#ch: john b routledge | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

domesticmail · 4 years

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of kooks and pogues - ch. 1

word count: 2.5 k

pairing: slow burn jj x reader

warnings: cursing! maybe a lil bit of sad stuff? other than that we’re chillin

series summary: you and your dad have just moved to the outer banks after your mom’s death. you don’t know, really, what to make of this place.

chapter summary: the outer banks, paradise on earth. you’re ready to get away from old demons and start anew. mostly just an intro to your backstory and how you meet the pogues!

When your dad had come to you with a brochure and a suitcase, you hadn’t complained. You hadn’t even really reacted – just looked at him, then the brochure, and asked for an explanation. It felt like you already knew why he was doing this, it was something in the way he had hesitated in the doorway to your room, a moment of pause. He was unsure of how you’d feel about whatever this was. Unsure of whether or not you would be okay.

The explanation consisted of everything unsaid that had been hanging in the air for the past few weeks, the unspoken elephant in the room. Not that you’d been avoiding it, per se – you two just hadn’t been ready to talk about any of it yet. (You were sure that if your father were a little less caring, he would’ve never talked about it. Or, at least, not unless he was on his deathbed. And even then, only maybe. Feelings had never been his strong suit.) He needed some time away, he said quietly, taking his trademark place on the corner of your unmade bed. He needed to be somewhere where your mother wasn’t in everything.

It didn’t upset you to hear it – in fact, you’d been considering the same thing.

Walking into the kitchen every morning was a chore, feeling like you were just on the edge of some hidden emotion, something threatening to break every part of you if there was a single unexpected change. The dishes piled up in the sink; you took over the chore of washing them, always expecting to hear the sound of her heels on the tiled floor, asking why you two couldn’t seem to keep the house clean. Dinner was no longer a family event; neither of you could stand sitting down at the dinner table knowing that her chair would remain empty. It was no longer a home, no longer the place where you grew up – now it was just the place you happened to have a room in.

He laid the brochure gently in front of you as you tucked your knees under your chin, wrapping your arms around your bent legs. I found a place we could go, he said. A new start. Somewhere we could live without feeling like we’re going to break every time we walk through the front door. An island off the coast of North Carolina.

“North Carolina’s a really long way from here,” you said after a moment’s silence, watching him carefully. He was a little more fragile after she’d gone, a little less strong. Before, he’d been the strongest man you’d known – a firefighter who was approaching fifty but still kicking – but now you saw him becoming more and more human. It’s what losing someone you love does to you.

He nodded. “I’m not going to force you to go.” There it was. The part of him that you knew best, the generous, loving part. He was never one to push you too far past your comfort zone. He reached across the bed to pat your knee with a smile. “You know you can tell me if you’re not ready.”

“No, no, it’s not that,” you assured him. “I’m just going to be sad to go. This is…all we have left of her.”

“I know. It’s not easy for me either, trust me.”

A pause. You took a deep breath.

“We should go.”

He raised an eyebrow. “If you’re sure, bee.”

You wrinkled your nose at the childhood nickname, smiling weakly. “I am.”

Your dad shrugged and grinned, standing up. He ruffled your hair with one hand before backing out of your room. “Alright. Get packing then, kiddo. We’re out of here in two days.”

So there you are, two days later, sprawled on the driveway of your new home, paint on your favorite jeans, wishing you’d put more thought into packing instead of just throwing everything haphazardly into your suitcase.

“Hey, bee, everything going smoothly?” Your dad yells from inside. Thank fuck, you think to yourself. He didn’t see you just trip over an invisible object, the contents of your suitcase spilling out onto the road leading up to your house as you not-so-gloriously go face first into the dirt. A case of paint that has begun leaking ends up all over the right side of your jeans as you sit up, coughing.

“Yeah. Yup. Everything’s good. Just chilling,” you say by way of response, picking up your stuff as quickly as possible and just shoving it into the now-open suitcase, face burning. Of course you have to embarrass yourself within the first three minutes of being here. Because the universe hates you.

Your dad’s standing in the front doorway, smiling. “I see you couldn’t keep yourself from the driveway. I like it too, bee, but could you try to keep it in your pants until we’re at least moved in all the way?”

You shoot him a helpless look. “Can you come help me instead of being a smartass?”

“Good daughters don’t call their father a smartass,” he retorts.

“I was raised by you and mom,” you snort. “If you wanted me to be a good daughter, you should’ve sent me to boarding school or something. Or gotten a nanny.”

“Your mom would’ve loved that,” he laughs, then turns around and disappears inside the house.

Once you’ve picked up your things and made sure that nothing is still laying on the dirt for your neighbors to see, you head inside. You and your dad split up the rooms easily – master bedroom for him, second largest for you, and the extra room for your art – and start moving in, making the house your own. It’s not hard. You both have a love for knickknacks, photos, books, and your dad’s got a thing for action figures from when he was a teen, so the shelves fill up fast. The same happens with the walls – you set about putting the family photos up, pictures of the three of you at the beach, at the history museum, on Christmas. Your dad opts for putting art up – not art bought from some sort of art gallery, but your paintings, the ones you used to do of the flowers in your mom’s garden back home. Pretty soon it’s almost like you’ve lived here forever – almost.

Tired from the unpacking, you both take a seat on the new couch.

“So,” your dad starts. “Thought about making any friends yet?”

You laugh. “We’ve been here for five hours, and we spent that time moving in. The only thing I’m thinking about is taking a shower and sleeping for a week.”

He shrugs. “Look, I’m just saying, bee. I don’t want you to think you have to spend all of your time taking care of your old man.” He waves a hand at you when you try to interrupt. “No, no, I’m serious. At least try to have some fun.”

“Oh, wow. You’re turning into one of those parents in Disney movies.”

“Woah, woah. No. I’m tougher than any of them. And I have sense!”

You laugh, getting up from the table and kissing his forehead. “I believe you.”

“You’d better.” He grins. “Why don’t you go drive around a bit? Go into town, meet some people. Get to know – I don’t know, what do people say now? Get to know the vibe.”

“Wow. Astounding effort, really. That deserves an award.” You grab your keys off the kitchen counter. “Okay, I’ll go, then. Gonna go make some friends. Party really hard. You know me.”

“Your mother would be furious that we raised a party girl.”

“I can almost feel her spinning in her grave. I love you!” The last sentence is yelled through the front door as you bound down the wooden steps from your porch to the dirt road that leads to your house. Within seconds, you’re in the driver’s seat of your car, an old Jeep, and driving around.

The island is different than what you’d expected. There’s a beautiful side filled with massive houses and meticulous lawns, and for a minute you think about your mom – she’d have wanted to move there, with the minimalism and the haunting cleanliness of everything. The side you live on now is different, it’s run-down, old, and a little dirty. Even the people are different. You know the huge houses are filled with stereotypical American Families, Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter, and maybe even a dog named something cliché - Buddy or Spot.

After a little driving around, you find the place you know is going to become your safe haven. A little shop that’s only about a five-minute drive from the house is filled secondhand items, from t-shirts from the seventies to paintbrushes that are stained blue or purple or red. You spend nearly an hour there, filling up an eco-friendly bag (how does a thrift store afford eco-friendly bags, you wonder, but it’s only a passing thought) with as many art supplies as you can find. Checking out takes a little while because you keep accidentally distracting the cashier by talking about your new move. Eventually you manage to pay for all your items.

You leave the store with a grin, messing around with the items in your bag, trying to find the paintbrush you bought specifically because it reminded you of your mom, when suddenly you’re sent sprawling again.

Two times in one day, you think to yourself, the side of your face burning against concrete. Once again, all your stuff is out on the sidewalk, scattered around you. It feels like you’ve been slammed into by something two times your size, and sure enough, when you sit up, you notice that there’s a guy quickly getting up next to you.

He’s got a little less than shoulder-length blond hair, and a cut on his bottom lip, split apart by what you can only assume was him barreling into you full-speed. Is that really what happened, you don’t know, and right now you don’t care, because dear god, he’s not bad looking. Not at all. He’s actually quite good looking, and the grin he’s giving you as he gets up and offers you a hand is making your knees weak.

You take his hand and stand up. As you regain your balance, you notice there are four people talking to you, all of them at the same time. Two are guys – one has that messy, just-woke-up look, and the other looks like what you imagine being stress would look like if it were a person. They’re with two girls, both of whom are so pretty that at first you’re not sure they’re actually real.

“I am so sorry, are you okay?” One asks, dropping down to help pick up your stuff. The other shoots an exasperated look at the guy that made you fall.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you assure her, taking your things from her hands and putting them in your bag. “Just didn’t expect my face to meet the sidewalk today.”

Everyone smiles at that. She looks you up and down. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Are you on vacation?”

“No, I just moved here,” you answer, sticking out your hand. “Y/N L/N.”

She shakes it reluctantly, raising an eyebrow. “I didn’t really think anyone moved here anymore,” she laughs. “Sarah Cameron.”

Everyone else takes turn introducing themselves. The messy one is John B. – he and Sarah are a thing, you can tell immediately. The stress-personified one is Pope, and the pretty girl who looks exasperated is Kiara. The last to introduce himself is the one who accidentally hit you, and he grins and extends his hand to you.

“I’m JJ. Sorry for, uh, that whole thing.” He’s a little out of breath from the whole debacle, but his smile tells you he could do this all day.

“It’s fine, I should’ve seen it coming, really. Second time it’s happened today,” you shrug, shaking his hand.

Before JJ can respond, one of his friends – Kiara, Kiara, Kiara, you repeat in your head – swats his shoulder playfully. “Yeah, sorry, he doesn’t really pay attention to where he’s going.” Pope, John B., and Sarah all nod, grinning, like this is a universal truth.

“I think you got some paint on your jeans when you fell,” John B. points out, looking at the big splatter of yellow paint on your right pant leg.

“Oh, no,” you laugh. “No, that’s from earlier today. Everything in my suitcase fell out, and some of the paint went everywhere.”

“You’re a painter?” Pope asks.

“Um, not professionally, really.” You can feel your face turning pink. “I just do it as a hobby.”

“Hey, maybe John B. should hire you,” JJ suggests. “The Chateau could really use a touch-up.” John B. socks him in the shoulder.

The group is all really friendly – they’re the first people you’ve met, and you’re already attached to them. Surprise, surprise, Dad, you think. I might’ve actually found some friends. You exchange numbers and Snapchat users with everyone, and within minutes you have a message from every one of them.

Your phone dings while Sarah is asking where on the island you’re moved in. “Sorry, hold on, it’s my dad.”

Hey bee, grab some popcorn for tonight? Got TG all loaded up.

TG – The Godfather. It’s your comfort movie – on the nights when you were having a hard time, Dad would put in on while you made popcorn, and you’d lose yourself in the world of Italian crime families for a little while. Of course he’d put it on the first night you’re moved in. He’s trying to help, trying to retain some sense of normalcy. Well, okay. Sounds good.

okay! You text back. “Um, I’ve gotta go. It was really nice to meet you guys.”

Everyone nods, and there’s a whole goodbye thing – Sarah hugs you, Kie does the same, John B. and Pope say it was nice to meet you, you should definitely come hang out with the group sometime, and JJ grins and apologizes again for hitting you and causing you to fall.

“Seriously, it’s fine,” you insist. “It was really nice meeting you guys!”

“Yeah, you too.” JJ nods, turns around – and then does another 180. “And hey, if you’re not doing anything tomorrow night…We’re having a kegger at the Boneyard. You should come.”

You’re not really a party person – the chaos of fifty drunk teenagers crammed together in close quarters is really overwhelming, you’ve discovered. Not to mention the fact that you almost always end up left behind, taking shelter from the noise and distraction in a bathroom or an empty bedroom (although usually bathrooms work better, bedrooms tend to be…occupied). At the end of the night you’re the one who laughs along but has nothing to add to the conversation, dropping your friends off at their homes and promptly getting to your own house as quickly as possible. The sooner you can get into your comfy clothes, fall asleep, and forget that night ever happened, the better.

But this is a new place, these are new people, and if you tell your dad that you turned down an invitation to a party, he might actually kill you.

So you tell JJ to send you the information.

The Outer Banks, you think to yourself on the way to your new home. Paradise on Earth.

#of kooks and pogues #ch. 1 #artist!reader #jj maybank #kiara carrera #pope heyward #john b routledge #jj maybank x reader

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perpetualoverthinker · 3 years

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MASTERLIST

Find all my writing here! I'm willing to write for any of the characters listed below. If you have a request for different characters/fandoms, just ask :)

✍︎ requests open !

☀︎ fluff | ☾ angst

☞John B Routledge

N/A

☞ JJ Maybank

☀︎ picking up a drunk JJ and co. [blurb]

☀︎ thief [blurb]

☀︎ New In Town (JJ x Reader) [series discontinued] - CH 1 | CH 2

It’s junior year on the Outer Banks and a new face shows up in town, catching the attention of a particular blunt rolling surfer…

☾ Still Feel It All (JJ x Reader)

*song: Still Feel It All by MARO* Love can be a stubborn thing, refusing to leave after all this time. y/n just can't seem to let go of her feelings for JJ, and he just can't seem to catch on.

☞Pope Heyward

☀︎ Books and Bagels (Pope x Reader)

It was only fitting that Pope Heyward would fall for the girl at the library.

☞Kiara Carrera

☀︎ ☾ 1950 (Kie x Reader)

*song: 1950 by King Princess* y/n has been in love with Kie for as long as she can remember. After years of pining and unrequited feelings, y/n is content with being “just friends.” That is, until those feelings seem to be reciprocated.

☞Sarah Cameron

N/A

☞Rafe Cameron

☀︎ slow dancing [blurb]

☀︎ evenings with you [blurb]

☀︎ Rafe Dating a Singer [head canon]

☀︎ ☾ Letters [series]

When Rafe Cameron returns to the Outer Banks for the summer, he never expected to pick up a letter addressed to him from y/n, let alone a love letter. A secret correspondence soon sparks between the two, causing old feelings to resurface and new impressions to emerge.

☾ Dogfight [series]

(inspired by Dogfight (1991)) A last hoorah for the now graduated kooks: a cruel competition on who can bring the ugliest date to the annual end of summer party. The prize? A thousand dollars. Rafe Cameron is determined to win, but when his efforts to find a date fail, he must settle for the plain and overlooked girl working the local diner.

#outer banks #outer banks imagine #outer banks fic #obx netflix #outer banks netflix #obx fanfiction #outer banks masterlist

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outer-bnks · 3 years

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Two Burning Hearts Are Dared to Break (JJ X OC) Ch. 11

The Pogues get a surprise visit from Agent Bratcher, causing tensions to rise in the group. JJ exposing Elle and Topper’s budding romance doesn’t help either.

Warning: swearing, brief mention of death

Word count: 1.5k

“This is so messed up”, JJ sighed, keeping his eyes down to the ground, shaking it in disbelief.

The Pogues silence that followed allowed them to mull over the possibilities of what could happen with their ongoing police investigation, before it was broken by knocking, Elle removing herself from the living room to answer it.

Opening the door she froze, coming face to face with Agent Bratcher. He took in her reaction, looking over her shoulder, “Hi, I’m Agent Bratcher of the SBI. I’m investigating the disappearance of John Booker Routledge and Sarah Cameron. I believe you and your friends may have some information that could help me.”

He definitely had come to the right place. Crossing her arms over her chest, she felt her heartbeat begin to quicken as a wave of anxiety washed over her. They had already given their statements to Deputy Shoupe, did they really have to recount the occurrences of this Summer again. “We can’t speak to you without a lawyer present sir, sorry to disappoint”, she spoke with confidence, hoping that it was enough to create a facade that he wouldn’t be able to see through.

Hearing footsteps approach her from behind she was soon joined by the others, relieved that she had some backup. “All due respect Agent, but it’s best if you leave”, JJ spoke, stepping in front of Elle and sizing up Agent Bratcher.

“I know you kids are going through a lot right now and the last thing you want to do is answer more questions regarding what’s happened,”,a look of genuine sympathy was displayed before it was replaced by seriousness, “but I think there’s more to the story than anyone is letting on”.

“We’ve already given our statements to Shoupe, there’s nothing more to say”.

“Look, between us, I think Shoupe is… overlooking some aspects that I would like to dive deeper into”, JJ turned to the others standing behind him, biting his lip whilst silently asking him with his eyes what Bratcher was talking about.

Bratcher took their curious faces as his signal to carry on. “The day of the storm, Sarah came to the SBI tents very aggravated… hysterical almost. It looked like she had been crying, she had a very anxious energy to her. But her father brushed it off as her recent diagnosis,”, he flipped through his pocket sized notebook searching before reading off, “Bipolar Disorder”.

Kie’s head flicked up from the ground that she had previously been staring at, confusion and surprise making her head fill with questions. Stepping forward between JJ and Elle she made sure she had Bratcher’s attention before speaking. “Sorry what? Bipolar Disorder?”, she turned her head to look at the others to confirm her own thoughts, “Sarah...wasn’t Bipolar.”

Bratcher shuffled on his feet, bringing his notebook down in front of his body before it was joined by his other hand, his eyebrows lifted at the news, eyes flitting from one Pogue to the other to check that they all thought the same.

“I’m sorry, I’m confused. Her Dad said that she had been recently diagnosed”.

“You really believe a thing Ward Cameron says? Come on man, you don’t need to be a detective to tell that he’s full of shit”, JJ expressed. Pope following that up with, “Wouldn’t that information be on her medical records sir?”.

Bratcher nodded, his eyes holding a pleading look as he skimmed over the Pogues once more. “Do you guys see why I need your help in this investigation now?”

Based on the silence that followed his question, he realised that the group may need some more convincing. “Listen, you all knew these two probably better than anyone else on this planet, let alone this island. Every little insignificant piece of information you have about them could lead us to either finding them, solving the case, or both. I need you to do this, not for me, but for them. They would’ve done the same for you right?”

His emotional tactic seemed to work, the Pogues glancing at each other before once again silently reaching an agreement. JJ stepped to the side, his arm outstretched to welcome the man into Elle’s house, “Come on in sir”.

---

“And then they were chased into that raging storm”, Pope finished. They had spent the past 2 hours in Elle’s living room describing the gold game and everything that occurred during their Summer, Agent Bratcher sipping on the tea Elle had prepared for him, in between jotting down notes on his pad. There were multiple instances where everyone had to hold back tears, when the memories of John B and Sarah became too painful.

“So that’s where the story ends?”, Bratcher enquired.

“Yep, forced into the storm by your men after being falsely accused of murdering Sheriff Peterkin”, JJ snapped sarcastically.

“So why didn’t anyone tell the police, try and clear John B’s name?”.

“Were you not fucking listening? We tried, and no one believed us. No one will ever believe us because we’re scum from the poor side of the Island”.

Bratcher maintained his gaze on a disgruntled JJ, before turning to others. “Look guys, I know the tension is high right now and you’re all grieving. But I’m not the bad guy here. I just want to solve this case. I want to find out what really happened to Big John, Scooter Grubbs, the Sheriff and your friends. And it seems like you have the answers. If you can all trust me, I can get the justice you all deserve. That your friends deserve,” he paused, “aren’t you guys tired of fighting this on your own?”.

The group pondered on his words. They were. They were all so tired.

Nodding his head, Pope spoke, “Yes, Agent Bratcher, we want justice, and we’re willing to do anything to get it”.

----

After another half hour of deconstructing the recent events, Bratcher decided it was time to leave. The Pogues all meeting in Elle’s living room, with solemn expressions, the exhaustion of the day catching up to them.

Letting out a sarcastic chuckle, JJ was the first to interrupt their thoughts, “Well that went well”.

Elle shook her head, fed up with his attitude, “JJ you didn't need to be so rude, he’s trying to help”.

Rising from his seated position on her couch, his tone became even more sarcastic, using his hands to exaggerate his point, “Oh yeah really Elle? Why should we trust anyone!”.

“Because we don't have much of a choice anymore!” Elle exclaimed, “Sarah and John B are gone, and now we’re being held responsible for this shit show! You really think they would’ve let us take the fall if they were still here?”.

JJ and Elle were face to face now. “Don’t try to play the emotion card with me! You might be naive enough to spill our secrets to Kooks in hopes for some sympathy and attention but I’m not. The more we tell them, the more they have to pin on us!”.

Kie and Pope snapped their heads to Elle, JJ’s revelation clearly surprising them.

“Wait wait, hold on,” Pope stepped forward between the two, turning to Elle, “Who have you been talking to?”.

Frustrated, she ignored Pope’s question, “God JJ you’re blowing it out of proportion!”.

“You’re falling in love with a Kook but I’m blowing it out of proportion, yeah right”, JJ replied, running his hand through his hair and walking away from the argument to the other side of the room. If Elle was paying attention to the blonde boy she would realise that his reaction wasn’t truly one of anger, but rather hurt.

Kie stepped forward, taking JJ’s place, “I’m sorry, you’re what now?”, she spoke bewildered by the accusation.

Continuing to ignore the other two, Elle’s attention remained focused on the boy who had his back to her, staring out the ceiling to floor windows at the sun setting below the horizon. She walked closer to him, hoping to regain his attention. “Jesus JJ, I get asked on one date and all of a sudden I’m the enemy”.

Taking his cap off his head, he ran a hand through his hair, before taking a breath. Turning his head to the side to face Elle, he held her eye contact. She couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes. She’d seen him angry and upset before, but this was different. She had seen this emotion only a few times, trying to place a finger on what it usually meant. Suddenly, the emotion had disappeared, replaced with one of betrayal, “when that date is Topper Thornton then yes Elle, you are the enemy”.

Taglist:

@mybillyhardgrove @cyrrusmreadings @downbytheouterbanks @belledutchess @imagines-and-preferences1216 @teamnick @lauraxwndrlnd @thehomeiknow @obxlife @shawnssongs @rudyypankow @gigi-june @x-lulu

#jj imagine #jj maybank #Outer Banks #outer banks imagine #rafe imagine #twoburningheartsaredaredtobreak #JJ x Elle #jj x oc #john b #kie x pope #outer-bnksimagines #outer-bnkswritings #jj series #outer banks series #outer banks netflix #jj x kie #jj x pope #jj x reader

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sunlitscribe · 2 years

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randomgiveaway: @barbied-wire oc: matilda 'mattie' barber & ch: john b routledge

#randomgiveaway2021 #lokitrasho #made by me #made for friends #ocapp #i hope you like it!! they r vv cute <33 #my manips #not my oc #fd: outer banks

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overly-b · 4 years

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Bri’s Masterlist

Hey everyone! This is my official masterlist! I thought it would be good to have one seeing as I have been writing so much recently!

My requests are closed.

I do have the right to say no to requests. As of August 31st, I am in college!!! So my life may be a bit more hectic than usual as my education comes first! So I apologize, but stuff may take a lot longer than usual, and I may not be as active.

I write for most Outerbanks characters, but never be afraid to send me a request for someone even if you don’t see them listed here!

Also please let me know if you would like to be added to my permanent tag list for all of my imagines and fics!

JJ Maybank

Imagines

Say It Again In which JJ questions if he is worthy of you and your love.

I’m Not Listening (hard of hearing reader) In which you are sick of arguing with your boy friend JJ.

I’m Not Listening, Rafe. (hard of hearing reader) In which you prevent your boyfriend JJ from getting into another fight. A continuation of I’m Not Listening.

The Worst Day In which you’ve had a horrible day, but it’s nothing your boyfriend can’t remedy.

This Feeling In which you show everyone how you feel about the love of your life. Song imagine to This Feeling by The Chainsmokers

Sensitive In which JJ has an overstimulation kink.

Dreams and Bandanas In which JJ has a sex dream, and you make it a reality.

Body Shots In which you are JJ are both the life of the party, and a certain dare brings you together.

Fuck a Cheater - Completed! In which you get cheated on, and the Pogues help you through it, a certain blond being there for you the most. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Blurbs and Headcanons

In which JJ finally finds a use for his second language (hard of hearing reader)

In which you’re JJ’s calm side

In which JJ watches Teen Wolf season 2 season 3A season 3B season 4 season 5A season 5B season 6

In which JJ watches Criminal Minds

Pope Hayward

Imagines

What You’ve Been Missing In which Pope finally gets what he’s been missing out on.

What She’s Been Missing In which Pope learns to go down on his girl.

What We’ve Been Missing In which Pope has his first time.

Blurbs

In which Pope tells JJ that he lost his virginity

John B. Routledge

Imagines

Breaking the Rules In which you are forced to sneak around your friends back, until you caught that is.

Kiara Carrera

none yet.

Sarah Cameron

none yet.

Rafe Cameron

none yet.

Topper Thornton

none yet.

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obx-adventures · 4 years

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The Introverted Twin

Summary - Being John B’s bookish twin isn’t easy. Especially with my best friend, Pope, being weird about me getting closer with JJ.

——

Chapter 1

“Hello?” I try not to sound irritated as I answer the phone. I’ve been studying all day for the SAT retake next week and am in the middle of a timed practice test. But I know that it must be important because I told all the Pogues I was going radio silent today.

“Y/N Routledge?” I confirm that it’s me and get anxious when I recognize the voice. “This is Deputy Shoupe. I need you to come down to the station to get your brother.”

“What happened? Is he ok?” I put my phone on speaker as I run around searching for a change of clothes.

“He was involved in a physical altercation at the Country Club,” Deputy Shoupe explains. I close my eyes and curse my twin brother. He knows that we can’t get into trouble with DCS breathing down our necks. “He’s ok, the other party declined to press charges so he’s free to go but he told me you have the van.”

“Oh, right, I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I pause for a moment and remember that John B and JJ were supposed to be helping Pope with deliveries today. If John B got into a fight, JJ was right there with him. “Hold on, is JJ with him?”

“Mr Maybank is here,” Deputy Shoupe sounds irritated when he says this. I’m sure JJ was running his mouth to try to keep the focus off my brother. “I was about to call his father to come and get him.”

“No!” I yell through the line. I take a deep breath to calm myself down. “I’ll bring him home too. Please don’t bother his dad. Uh, he’s been working nights lately and needs to sleep during the day.” I’m sure Shoupe knows I’m lying but it’s not like I can tell him the real reason I don’t want him to call Luke.

“Fine, but if you aren’t here in 15 minutes, I’ll have to call him.” I’m sure this is against protocol since JJ is a minor but the whole town has heard the rumors about JJ’s home life.

“Thanks, I’ll be there in 10.” I hang up the phone as my best friend, Pope, busts through the door. He’s out of breath and looks freaked out.

“Y/N, thank God you’re here!” Pope bends over to try to catch his breath before he goes on. “JB and JJ were arrested! We need to get down there.”

“Relax, Pope,” I put my hand on his shoulder to try to steady him. “Shoupe just called. I need to go get them. Tell me what happened on the way over there.”

Pope just nods, still trying to catch his breath as he follows me to the car. On the way to the station, he tells me about how Topper and Rafe goaded JJ and John B had to jump in to help. They yelled at Pope to run when they heard the sirens, but they weren’t able to get away.

“Damnit!” I jump as Pope punches the dash. “I should have gotten in there and helped them.”

“Dude, calm down. You know that your dad would murder you if you got arrested. And the guys wouldn’t want you to risk your scholarship.”

We pull into a parking spot and run inside. While we wait for an officer to bring them out, Pope starts to pace. Normally, I help my best friend before he spirals out but I’m too busy getting angrier by the minute. How can my dumbass brother be this reckless? As I’m contemplating this, I see the answer to my question walk through the door. JJ Maybank.

JJ and I have a weird relationship. He’s been John B’s best friend since 3rd grade and basically lives with us now since our dad went missing. I’ve had a thing for him for forever but have long since given up hope that he would be into me.

As JB and JJ try to calm down Pope, I get up and walk outside without talking to any of them. All three boys can feel the anger rolling off me so the car ride back to the Chateau is silent. When we get home, I go straight to my room and lock the door before any of them have a chance to talk to me.

I throw myself back into my practice test but can’t focus while this upset. JJ’s laugh (usually one of my favorite sounds) proves to be the last straw. It sounds like they are talking about the fight with the Kooks and I decide it’s time to give them a piece of mind.

“Everyone shut up!” I scream at all three boys. They hadn’t heard my door open and I waited until I was right behind JJ before yelling at the top of my lungs.

“Holy shit, Y/N, I don’t think you were loud enough there,” JJ says sarcastically.

“Don’t fuck with me, JJ,” I growl at him. “I told you all I needed to study today. Instead of doing that, I had to get you from jail. Jail, John B! What the fuck were you thinking? What if Shoupe called DCS?!”

John B knew this argument was coming based on my silence on the way home. But he’s still shocked that I’m yelling at him. I’m the calm twin. I study and read while he fights and parties. I usually am the Mama Bear of the group and take care of everyone. But I’ve been pushed past my limit today. John B comes over to try to hug me.

“No, don’t fucking touch me. You know that our whole situation is a powder keg, One spark can blow this all up. We could go into the system, get separated, never see our friends again. Keep your shit together!”

Before he can respond, I spin back around and storm back to my room. I slam the door and try not to cry. I hear a soft knock but ignore it. When I hear another knock a minute later, I realize it’s JJ. My brother and best friend both know to give me time to calm down, but JJ never has the patience to wait me out. Knowing that he won’t leave until I talk to him, I unlock the door and head over to my bed. JJ lets himself in once he hears the lock click and comes over to sit by me.

“I’m sorry,” JJ wraps his arm around me, and I feel the butterflies in my stomach like I always do when we’re this close. “It’s my fault that JB got in that fight. Don’t be mad at him.”

“What happened?” JJ’s admission reminded me that Pope said JJ was goaded into the fight.

“Uh, it doesn’t matter,” JJ tries to play this off as nothing, but I can tell from his voice that it was bad.

“Come on, I think you owe me an explanation, J.” While I wait for an answer I try to assess his injuries from the fight. Bruises are already forming around his eye and along his jaw. But despite the discolored skin, JJ is still the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen. I reach out and run my fingertips down the bruise on his jaw. If anyone were to ask, I was trying to see how bad it was. But really, I just can’t help it. JJ closes his eyes when I touch him and I try to pull my hand back in embarrassment.

“No, don’t stop,” he whispers. “That feels really nice.” I’m surprised by his admission but continue to gently touch his face as I wait for him to tell me what happened.

“Rafe just made a comment about you,” I’m taken aback that this fight was about me. “They caught me on my own while JB and Pope were delivering to someone else on the course. The guys ran over when they saw Topper holding me up so Rafe could hit me.”

“What did Rafe say?” I am beginning to feel guilty about my outburst earlier and curious what Rafe could have said to get JJ to go after him without my brother there as backup.

“Don’t worry about it, I won’t let him do anything to you.” JJ knows that Rafe makes me uncomfortable. He always tries to flirt with me at the Boneyard. I’m sure he’s just trying to get under John B’s and JJ’s skin, but I hate when he touches me. While I’m totally comfortable with physical contact from my friends, I don’t like when other people come into my personal space. Especially someone as creepy as Rafe.

“JJ, I’m not worried about Rafe. I don’t want you fighting anyone over me, let alone getting dragged into an unfair fight.”

“Sunshine, I would do anything for you,” JJ says softly. I don’t know how to respond so I pull JJ into a tight hug.

With my head buried in the crook of JJ’s neck, I don’t see Pope walk in to check on me. I also don’t see the pained expression on his face.

Ch 2

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socialwriter · 4 years

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Ch.1- Welcome to the Moulin Rouge

Listen alongside: This and this

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Female Reader

1.5 K words

TW: Prostitution, cursing, insinuations of criminal activity

A/n: This is chapter one of my Moulin Rouge series, I hope you enjoy! This is mainly to set up the coming chapters, so it will get better!

Our story begins in Paris, at the turn of the 20th century…

It's a crisp night, and all the patrons rush into the Moulin Rouge to escape the weather, the anticipation of what the night may hold causing a jump in their step. They would get a show complete with singing, dancing, and the fulfillment of their wildest, lust-filled fantasies. Liquor flows freely from bottle to cup, the intoxication of the guests no doubt a ploy so that all frugality may be forgotten while in the establishment. They were destined to see the performances of many, but it was unspoken common knowledge that they all came for one person. Her…

As the lights dimmed and latecomers scrambled to their seats, Topper Thorton, the owner and MC of the establishment, made his way onstage. He had built the business from the ground up, a way to provide housing and an income for many girls with no other option, living on the streets. He had begged, borrowed, and stolen, and was willing to do anything to keep the establishment open. It may not seem like it on a surface level, but Topper deeply cared for the girls, and in fact, what he did to keep the business running, he was really doing for them. Without the Moulin Rouge, most of his performers would be left homeless and hungry, a fate that Thorton would not accept, no matter what it cost him. He was hopeful that with the plan he had enacted involving his right-hand woman and best performer, he might save the place from going under.

"Hello, chickens!Yes! It's me your own beloved Topper Thornton in the flesh! Welcome...To the Moulin Rouge!" He exclaimed, earning polite applause from the night's audience.

"Now, are you ready for our dazzling opening duo… Sarah and Kiara!"

The curtains were pulled back, revealing the two girls clad in red corsets and black fishnets. Thornton had learned his tricks throughout the years. Put your top performers first to initially pull the audience in, and leave the best for last so that the audience stays engaged throughout the show. Sarah and Kiara were some of his best, ruthless in their pursuit of position as the best performer of all the girls of the Moulin Rouge. They used all the tricks in the book. Their voices. Their dance moves. Their bodies. Never had they had a dissatisfied customer. They made Topper proud, never doing any wrong. Yet they could never be at the top of the pecking order. That spot was reserved for one person and one person only.

The Moulin Rouge was a prime example of the economic divide, with both the rich and the poor flocking there to spend whatever money they could on a fun night. The rich aristocrats with their pristine suits and crisp white shirts sat in booths, sheltered off from who they deemed the lowlife Bohemians. These lowlife Bohemians, while clad in their best attire, looked unkempt compared to the rich. Their pants donned holes and stains, while their jackets frayed at the edges. And as Topper's top priority for his business was money, he made sure that the aristocrats received the best services, copious drinks, and the best seats for entertainment, while the Bohemians were left with the scraps.

The wealthiest and most pompous of all the aristocrats had to be Rafe Cameron, the Duke of Monroth, sat in the centermost booth. All the performers were instructed to visit him and his posse most often, as he always paid with the biggest bills. Rafe Cameron was to be used as a cash cow, milked for every penny he would give, all in an effort to save the Moulin Rouge. He was, at best, an asshole to those he disliked and at worst..well at worst, he wasn't able to be called a name at all.

The two Bohemians that had been a thorn in Thornton's side the entirety of his time at the Moulin Rouge were no doubt John B Routledge and Pope Heyward. The two of them always snuck in, never paying, distracting from the performances, and mooching off the wealthy for free booze. They were bad for business, but like cockroaches, they never could be exterminated, and they now had added a third member to their band of misfits: JJ Maybank.

----

JJ ventured through the streets of Paris that afternoon, absorbing all the new city's sights. The blond was fresh off a boat from America, and he had moved to France, hoping to share his music with the world. However, his quiet walk around the city was interrupted by the bickering of two men a little ways away. They were loudly arguing and flailing their arms, but the second JJ heard them aggressively singing tunes at each other, his interest was piqued, and he approached the two men. "I'm sorry, but what exactly is going on?"

The dark-skinned man stood up, placing his hand on JJ's shoulder, much to JJ's surprise. He had just met the men, but he had been told that the people in France were often more affectionate than those in America. "We can't decide what sounds better for our show. I think that the line should go 'the hills are alive, with the sound of clanging.'" The man with his hand on JJ's shoulder explained, to which the brown-haired man stood up, shaking his head.

"No, it should go 'the hills are alive, with the bells and chimes."

"See, that just sounds wrong."

"If I'm wrong, then you're really wrong."

JJ furrowed his brow, glancing between the two bickering men. He didn't need his musical abilities to tell you that neither option sounded good. "Um, actually, what if you went with 'the hills are alive, with the sound of music'?" He sang out, looking at the two men who both had a look of shock on their faces, mouths slightly ajar.

"That's...genius!" The brown-haired man exclaimed, looking at his friend, both grinning. "You must work with us on our show, it's going to be the big-ticket item that gets us out of this hell hole. So, what's your name, friend?"

He hadn't really noticed it before, but it appeared that JJ had stepped into the poorer part of the city, which was presumably where the two men lived. The paint on the walls was chipped and faded and the only bench on the entire street were the two crates that the men were sitting on earlier. It seemed like these two men just wanted to make it big and create a better life for themselves, something JJ had always hoped for. And if he got to share his music with the world while he did it..well he was sold. "JJ. My name's JJ Maybank." He said, shaking the hands of both men.

The more affectionate man grinned, patting JJ on the back. "Well I'm Pope Heyward, and he's John B. And Mr.Maybank, we may need to use you for more than your musical talents." Pope uttered seriously, looking JJ directly in the eye. "I,um-what?"

"You see, the Moulin Rouge is the most well known theatre in all of Paris. You get your show in there, and you're guaranteed success." John B explained to the blue eyed boy. "The problem is, our reputation," he gestured to himself and Pope, "precedes us at that place. We need a new face like yours to get our show even considered by the big dogs. We're gonna need you to talk to the it girl of the club. Thornton will do anything she wants, so you convince her, we're in. Can you do that for us JJ?"

Both Pope and John B looked at JJ hopefully, and JJ didn't have the heart to tell them no. Despite only knowing them for a short time, JJ had the feeling that he would grow very close to them, forging a bond of brothers. "Okay, I'll do it."

---

The trio of Bohemians had snuck into the Moulin Rouge after the show had begun, the dark lights making it difficult to see exactly who was sneaking into the building. "All right, one of the middle booths is open." Pope whispered to the other two boys, to which John B excitedly quickened his pace to snag the seats. JJ didn't see the big deal, it was just a set for crying out loud.

When the three were situated, John B leaned over to JJ, filling him in on the ways of the Moulin Rouge. "You don't know it, but we just snagged the best seats in the house. This is where all the girls give their attention to, making your 'mission' that much easier." John B clarified, causing JJ to form an 'o' with his mouth.

"She'll be on any minute, JJ, get ready," Pope murmured, the energy at the booth going from joking and fun to serious. These boys had a mission, and JJ didn't want to let his new friends down. But nothing could have prepared him for what he was in store for.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you our "Sparkling Diamond" The unique, the indomitable, the one and only! Y/n."

The curtain rose, and JJ's mouth instantly went dry when the most beautiful woman he had ever seen walked onstage. Immediately, butterflies erupted in his chest. He realized that this mission of his was going to be much harder than he had initially anticipated.

Tags-

@normatural @thelonewolfdies @bricksatanakinswindow @ssjiara

ppl who expressed interest (I’m only tagging u for this chap dw)- @heliopvth @girlsru1eboysdroo1 @spilledtee @obxmxybxnk @denimandcurls @pogue-writings @adoreyoudrews @stargazingstarkey @queenk00k @tomfreakinghollandneedsaoscar @downbytheouterbanks @summerintheobx @shawnssongs @lefthandwritings

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asoulofstaars · 1 year

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in which julia makes gifs for her friends ☆ﾟ ↳ tidal by @faevaientine

Here’s the crux of it. Girls like Moe don’t know what to do with life when they finally get it. Mac was never going to be enough for her but she’s just loathe to realize it. Because it means admitting why she could never love Mac the way he deserves. It’s something she can’t even admit to herself.

Instead she buried it. Down, down, down.

And then, when her best friend John B sends them on a wild goose chase across Kildare to find the Royal Merchant gold the summer after his Dad vanishes, Moe thinks she might just be forced to dig her buried feelings for JJ up with it.

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northcarolinanative · 4 years

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𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 (𝟷𝟶)

Chapter 10: Pogue

A/N: Hey guys!! Thank you for all the feedback on the last part!! It means the world to me!! I hope you like part 10!! It is so crazy that I have written 10 parts of this story, and hopefully more haha! As always my message and inbox are open for requests or just to talk!! Also a TW: Physical Assault and Violence, cursing, depictions of harm, Rafe being an asshole per usual.

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

Need to catch up? Ch.1 / Ch.2 / Ch.3 / Ch.4 / Ch. 5 / Ch.6 / Ch. 7 / Ch. 8 / Ch.9

I was frozen in my spot. My blood went cold, I didn’t know what to do. He killed the sheriff and ran my brother away from the island and into the sea because he couldn’t stand up and own up to his actions. He had the guts to pull the trigger, but not to own up to it. I tried to move my feet but they were frozen in place. I felt the goosebumps begin to raise on my arms as he took a few steps toward me. I had never really been a fighter. There wasn’t much need on the mainland, and here I was always surrounded by JJ and John B, who fought for me, even if I didn’t agree with it. At this moment I was scared and really wishing I had taken them up on that offer.

He didn’t speak until he was steps away from me. His glance was harsh, and his eyes were dark. They were sunken into his face, and his cheekbones more prominent. He looked terrible, but he deserved to be eaten up from the inside out. “You have a lot of nerves coming in here,” he said. His walk almost like a stalk, slow and predatory. I just looked at him, I tried to put on my most confident facade, but I was shaken inside. I never liked Rafe, but now I'm scared of him, he killed someone, then went about his life. “You’re brother killed the Sheriff and you’re here, for what, to beg for our money?” He scoffed at me moving faster.

“Do I look stupid? You killed Peterk–” I was cut off but Rafe pushed me against the wall with his hand around my throat. “Don’t you ever say those words again” he tightened his grip on my throat. I felt his fingers dig into my skin. “You fucking pogue” He gave me the last push before releasing me.

I sucked in a breath. I was seething, I could practically feel the anger running through my veins. I walked toward him, I didn’t want to show fear. “What makes it okay for you to be walking around here after what you did? Huh? You’re a kook, right?” I put my finger in his chest. “That’s why my brother is missing at sea and you aren’t rotting in a jail cell right now.” My words came out through clenched teeth.

Rafe was quick to grab my wrist and twist it harshly away from me. I kicked back into his knee trying to get free. He backed me up against the wall again, using his height and power against me, his arm under my chin pressing my chest hard. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He spat his words at me.

“What is it a secret?” I squinted with sarcasm dripping from my voice. “What? That you Rafe Cameron are a manipulative murd--” I was cut off with a hit to the left side of my face. I didn’t have time to brace for the impact and fell to the ground. By now we had drawn the attention of the other club members.

Rafe kneeled down next to me. “Next time you’ll keep your mouth shut bitch.” He stood up beginning to walk away.

“What is going on out here?” Mr. Jones walked out looking between me, on the ground holding my hand over my now swelling cheekbone, and Rafe.

“You see Y/N Routledge here, was trying to follow after her brother, coming after me,” Rafe said before turning the corner, back to the parking lot.

“No. He was tormenting me, Mr. Jones! You know me!” I started to beg. “I wouldn–”

“You’re Routledge’s kid?” He asked me. I just nodded my head looking down at the ground, unable to look at his face. I knew what was coming. It was inevitable. “I don’t think that it would be good for you to work here this summer. With everything that happened with the other Routledge kid…” He paused putting his hand on my shoulder. “It has nothing to do with you, but I don’t want people to mess with you like what just happened out there. I’m sorry Y/N”

I nodded a quick, “I understand.” I walked out keeping my head down again. I pushed open the large stained glass doors. Instantly missing the cool air-conditioning of the country club. I pulled my hair back to stop it from sticking to the back of my neck.

“Y/N” I flinched away from the voice. “Y/N is that you.” I turned, recognizing the voice. I saw Pope jogging toward me, his hands full of groceries. “What are you doing at the country club?” He asked.

“I could ask you the same thing?” I said, forcing a smile, only for a pain to shoot through the side of my face.

“Wait what happened to you?” Pope said, dropping the grocery bags and touching my cheek. “You’re bleeding.” He took his hand down to show me the red blood that was on his thumb. I looked shocked, I guess the adrenaline was still kicked in. “I’m going to run the last of the deliveries to The Wreck, let's go there and get you cleaned up?”

“Oh no. I really don’t think I should be around Kiara right now.” I said shaking my head and heading off toward my car.

“Y/N. don’t be stubborn, you need to take care of that, you’re covered in bruises and you know that there isn’t great equipment at the Chateau right?” Pope had picked up his bags matching pace with mine. “Plus Kie feels really bad about what she said. She’s dealing with this a lot differently than you and JJ.”

I opened the back of the car, helping him put the remaining groceries in the back of the car, giving in. I knew that I would need to work things out with them eventually. “I hope she shares with me what you said. I’m not gonna let what she said go easily, it hurt Pope.” I finished, raising my eyebrows in his direction before closing the hatch rather harshly.

We settled into the car, each of us putting our seatbelts on. “Are you okay to drive? You don’t have a concussion do you?” He said putting his hand on the gearshift before I moved to drive away.

“I’m fine, no head injuries. I promise.” I held up my pinky finger. I felt like we were kids again, it was something that we all used to do. Kie and I started it of course, but somehow drug the boys into joining us.

Pope shook his head, but smiled and linked his finger with mine. “I just texted Kie to tell her we are on the way.” Pope’s eyes scanned over my face and neck “Your neck is turning purple. Seriously Y/N what happened back there?”

I just shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about it okay?” I looked over at the phone in his hands. “Do you think you text JJ? Tell him I’ll be at the Wreck?”

“Yea,” Pope said. I heard the question in his voice as he stared down at his phone.

“I told him I was going to find a job, don’t want him to come looking for me ya know?” I said forcing a smile. “So, I know how the rest of us are doing, but how are you doing with all of this?” I asked. No one had seemed to ask Pope's opinion in the midst of the argument the other day.

“Oh,” He paused before I heard him take in a deep breath. I turned the car back onto the main road toward The Wreck. “I don’t know. I just miss his, like we’ve all seen each other every day since I can remember, and now he’s like not here anymore. Part of me wants to believe he’s out there.”

I thought about telling him what JJ and I had found, but I felt like it was too soon. I didn’t want to give him the same hope, then have to crush it if it wasn’t going to. It might have also been me being selfish because of what happened the other day, but I wanted to wait to tell them.

“I get it, I was expecting to see John B walk through that door when I got back, but instead I got JJ,” I said with a giggle. This comment seemed to lighten the mood of the car as it sent Pope into a fit of laughter.

JJ. He wasn’t going to let this go, he wouldn’t take me not wanting to talk about it for an answer. I didn’t want him anywhere near Rafe. If I was being completely honest with myself, Rafe scared the hell out of me. He was a murder, and the way he treated me, with no caution to try and silence me, showed that he had no remorse.

I pulled myself from my thoughts as we pulled into the parking lot at the Wreck. I helped Pope with the grocery bags. I ignore the pain in my wrist as I load groceries into my arms.

“Ah, Pope!! Always right on time with the groceries, just when I need them” Mr. C said as He walked into the room, Kie close behind. Mr.C took groceries from my arms before turning back to the kitchen. She was notably shocked to see me standing there with groceries. As she looked over my face her eyes grew wide. “Y/N What the hell?”

“I was hoping you could help her get cleaned up?” Pope asked following Mr. C into the kitchen. Kie nodded her head.

I could see the look of worry on her face. “Follow me,” She said. We slide around workers through the kitchen and into the back office. “Sit here, okay?” she sent a slight smile my way, patting the edge of the empty desk. She reached into a drawer pulling out a first aid kit.

“Don’t you think that’s a little dramatic Kie, it's a few bruises,” I said laughing with her.

“John B would kill me if I didn’t take care of you, you know?” She smiled and started to unwrap the alcohol wipes. I felt the sting of the disinfectant, flinching away when she first started to clean the split on my face. “Look I am really sorry about what I said yesterday Y/N. It was totally uncalled for what I said. I know that it doesn’t excuse my actions, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up, because it would only hurt that much worse in the long run if it turns out to be true.” He started to rub cooling cream over the bruising around the cut.

“Kie it’s okay” I breathed. I was glad I didn’t tell Pope about the discovery that JJ and I found. “I understand that. We’re all coping in different ways. I shouldn’t have jumped onto you as I did either. We all process differently.” I sent her a small smile. While I forgave her, I found it harder to want to open up to her. In the past, I might have come to her with boy issues or even the encounter with Rafe right away.

“Y/N is this a handprint around your throat,” Kie said, staring deep into my eyes. I felt tears start to fill in my eyes. The pain in my cheek started to finally hurt, I could feel it throbbing. I quickly looked down. Kie moved my head looking up so that she could apply the same cream to the red mark on my neck. I heard a commotion outside the door, quickly moving to look at the door. “Probably just someone dropping something in the kitchen.” She smiled softly at me. I looked down at the floor as she capped the cream on the floor. “So are you gonna tell me what happened, who beat you up like this?” Kie asked, her voice dripping with worry.

“You know, I’d really like to know who I have to kill?” JJ said entering the room. He took a quick glance over me. He practically pushed Kie out of the way to wrap his arms around me. I hooked my chin over his shoulder to see Pope in the doorway to the office. I wrapped my arms around his neck. His hug was tight and protective. “JJ. Thank you, but if you don’t let go so I can breathe you might kill me.” I laughed at my joke.

“How are you joking right now?” He pulled back and put his hands on either of my shoulders.

“I’m fine J. Really. See?” I moved my legs on either side of him and wiggled my arms.

He scrunched his eyebrows looking at me. I could see the hurt in his eyes and I smiled, feeling the tears coming back to the forefront of my eyes. JJ moved his thumb to carefully trace the cut in my cheek with his thumb, letting his finger trace down my jaw to the darkening handprint on my throat. I heard him take in a deep breath as he saw it. “Y/N Cut the shit. Who did this?” He asked. I could see the anger growing behind his words. Kie came up beside me with Pope following behind her.

“Seriously, you can tell us?” She said. I could see the pity in her eyes. That is what I didn’t want, pity from any of them.

I looked back at JJ. and hung my head low. “I went to the country club, that’s where Pope found me, to try and get my job back. I worked there every summer, and I know I would need the money.” I started, JJ’s eyes met mine. He was focused on everything that I was saying. “And Mr. Jones had me step out and wait while he scanned in paperwork or whatever. And I ran into someone there, who wasn’t happy that I was back.”

“Obviously. Who was it Y/N?” JJ asked. He wasn’t being pushy, he just wanted to help.

“It was Rafe,” I said, swallowing after the name left my mouth.

JJ turned away from me. He ran his hands through his hair, I heard his breathing pick up. I saw Kie and Pope’s faces look just the same. “I am gonna kill him. What can’t he get away with?” JJ was seething.

“No, I provoked him. He came up to me and started talking about how JB killed Peterkin, and I snapped. I told him I knew that he did it, he killed her. He tried to shut me up, obviously, until Mr. Jones came out and he left. I didn’t get my job back, but are we surprised?” I let out a cynical laugh.

“Hey hey” JJ walked back up to me. I could feel the anger radiating off of him, but his composure seemed calmer. He was so close. He was standing between my legs. My thoughts going back to the conversation we had last night. He put his hand on my chin forcing me to look up at him. “You did not provoke him, Y/N. He’s a murder, who’s walking free. You did the right thing calling him out. Don’t think for a second that this was your fault, alright?”

“Alright.”

Masterlist

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p4lparker · 4 years

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Practice makes Perfect;

A Helping Hand; Ch 2

The car ride was relaxed, music playing and a gentle breeze flowing through the opened window- John B wearing his cap backwards and same sunglasses as yesterday- couldn’t have looked more calm if he tried. Your eyes scanned his profile, gaze locking on his thighs; mind floating to how it felt not to long ago to be rubbing yourself into him, resting on those very same thighs. His large hands exploring your body, grasping your hips, guiding you to oblivion. Breath hitching as your thoughts continued this path; you couldn’t quite believe that the boys had agreed, you had only meant for one of them to have sex with you… not both of them helping you out, and with that thought the nerves wracked through you. Questions soon flooded your brain and you struggled to keep up. Did that mean you’d have sex with both of them at some point? Your mind raced at the thought and a shiver edged down your spine. Was JJ going to teach or show you something? Or was it going to just be John B? You mouth suddenly felt dry at the prospect of doing other things with John B or even JJ. Would John B ever let you help him out? Would they teach you that?

Your mind raced as John B pulled up outside your house, the driveway empty. He turned the ignition off and began to get out of the Twinkie. You followed him and scuttled up to the front door- pulling out the hidey-key from the fake brick, you unlocked the door, John B following behind you as you both entered the empty home. You walked from room to room- grabbing a couple bottles of water from the fridge before jogging up the stairs. You opened your bedroom door and let John B in; scoffing as he threw himself onto your bed and made himself comfortable. He just shrugged, you ventured round the room collecting fresh clothes; some jean shorts, a cover up top and a fresh bikini. You took a step towards your door, deciding to shower off the; sand, dirt, sun cream and other griminess from the day before. John B caught your eye- he winked and grinned at you, making your eyes narrow suspiciously, before deciding it would be safe to leave him unattended for a short while. One of your hands reaching up and untying the bandanna around your neck, you smirked before throwing it across the room- it landed on John B’s face with a huff from him. Entering the bathroom, turning the shower on and pulling the dirty clothes from the day before off and tossing them into the hamper by the door. You sighed and looked at your reflection in the mirror as it began to fog up with steam. Stepping into the hot water of the shower, released all of the tension in your body as the stream pounded on your back and shoulders. You hadn’t even known you were tense until you let the water flow over you. The comforting smell of your bodywash and shampoo wrapping around you like a blanket- the scent clinging to you as you washed off and cleansed your hair. When you were content that you were clean- you stepped out and wrapped your body in a fluffy towel, another twisting around your hair to dry of slightly. Pulling on the bikini you’d picked for that day; you smeared on the sun screen- rubbing it in on all the areas you could reach, a thought popping into your mind. You collected the rest of your outfit and walked back into your room, laughing when you saw John B jump- accidentally dropping the book he was reading the blurb of onto the floor. “Help me out would ya Routledge?” You asked, quirking and eyebrow and offering him the bottle of cream. He nodded, his lips twitching into an easy smile. You turned your back to him and peeked over your shoulder at him- he took the remaining steps to you easily, he pinched the middle strings of your top in one of his hands. Playfully tugging on it, until it fell loose- knot untying, he squirted some of the cream into his hands. Rubbing his palms together and then gently massaging it into you skin; you hissed at the sensation of his warm hands and cool cream mingling together, he smoothed the cream into your back, hands and fingers kneading the skin. A sigh leaving your lips- you looked over your shoulder to John B chuckled- pecking at you neck and shoulder making you giggle. He pulled back quickly and began frowning, lips blowing raspberries and smacking together as he tried to get the taste of the sun screen from his lips and tongue. You laughed raucously- hands untwisting the towel on your head, and letting your hair hang free to dry naturally. John B scowled at you- you settled you laughing to a gentle giggle as you reached back to re-tie your top. John B stepped towards you, and took over for you; his fingers tickling your skin as they ghosted against you. Winking over your shoulder, before reaching for your top and shorts, pulling them on, along with your beat up converse. He grabbed onto the previously abandoned bandanna, and re-tied it around your neck- teasingly poking at the hickey there before covering it up. The pair of you ventured down the stairs, heading to the kitchen. You pulled the heavy fridge door; poking your head inside to see what you could swipe for a day on the HMS on the marsh. Eyes narrowing in on the beer hidden at the back, you reached in and pulled the six pack out, pushing it to John B’s chest and gesturing for him to follow you out of the house. You made it back to the bus and set back off for the chateau. Again the journey filled with music and jokes- pulling up outside, you both turned to at the sound of a familiar engine. The dirt bike swayed into the drive- gravel and soft dirt spewing upwards as it was disturbed. JJ cut the engine and hopped off the bike, sauntering over to the pair of you- blue eyes alight with mischief, raggedy cap resting on his head. He fist bumped John B and tugged you under one of his arms as you all made your way the Pogue. John b jumped in first- setting the beer in the storage box before turning to you and wrapping his hands around your waist, yours flying to his shoulders as he lifted you from the dock and into the boat- JJ untying the ropes and jumping in himself- pushing away from the dock with ease. John B trailed to the wheel and started her up, steering smoothly along the waterway. You wandered to one of the benches and plopped down, twisting and setting your feet in front of you on the bench- JJ followed you, and flopped onto you, his entire body weight landing on your lap- leaving you to groan and huff as the breath was forced from your lungs. He laughed slinging an arm around your shoulder and squeezing you to his side before letting you go and jumping up. Lifting your legs and popping them into his lap as he sat on the bench next to you, resting his hands on your thighs. John B glancing back at the pair of you, smiling softly and continuing to steer the boat to Pope’s place- as you reached up to JJ’s head and yanked his hat off, ramming it on your head, batting his hands away as he reached to try and take it back. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head and giving up- before plucking at the bandanna tied around your neck.

“Dressing like John B now?” He asked, devilish smirk ever present, tugging on the material playfully while you blushed. Your mind wandering to earlier on- the marks John B had left, searing your skin. John B laughed loudly- throwing his head back, leaving you to flounder not knowing how to respond. JJ pulled on the material slightly, moving it to the side and eyed the mark on your neck- letting out a low whistle before winking at you, making your blush burn brighter. JJ let the fabric fall back into place as the boat veered slowly to the side- closing in on the dock, Pope waiting at the edge, fidgeting with his back pack and cap. Not bothering to tether off, John B waved for Pope to make a jump for it; which he did. Urging the brunette to go faster as the familiar holler of the elder Heyward as he came jogging out to the dock- just in time to see the four of you sail away, waves and wide grins matching as he shook his head before turning to go back to work. Pope huffed out and made his way to the store, piling in the stuff from his bag before settling on the edge of the boat as you continued to the next stop. You took a moment to look at the Heyward boy; he looked tired and as if the festivities from last night were taking a toll, but you figured you all looked a little rough. Again the boat veered to the side; John B slowing her down in preparation for Kiara to join you. You heard JJ snicker from beside you, you stopped gazing at the scenery passing you to look towards what he found funny. You felt a hand lift to your mouth as you took in Kie; she was pale, eyes hidden behind incredibly dark sunglasses, hair left loose and wild, a baggy top and cut offs covering her while she crouched on the dock. Pope held a hand out for her to step on to the vessel, when she was safe- he reached back and pulled the heavy cooler in after her. He then supported her to sit on the bench next to you and JJ; you having pulled your legs from his lap, allowing for enough space for her to squish on next to you. She whined softly and gently dropped her head to your shoulder. “No more tequila for me.. like ever!” She whined, as you all chuckled. JJ busied himself digging in the cooler and handing out beers to everyone. Kie tried to refuse, but changed her mind and popped he tab on the can before taking a swig. JJ held yours out to you, but when you reached for it he pulled it away- you rolled your eyes and gestured for him to pass it to you. He smiled in a way that made your legs feel like jelly- your cheeks feeling warm, as he held it to you teasingly.

“Say please Y/N…” JJ stated, still dangling the beer just out of reach. Kie leaned up and frowned at JJ- he was disturbing her. John B shook his head but didn’t intervene when you looked to him, shrugging his shoulders; he wasn’t quite sure of JJ’s game but he wouldn’t involve himself. Pope was no help either, as he just laughed- you pouted and JJ’s grin widened. You stood abruptly, again reaching for the beer- JJ lifted his arm into the air, beer taunting you from above. You reached up, weight resting on your tip-toes, still trying to extend your arm and grab the beverage from him. He laughed, and it pushed you to stretch too far- weight pushing too far forwards, leaving you to tumble slightly, bumping in to his chest. Your chest crushed against his own. The feeling of his hard planes through his shirt pressing against your soft form left an impression on you. You bit you lip as JJ brought the beer to the hand not resting on him, handing you the can as he smirked into you face and his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip. A soft cough leaving you as you could still feel the blush covering you. You glanced to the others and saw they were paying you no attention. Moving away from the blonde devil, you plonked yourself next to Kie, who in turn had moved to the bow of the boat. She’d tugged off her shirt and was baking in the sun as it glared down on you all harshly. You sighed and decided to copy her; soaking up some sun and topping up your tan seemed like a good idea.

You perched next to her, poking her exposed stomach and making her giggle before you tugged the top up and over your head. Pope who was dropping the anchor, and was keeping a close eye on Kie from afar spluttered; alerting you, JJ and John B to something. You felt your skin heat up as they all openly stared- it felt like you were glowing bright red under their combined gaze. Pope’s mouth was dropped open as he stared at you and Kie lounging in the bow- anchor in hand half submerged. John B stood, eyes glinting on the sunlight- he’d seen the suit you’d chosen for the day already, but it still worked wonders on him- letting any thoughts he’d had flitter away in the breeze as he watched you intently. JJ sat with his forearms resting on his knees, his hands rest over his mouth- but you could tell his jaw was clenched, eyes wide and staring at where you and Kie lay. Kie had sat up when all had gone quiet, she tilted her sunglasses down off her eyes and eyed you also, she laughed- the bikini had been one she urged you to buy when it had been on sale- saying it did wonders for your body, he nodded her head, winked at you and the blew a kiss to the boys behind. You shied awy from the glance and lay down beside her stiffly.

“Dude, own that shit- you look amazing… It’s like they’ve never seen a woman before…” She laughed- her eyes still uncovered by her shades. You tried not to let yourself focus on the fact that JJ and John B had been eyeing you like their last meal on Death row- but the more you tried to ignore the fact, the more it pushed to the forefront of your brain. There was a sense of accomplishment running through your body- as well as a shiver from the weight of their stares. You bit your lip and tried to focus on the way the sun heated your skin; how it kissed against you leaving you to feel overheated. You couldn’t have been bathing in its glow for longer than half an hour before you heard the tell-tale splash as someone had leaped off the side of the Pogue. Another splash followed shortly after. Watched as Kie stood and shed her shorts and sandals before too diving in- letting out a whoop of joy as she did so. You sat watching Pope, John B and Kie fling water at each other and paddle around cooling of in the marshy water below- a smile on your lips, and then you felt him siddle up to you. He made sure to bring his body as close to your own as possible, you could feel the heat pouring from his body- and it raised goose bumps on your own.

“You not going in?” He whispered, his lips brushing against the shell of your ear- sending shivers down your spine and heat curling deep within you. He watched you, eyes focused entirely on your face as you bottom lip was caught between your teeth. You pulled your legs to your chest and rest you arms atop them, as something to do with your body. JJ’s finer gently stroked down your arm before tugging on your fingers and pulling you to stand with him; his other hand reached to the hem of his top and he pulled it up and over his head. The fabric dangling from our joined hands for a few moments before he grinned deviously at you. He let go of you hand and let the material drop to the deck, before his hands wrapped around your waist; fingers tickling slightly as he pulled your bodies flush together. You hadn’t noticed him backing you up to the side of the boat, you hadn’t noticed his grip tightening around you until it became apparent what was going to happen next as your feet left the deck and you were tossed through the air- flopping into the water below, water spewing up and over your head. As you surfaced, spitting salty water from your mouth and wiping at your stinging eyes, you could hear the uproarious laughter of the rest of the gang. JJ stood smugly on the deck of the boat- water droplets glistening on his torso, you felt your eyes drift down his body and felt your heart clench at the yellowing bruise on his waist and rib cage, the sight of them not being there for long as he scrunched his body up into a ball and crashed into the marsh. A wave of water cascading over you all as he hit before diving down and surfacing- spitting water from his mouth like a fountain. He paddled over to you, one hand gripping onto your ankle and tugging you towards his body- before his fingers looped themselves through the belt loops on your cut off shorts- still adorning your body- before his arms wrapped around your waist and held you against him as he lay back to float through the cool water.

You sighed as the tips of your convers clad feet surfaced- you resented the fact that he’d not allowed you to fully undress before throwing you over board, but you settled against him all the same. Your head resting against his shoulder and his face close to yours.

“So… what did you and John B get up to while I was gone?” he asked, his insanely blue eyes peeking down at you through his irritatingly long lashes- a smile pinching at his lips. You gasped as you felt his fingers trace over your body just below the surface of the water- if any one of the pogue’s focused on you, they’d be able to see his fingers trailing over you waist and hips, lingering on the underside of your bikini top- playing with the material there, he could feel your breathing hitch and decided to tease you more. His fingers spidering over you ribs and gently crept upwards, to barely cup your breasts, giving the gentlest of squeezes. You gasped at the feeling- that familiar heat curling through you as you could focus on only the feeling of his barely there touches.

“We uhh.. just made out I guess…” you whispered back, mind racing to how it felt to have John B’s hands touching you like JJ’s were now- you struggled all you could sense was JJ.

“That explains the hickey… I at least expected something more… But I guess I could start the ball rolling… what do you day Y/N? Hmmm?” He murmured against your ear, and all you could do was nod as his fingers fluttered down to where your shorts hugged our hips wetly. His dextrous digits toyed with your button, you groaned quietly and turned you head to rest in the crook of his neck, he chuckled lowly. He’d barely touched you, but you were anxious for him to. You wanted to feel his fingers digging into your soft skin as heat and passion coursed through your body. Your body was burning for him- even in the cool water. The heat curled deliciously in your stomach as you urged him on mentally begging for some kind of relief from the teasing and the ache between your legs. Your lips pressed into a thin line as his hand slid lower to gently explore between your legs- where you ached and were soaking for him. One of your hands slipped down your body and began to toy with the button of your shorts he’d previously abandoned, you flicked it open and let your hand slip inside to relieve some of the tension you felt. JJ could feel your hand beginning to do what he intended- he moved his hand from cupping and ribbing you to slap your own hand away. He tutted in your ear and let his hand replace your own.

His fingers played with you bikini bottoms aggravating you as your body ached for something- anything at this point. You felt like you were sweating, you body twitching at the slightest ouch of his calloused fingers- your lip being bitten into, to try and supress any sounds that may leak out. He chuckled again- a raspy sound that made heat surge through you and settle where his hands were teasing you- before he let go of you and twisted you round to face him. His hands waded through the water and dragged your legs to wrap around his waist, before moving to wrap your arms around his shoulders. Once you were settled, he waded the water until he had moved you behind the Pogue and out of the view of the others. And that was when he pounced. His lips attaching to your own in a rough needy kiss- teeth and tongues clashing as he kissed you furiously. His fingers working themselves down your body- cupping and squeezing your breasts on their way to their final destination; your bikini bottoms. One hand rest in front of your aching crotch- the other holding and squeezing your ass. He pulled from your lips and stared at you; his normally sky blue eyes darkening to a navy colour- he didn’t move a muscle, waiting for you to give him the go ahead.

“Please..” You whispered brokenly, and that sound he could barely hear over the pounding of his heart beat and the blood rushing in his ears was all it took for him to slide his hands into your bikini bottoms and begin exploring the unchartered territory within. His fingers stroked gently against your folds experimentally- he could feel how slick you were and it was mixing with the water surrounding you both- his finger probed deeper, sliding over the sensitive nub and circling it softly. Before angling differently and sliding to where you were most slick- he rubbed around your entrance teasingly collecting more of your slick before heading back to your abandoned clit. He rubbed on it slowly; circling it, drawing patterns on it delicately as you mewled into his shoulder- forehead resting on his collar bone as you struggled to hold yourself against him. His movements became quicker as did your breathing- your pants coming out quickly and fanning against his skin, goosebumps springing up in its wake. He could feel his own arousal peaking it’s head as he listened to the quiet moans that slipped from you lips. H nudged his chin against your head- causing you to look up at him and his lips captured yours once more in a ravenous kiss, that smouldered through you- stoking the flame within. You could feel knots tangling themselves with in your lower stomach- the ache becoming more apparent the more desperate you became.

You whined against him pitifully as the sensations rushing through your body almost made ou forget your name. All that mattered to you was that his fingers never stopped as they edged you towards your end slowly but surely. JJ changed the angle of his hand again- his fingers finding your aching and leaking entrance before slipping in his thumb took over their previous ministrations. His fingers pumping into you shallowly as the confines of your shorts restricted his movements somewhat. His lips parted from yours as a particularly loud moan slipped form them- and he watched your face as you experienced the pleasure he was giving you. He watched as your eyes became glassy with lust and your approaching orgasm, the pink blush decorating your cheeks, the rounded o shape your lips formed as your end drew nearer. You could feel your limbs beginning to turn numb as you mind could only focus on the shocks of pleasure radiated form you clit. The coil in your stomach tightened impossibly before coming apart all together like you. Nonsensical mutterings fell from you lips between pants and soft moans. JJ bit his lip to stop himself from joining you in euphoria, watching you come undone before him and around hs fingers had been one of the most enticingly beautiful things he’d ever seen. And He couldn’t be more grateful for him and John B agreeing to help you out; because after seeing you b completely overcome by pleasure he was pretty sure he could die a happy man. Your body pulsed with the aftershocks of your release.

You were glad JJ was supporting your weight, as you weren’t entirely sure you wouldn’t have drowned in the waist deep water- as your body felt like the bones had abandoned it. JJ pulled you closer and that was when you felt him- he was hard and digging into you from beneath your shorts clad core. He was pushing and grinding himself against you- something he was unaware of until he he sucked in a breath between clenched teeth.

“

Fuuuck…”

he whispered, as you ground back against him- you let him push and rut against you; letting him chase after his own release. You dug your fingers into his wet hair and tugged-pulling his head back and giving you access to his neck, kissing at it gently to not leave marks as you coaxed him to his end. JJ worked himself against you- his chest heaving as he pushed and pulled at your hips- his fingers still buried in your shorts doing unspeakable things working you to completion as well. All too soon you both met in a clashing kiss once more to stifle the sounds of ecstasy as you both released. Your orgasm washed over you harshly as you hadn’t quite recovered from your first one- but as you clung to one and other- your hearts slowing and your breathing returning to a light gasp every now and then you both grinned maniacally. JJ finally removed his hand from your shorts, and waded you back to the group, dropping kisses to your neck and shoulder. When you were back with the others he unwrapped you from around him and held your back to his chest once more- letting you both float carelessly in the calm and cool marsh. If Kie and Pope had noticed your absence they didn’t let on, John B however frowned at the blissed out expression on your face he recognised- it had been burned into his memory.

_________________________________________________________

Not my gif!!! But it’s awesome so yeah...

Taglist: @fobobozobo @nikki082489

#your friendly neighbourhood auther #jj maybank x reader #jj x reader #jj x you #jj x y/n #jj smut #obx fic #Practice makes Perfect obx

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IP2039 ADVANCED PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS: FINANCIAL MARKETS AND CORPORATE SYSTEMS

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IP2039 ADVANCED PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS: FINANCIAL MARKETS AND CORPORATE SYSTEMS

IP2039 ADVANCED PRINCIPLES OF ECONOMICS:

FINANCIAL MARKETS AND CORPORATE SYSTEMS

2018/19

Autumn term

This module continues to analyse key concepts and approaches to economic theory . It is a progression from Principles of Economics 1 (markets and prices) and 2 (countries and systems).

APE focuses on two major areas of international politics economy: the firm/corporation and the financial market. The modules lays out existing competing theoretical approaches and traces the evolution of these ideas, focusing on the role of corporation in capitalism; and on the functions of the financial markets, money and banking in capitalism. Upon completing the module you will be able to understand how changes in the nature of the corporate firm are related to the functions of finance, what are the key debates and issues surrounding the financial system in light of the GFC, and what challenges are posed by the structural and intuitional shifts within the corporate and financial realm.

ASSESSMENT

In class (group) presentation (10-15 mins): 20% of module mark

In class exam (week 11): 30% of module mark

Written essay: 50% of mark

WEEK OUTLINE

Weeks Tutorial,

10:00-10:50

11:00-11:50

Lecture 12:00-12:50, D220

Week 1

September

Introduction + Banking and the Monetary System.

(extended lecture in C318)

Presentations

sign-up

Week 2

3 October

Functions and Tools of Finance Banking and the Monetary System: competing visions Week 3

10 October

Post-Keynesian Approaches to Finance Functions and Tools of Finance: competing perspectives Week 4

17 October

The GFC: lessons for orthodoxy and heterodoxy Post-Keynesian Approaches to finance and their limitations Week 5

24 October

The Rise of the Corporation The GFC: lessons for economic doctrines Week 6 Reading week Week 7

November

Transaction Cost Economics The Rise of the Corporation Week 8

14 November

New Institutional Economics Transaction Cost Economics Week 9

21 November

Legal and Sociological Theory of the Firm

NIE Week 10

28 December

Financialised Corporate Economy: a Systemic View Legal and Sociological Theories of the Firm Week 11

5 December

Essay advice session In class exam

Readings

Week 1. Introduction. Orthodoxy vs heterodoxy in economics AN

Key Readings

Lavoie, M., 2009, Introduction to Post-Keynesian Economics, Palgrave. Introduction.

Minsky, H., 2008 (1986), Stabilizing An Unstable Economy, M.E. Sharpe. Chapters 5 and 6.

Week 2. Banking and the monetary system AN

Key Readings:

Mankiw, G, 2014, Economics. Chapter 26 (The Monetary System).

Ryan-Collins, J. et al., 2011, Where Does Money Come From? (NEF). Chapter 1 (What Do Banks Do?)

Lavoie, M., 2009, Introduction to Post-Keynesian Economics. Chapter 3 (e-book).

Michael McLeay, Amar Radia and Ryland Thomas, 2014, “Money creation in the modern economy”, Bank of England.

Further

Minsky, H, 1957, “Central Banks and Money Market Changes”, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 71:2.

Keynes, JM, A Tract on Monetary Reform, Introduction.

Wray, R., 2010, “Alternative Approaches to Money”, Theoretical Inquiries in Law, 11:1.

Carruthers and Ariovich, 2010, Money and Credit. A Sociological Approach. Chapters 3 and 4.

Bell, S. 2001, “The role of the state and the hierarchy of money”, CJE, 25:2.

Davidson, P.; Weintraub, S. (1973). “Money as Cause and Effect”. The Economic

Journal. 83 (332): 1117–1132.

Week 3. Functions and tools of finance AN

Key texts

Mankiw, G., Economics Ch.25 (The basic tools of finance).

Kent Baker and J, Nofsinger, eds. 2010 Behavioral Finance. Investors, Corporations, and Markets. Part 1. (Foundation and Key Concepts). E-book online.

Further

Bernstein, P., 2005. Capital Ideas, the Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street. Ch. 1 (Are stock process predictable?).

Toporowski, J., 1993, The Economics of Financial Markets and the 1987 Crash, Chapter 2 (How Capital Markets work).

Shiller, R., 2012, Finance and the Good Society, Chapter 25 and 26.

Kurztman, J. 1994, The Death of Money, Ch.

Shiller, R., Irrational Exuberance, Part 4.

Week 4. Post-Keynesian approaches to finance AN

Key Readings

Minsky, H., 1986. Stabilising An Unstable Economy, Chapter 6.

Mehrling, P. 2000, “Modern Money: Fiat or Credit?”, Journal of Post Keynesian

Economics, 22:3. pp. 397-406

Lavoie, M. 2010, Introduction to Post-Keynesian Economics. Chapter 3. “A Macroeconomic Monetary Circuit” – ebook online.

Further

Marc Lavoie, 1984, “ The Endogenous Flow of Credit and the Post Keynesian Theory of Money”, Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Sep., 1984), pp. 771-797

Minsky, H., 1975, JM Keynes, Chapter 3. Fundamental Perspectives.

Ryan-Collins, J., Where Does Money Come From? Chapter 3.

Davidson, P. 1972, “Money and the Real World”, The Economic Journal, Vol. 82, No. 325 (Mar., 1972), pp. 101-115.

Clower, R. 1999, “Post-Keynes Monetary and Financial Theory”, Journal of Post-Keynesian Economics, 21:3.

Kregel, J. 1998, “Aspects of a Post Keynesian Theory of Finance”, Journal of Post

Keynesian Economics, 21:1.

Mehrling, P. 2000, “Minsky and modern finance”, Journal of Portfolio

Management, 26:2.

Cottrell, A, 1992, Post Keynesian Monetary Economics: A Critical Survey

Week 5. The GFC: lessons for orthodoxy and heterodoxy AS

Key Texts

Acharya V. et al. ,2009, “A Bird’s-Eye View. The Fc of 2007-09: Causes and Remedies”, in V. Acharrya and M. Richardson, eds., Restoring Financial Stability. How to Repair a Broken System, NY: Wiley and Sons.

Wray, R. 2009, “The rise and fall of money manager capitalism: a Minskian approach

Camb. J. Econ. (2009) 33 (4).

Palley, T. 2010, “The Limits of Minsky’s Financial Instability Hypothesis as an Explanation of the Crisis”, Monthly Review http://monthlyreview.org/2010/04/01/the-limits-of-minskys-financial-instability- hypothesis-as-an-explanation-of-the-crisis/

Further

Leijonhufvud, A. 2009, “Out of the corridor: Keynes and the crisis”, CJE, 33:4.

Ch. Whalen, 2016 Money Manager Capitalism: Still Here, but Not Quite as Expected, Journal of Economic Issues Volume 36, 2002 – Issue 2

Milberg, William (12/01/2013). “Implications of the recent financial crisis for firm innovation”. Journal of post Keynesian economics (0160-3477), 36 (2), p. 207.

Charles J. Whalen, 1993, “Saving Capitalism by Making It Good: The Monetary Economics of John R. Commons”, Journal of Economic Issues, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Dec., 1993), pp. 1155-1179

Lawrence, G. (07/01/2015). “Defending financialization”. Dialogues in Human Geography (2043-8206), 5 (2), p. 201.

Week 6. Reading Week.

Week 7. The Rise of the Corporation RP

Key Reading:

Philips, Richard, 2012, The firm, the corporation and contemporary Capitalism in Ronen Palan, ed. GPE: Contemporary Theories. London: Routledge.

Alfred D. Chandler, 1990, the Enduring Logic of Industrial Success, Harvard Business Review.

John H. Dunning, 2000, The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic and business theories of MNE activity, International Business Review, 9:2

Further Readings:

Richard R. John, 1997, Elaborations, Revisions, Dissents: Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.’s, The Visible Hand after Twenty Years, Business History Review, 71:2

Chandler, Alfred. D. 1977. The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business, Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press

Chandler, A.D. Jr.,1990, Scale and scope. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press.

Clegg, 1987, Multinational Corporations and World Competition.

Robin Ed. The History of the Company: The Development of the Business Corporation 1700-1914.

Week 8 Transaction Cost Economics RP

Ronald Coase, 1937, The Nature of the Firm. Economica, 16:4

Steven Tadelis and Oliver E. Williamson, 2012, Transaction Cost Economics. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=2020176

Further:

Stewart Schwab, 1989, Review: Coase Defends Coase: Why Lawyers Listen and Economists Do Not, Michigan Law Review, 87:6

Hart, O, 1995, Firms, Contracts, and Financial Structure. Oxford University Press.

Sumantra Ghosha and Peter Moran, 1996, Bad for Practice: A Critique of the Transaction Cost Theory, Academy of Management Review, 21:1

Week 9. New Institutional Economics RP

Oliver E. Williamson, 2000, The New Institutional Economics: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead, Journal of economics Literature, 38:3

Douglass North, 1990, Institutions, institutional Change and economic Performance, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

Further

Mary Douglas, 1996, How Institutions Think. New York: Syracuse University Press

Oliver E. Williamson, 1981, The Economics of Organization: The Transaction Cost Approach, American Journal of Sociology, 87:3

Oliver E. Williamson, 1975, Markets and Hierarchies. London, Routledge.

Week 10. Legal and Sociological Theory of the Firm RP

Key Texts

Neil Fligstein, 1996, Markets as Politics: A Political-Cultural Approach to Market Institutions, American Sociological Review, 61:4

Robé, J.-P. (2002). Enterprise and the Constitution of the World Economy. International Corporate Law, 2, 45-64.

Further

Neil Fligstein, 1993, The Transformation of Corporate Control, Cambridge: Harvard University Press

Ronen Palan, 2015, Futurity, Pro-Cyclicality and Financial Crises, New Political Economy 20:3

Foss, N. J., & Klein, P. G. (2013). Organizational Governance. In R. Wittek, & T. A. Snijders, The Handbook of Rational Choice Soical Research.

Lamoreaux, N. R. (2004). Partnerships, Corporations, and the Limits on Contractual Freedom in U.S. History: An Essay in Economics, Law and Culture. In K. Lipartito, & D. B. Sicilia (Eds.), Constructing Corporate America: History, Politics, Culture (pp. 32-54). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Week 11. Conclusion: a systemic view of the financialized corporate economy

Required

Nesvetailova, A. 2010, “Money and Finance in a globalised economy”, in R. Palan, ed., GPE: Contemporary Theories.

Sawyer, Malcolm (12/01/2013). “What Is Financialization?”. International journal of political economy (0891-1916), 42 (4), p. 5.

Bolton and Schatfstein, Corporate finance, the theory of the firm and organisation” J of Economic perspectives, 12:4 (autumn 1998).

Davis, Gerald F. (01/01/2015). “Financialization of the Economy”. Annual review of sociology (0360-0572), 41 (1), p. 203.

Further

Kent Baker and J, Nofsinger, eds. 2010 Behavioral Finance. Investors, Corporations, and Markets. Part 4. (Behavourial Corporate Finance). E-book online.

Lazonick, William (12/22/2010). “Innovative business models and varieties of capitalism: financialization of the U. S. Corporation”. Business history review (0007-6805), 84 (4), p. 675.

David A. Zalewski & Charles J. Whalen, 2010, “Financialization and Income Inequality: A Post Keynesian Institutionalist Analysis”, Journal of economic issues, 44:3.

Prasch, R. 2014, “The Rise of Money Manager Capitalism and Its Implications for Economic Theory and Policy”, Journal of Economic Issues, 48:2.

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obx-adventures · 4 years

Text

The Introverted Twin

Summary - Being John B’s bookish twin isn’t easy. Especially with my best friend, Pope, being weird about me getting closer with JJ.

Warning: Medical conditions and procedures described (as accurately as I could)

A/N - Flashbacks are in italics. This chapter may have been my favorite to write.

Catch up here: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8

——

Chapter 9

I regain consciousness in the ambulance but am very disoriented. The first thing I notice is the neck brace keeping my head still, followed shortly by wet drops hitting my face. I try to determine the source of the wetness and realize that Kie is leaning over me and sobbing.

“Kie…” Her eyes shoot open as a new round of sobs overtake her diminutive frame.

“Y/N? Oh my God! Are you… how are… I’m so glad your awake!”

“JJ?” My voice is barely a whisper but the concern in my eyes tells Kie exactly what information I’m searching for.

“He’s in the other ambulance. He woke up as they were loading him in and was screaming for you.”

“He… is he…”

“I don’t know if he’s ok. Only that he woke up before we left. I called JB but I think his phone is dead. I was able to get ahold of Sarah and she was going to pick him up.” I’ve exhausted all of my energy and my eyes flutter closed. I hear Kie’s worried gasp and squeeze her hand to let her know I’m still awake.

When we get to the hospital, I struggle to open my eyes but fail. As soon as the doors open, I hear JJ screaming my name. The effect of his voice is like a shot of adrenaline to the heart. I try to sit up to look for him but am pushed back down by the paramedic. Kie jumps out and I hear her telling JJ that I woke up.

As I’m being rolled into the emergency room, Kie screams JJ’s name loudly. From the rush of doctors and nurses that run to him, I know it’s bad.

“Kie! Kiara!” I yell as loud as I can and am frustrated when it comes out as barely more than a whisper. I try to sit up again to see what happened and feel a stabbing pain in my ribs. This doesn’t stop me from continuing to push myself up, but I’m overcome with a sudden difficulty to breath. Before I understand what’s happening, my vision goes black and I slip back into the abyss.

----

There is a soft knock on my door, and I tell the person to come in without looking up from my SAT prep book. Even though I’m not starting my prep class until school starts back up in a couple months, I want to get a head start on the most important test of my life.

“Y/N, can I talk to you for a few minutes?” Hearing Kie’s voice shocks me into looking up. Without thinking, I lunge forward to hug her.

“Kie! I haven’t seen you since September! How are you?”

While all the Pogues have been hesitant about her return from her year at the Kook Academy, I’m just glad to see Kiara Carrera again. Being surrounded by boys all the time for the past 9 months has been exhausting.

“I’m ok. I came to apologize.” Kie’s face is full of pain and I realize just how difficult this past school year has been for her.

“You don’t need to apologize to me.” I pull her back to sit down next to me on the bed.

“Yes, I do. I’m so sorry that I haven’t been around. I’ve missed you. There were so many times during this past year when I wished I could call you.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I knew the guys were pissed at me and I guess I just assumed you would be too.”

“I wasn’t pissed at you. I just missed you.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and give her a reassuring squeeze. Kie starts to cry as she leans into me.

“The Kooks were awful, and I thought that if I leaned into Kook life, it would get better. I stopped hanging out with you guys and became friends with the Kook Princess. But it all fell apart and I was so lonely. I wanted to talk to my best friend.”

“You could have called John B! He was hurt but he would have understood.” At this, Kie lifts her head off my shoulder and leans away to look at me.

“I meant you.”

“I’m your best friend?”

“Why is that a surprise?”

“I just thought that I was John B’s sister to you, like I am with everybody else.” I shrug and look down at my hands in my lap. JJ and Pope are the only friends I’ve ever had. Most girls either ignore me or treat me like I have the plague, but Kie has always been kind and excited to see me. I thought she was just placating me so I wouldn’t feel weird when she was here with John B.

“I guess I have to apologize again then. We may have met because I became friends with the guys but then we started spending almost every day together and you started to relax around me. I got to see how funny and sweet you are. Even though you seem so shy, you have no problem putting the boys in their place. We both know that your dad and JB have no idea what their doing so you’ve had to run this place. Most teenage girls think about clothes and makeup and boys. But you worry about the electrical bill, cooking dinner, and making doctors appointments for all of you. It’s amazing. You’re amazing, Y/N.”

----

When I open my eyes this time, I hear my brother yelling at someone.

“That is my sister! I need to see her! Move!”

“JB…”

“No, Y/N, don’t try to talk.” The nurse currently taking my vitals tries to soothe me.

“Tell him… ok…” I plead with my eyes and the nurse turns to my brother who is still trying to push past someone to get into the room.

“Mr Routledge, your sister’s eyes are open and she’s asked me to tell you she’s ok. But I need you to wait outside because you’re upsetting her. I promise you can talk to her in a couple minutes.” He falls silent and I can practically hear the wheels turning in his head. I raise my hand a few inches to signal him that I really am awake.

“Ok, Y/N, I’ll be right back.”

A few minutes later, true to her word, the nurse ushers my brother into my room. He grabs my hand like it’s a life line and I open my eyes to try to meet his. I get ready to talk but my brother shushes me.

“No, no. Don’t talk. You have a severely bruised… ummm, the voice box thing and a few of your ribs broke off and put a hole in your lung. The doctor put a tube in to help you breath but they are getting you ready for surgery to fix the ribs so there isn’t more damage.” I whine a little and try to convey the urgent question I can’t ask. “JJ has a few broken ribs and a really bad concussion but he’ll be ok.”

I sigh in relief and immediately wince in pain. John B worries over me as the nurse comes back in to tell him they need to take me for a CT scan before my surgery. I fall back under as they transfer me over to the CT table.

----

“John B, I need you to eat. Please.” My brother doesn’t even acknowledge that I’ve walked into the room. His sandwich is still untouched in front of him, exactly how it was when I checked on him 15 minutes ago. “It’s been a week. I’m worried you’re going to pass out.”

“I’m not hungry.” I sit next to him and turn his face to look at me. “Just leave me alone.”

“No, Bird. I won’t –”

“Don’t call me that!” I jump back at his outburst. The anger falls from his face when he sees the look on mine. “Sorry… I didn’t… Sorry… it’s just… Dad calls me that.”

“So do I, JB. I always have.” My voice is full of all the pain that I’ve been carrying this week.

“It hurts too much…”My twin has been like this since our father disappeared a week ago. He is not only dealing with losing our dad but also his guilt over the terrible fight they had before he left. He won’t eat, barely sleeps, and hasn’t showered since we filed the missing persons report. I finally got him to drink water a couple days ago by threatening to call ‪911‬ if he didn’t. At least now I don’t need to keep checking him for signs of dehydration.

“Ok, JB... I’ll make you a deal. You start eating and I won’t call you that.” He scoffs at me and looks away. “I’m serious. I need you. I can’t lose you and that’s what will happen if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“Don’t be dramatic, Y/N.”

“I’m not being dramatic. Pope looked it up for me. You haven’t eaten anything in a week. That’s dangerous.”

“I’m fine. I’m not even hungry.”

“You’re in the first stages of grief. The stress throws off your appetite. But it doesn’t mean you don’t need to eat. Please, JB… Please…”I feel the panic attack building and start to stand up to go to my room. I’ve spent the past week consoling my twin and trying to hide the impact our dad’s disappearance has had on me. John B catches my hand before I can get too far away.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Y/N. I know this has been hard on you, too.” He pulls me back down to the couch and throws his arms around me. “I’ll try to do better.”

“What if we split the sandwich?”

“Deal,” he says as he kisses me on the cheek. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too, JB.”

----

“When are they taking her into surgery?” I’m not fully awake yet but I can hear how scared JJ sounds.

“A few minutes. None of us are supposed to be in here but John B sweet talked the nurse.” I feel a bit better hearing Kie comforting him but I still fight to open my eyes, desperate to see that he’s ok. My eyes flutter open and JJ moves closer to me.

“Sunshine? Are you awake?” I squeeze the hand that’s holding mine, unsure if it’s his or Kie’s. “I’m right here. I got you.”

“Kie! Is she ok?” The new voice surprises me, giving me the jolt I need to fully open my eyes.

“Pope, she’s… she needs surgery…” Kie’s worry shines through her voice.

“Y/N! I’m right here! I’m so sorry…” He breaks during his apology and I try to comfort him through my eyes.

“See, Sunshine. We’re all here for you.” I look over at him and my eyes fill with tears when I see the bruises forming. “No, don’t cry… I’m ok. Don’t worry about me.”

“JJ, what happened?!” My eyebrows knit in confusion. I try to look back at him but he moves out of my field of vision. My eyes snap back to JJ to watch his reaction.

“Pope! Calm down. This isn’t JJ’s fault and you know it.” Kie’s admonishment is firm but JJ’s expression is full of guilt. “I was next to John B when he was telling you what happened. Don’t pick a fight.”

“No J…” All three of them turn at my voice. “Not… your… fault…”

“Shhh, don’t talk,” Kie tells me. “We all know this isn’t JJ’s fault. I’ll keep reminding him while you’re in surgery.”

“Pope…” My best friend cuts me off by putting a finger over my mouth.

“Kie’s right, Y/N. I know it’s not his fault. I’m just… I’m scared is all. I’ll be better. Just don’t talk. Please.” He wipes tears off my cheeks and smiles weakly at me. “It’s my fault, not his.”

“Pope, dude, this was my dad. Not me, not you.” I try to nod at JJ’s words but discover I’m in a new neck brace that I didn’t pay attention to until now.

“If I wasn’t such an ass when she told me about you guys, she wouldn’t have needed to go find you at your house.”

“Pope, I convinced her to go find JJ. I should have seen his dad’s truck when we got there and stopped her from going inside.” I whine after Kie’s done and have never been more frustrated that I can’t talk.

“Guys, stop. The nurses are coming so we need to clear out. None of you are to blame. And if Y/N could talk more than a couple words right now, she’d tell all of you the same thing. Luke Maybank did this to her and to JJ. And the cops have him so stop blaming yourselves.” My eyes shoot over to JJ to see how he’s handling all of this. We’ve all tried to talk him into reporting the abuse to the police but he’s always been adamant that he won’t. Now that choice has been taken from him.

“JJ, the cops are ready to talk to you,” my brother continues. “Kie, they may have some follow up questions so they asked that you stay. Y/N, the doctors told them that they couldn’t talk to you yet but I’m sure they’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Ms Routledge, it’s time to go. Mr Maybank, you should be in your room. The rest of you can wait down the hall.” The nurses start unhooking my IV and monitor wires, giving me a moment with each of the Pogues. I brush my fingers over JJ’s cheek, squeeze Kie’s and Pope’s hands, and whisper that I love my brother. One of the nurses inject a sedative into my IV line and then wheel me out of my room.

----

“Hey, Y/N! What are you doing out here?” I actively avoid looking at my best friend as he sits next to me on the end of the pier. I hide my hands under my legs so he can’t see that my fingernails are bit down to nubs, a sure sign of my current mental state.

“Hi Pope. I’m just hiding from John B…”He places his hand on my knee to comfort me and traces light circles on my exposed skin.

“Why?” His voice is so gentle and I’m afraid that if he offers me more comfort, I’ll completely fall apart.

“The police were here a little bit ago… they’ve officially stopped the search for my dad…” Pope knows that no words will be enough right now so he opts to wrap his arms around me and pulls my head to his shoulder. “I don’t know how to tell him, Pope. I just got him to start eating more a couple days ago. What if he… what if I lose him too?”

“You won’t lose him. All of us will be here to help both of you.” I start sobbing into Pope’s chest, finally letting myself feel every ounce of pain that’s been building up over these past 2 weeks. I’ve tried so hard to just focus on being there for John B that I haven’t done anything to take care of myself. I sit in Pope’s arms for a while and let someone take care of me for once.

After my mom left when we were kids, my dad tried his best to take care of us. But it was a mess. I finally took over when we were 11 after my dad sent John B and I with moldy sandwiches. It was right around the same time that Pope and I were partnered up for a project for the first time in gifted science. We were eating lunch together and he shared everything he had with me after I spit out the first bite of my sandwich. I confessed how chaotic my home life has been and Pope decided to help me set up some systems for tracking and paying bills, meal planning, and every other aspect of running a home. With his support, I whipped us all into shape. He was so excited about all the organization and planning that I’m not sure if he fully understands that I wouldn’t have been able to keep my family together without him.

“Do you want me to be there when you tell him? I can call JJ and Kie too so he sees that he still has a family.” I turn to look at my best friend and thank the universe for sending me someone to help bear my burdens.

“Yes, please. Thank you, Pope.” I kiss his cheek and pull him into a fierce hug. I feel like I can finally breath now.

“I’m always here for you, Y/N. Always.”

----

“There you are, Sunshine.” My head jerks up in surprise. I didn’t expect anyone to find me in my closet.

“Why aren’t you at the party, JJ?” Today is mine and JB’s 10th birthday party. Of course, since I don’t have any friends, everyone is here for my brother.

“You ran away before I could give you your gift.” Instead of waiting for me to climb out of the closet, he sits down with me. He hands me a small package, wrapped in purple tissue paper.

“You got me a present?” My shock is evident in my voice. In all the years of birthday parties for the Routledge twins, no one has ever given me a gift.

“Of course! It’s your birthday, too.” JJ gently nudges me to open my gift. When I unwrap it, I discover a handmade bracelet, just like the ones JJ wears, in all my favorite colors. I look up at him and he gently takes it out of my hands to put it on my wrist.

“JJ… this is… thank you!” I can’t put into words how much this means to me so I try to convey it with a hug.

“I know you think that you don’t have any friends… but you have me…” JJ’s voice wobbles a little and I pull away to see how nervous he is. He kisses my forehead, stands up, and offers me his hand. Without hesitating, I take his hand and return to the party with him. In this moment, I realize I would go anywhere with and do anything for JJ Maybank.

----

“Y/N, I need you to open your eyes for me.” I fight against the remaining effects from the sedative to try to comply with the man’s request. When I finally get my eyes open, it takes every ounce of energy in me to keep them that way. “Good job. I’m Dr Row, we met in the emergency room but I’m not sure if you remember that. I did the surgery to repair your ribs and lung. Everything went well but we need to keep you in the surgical ICU at least for tonight.”

I try to nod at him but realize my neck brace is still on. My throat hurts much too badly now to try to speak so I offer a weak thumbs up.

“I know you’re in a lot of pain right now. You kept passing out because your body was overwhelmed with how much it hurts and your brain was trying to protect you. Your throat is very swollen and we’re worried about some of the cartilage there so we’re keeping you in the neck brace for now so you don’t accidently injure it more. I had to put in some hardware to put your ribs back together and you still have the tube in your side so pressure doesn’t build up in your chest cavity. You’ll stay in recovery a little longer and then your brother can see you in your room.”

After another 30 minutes or so, I’m taken to the ICU room. The doctor was right about the severity of my pain and I’m doing everything I can to stay awake so I can see John B. Finally, he’s ushered into the room and grips my hand gently, fear etched into every inch of his face.

“Y/N, I’m here. I’m right here.”

“J…” I eek out and my brother shushes me before I try again.

“JJ is with DCS right now…” A sob escapes my tender throat. “No, no, shhh. Kie, Pope, and their parents are with him. We won’t let him get taken away. Y/N! Y/N!”

I hear my brother yelling my name as the monitors start going wild but I can’t respond or open my eyes again. The darkness engulfs me once again despite my desperate efforts to stay with my brother.

One chapter left...

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obx-adventures · 4 years

Text

The Introverted Twin

Summary - Being John B’s bookish twin isn’t easy. Especially with my best friend, Pope, being weird about me getting closer with JJ.

Warning: Smut

A/N: Thank you all for reading my first series. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. 😁

Catch up here: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9

——

Chapter 10

When I next open my eyes, I’m surprised to find myself alone. I reach for the nurse’s call button and notice the stiffness in my muscles. How long have I been unconscious? After I press the button, I see a note on my legs that I missed before.

Y/N – I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I’ll be back as fast as I can. Love, Bird

When the nurse comes in, she offers me a small smile, introduces herself, and begins checking me over.

“Nice to see you awake, Y/N. I need you to do me a favor and not try to talk. Your vocal chords are still swollen, and they need more rest. I am leaving a pad of paper and a pen for you to use. I need to call the doctor and let the police know you’re awake.” Using the paper and pen, I ask the nurse how long I was out of it. “3 days. Your brother and the injured blonde have been here the whole time. I don’t know what your relationship is with the blonde, but by the looks of it, he thinks the universe revolves around you. I’m not sure where they are now but I’ll call your brother to let him know you’re awake. I’ll be back soon.”

Thirty minutes later, Deputy Shoupe walks into my room with another officer.

“Ms Routledge, I’m happy you’re awake now. The nurse told me that you aren’t allowed to talk but please write your answers on the pad of paper, ok?” After I nod, he asks his first question.

“When you walked into the house, was Luke Maybank assaulting JJ?” I write ‘Yes’ and show the officers.

“Did you see JJ hit Luke or do anything else to defend himself?” This time, I write ‘No’ and wonder if JJ’s dad was trying to say JJ attacked him.

“To your knowledge, was this the first time Luke Maybank has abused his son?” I think for a few seconds and question what JJ said when asked this question. I tentatively point to my previously written ‘No’ and hope that JJ doesn’t hate me for this.

“Was this the first time you saw it happen?” I point to ‘Yes’ in response.

“How do you know it happened before?” I grumble a bit, wondering if the deputy doesn’t believe me. On a fresh sheet of paper, I write ‘JJ came to my house, had bruises, said it was his dad’.

“And you believed him?” I glare at Deputy Shoupe and aggressively point to ‘Yes’.

“And it happened more than once?” I tap on ‘Yes’ and try to convey my anger. The police can claim that they knew nothing about Luke’s abusive behavior as much as they want, but it was the worst kept secret in the Outer Banks. They are just as complicit in this as everyone else.

“When did it start?” I feel like I’m betraying JJ but write ‘After his mom left’.

I still remember the first day that JJ came to the Chateau covered in bruises. He told John B that it was a kook, but I’ve always been able to tell when he was lying. I took him into the bathroom to give him first aid and called him out on it. He finally admitted it was his dad but begged me not to tell my dad or JB. I still feel ashamed that I didn’t. I could have saved JJ so much pain.

“JJ said you tried to run away but his dad grabbed you. Where were you going?” I roll my eyes at the officer to show this is a stupid fucking question and write ‘To call ‪911‬’. It takes everything in me not to add ‘duh’ at the end.

“Did JJ try to get his dad to let you go?” I close my eyes, trying to block the image of Luke batting JJ down when JJ tried to help me. I point to ‘Yes’ and hope this is almost over.

“What happened?” I chew on my lip to keep my emotions in check and simply write ‘Luke hit him more’. I decide Shoupe will ask if he needs more detail than that.

“Did you try to intervene?” I want to yell out but instead hastily write ‘I pushed him off and tried to help JJ up’.

“But Luke stopped you?” Again, I roll my eyes at the stupid question and point to ‘Yes’.

“How?” I can’t write my response because my hands are shaking so much.

My panic attack comes quickly and the alarms on the monitors I’m still attached to start going off. The nurse rushes into the room at the same time my brother arrives. John B takes my hands and squeezes gently to get me to focus on him. Once the nurse decides I’m not having a medical crisis, she turns off the alarms.

“Deputy, I need you to leave. You’re upsetting Y/N too much. You can try again another time.” I look at her gratefully and then focus back on my brother.

Once everyone else has left, I pull my brother in for a hug and feel him start to sob into my shoulder. We hold each other for a few minutes, and I can’t help crying with him. After we let each other go, I pick up my pen and paper to ask the question I need the answer to the most. Is JJ ok?

“JJ was released from the hospital yesterday. The Heywards volunteered to take him in while his dad was in jail.” I must look confused at this new information because my brother adds in, “Pope and JJ seem ok. I don’t know, it’s a little weird. But Pope begged his dad to let JJ stay with them.”

I point back to my question, hoping my brother knows that I’m asking about JJ’s emotional wellbeing now. I can tell he understands when he starts fidgeting in his seat.

“JJ isn’t doing very well. Before he was discharged, he was here with you as long as the nurses would let him be. After getting discharged yesterday, he came right back and stayed with you last night. He’s angry at everyone most of the time but then he breaks down in tears when he’s here and thinks I’m sleeping. It’s been… a lot for him. I had to take him to the Heywards this morning for his first DCS visit. That’s where I was when you woke up. I got the call that you were awake right as I was dropping him off and he yelled at me when I told him I wouldn’t bring him back with me. I just… I know that DCS will take him away if he doesn’t do what they want and that would be worse for everyone.” I nod at my twin and grab his hand so he knows I think he did the right thing.

John B spends the next 15 minutes updating me on everything else I missed while I was out. Apparently, when Shoupe called DCS for JJ, he didn’t tell them about my involvement. He told John B that they’ve been keeping an eye on us and he didn’t want to bring DCS in unless absolutely necessary. I was surprised by this and JB shrugged while telling me that Shoupe said that they knew I was the one keeping us all alive before our dad disappeared and we’re less than a year from being legal adults anyway. JJ’s dad has been charged with assault and attempted murder based on what Kie and JJ reported to the police. JJ has refused to see him and DCS wants him to start therapy to deal with the abuse he endured. Kie and Pope have been to visit twice a day and they rotate through since there can only be two visitors at a time. Kie has been making sure that John B and JJ have been eating.

Even though I’ve only been awake for an hour, I feel exhausted. John B notices my eyes beginning to droop and he encourages me to nap. My nurse comes back in to offer me pain medication, but I refuse despite every inch of my body throbbing. I worry that I won’t be able to wake back up quickly when JJ gets here and I desperately need to see him.

Unfortunately, that worry was baseless because JJ doesn’t come.

----

It’s been two days since I woke up and JJ still hasn’t been to see me. I don’t understand why and the worry is eating at me. John B said that he was angry at everyone, but I didn’t think that included me. I guess I was wrong.

“How was speech therapy today?” My brother pulls me from my thoughts of JJ for the third time today and it takes me a second to respond. I’m only allowed to speak with my therapist, so I need to write out how much it sucks. I had my first session on the day I woke up and the therapist has been back twice daily since then. The doctor told me that I have nerve damage to one of my vocal chords and that it can take time for it to heal.

Before he can ask me another question, I ask him about JJ. “I don’t know what his problem is. Pope said he isn’t talking to anyone other than Mr Heyward. And before you ask, I don’t know why he’s talking to Mr Heyward when he won’t talk to the rest of us. I’ve been letting Kie worry about that so I can just focus on you.”

I know my brother has spent every possible minute at the hospital and I can see the effect this has had on him. He is exhausted from trying to sleep in the uncomfortable chair next to my bed. I’ve tried to send him home to sleep but he won’t go. He also hasn’t been eating much but he claims he just doesn’t want to rub it in since I’m still not allowed to eat yet. When Sarah was visiting earlier, she confirmed my suspicion that he was lying about that, so I’ll need to keep harassing him.

I write that he isn’t allowed to stay tonight and Sarah will be here ‪at 8pm‬ to get him. He tries to argue with me but we both know that I’ll win, especially with Sarah on my side. When he finally leaves, I let myself break down completely for the first time. The physical pain is overwhelming but it’s nothing compared to the fear, stress, guilt, worry, anger, and frustration I’m feeling inside.

----

I wake up in the middle of the night to the feel of calloused fingers tracing along my skin. At first, I worry I was dreaming but when my eyes open, I find my favorite blue eyes staring into mine. JJ is frozen in place, allowing me to grab his hands before he can move away. He finally relaxes and I release one of his hands so I can tenderly caress his bruised face. He leans toward me and rest his forehead to mine.

“Sunshine, I’m so fucking sorry. I will never forgive my dad for what he did to you. I will never forgive myself for letting it happen.” I try to give him a reassuring kiss, but he pulls away. “I shouldn’t be here. I just needed to see for myself that you’re ok.”

I start to panic at his words and tighten my hold on his hand so he can’t leave. I know I’m not allowed to talk but this is too important. I can’t let JJ think this is his fault. I need him to know that I love him.

“J…” I croak out. My voice is hoarse and I need to take a small break between each word but I push through it. “I… love… you… I… need… you… Please… stay…”

JJ collapses on top of me and sobs into my chest. I run my hands through his hair to soothe him and start to cry too.

“I thought I lost you, Sunshine. I thought you wouldn’t want to see me after… after what my dad did. I’m… I’m so sorry… When I woke up when they were putting me in the ambulance, I thought… I thought he killed you. I needed to see that you were ok. And then you kept passing out… I was so worried that you would pass out and would never… would never wake up again. When it happened the last time and you didn’t wake up… I lost my mind. Then you did when I… when I wasn’t here. I guess I just thought it was the universe telling me that you… that you’re better off without me. I tried to stay away but I’m too selfish. I had to see you again, even if you were asleep.”

When both of our tears run dry, JJ sits up slightly, but I don’t let him get out of arms reach, still afraid he’ll bolt. I grab my pen and paper and write that I was afraid he was angry with me that his dad is now in jail.

“What?! No! Of course not! I never want to see him again. I told Shoupe everything. I hope he fucking dies in there.” He climbs into the hospital bed, wraps his arms around my shoulders, and gently pulls me into his side to cuddle. I feel the remaining tension in my body melt away now that I’m in his arms.

“Listen, I… I know the last time we talked I said we were a mistake. I’m sorry. I thought I was doing what was best for you so you wouldn’t have to choose. I need you to know that you, us… we are the best thing that has ever happened to me. We could never be a mistake.”

I lean my face up and kiss him gently. His arm tightens around me to pull me closer and I wince at the pressure of his arm on my ribs. He releases me immediately and I need to grab his hand again before he tries to withdraw his arm completely. We wordlessly compromise on a position change and we quickly fall asleep in each other’s arms.

----

Two weeks later

“Sunshine, John B is pulling up the van now. You ready?” I give him a thumbs up as I switch over to the wheelchair. When he pushes me outside a minute later, I cry in relief.

The doctors wanted me to go to a rehab place to continue with my therapy, but I refused, desperate to get home. After some haggling, we agreed on a plan that none of us are happy with. I am being discharged home under 2 conditions: I come to the hospital every weekday for a session with my Speech Therapist and I only talk when I’m at my sessions. My nerve to my right vocal chord is still damaged from the pressure of Luke’s thumb. The doctors are concerned I’ll need a minor surgery, but my therapist thinks I just need more time. I have a follow up with the whole team ‪in two weeks‬ to decide.

When we get back to the Chateau, Kie, Pope, and Sarah are there with a welcome home banner, balloons, and flowers. JJ guides me inside and begins to mother over me as I get settled. He’s been like this since the night he came to visit me. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t try to carry me from the van to the couch. Once he’s confident I’m settled comfortably, he moves so the others can see me. None of them have been able to visit much because of the hospital’s two visitor rule so they are quick to surround me.

“Y/N, I’m so happy you’re home!” Kie throws her arms around me and I’m surprised to see tears when she pulls away. I remind myself of the scene she walked into at the Maybank house and ask her how she’s doing using my trusty pen and paper. She rolls her eyes at me and tells me not to worry about her, but I make a mental note to check in with her daily.

Sarah and Kie spend the next hour filling me in on everything I’ve missed over the past three weeks. I tune them out, giving the perfunctory responses when needed, and look over at Pope. He’s watching me from the other seat, and I can’t tell what’s he’s thinking. I offer him a cautious smile and he returns it but that’s it. Whenever he has visited the hospital with Kie, he asks how I’m doing and then let’s Kie do the rest of the talking. Other than the brief interaction we had in the emergency room before my surgery, we haven’t had a substantive conversation. I actually thought through how that conversation would go multiple times in the hospital and even wrote out my parts in my notebook for when he’s ready. But I won’t push him now since I’m just happy to have him here at this point. JJ said they talked it out but won’t give me anymore details. I guess, for now, I just need to wait him out.

----

Two weeks later

“Give me the keys, JB.” My brother’s eyes widen at the sound of my voice and he rushes over to me, hugs me tightly, and spins me around in celebration.

“You’re cleared?” I roll my eyes at my twin’s stupid question.

“Nope, I decided to say ‘Fuck them, I know best’ and start talking and driving without their approval.” Like always, he does not appreciate my sarcasm. It’s finally feeling like my life is getting back to normal.

“Can we go back to you not talking again? I think I liked you better silent.”

“Whatever, give me the damn keys.” He tosses them to me and smiles proudly.

In the five weeks since the night from hell (everyone else calls it the ‘incident’), I have had to rely on everyone else for almost everything. When I was in the hospital, it was the hospital personnel, my brother, or JJ. After I was discharged, it was all of the Pogues. Kie and Sarah appointed themselves my stylists (I think they were just taking advantage of me being unable to argue with them about it) while John B took over all the household duties (and confessed that he has a new appreciation of everything I do for him). Pope has been the ‘runner’, taking every opportunity to get out of the Chateau to go pick up anything we need. He’s still withdrawn around me, but I catch him watching me whenever JJ is close.

As for JJ, every waking moment has been spent by my side. Mr Heyward has a strict rule that JJ needs to sleep at their house every night for now and, surprisingly, JJ has complied. He leaves ‪at 11:45pm‬ each night and returns ‪at 7am‬ the following morning. Since I’ve been so tired while my body recovers, I’ve fallen asleep and woken up with his arms around me, only aware that he left because he tells me.

“You’re completely cleared? Ribs too?” he asks from the passenger seat.

“Yep, my ribs are almost fully healed and the nerve to my vocal chord is good to go. I need to go back in 2 months for a follow up but that’s it.”

“Thank fuck! Being the responsible one is exhausting.” I chuckle at my brother, glad that he got a taste of my life for a while. “What are we going to do today?”

“I am dropping you off at Sarah’s for the day. You need to start paying attention to her again. I’ll be fine and I have other things to do.” I turn my head towards him and waggle my eyebrows. He pretends to gag and looks away.

“Ew, I don’t want to know about that!”

After I drop John B off at Sarah’s, I text JJ to meet me at the Chateau in 30 minutes. I arrive before him as planned and take a quick shower. I put on light makeup, trying to replicate the look Sarah gave me for our date, and change into the other dress that Sarah left here when she helped me get ready. I give myself a once over when I hear the door open and JJ call out my name.

“Sunshine, you in here?” he calls from the other side of the door. When I open it for him, he is stunned into silence. His gaze rakes up and down my body and I smile when he returns his eyes to my face.

“Hi, J,” I smile as we lock eyes. “Guess what?”

“You’re talking…” He looks at me in awe. “Are you… did they say you’re ok?”

In response, I step closer to him, place his hands on my hips, and wrap my arms around his neck. He has been hesitant to touch me during my recovery, so I know that I’m going to need to show him that I’m not as fragile as he thinks.

“I am more than ok. I have you.” I give him a tender kiss but pull back before he can deepen it. I have too much to say now that I have my voice back. I guide him over to my bed and get comfortable so we can talk. Before I start, I reach into my bedside table and pull out one of my most prized possessions. “JJ, I am so in love with you. I have been since my 10th birthday party when you gave me this bracelet.”

“You still have this? Didn’t your dad have to cut it off when you sprained your wrist?”

“I saved it from the garbage in the middle of the night. You were the first person outside of my dad and JB who made me feel special. I’ve spent the last month trying to figure out how to tell you how much you mean to me. But I can’t find the words. I just love you and can’t imagine my life without you.”

JJ stares into my eyes as his brim with tears. I gently brush his tears away and cup his cheek with my hand. He leans into my touch and closes his eyes for a moment.

“I thought I was going to lose you, Sunshine. I thought my dad… I thought he killed you. And then you woke up and I thought you would never want to see me again. But you… you still love me. After everything, you still want me. I… no one… after my mom… Thank you.”

I kiss him tenderly and move to straddle his lap so I can be as close to him as possible. This time his hands settle on my hips without me prompting him. I deepen the kiss and feel his hands move to my ass. My hands move into his hair and I tug slightly, eliciting a moan. I kiss down to his neck and suck gently on his skin, leaving a small mark. I kiss back up to his lips and JJ takes over.

He stands up slightly, gripping my thighs tightly, and lays me down on my bed. He hovers over me, kissing me roughly while one hand moves under my dress. He pulls back and looks at me in surprise when he realizes I’m not wearing any panties. I smirk at him and bite my lower lip. He moves back to my mouth quickly and takes my lower lip into his mouth, biting slightly. His hand covers my bare ass and squeezes firmly, earning the moan that he was aiming for, as his mouth moves down my neck and sucks harshly, likely leaving a much larger mark than I gave him. He kisses his way back up and licks his tongue along my ear lobe. I whimper in disappointment when he removes his hand from under my dress causing him to chuckle as he covers my breast. He teases my nipple over my dress, discovering that I’m also not wearing a bra, which spurs him to kiss down my neck to my shoulder and uses his teeth to move my dress strap down.

I revel in the feel of JJ’s hands and mouth on me for a few moments before I move my hands under his shirt. I’m nervous he will stop me again, so I quickly unbutton his pants and slip my hand in to feel his erection. He shudders when I wrap my fingers around him. He looks back up to my face, trying to read my intentions.

“J, I want you. Now.”

Suddenly, he’s standing up and pulling me to sit on the edge of the bed. He slowly pulls his shirt over his head and pushes his shorts to the ground. His large erection is evident and I’m suddenly nervous. I slowly reach out and trace my hands along the band of his boxer briefs. He lifts my face up so he can see my eyes. While holding his gaze, I pull down his remaining article of clothing and trail my hands up his legs. I lean my head forward as I wrap my fingers around him. When my tongue circles around the tip, he hisses and squeezes his eyes shut.

“Look at me, J.” When he opens his eyes, I bring the tip into my mouth and suck slightly. His hands move to my hair and I can feel the tension coiling in him.

“Fuck, Sunshine…” I slowly bring him into my mouth as far as I can, and his hands tighten in my hair.

As I hollow out my cheeks and suck hard, he groans, giving me the confidence I need to keep going. My hands move to his ass and I set a steady pace, alternating between sucking the tip, licking from the base to the head, and bringing him in and out of my mouth.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” JJ steps back. “I want to be inside you when I cum. And if you keep doing that, I won’t last.” I smile smugly at him, happy that I can make him as flustered as he is right now.

He pulls me to my feet and takes my spot on the bed, moving me to stand between his legs. “You going to keep that dress on?”

I take his hand and move it to my back, silently asking him to unzip me. After he does, I let my arms down and allow my dress to pool around my feet. JJ’s eyes and hands explore my naked body and he tenderly brushes over my newly formed scars. Before he can think about what caused those scars, I climb onto his lap and reach over to my still opened bedside table. I hand him the condom and wait impatiently as he puts it on.

Both of his hands settle on my hips and he looks back at me to make sure I want to do this. I move closer to his torso and he gently settles me on top of him. To distract from the initial discomfort, JJ kisses my breast while teasing the other nipple with his fingers. I throw my head back at the deluge of sensations and start moving my hips slowly when I’m ready.

“Fuck, J… this is… umm…” I stop trying to talk once his thumb moves to my clit. I gasp at the added stimulation and can feel him smile against my breast.

He allows me to set the pace of my hips but gets impatient when I become too overwhelmed to move. His hand that isn’t tweaking my nipple moves to my ass and he starts moving me quicker. I feel lightheaded as my internal muscles clench around him. Without pulling out of me, he flips us over so I can lay down on the bed. He kisses up to my mouth and pulls his face away slightly.

“I love you, Sunshine.”

“I love you, JJ.”

He rocks back and forth while continuing to make figure 8s on my clit. As he feels me getting close to my release, he slows down. He repeats this over and over and each time I get closer and closer to letting go.

“Please J…” I beg. He looks triumphant as he starts to rub my clit faster and pumps into me harder with each thrust. When my orgasm hits, I scream out his name and dig my fingers into his biceps. JJ cums quickly afterwards and collapses next to me, both of us out of breath.

“Wow…” I say as he cleans up. “That was amazing.”

He climbs back into bed and cuddles into me. We fall asleep in each other’s arms, both blissfully happy.

----

When I wake up an hour and a half later, I untangle myself from JJ and get dressed again. I leave him a note and rush out to find my best friend. This time, I go to our spot first and am happy to find him at our picnic table.

“Hey Pope,” I say quietly. He jumps at my voice and looks at me with tear-filled eyes. “Why are you crying?”

“I didn’t think I’d hear your voice again.” He jumps and runs over to give me a fierce hug. After he finally lets me go, we sit down in our usual places at the table. “I’m sorry I’ve been so weird lately.”

“Are you… are you still mad at me?”

“No… it’s just hard. Seeing you that night in the emergency room was the worst moment of my life. All I wanted to do was hold you and make you feel better. But I couldn’t then, and I can’t now. That’s JJ’s job… I wanted to hate you for picking him. I wanted to hate him for… being able to be with you. But almost losing you changed all of us. I can see now that he loves you, really loves you. When you were out for those 3 days, I’ve never seen him like that. My dad was the only person he would talk to. He wouldn’t eat or drink. It was like how JB was after your dad went missing. I realized that if I don’t get to be with you, I want you to be with someone who loves you like that. But it still hurts. It’s why I keep offering to go to the store or pick up food. It’s hard to see how you two look at each other. But I’m working through it.”

“I’m so sorry Pope. I never… I didn’t mean… I’m sorry.” He smiles softly at me and shakes his head.

“No, Y/N. You don’t need to apologize.”

“Still best friends?”

“Of course. I just need some more time to adjust.” I reach over and take his hands in mine, fighting back tears. We sit like this for a little bit before I head back home.

During my drive back to the Chateau, I think about how much my life has changed over the past two months. The physical and emotional pain have been devastating at times, but I can’t bring myself to regret any of it. I don’t know what the future brings with Luke Maybank’s trial and deciding what to do with my life after high school, but this is the first time in my life that I feel excited about what comes next.

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northcarolinanative · 4 years

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𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 (𝟻)

Chapter 5: The Bigger Picture

A/N: WOW! Y’all are so sweet and amazing <3 Here is Chapter 5. Tension is building, kinda. This is so s l o w burn that it’s hurting me. I kinda want this to be about more than just a romance tho? Especially in the beginning, but I am working on the other chapters, and where it is heading, I promise! Bare with me haha! Also I have no clue if those maps exist or if that’s even a thing. I’m just making it up, but it could be right haha.

I practically dragged JJ through the front door of the Chateau. “What’s all this about Y/N” JJ finally asked as you both walked through the kitchen. I pulled my keys out of my pocket, fiddling on the keyring, finding the small golden key. I held it up to JJ, rattling the other keys, a smile plastered to my face. “A key? How exactly is that supposed to help us Y/N?” I rolled my eyes in response. I turned to the door, just on the side of the living room.

My dad’s office.

As long as I could remember, I was never allowed in there for extended periods of time. I would wander in some late nights when he left the door cracked, or to bring him a glass of water and a snack. I could see him now thinking back, hunched over the desk, glasses low on his nose, pen in one hand, the other holding the map that he was marking up.

“Ah. Y/N. Taking care of your old man, making sure I stay alive I see” and he would chuckle, but I didn’t. I left, and days later her disappeared, he was killed all because of that stupid shipwreck, just like my brother.

I rummaged through a few things, pulling binders down and looking through the first few pages. JJ looked over at me, honestly worried. I mean if I was watching someone else in my position I probably would be too. I know I probably looked crazy, I was grasping at short, short straws. It was all because I was not ready to give up on my brother just yet. I found the binder labeled “Ship maps”. I pulled it out and handed it to JJ. Okay, maybe this was a little far-fetched, but it was something.

JJ took it carefully out of my hand. He hesitantly looked at me before looking down at the map, slowly unfolding it. I started to tap my fingers against the table. My nerves were on edge as JJ looked between the map he was unfolding and me. His hand reached down to cover mine that was tapping at an annoyingly fast pace. I bit my lip as he looked over the map.

He furrowed his brows and looked up at me. “What am I looking at exactly?” He questioned. I laid the map out on the table. I couldn’t blame him, if my dad had not been into this stuff I wouldn’t know what was happening either.

“Okay so here,” I pointed to one of the lines that were on the page, and traced it down the coast of North Carolina, to where it landed in a port in Charleston, “is the route that the ship was recorded to talk, based off of the sonar and the GPS in it. Ya know, the kinda thing that the bigger, hauling, cargo ships have? For the long trips?” I finished looking for the key.

JJ slowly nodded his head looking at me. He could tell I might be on to something, he just was not quite sure yet. I flipped up the side of the map, just the first panel, and it showed an elaborate excel table, filled with numbers and symbols. “Here” I pointed to one of the highlighted symbols along the path that I previously traced, “Is…” I took my other hand to skim the table to the side, trying to find the matching color and symbol. “Ah. Here.” I tapped the symbol in the table, JJ leaned closer to me making my breath hitch involuntarily, we were so close, we were touching, practically no space between us. “See here it says that this ship reached 35.1146° N, 75.9810° W, on Saturday, May 14th, 2007, at…” I followed the line with my finger, 16:45” I finished my rant.

“Okay.” JJ breathed out, his brows still knitted close together. I could see the worry in his eyes. At this moment I could not see it, but he thought I might have been going crazy, things are starting to get to me.”Y/N, this is great, but I don’t know what this has to do with John B.” He sighed. “But I'm not gonna lie, a girl who knows her way around the ocean, the commanding voyage out to sea, boss babe style, kinda hot Y/N” JJ joked, trying to lighten the mood and his worry, then he realized how close we were, but he didn’t move.

I let out a laugh. It felt natural, which was nice. “I'm being serious JJ,” I said, still laughing and pushing his shoulder back.

“Whatever you say,” He paused. “Princess.” I rolled my eyes looking back over the map. “What does all this mean though? How is this map, from before we knew what the Merchant was, going to help us find John B?”

“Ah, you have to think bigger JJ. You see if we can get the coordinates of the Phantom’s last signals, where it was found, or where it could have been between last night and when they pulled it up, we can cross-reference that, with any boats that may have come through. If we can somehow get a map from any of those larger companies, maybe the ferries, hell we might even be able to get it off the internet. We can see if any boats came around then start from there?” I said, but it sounded like a question. “I know that it’s barely anything, but it’s something JJ!’ I continued rambling. “If the ships picked up JB and Sarah, pulled them on board, then maybe…” I didn’t know how to finish the thought. I looked up from the scattered maps to JJ.

JJ stared blankly at the maps then up at me. He both put his hand on the sides of my face and just looked at me. He probably thought I was crazy, that I was losing my mind. “You’re a genius Y/N” He then placed a quick dramatic kiss on the top of my forehead. “Seriously, I never would have even thought to look into any of that.” He stepped back. I was slightly taken about by his actions had we always been this touchy with one another when John B was around. “So where the hell do we start Nancy Drew?” JJ said, rubbing his hands together making me laugh.

“The ferry would be a good place?” I said shrugging my shoulders. “But I haven't exactly thought that far ahead” I laughed a little, and saw a smile still on JJ’s face.

“Then we’ll start at the ferry’s office!” JJ said moving out of the office. I looked up and around the room. At all the research that my father did. All the books that line the walls, the maps hung up, all of it. I wanted to get rid of it. My skin felt hot and I could feel it turning red. I gripped the table tightly, hoping the anger would pass. A picture frame on the wall caught my attention. I lifted it from the hook it was sitting on. In the frame was a picture of the Royal Merchant, labeled and matted. Stuck on the outside of the glass, covering the lower corner of the Merchant was a picture of the three of us, John B, my dad, and I. It was taken a few summers ago by our neighbor, we had come back from a long day out on the boat fishing. I felt tears start to form in my eyes. My back was facing the door so I didn’t see JJ enter the room. He came up behind me, putting his hands on either of my shoulders. He looked down at the photos in my hands.

I reached one hand up to wipe a stray tear. I was so sick of crying. “I can’t believe that a shipwreck from the 1800s made me lose two of the most important people in my life.”

“I know” JJ spun me around to look at him. “You have a plan,” He said smiling

“We’ve got a plan” I corrected him. “Actually, before we head out on this chase, do you think you could help me with something?” I said softly.

“Anything,” JJ replied. The worried look still in his eyes.

“Can you help me clean up here?” I looked around at the mess, from when I got here, and the mess that I had just made. “I don’t know, I just want to clean it up, lock the door, and not think about it for a while,” I said, starting to fold-up maps.

“Of course.” JJ smiled starting to close up binders and arrange them on the shelf. “If you were going to use me as a maid Routledge, you could have at least bought me one of those cute costumes?”

I pretended to gag. “JJ that is an image that I did not need in my head.”

“You may not have needed it, but I bet you’re enjoying it.” He winked in my direction. I felt the blush creeping back onto my face.

“In your dreams J,” I said with a laugh.

CH 6

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