four months later, you were still blaming yourself even though you knew deep down that it wasn’t your fault. Slowly, JJ moved to clasp your hand in his, running his thumb over your knuckles.
“It wasn’t your fault.” He said. “I want to make sure you know that.”
“I do know that.” You whispered. “Doesn’t make today suck any less though.” He sighed, bringing your hand up to his mouth.
“We should go see her today.” he said. “I think it’ll help me. I think it’ll help you.” You hadn’t been to the cemetery since the day you guys buried your daughter's ashes, since the law said a miscarriage after twenty weeks had to be dealt with through a funeral home. You’d decided to bury her, so that you’d have a place to visit her, but you hadn’t been able to bring yourself to go back since the funeral. JJ had gone a couple times, like the day they had placed her headstone. He’d taken pictures of it for you, the tiny stone bordered with tiny flowers and her name Charlotte Rose Maybank with just the year on it. You’d named her after your grandmother. You had grown up in the tiny baptist church in the middle of town, and while neither of you were particularly religious, you held a firm belief that your grandma was on the other side taking care of your daughter.
“Okay.” you mumbled. “It’s time.”
“I just keep imagining what she would look like.” he said. “I bet she would have been gorgeous.” You let out a watery laugh.
“I know she would have been.” you told him. “Your eyes on any kid would be adorable. She’d probably have your ADHD too.”
“Maybe.” He said. “I want to try again, when you’re ready.” He’d been patient, a saint really. He’d made sure you’d eaten the first couple of weeks when all you wanted to do was stay in bed. He’d sat in the bathroom and washed your hair when it hadn’t been washed in over two weeks. He was always there to hold you when the emotions got to be too much and you just needed to be held. You were sure that he’d grieved too, but he never showed it to you. He’d switch off with Kie and Sarah, going over to the chateau for a couple hours and coming home smelling of coors light and weed. You knew he’d grieved during those trips where he could talk about his emotions with John B for a couple hours, because if anyone knew grief it was his best friend, even if it wasn’t the same type of grief.
In fact, the only time you’d seen him show his grief was the day of the accident. JJ had been at work, you had gone to the doctor for your 25 week appointment, but it was late in the evening, as you had other errands to run, when you got done and were driving home when you were hit head on by a man driving drunk. JJ remembers it from closing up the mechanics shop he worked at, Shoupe coming in looking for him and saying he needed to get in the car because you had been in an accident and were in bad shape. You remember it as the car being hit, then barely coming around in the hospital with him holding your hand praying for the first time you can remember because he couldn’t lose you both. As soon as he muttered the words you knew you’d lost your daughter, but were out again before he could even realize you were awake. You didn’t even have confirmation that you lost her until you really came around two days later.
“I want to try again, someday.” You said. “I’m just not ready yet.”
“I know. I’ll be here when you are, though. Until then though, I’m just gonna love you through it.” He said.
Truth be told, you didn’t feel ready when nearly two years later the test came back positive again. JJ kept his promise, he loved you through it. There were panic attacks and the fear that your body was permanently damaged from the trauma of the accident, but JJ was there to hold you, and assure you that everything was okay. He didn’t miss an appointment, talked you down from panic attacks, and you knew it was worth it when on yet another cold October morning you sat in another hospital room, holding your beautiful, healthy son in your arms.
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Twenty Six Letters || JJ Maybank
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Warnings and authors note: This is sad, like so sad, my friends say it rips their hearts out. I’m sorry. Title credit to black butterflies and deja vu by the maine (the lyric is “there’s only twenty six letters I can use just to tell you I won’t let go”)
This specific story is an alternate ending to another fic I wrote, but I haven’t got that one transferred here yet, I am in the process of moving all of my works to this blog from my main.
Word Count: 2,350
July 17
Y/N,
The doctors came out and told me they tried everything, but they couldn’t save you. They’re transferring Charlie to the mainland where they have a NICU, they’re life lining her. The amount of police that had to hold me back from hurting that doctor, I’m embarrassed. This was supposed to be our dream, our family. I needed to write my thoughts down, I know you can’t read this, it’s ridiculous. I can’t lose both of you. I love you so much.
JJ
July 19
Y/N,
Charlie weighs a whopping 1 pound, 2 ounces. She’s the tiniest thing I have ever laid eyes on. I’m staying on the mainland until she gets to come home, thanks to the community, really. Sarah started a fundraiser for Charlie’s medical care, your funeral, and the community really showed their support. No word on who did this to you, but I will find out. Charlotte Rose Maybank is a fighter, just like her mother. I love you.
JJ
July 21
Y/N, 
Today we laid you to rest. Even though your parents didn’t like me that well, they both put that aside today. John B and Pope had to practically hold me up at the cemetery. We were supposed to grow old and gray together, but today I had to put you six feet under at twenty three. It hit me that I am a widower at twenty-five. I am a single father of a four day old “micro preemie”. I’m at the hospital now. I’m not supposed to be in the NICU this late, but the night nurse knows what happened and can understand my need to be close to the last thing I have of you. I love you more than you will ever know,
JJ
PS: I did as you wished and made JB and Sarah her godparents. They’re coming tomorrow to see her for the first time.
July 25
Y/N,
I spent the night in jail last night. You see, they finally figured out who the pick up belonged to. I hadn’t seen him since we got married two years ago, but I was so pissed off when I went into the jail to talk to Shoupe. I asked him for five minutes with him, which was granted. I was yelling, and I’m not embarrassed about that actually. I told him I was going to make sure he went away for a very long time. That he killed the love of my life, that because of him his fucking granddaughter is fighting for her life right now all because he felt like it was okay to drive drunk. That motherfucker showed no remorse whatsoever. He fucking smirked at me Y/N, so I punched him. Square in the jaw. Of course, I was promptly booked for it, but I was told this morning that they weren’t going to actually press charges because in Shoupe’s eyes he deserved it. They put it on the books as a purely cooling down period. I came back to the hospital, and Charlie is stable. They said if she keeps improving like she is, I might get to hold her for the first time soon. I’m trying to be strong for her, for you, but I miss you so much. You should still be here, she should still be safe and growing inside you. But it wasn’t meant to be. I love you more than the moon and stars,
JJ
August 9
Y/N,
So I haven’t written in a while and that’s because we have a pretty rocking kid, you know? I got to hold her for the first time last week. It was an emotional affair, I was sobbing the moment they placed her on my chest. She’s still so tiny, but she’s gaining weight and is starting to look more like an actual human instead of an alien. I made sure the nurse took a picture when I held her because I want to remember how small she was the first time I held her, even with all the wires and tubes.  I may be writing less frequently but I’m gonna keep writing. It makes me feel better. Like, I’m still close to you with this notebook. I love you, I love you, I love you. 
JJ
September 17
Y/N,
Happy two months Lottie Rose. I know we were going to call her Charlie, but the new night nurse started calling her Lottie, and I’ve kind of fallen in love with it. It just fits her. She’s almost three pounds now! I’m so proud of her. It’s wild to me that she would be due in almost six weeks. The doctor expects her to be home by her due date, and I promptly will be taking her to your grave. She’s always going to know how much you loved her, Y/N. I made sure your mom put “Mother of Charlotte” on your headstone. When she’s older I’m gonna take her to our favorite spots. I want her to know who you were, because I know that the person you were, is why she’s here. I love you more than I can count.
JJ
October 31st
Y/N,
Happy Due Date Lottie Rose Maybank! We’re going home today, Y/N. Lottie weighs a whopping 6 pounds now. I’m so proud of her. She is tiny, but she’s gonna catch up fast. She passed her car seat test with flying colors. She can eat from a bottle, but the nurse noticed that she wasn’t as responsive to sound as most of the other babies when they’re ready to go home. She suggested she might just be desensitized to the noise of the hospital, but they wanted to recheck her hearing before we leave, so I am writing this while I wait for them to finish that. I just signed all of her release paperwork. Last night, I was contacted by the local news to do an interview about how Lottie is, and how everything has affected me. I think I should do it, John B and Sarah said they would watch Lottie while I go to the station. 
Okay so they brought Lottie back, she didn’t pass her hearing test so we have to set up an appointment for a hearing specialist. Honestly,  if she needs hearing aids it isn’t the biggest deal in the world. I’m not going to love her any less. She’s our kid, she can handle anything that's thrown in her way. I love you bunches,
JJ
December 24
Y/N,
This single dad thing is hard. Tomorrow is Lottie’s first Christmas, and we are going to church with your parents. I know you always liked to go on Christmas and Easter at least, so I thought that could be one tradition I kept with Lottie. I’m also keeping the tradition of buying a personalized ornament every year for the Christmas tree. It’s wild to think that at this time last year, we had just agreed to try for a baby, and this year everything is different. You’re not here, we have a five month old daughter who is the size of a three month old.  I’ve got to tell you, losing your wife brings things into perspective. I want Lottie to have a set of grandparents that love her unconditionally. I’ve spent a lot of time with your mom and sister the last month or so, and I know your mom will love her no matter what. No matter how we get along, Lottie comes first. She’s our priority. Merry Christmas, Baby, I love you. 
JJ
July 17
Y/N,
One year. You have been gone one long year. This time one year ago, I was working on Pope’s dad’s truck. It seemed like every single siren in the town went out, and I remember thinking “That must be a bad accident.” If only I knew then. If only I knew that in an hour, you would be gone, that I’d be standing in the waiting room of the hospital while they worked on you until they couldn’t anymore. I remember the anger, Shoupe and another officer holding me back before I just buckled in my own grief. I remember your mom and dad coming, having rushed over from the mainland. Your mom knew, as soon she walked in the waiting room where I was a mess on the floor, JB on one side of me, Pope on the other, she knew.  We sobbed together, we became numb together. I vaguely remember telling her they were lifelining Lottie to Raleigh. I remember her looking at me and telling me, “John James, you listen to me. You get to Raleigh, your daughter needs you. Do you hear me? She needs you.” It was the only time in my life I didn’t mind hearing my full name. I didn’t get to see her until she was already two days old. Today we have a happy, healthy, one year old. She’s catching up with kids her age, which kind of shocks the doctors. She’s growing on track, she’s hitting milestones. She just started crawling, but she can already get wherever her little heart desires. I’ve made a conscious effort to not be sad in front of her today. We are having a big party for her, she’s going to love it. I miss you, sweetheart. I love you
JJ
August 10
Y/N
Time flies, you know? It seems like yesterday I was bringing Lottie home from the hospital. Where has five years gone? Today, I dropped her off for her first day of kindergarten. We had a long conversation about how if anyone was mean about her hearing aids, to tell her teacher and how it wasn’t a bad thing to ask for help. I want her to have a better school experience than I had, I want her to like school. That didn’t stop me from sobbing like a baby the whole way to work. Of course, my boss knew I’d been crying and just patted my shoulder and told me “if you think this is the only first day that you’ll cry, I have news for you.” I told him Lottie is an only child, I’m probably going to cry at every first day of school. It’s strange to think that if you were still here we’d probably have another little Maybank running around. It’s okay though, your sister had twins two years ago and JB and Sarah are having their first soon, so she’s got cousins to play with. I love you sweetheart.
JJ
July 17
Y/N.
Uh, we have a teenager? Like a full ass practically fully grown human in our house. Thirteen years and it still feels like yesterday. We got the news yesterday that Luke Maybank died in jail over the weekend. Y/N, I have to tell you, our daughter cracks me up. I told her that her grandfather passed away, and she told me she hopes you take a trip down to hell and kick the shit out of him. I told her that I beat the shit out of him thirteen years ago when she was barely a week old. She found the news articles about the accident, and asked me to talk to her about it. I did, but it was hard. I’ve never shut up about you so she knew who you were. She also asked me why I never remarried. It’s simple, really. Half my heart was buried with you 13 years ago, and the other half divided to recover and love our daughter just as fiercely as we loved each other. I love you honey. 
JJ
May 31
Y/N,
Okay, we’re old. It’s fine. Charlotte Rose Maybank, you know our pretty rockin’ kid? Yeah, she graduated high school today, as valedictorian. She’ll be 18 in July, Y/N, and then in August she’s going to the mainland for college. She wants to be a doctor. Watching her walk across that stage, in her cap and gown, I was sobbing. I was an absolute mess. JB had to take pictures for me because I couldn’t stop shaking. You’d be so proud of her. I know I sure am. I love you more than I can breathe,
JJ
October 25
Y/N,
Our baby girl got married today. Of course, I could go my entire life without knowing that JB and I are going share grandkids someday, but really Alexander is a great kid, and he loves Lottie. I know that someday, she’s going to find all these notebooks and read them and I hope she laughs that I shared every milestone with you like you could read these. She’s got one more semester of school left, then she will officially be Charlotte Rose Maybank-Routledge, MD. I personally think the hyphenating of her last name is really complicated, but that’s what she wants. She looks absolutely stunning in her dress, I hope you can see her. I love you, gorgeous,
JJ
November 13
Y/N, 
We became grandparents today. It’s wild to think that 27 years ago, I was holding our daughter in the same hospital where Carter Jonathan Maybank-Routledge arrived early this morning. The Maybank genes are still strong in this one, Carter looks so much like Lottie it’s not funny. I told JB maybe the next one will look like his side, ha. Okay sweetheart, I love you. JJ
March 6
Mom,
I had absolutely no idea that Dad wrote you a letter every week, sometimes every day, for 36 years. He fought the cancer for a very long time, Mom, because he simply didn’t want to leave me and the boys.  I found the notebooks, I’ve spent the last week reading them. He loved you so much, he loved me so much. He wrote to you up until the last day. That’s beautiful. I know you are back together now. You’ve got 36 years to catch up on. Tell him we’ll be fine. 
I love you both,
Lottie.
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