#for mack who gently made me do it <3

[blue-ravens]

#what like it's haahd #for mack who gently made me do it <3 #mash 4077 #m*a*s*h #charles emerson winchester iii #blue's post #mash #charlie memerson

[skyler10fic]

To Have and to Hold: Ch. 3 Taste of Success

By Skyler10

Read on Ao3

---------------

Daisy had a slow week at work and was able to launch a simple wedding website by the following weekend. One page included their story, ending with their coincidentally mutual Christmas proposal. She uploaded photos of the two of them at various stages of their relationship and one of their rings. Daisy remembered with a start that they hadn’t taken engagement photos. Oh well, that shoot could come later even if they just had a friend take a few on a nice day. On the location page, she added a few photos of the chapel she had taken on their visit and typed its address. The registry page would have to stay blank for the moment. Eventually, she’d make a digital RSVP option as well, but before they could decide on and send invitations, they needed to decide on a caterer to know if there was a meal option—and whether they wanted a meal at all or just hors d’oeuvres. 

There were still so many decisions to make. Late one night as she stressed about their long to-do list, Carol reminded her that not every conversation they had at the end of the day had to be wedding choices and researching their options. They needed to also just relax together and talk about other things. Carol had said it gently, trying to avoid a fight, but Daisy surprised her by being relieved at the reminder. They had time. Not much for some things, but enough to still live their lives outside of planning and decision-making.  

They decided to keep the wedding itself small, and the wedding party even smaller. Carol’s lifelong best friend, Maria, would be her bridesmaid with her young daughter, Monica, as flower girl. Daisy’s bridesmaid would be Jemma, with her husband, Fitz, on piano and Elena on violin playing, “She Keeps Me Warm” by Mary Lambert.

“But just the two instruments,” Daisy clarified. “No karaoke track cheese, please.” Which Fitz teased her relentlessly about, especially saying that he was going to program a drum kit. Daisy reminded him she had earned her black belt before graduating high school, and that put an end to the teasing… for a while. 

The question of who would walk them down the aisle came up during a video call with Daisy’s parents, during which Phil offered both arms if they wanted to walk down together, but Carol reassured him that her Aunt Wendy would do it. Melinda would walk down first, escorting her parents to their seats, then Wendy and Carol, and then Phil and Daisy. 

Elena’s husband, Mack, was ordained as a minister in their small, progressive church, so he volunteered to officiate. And Elena would help their adorable toddler son, Alfie Jr., in his ringbearer duties. 

That left the people they would need to hire, including catering for the reception, a bakery for the cake, and a photographer. 

—----------

The second Saturday in March, they had a cake tasting at a small but renowned bakery across town. Daisy shoved her laptop into her bag as Carol pulled the car into the bakery’s parking lot.

“Okay, we only have one shot if this is the one we go with, so we have to each pick our top three possibilities, not just what sounds good today,” Daisy said like she was a coach at timeout. 

They got out of the car and walked up to the bakery, but before they went inside, Carol pulled Daisy to the side of the door.

“Hey, let’s enjoy this okay?” She took Daisy’s hand. “It’s a cake tasting! Possibly the most fun part of wedding planning. Just breathe with me, okay?”

Daisy took in deep breaths, as instructed. “Right. You’re right. It’s just cake.” She turned and saw a sample wedding cake in the window with two grooms. “Oh thank god.” 

Carol noticed too. “Is that what you were really stressed about?” 

“Well!” Daisy shrugged. “It’s been in the news for years with the courts and stuff, I just, I don’t know, didn’t want to get yelled at when they realize I’m not your bridesmaid or something.” 

Carol squeezed Daisy’s hand. “I promise. I made sure every bakery I called knew this wedding cake is going to have two little brides on it and they were fine.” She gestured to the two-groom cake on display. “Can we go try sample bites of cake now?” 

“Yes, please,” Daisy said in a bashful voice. Carol opened the door and they went in, determined to enjoy the moment. 

And they did, for the most part. A few of the flavors were not to their taste.

“Hm.” Daisy scrunched her nose. “Not that one, sorry.”

Carol’s eyes widened as she put a different flavor in her mouth. “Ooo! This one.” She pointed with her fork and then had a different idea. “Here.” She put a bite on her fork and lifted it to feed it to Daisy. Daisy helped guide Carol’s hand so they didn’t make a mess. 

“Oh! Wow. Yes.” Daisy reacted once she’d had a moment to taste it. “That might be the one?” 

Carol gave her an “I told you so” look. “I think I could eat that every day and not get tired of it.”   

The baker, a middle-aged man with twinkling dark eyes, returned just in time to see their impressed reaction. He clapped his hands once and inquired, “How are we doing over here, ladies? Have we found a winner?” 

Carol and Daisy exchanged glances and both said, “Yes” at once. 

“What is this one?” Daisy asked. 

“Ah, that flavor is called Happy Ever After. It’s a vanilla with a hint of raspberry and almond and my secret ingredient.” 

Carol took this as a challenge. She leaned her elbows on the counter and narrowed her eyes. “Hmm, butter?”  

The baker laughed and winked. “That’s no secret. Plenty of real butter here. And our traditional recipe buttercream, also with a special ingredient, of course.” 

Carol couldn’t tell whether there really was a secret to the buttercream or if he was just teasing her, so she just nodded. “Ah. Of course.”

“Now.” The baker plopped a heavy photo album on the counter. “Let’s talk design.” 

None of the designs were exactly what Daisy had been picturing so she showed him some photos on her laptop, and he flipped to a different section. In 20 minutes, they had exactly what they wanted all planned out. The baker took notes on each part, from flavor to decoration to a topper. As it turned out, the little brides cake topper would be metaphorical, as they decided on a cascade of flowers wrapping from the top down around the sides of the three small tiers and to the base. 

“And what are your colors?” the baker asked, writing and sketching on his notes. When they hesitated, he looked up. 

Daisy blurted out, “Lavender, silver, navy, and gold.” She looked to Carol for approval. 

“Yeah!” Carol blinked in awe at how easy that was. “That was the palette I picked, though. Are you sure?”  

The baker turned his sketch around so they could imagine the colors on it. 

“I’m sure.” Daisy placed her hand on Carol’s on the counter to assure her it really was what she wanted too. “It’s us.” 

“Excellent,” the baker hummed, more to his notes than to them, lost in his artistic visions. 

And so that was two decisions down, with a million more to go. 

As Daisy and Carol left the bakery, Daisy’s phone rang. 

“Hey, is this Daisy Coulson?” a young woman’s voice asked. 

“That’s me,” Daisy answered as she got in the car and closed the door. “How can I help you?” 

Carol waited to start the car until Daisy could tell her what was happening. Daisy noticed and put the call on speaker.  

“This is Nadia, from Delights Catering. I know this is super last minute, and I told you before that we didn’t have any tasting spots open today, but, um, we’ve had an opening.” 

Daisy picked up on her stress. “Rough day?” 

Nadia admitted, “Not as rough for me as for the couple whose whole wedding party got the flu last night and just now called to cancel. But their order of nearly everything on the menu is almost done, and it might as well be used. We’ll have everything ready if you can be here in the next half hour. And bring family or your wedding party if you want. We’re prepped for 100 over here. And I’ve only got five other couples left on my list to call.” 

Daisy raised her eyebrows in silent question to Carol who nodded enthusiastically. It was past lunchtime and they were getting hungry. Those little cake samples hadn’t been filling. 

“Sure thing, Nadia. We’ll be right over.” Daisy programmed the address of the convention center the catering company operated out of into Carol’s phone and used her own to send a group text to the wedding party, at least their friends in town. Phil and Melinda were too far away, but she sent them a separate text updating them on the cake and colors decision and telling them they were headed over to the caterer. 

Melinda sent back a thumbs up, a sunglasses smiley face, and a cake emoji. Phil sent a gif that said Great Work! and said to let them know how the menu tasting went. 

Carol neared the exit and realized they hadn’t ever decided on what time of day the wedding would be exactly, which would determine what food they decided on from Delights Catering’s menu. 

“We have the venue all day,” Carol reasoned, “so it would be up to us.” 

“What if…” Daisy hesitated to say it, as unromantic as it was. “What if we see what Nadia has on the menu and pricing, and that determines the timing?” 

“Okay, besides food though, when are you picturing this? Evening ceremony with dinner and a reception where we dance into the night? Or more like early afternoon so we can see the park around the chapel with an outdoor reception? I could go either way.” 

“Before I answer that, here’s another factor.” Daisy paused to point to the side street Carol needed to turn down. “Do we want to leave for our honeymoon that night or spend our wedding night at home and then leave the next day? And also, where are we going?” 

“Or, we could stay downtown in a fancy hotel honeymoon suite, so we wouldn’t be far from the airport, and then leave the next day. To wherever.” 

“Yes! Oh. I like that.” Daisy added “find honeymoon suite and destination” to her to-do list. 

Nadia’s cooking and her team’s friendly service didn’t make the decision easy. The basic dinner menu, especially for a small wedding with their approximate guest list number, was definitively in their budget, and the hors d’oeuvres were also delicious. 

“Okay, this lemon pepper chicken, though,” Daisy said to the table, but mostly Carol. 

“And this pasta is amazing.” Carol picked up the menu to see what it was called. “Pasta Barbara.” 

A blonde woman at the table observed them with an amused smile. 

Daisy noticed and caught her eye. “Is it that obvious we are new to this?” 

“No, no,” the woman assured. “It’s just a new menu item inspired by an idea I had. I’m Barbara. Or, well, everyone calls me Bobbi.” 

Carol and Daisy introduced themselves as well. 

The man next to Bobbi spoke up with an English accent. “And you can call me Hunter.”

Carol finished her pasta and put down her fork. “Are you two getting married soon?” 

Bobbi and Hunter laughed. Bobbi explained, “We’ve been married.”

“And divorced,” Hunter added. 

“And married again,” Bobbi concluded. “Now we do the wedding thing professionally. We’re photographers, and I got in the decorating and floral business so I could have more input on the backgrounds and settings for the photos. The photos are what hold your memories of your day for generations to come, so I take it pretty seriously.” 

“And I carry all the equipment.” Hunter smirked. 

Bobbi rolled her eyes. “And he shoots the video. We’re a team. And are you two here to plan a wedding or just friends of Nadia’s called in to help with leftovers?”

Carol slipped an arm loosely around Daisy’s shoulder as Daisy replied, “Planning our wedding. But it’s coming up pretty quick, so we have a lot of decisions to make.” 

Carol looked to Daisy and then back at Bobbi. “We’re actually looking for everything you said you did. We’ve got this great wedding chapel through the parks department on a pond, so it’s a great setting, but the chapel itself is bare bones plain inside.” 

“And the reception hall is just a big empty room, basically,” Daisy explained.

“So,” Bobbi jumped in. “You need a photographer who could do outdoor shots in the park and indoor, and you need a decorator and florist who could handle a small wedding on a budget?” 

Hunter relaxed back in his chair, looking even cockier as Bobbi read their situation exactly. Daisy could tell that though he hid it behind bravado, he was smitten with his wife and partner. 

“Yeah, that’s it exactly.” Daisy blinked in surprise at fate landing them at this table with the very people they needed to meet. “You can do all that?” 

Hunter raised his glass to her. “That’s our specialty.” 

“Well, I contract out with florists, but I’d handle all the details.” Bobbi searched in her purse and pulled something small out. “Here’s our card.” 

She handed over a business card with their logo, website, phone, and email address. 

“Take a look, rates are all online, and we can work something out,” Hunter said.

“Thank you,” Carol replied. “This is a huge help.” 

Bobbi shrugged. “It’s why we’re here. Nadia helps us and we help her. The wedding business can be pretty cutthroat, all about the right connections, so we formed our little alliance with those we like to work with. She gets the job done right every time, and we get better photos when everyone is fed and happy.” 

Daisy hadn’t considered this, but it was smart. Bobbi’s dedication to her craft to the point that she’d expanded into other areas, formed networks, and knew something about people impressed Daisy before she’d even seen a single photo. And Daisy suspected, if Bobbi had chosen Hunter not only as her husband but business partner, he must be good at his part as well to earn that smug look on his face as he glanced around the room searching for more couples to introduce themselves to. 

Nadia made her way over to their table. “How are we doing, Daisy and Carol? I see you’ve met my friends, Bobbi and Hunter?”

“They were just telling us about their business,” Carol informed her. “Also, I have to tell you, I love this pasta.” 

“And the chicken,” Daisy reminded her. “We have to have the chicken.” 

Nadia got out her notepad. “Okay, so that’s a dinner menu then, we’ve decided?” 

Bobbi spoke up. “Definitely do dinner. Hors d’oeuvres are great, but—no offense, Nadia—it’s easy for people to get skipped over or miss out on their favorites, or they feel like they are chasing plates around if you have wandering waiters.” 

Hunter added, “And if you do a buffet, people wonder why not just do the real food.”

Nadia said, “It’s up to you two, though, and time of day I know was still a question.” 

Daisy and Carol decided together silently, and Carol said aloud, “Dinner, for sure.” 

Nadia wrote down their picks from the menu and promised to follow up on Monday more formally. She called to one of her assistants, who brought them to-go bags of leftovers to take home. It was far too much food for the two of them, so they texted Jemma and Fitz to come over for dinner that night. 

—-------- 

After dinner that night, the four friends moved to the living room and settled in front of the TV after dinner. Daisy sat on the couch near the end table with her laptop and started it up. 

“Mmm wow,” Jemma groaned, “that pasta was so good but now I’m so full.” Fitz patted her hand as he settled in next to her on the couch. 

“Right?” Carol agreed as she set up the TV so Daisy could cast her laptop screen to it. Carol plopped into their Papasan chair and set a pillow on her lap so she could write their impressions of Bobbi and Hunter’s skills on her tablet.

“Ready!” Daisy said, navigating to Bobbi and Hunter’s website. She clicked on their wedding portfolio first and opened just one slideshow of many demonstrating their talents. “Ooo, I like that one.” 

Carol took note of the poses and ideas they oohed and ahhed over, as well as ones she or Daisy didn’t like or Jemma and Fitz warned against from experience just a year before. 

Daisy clicked on more slideshows—some with more creative shots and some more cliche—and they continued until they got to one with outdoor photos, including some at sunset, with two brides. 

“Ohhh,” Daisy exhaled as she paused on one. The sunbeams highlighting the couple’s silhouette were perfect. The couple touched foreheads, with one’s fingers entwined and loosely resting on the back of the other’s neck, and the other’s hands at her bride’s waist.

“Gorgeous,” Jemma said softly. 

Daisy looked over to Carol with hope shining in her eyes. They had to have one like this. 

“Already got it,” Carol confirmed. She squinted in thought. “Sun sets around 8 in June, so if we want it as a wedding shot, we would have to time it right.” 

Jemma reasoned, “Or, remember, we did wedding photos in advance. We didn’t want to have to worry about it the day of, and I didn’t mind if he saw me in the dress ahead of time.”

“I said it was bad luck.” Fitz shrugged. 

Daisy made a pshh sound. “The rain was a sign of good luck. Plus you’re both British, aren’t rainy wedding days sort of the standard where you’re from?” 

“Yes, but see, we live here now,” Fitz pointed out.

Jemma took his hand. “Rain the day of is all the more reason I’m glad we did them in advance.” 

Carol was still distracted by the photo on the TV. If she had a shot of Daisy and her like that, she’d have a print done for their bedroom. She could already picture where to put it on their wall. 

“Moving on,” Daisy announced. “Yes, we’ll try to get some shots with Bobbi and Hunter scheduled in advance.” She added that to her to-do list, which seemed to grow every time she took something off of it. 

Jemma pointed to the screen. “So it sounds like you’re decided then. You’ve got a photographer. And all the other things, yeah?”

Daisy worried her lip. It was a multipoint commitment—and not a cheap one. She caught Carol’s hopeful, subtle nod from across the room. They were doing this. 

“Yeah,” Daisy confirmed as she clicked through to the florals and decorations pages. She had to admit, Bobbi was good. “We’re doing this.” 

Jemma elbowed Fitz, who let out a little “ow!” of surprise. 

“Tell them,” she insisted. 

“Oh, alright,” Fitz sighed. “My cousin Deke is a deejay who does wedding receptions. If you’re looking for someone.” 

Jemma jumped in. “He was the one who deejayed ours, as you might remember, but he’s very popular. He’s probably done 100 since he started a few years ago.” 

Fitz added with a tone of derision, “He wants it to be his full-time job, and he dropped out of NYU to ‘build his business.’” He did air quotes around the last part. 

“Very successfully!” Jemma defended. “Fitz is just jealous. Deke sold his virtual reality simulator to a video game company so he doesn’t really need the work, but Fitz thinks he’s wasting his potential.” 

Fitz rubbed at his neck. “He’s also very … perky.”

Jemma translated, “He’s American and a bit enthusiastic, even for over here. But exactly who you’d want in a deejay.”

Daisy and Carol exchanged amused glances. Carol spoke up, “Sure, send us his contact info and we’ll get in touch.” 

Having a baker, a caterer, a menu, and leads on a photographer/decorator and now a deejay was a lot for a full day, but it also helped them feel like it was really happening. Their wedding was not just a dream but a real event they were hiring vendors for and making decisions about—decisions that would become their lifelong memories.  

#daisy johnson #carol danvers #aos #agents of shield #captain marvel #daisy x carol #carol x daisy #wlw #sapphic fic #femslash #lesbian carol danvers #bisexual daisy johnson #skywriting #wedding au #jemma simmons #leo fitz #fitzsimmons #bobbi morse #lance hunter

[rusted-sun]

112? Whoever now, tied to a chair, wings comfortably in the wholes of the chair as Mark paces around and Mack looks irritated. 

“Stop making that face. Only she could make that face to me.” Mack spat with venom in his voice as the copycat grinned. “What? I’m just looking at you. . Haven’t been awake for a while.” Mack Stomped over and grabbed the arms of the chair angrily “YOUR NOT HER! I SAW HER DIE! WE ALL DID!” 

“It hurt a lot Mack. . The one thing that could kill me. A Amethyst blade. Don’t you remember? The purple stone soaked in my blood?” She snickered as the door slammed open. 

“Chandler!” “Who. The. Hell. Are. You. Is this some sick JOKE?! She was my BEST FRIEND!” “Hello to you too.” She leaned back. “Surprised nobody checked my grave. You held me in my final seconds do you remember where I was stabbed?”  “Where SHE was stabbed. Yes.” She struggled against the ropes. 

“I would show you if someone stopped moping and helped me.” She sighed as Mark didn’t wait for agreement and just cut the rope. “Thank you.” She stretched her hands grinning and lifted her shirt showing a bloody gash in her chest. 

“Believe me yet?” Mark stepped in slowly. 

“What’s your favorite color?” 

“Purple.”

“favorite bird?”

“Snowy Owl.” 

“Favorite food?” 

“Fried chicken.”

Chandler stepped up gently nudging Mark aside. “Where did we meet?” Her eyes lit up and a genuine smile crossed her face. “MARKIPLIER MANOR! I used to be a Great Horned Owl! So I was accused by Abe for Mark’s death! But you defended me since you and I stayed sober!” 112 continued, “Then you got shot, and I dove down and saved you from the fall, breaking my spine and making you into an Immortal!” 

“Correct.” Chandler looked her up and down in near shock. “Go check my grave! I promise it’s me.” She sighed “HOLD ON! YOU GUYS DIED BEFORE?!” Mack yelped and she turned and sighed “get with the program buddy.” She laughed before jumping in her chair as Dark entered with the loud ringing. 

“She is correct. This is 112. . Her grave is empty. There’s tracks of her walking to the forest.” “I KNEW CHANDLER MADE A GOOD CHOICE MARRYING YOU!!” She yelled with a cheer. “But also I think it’s time for a name change? Since I’m not well. Me. “ 112 sighed looking down. 

“What about Phoenix? Captain Phoenix?” Mack tilted his head and she grinned. “YES! New life! New name! New planet! Ugh even new hair!” 112 chuckled as Mark cut the rope on her ankles. 

“Hey chandelier? Wanna show me around it’s been some years.” “Of course. Co-Captain”. “WILL YOU EVER LET THAT GO?!”

oH MY G O D YOU'RE FAST /POS

ISTG EVERY TIME YOU JUST COME IN AND DUMP STUFF LIKE *THIS* IM LEFT FEELING LIKE THIS /POS /POS /POS

also goddamn CHANDELIER?? low blow man. low blow </3 /lh /nm

#response #112 writes #canon #fave

[falloutstasis]

Growing up fast Part 3

She was getting closer and closer to the Security room and panicked when she heard Amata's pleading voice through the window, the one where she ducked right away before she was spotted.

"Be reasonable, Amata." The Overseer said. "Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I don't. Tell us where your friend is and we'll be on our way to find her."

The door slid open behind them and Alex was quick on her feet to hit Officer Mack's hand with the bat, that had the gun and hit him again on his stomach when he turned around to face her. It was enough force to send him on his knees clutching his stomach. However, the baton fell far away from him, at the other side of the security room.

Amata took the time to get up from the chair, go grab the gun that flew away, and held it. Then she stood behind Alex.

"What is your fucking problem?!" Alex yelled out. "There is no reason to point a gun at your daughter!"

Amata was a little scared when Alex raised her voice. This was the first time she actually heard her yell at someone.

"I wasn't pointing a gun-" The Overseer was caught off by Alex.

"I don't care who pointed the gun! A gun was pointed at her and I can't believe you had the cojones to let that happen." Currently, the baseball bat was right above Mack's head.

"Hey, let's calm down now and not make any rash decisions here. Don't make this worse on yourself."

Again, Alex yelled, with tears in her eyes. "I didn't do anything! All I know is that I woke up, finding out your goons killed Jonas and my father left the Vault without even telling me! Next thing I know, I'm fighting for my life because your Officers were told to shoot to kill me on sight!"

"Don't be ridiculous! The Officers here at Vault 101 would never harm anyone!"

"Well, one of them pointed their gun at me when I got out of my quarters and almost shoot me before a radroach got to him."

Amata gasped, angerly looked at her father. "See, Dad? Your paranoia almost got Alex killed!"

"Enough!" He said, his voice hitting past the Security room. "I have no such thing! If you really care about Amata, you'll see how dangerous your father's actions are and you put that bat away. There's no need to join your father as a traitor."

"I didn't do anything." Alex repeated. "I don't see how my dad's actions has to do with me. As far as I'm concerned, my father's not a traitor," Her eyes darkened at the Overseer. "But you're a murder and a bully."

"I will not be called a murder AND a bully by someone who is holding one of my men hostage in front of my eyes. Release Officer Mack at once!"

"I'll leave him alone under one condition: You leave Amata alone and you give me the keys to your office and password to the terminal you have in there. If you care about Mack's well being."

He groaned in frustration. "Fine! Here." He quickly snatched the key's to his office and wrote down the password from his terminal. He shoved both on to Alex.

"Come on!" Amata grabbed Alex's hand to book it out of the security room.

The two left as they heard the Overseer calling for the rest of his guards. The two made quick work on going through the Overseer's office, which was already open.

"Jonas..." Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw Jonas's dead body. She ran towards him and kneeled down next to him.

"Alex...come on." Amata said gently. "We got to go."

Alex noticed something from Jonas's pocket that was sticking out. It was a recording that can be played on the Pip-boy. She grabbed it and played it as they rushed to the Overseer's office.

Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first.

Amata unlocked the door to the Overseer's door and the two entered there. Alex saw Amata put in the password that her father wrote a little bit ago.

■ Enter the Overseer's Office.

□ Use the Overseer's terminal and access the secret tunnel.

I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could have gone wrong, and there's really no telling how the Overseer will react when he finds out.

■ Use the Overseer's terminal and access the secret tunnel.

Amata had read everything on what her father wrote about her and some of the other vault residents here, but there was no time to waste. She needed to get her best friend out of the vault.

"I got it, Alex! Go, go, go!"

□ Open the Vault door.

It's best if he can blame everything on me. Obviously, you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult now. You're ready to be on your own. Maybe some day, things will change and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left or where I'm going. I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the Vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going.

The desk had lifted upward and it was enough to reveal stairs that lead downward that lead to the under level's of the Vault. Possibly to the door itself.

Amata and Alex rushed down the stairs with Amata pushing a button on the side to open the door in front of her.

Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with.

Alex hit another radroach on her way when the two turned left.

Okay. Go ahead. Goodbye. I love you.

The recording ended just as the two made it to the entrance of the Vault.

"Alright. Here goes." Alex closed her eyes as she pulled down the leaver to open the Vault door. All the two heard was a big metal squeak that echoed throughout the area. When Alex opened her eyes, she saw the door slowly open, moving to one side. She couldn't help but be at awe.

■ Open the Vault door.

□ Escape the Vault.

"Whoa..."

"You did it...you actually opened the Vault!" Amata was just as shocked at Alex is.

"We did it, Amata." Alex stated. "Thanks for helping me."

"No." She shock her head. "I should be thanking you for saving me back there. If there's anyone who can survive out there it's you."

"You too, you know. Come with me!"

"Sorry, but I'm going to stay here. This Vault needs me more than you do. Besides, I'm the only one that can talk some sense into my father."

Alex looked really disappointed when Amata refused to join her out of the Vault, but she understood anyway.

"Listen." She put her hands on her shoulders. "If you ever catch up with your dad, tell him I'm sorry. For Jonas, my dad, and everything."

Alex and Amata could hear footsteps coming their way. "Hurry!"

Alex was very hesitant to leave everything behind, but she rushed towards the opened door and heard it make noise behind her, seeing it slowly close.

From there ran towards the wooden door and pushed it open.

#fallout rebellion

[mikkomacko]

So not sure if you’re going to understand this but here’s my idea: the team not knowing that the reader is dating both Bucky and Steve (Stucky) and they confront her and say some awful things like she’s using them, a cheating wh*re etc. and she just starts crying and runs and locks herself in their room (or whatever you’d like). Then Stucky comes back or out from somewhere looking for her and then they ask the team and the team tells them that she was “cheating” on both of them with each other and then they’re like no we’re all dating each other and the team feels all bad and you can end it how you want lol. You don’t have to do this and sorry if it’s bad.

A/n: Sorry it took so long! Hope it's ok! <3

~

Two Avengers dating would cause enough gossip in itself, but three Avengers? Two of which have been best friends since the 40s? She can't imagine what kind of reaction that would get out of Sam or Nat who have always teased Steve and Bucky about being really good friends.

So when y/n, Bucky, and Steve made their relationship official, they kept it as low-key as possible. Anything beyond cuddling was reserved for the privacy of their rooms, flirting had to be subtle, and all dates were far from the Avengers compound.

They just had to pray they could follow the rules and keep their hands to themselves when others were around.

~

Drumming her fingers on the folder, y/n heads up HR to submit her latest mission report. It was simple surveillance mission, nothing exciting to report on but she'd been gone for over a week and wanted to get the report in asap so it could be done with. Dropping it off on the incoming desk, she promptly turns on her heel to head to lunch but is stopped just outside of the doorway by a hand on her bicep. She's tugged into the hidden corner before she can even react, two strong arms caging her against the cool wall.

Bucky, dressed for a training session, stands before her, blue eyes sparkling and lips smiling. Immediately, her guard falls, lips widening into a smile that reflects the same love shining through Bucky's.

"Careful Barnes," she teases, "next time I won't be so kind about ya pawing at me."

He clicks his tongue. "Wouldn't be pawing if you'd come to see me as soon as you got back."

"Paperwork waits for no one. Not even Cap and Sarge."

He sighs playfully. "Damn doll, that hurts. Think ya should kiss it better."

So she does. Cupping his jaw between two soft palms, y/n seals their mouths together in a tender kiss, completely blind to Bruce and Tony who have just caught sight of them from down the hall.

~

Bucky heads down to the gym and y/n heads to room to clean up before lunch, ignoring his pleas for her to join him. She's technically on recovery from her last mission and she's definitely going to milk that for a day off. She's approaching her door when one just down the hall opens, a familiar blond head of hair coming into view.

She pauses, leaning her shoulder against the doorway and smiles at him. "Hey Cap, fancy seeing you here."

He lifts his head, soft blue eyes meeting hers and he smiles that cute little smirk only Steve Rogers could smile. "Hey, heard you got back early this morning."

"Yeah, way early." She laughs, tilting her chin up as he moves closer.

"How'd it go?"

He stops in front of her, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head. It's his typical go-ahead-I'm-listening stance but by the way he's eyeing her mouth she knows he doesn't actually want to hear it right now. Steve always tries to hide the fact that he's just as clingy as Bucky.

"Is that really what you're going to ask me, Rogers? After being gone for so long you want my mission run down right now?"

He chuckles, dipping his head and lightly shaking it. "No not really."

"So what's your real question?"

Bashful, he meets her eyes again. "Can I have a hello?"

Y/n laughs, butterflies fluttering in her chest as she rises on her tiptoes to kiss him. He gently grips her waist, pulling her just the slightest bit closer and humming in content. She throws her arms around his neck, fingertips shifting into the hair at the base of his neck, once again too caught up in her boyfriend to notice Nat and Sam have just spotted them from the end of the corridor.

~

"You'll never believe what we just saw!" Sam shouts, hightailing it into the kitchen with Natasha hot on his heels. Bruce and Tony both startle in their seats at the table, water sloshing over the edge of Bruce's mug.

"Nuh-uh, we're first." Tony says, shaking his head.

"No we are." Sam insists, Tony opening his mouth to continue the argument but Natasha cuts him off.

"Rogers and y/n are together."

And that makes Tony and Bruce pause. Sam whoops proudly, smirking at the two as they share looks of confusion.

"Steve and y/n?" Bruce confirms, eyebrows pinching together when Nat nods firmly.

Tony sighs. "Well that puts us in a bit of pickle because we saw Barnes with his tongue down her throat."

Sam's jaw drops. "What? When?"

"Earlier today!" Bruce exclaims, motioning towards the HR department. "She was dropping off paperwork and he just grabbed her and kissed her."

"Well we just watched Steve pin her against a door and kiss her not even ten minutes ago." Nat exclaims, anger building up in her veins. "Which means we've got a problem."

Sam turns to her, just as angry. "Damn right we do!"

~

Bottom lip between her teeth, y/n attempts to hide the giddy smile that's been plastered on her face since her reunion with her boys. It's a weak attempt because she's practically as bright as a ray of sunshine but she doesn't really care. She's happy. She's so incredibly happy and she wants it to last forever.

Unfortunately for her, the feeling is cut short far too soon because as soon as she enters the kitchen, 4 pairs of eyes are glaring at her.

"Hey everyone," she says tentatively, slowing to a stop. "what's going on?"

Sam scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why don't you tell us what's going on?" He says coldly, "You know besides you macking on our friends."

Macking on his friends? Oh god, Steve and Bucky! They found out about their relationship...

Her jaw drops, cut-off guard. "Wait! I can explain-"

"Cheaters don't get an explanation." Nat cuts off, eyes mean and piercing. Y/n heart sinks into her stomach. Cheating? She'd never cheat in her life, especially not on Bucky and Steve.

"Cheating? I'm not-"

Tony rises from his seat. "Save it y/n. We know you're cheating on Bucky and Steve with each other. How could you do that? They're like brothers and your just using them-"

"No I'm not!" She insists, panicking under the hateful gazes. "You guys don't understand. Just let me-"

"No!" Sam cuts off. "Bucky and Steve have both gone through so much. Do you realize how difficult it must have been for them to open up to you? And you thew it all away. You hurt them. You're a bitch y/n, full honestly."

Tears sting her eyes. Sam's never said anything like that to her let alone anyone they know. He's always been so kind and welcoming so to hear such hurtful words from him has her stunned. She can't even think of anything to say to defend herself.

"Y-you really think that lowly of me?" She sniffles, "That I would do something like that?"

"We saw it, y/n." Banner responds, nose scrunched in disgust. "Now get outta here before we throw you out."

Insulted and insecure, she shakes her head. "I can't believe you all." Then she turns on her heel, running to the safety of her room.

~

Bucky's spotting Steve on the bench press when the foursome of Avengers walk in, somber looks on their faces.

"Steve," Bucky says, gaining his attention. Immediately the super soldier is setting down his weights, sitting up to look at their friends.

"What's going on? Is someone hurt?" Steve asks, rising to his feet. Sam shakes his head, smiling sympathetically.

"No one's hurt," he assures "but we've got something to tell you."

Bucky swallows nervously, something in him going on high alert. He knows that this is about y/n, that something's happened and it makes him anxious. Where is she?

"What?" Bucky asks, noticing the lingering anger in Nat's eyes.

"It's y/n," she says "she-"

"She what?" Bucky interrupts quickly, readying himself to sprint upstairs.

"She's cheating," Tony says, eyes flickering between the two men. "On you two. With each other."

Oh, Bucky wasn't expecting that. He turns to Steve, the two sharing a silent conversation between themselves. They know? Looks like it pal. How'd that happen? I told you to be careful...

"Don't worry, we already gave her a piece of our minds-"

"You what?!" Steve suddenly asks, finally realizing what they're saying. They think y/n cheated on them because they don't know they're all three dating each other. And they confronted her about it.

"What did you say?" Bucky asks lowly.

"The truth," Sam says proudly. "that she's a bitch for using you both."

Before anyone can react Bucky is rushing towards the doors, abandoning his belongings in favor of checking on y/n. Steve doesn't mind, knowing that when it comes to being emotional and open, Bucky is typically the one she leans on. He's good at being a comforting shoulder.

"Oh god Sam," Steve sighs. "Y/n isn't cheating-"

"Yeah-"

"No she's not!" He shouts, startling them. "She's not. For the past few months we've been dating. The three of us."

The silence is almost amusing if Steve wasn't too busy thinking of his girl upstairs, upset.

"Like a throuple?" Bruce asks, confused.

Steve nods shortly. "Thanks for accusing her instead of talking it out. Appreciate it." He says icily, pushing around them. Stalking towards the exit, he calls over his shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a girl to go check on."

~

Bucky has wrapped her up like a burrito in the comforter from his bed on the floor of her room, leaning back against the side of the matress with her sat between his parted thighs. Her eyes are still wet and swollen but she's giggling through her sniffles, a spoon hanging out of her mouth and a bowl of soup in her lap. They both look up when he enters the room, Y/n smiling shyly and Bucky relieved.

"We ok sweetheart?" He asks, waiting for her nod before looking to Bucky.

"We're good Steve," he promises, sweeping her hair over her shoulder with his hand and brushing his fingers through it. "She was just frustrated. Didn't know they could think she'd do something like that."

"That's because she wouldn't," Steve says firmly, sitting on the floor next to them. "and we know that y/n. We know you'd never hurt us like that."

"I love you Steve," she swears, resting her head on his shoulder. "And I love you Buck. Thanks for doing this for me."

"Course doll," Bucky says, kissing the side of her head. "Don't have to thank us for loving you." Steve hums his agreement.

"But..."Bucky quickly adds, "you can thank me after I beat Sam's ass for calling you that."

Steve sighs, rolling his eyes. "Buck..." He says warningly but he doesn't even finish the scolding thought because their boyfriend's threat has made y/n smile and that's all they could ever ask for.

#stucky x reader #stucky blurb #Steve Rogers x reader x Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes blurb #steve rogers blurb

[boldlyvoid]

Cowboy Like Me | It could be love

Summary: Aaron Hotchner ends up in Georgia when he goes into witness protection with his son. Staying in the guest house behind a bed and breakfast in a town no one has ever heard of, run by the most beautiful woman he's ever seen.

Warnings for this chapter: Jack POV then Haley's ghost POV, short interlude chapter before the Climax of the story happens <3

word count: 1.6k

Masterlist

Once Scott gave Jeremy that talking to, he’s been a lot nicer to Jack at school. Or Mack, as everyone called him.

His full name is Mackenzie Colt on the attendance sheet, Miss Bowery called out his fake name, marking him as present before calling out the rest of the 13 names on the list. It was such a small schoolhouse, their grade had the most students, it was boring as all hell but he preferred it over the stuffed feeling of 30 kids in a DC classroom fighting for the attention of one teacher.

Next year he’d get to start high school, going 2 towns over to a school with over 700 kids and maybe, just maybe, he’d find some real friends for a change.

Jeremy was a nice person when he dropped the asshole, cool guy act. He took Jack into his group, the teasing stopped, and Jeremy started telling people that they were cousins technically and that made him cooler somehow. It was so insane to him that this was his life now, he went from having a best friend and cousin in Henry to having a somewhat cousin trying to be his possible friend in Jeremy.

Here, the boys only wanted to talk about their farms, the things they were hunting on the weekends and the upcoming lumberjack games. Jack missed going to the comic book store at 9 in the morning on a Saturday to get the first copy of a new comic with Henry. He missed walking down the busy street at 6pm with Jess to go get a tub of ice cream to eat while his dad was away on a case. He missed the mundane nothingness of his old life, where he wasn’t scared some creep was going to kidnap him and he could do things he actually liked.

He knew this feeling wouldn’t last forever, growing up unsure of what every day would look like prepared him for this. He grew up a lot faster than the rest of his classmates, losing his mom in such a horrible way and then being forced back on the run at 12, trying to keep himself safe and happy completely alone it seemed for all those years before he met Y/N.

She’s the first person who’s felt like a mom to him since his actual mother died. Jess tried, but she was always going to be the cool aunt. Penelope was too smothering, Emily hated kids no matter how much she tried to pretend she was interested in him, and JJ had her own kids, Jack just felt like an obligation to her. It was hard to find support in them, they loved him like a family he was born into… cause they had to. That’s how families worked, he thought.

And then he met Y/N, she didn’t have to take him in. She could’ve just let them live in the back house and go about her own life without a care in the world, but instead, she made Jack and Aaron a part of her family and she’ll never know how much that means to him.

For years he wished he had a real mom again, someone to tuck him in and kiss his forehead after reading a book to him. Someone to wake him up gently the next morning and carry him downstairs for breakfast, helping him get ready for the day and then spending it together. He missed the ability to be taken care of by someone who didn’t see it as a chore or an obligation... like a best friend was raising him. He missed his mommy more than he could ever explain.

He got off the bus that day to find Y/N standing at the end of the driveway, arms wide and waiting for a hug as he ran off. He took his headphones off, running into his arms, she holds him so tight. "hi mama," he mumbles into her shirt.

“Missed you,” she whispers as she kisses the top of his head. “How was school today?”

He shrugs as he pulls back, “same as usual.”

“How’s Miss Bowery?” She asks, knowing her from when they were kids as well.

“She’s good, we did well on our math test this week so she let us watch a movie during the last hour,” he manages to smile.

“What did you watch?” She inquires, always wanting to know about his day during their walk back to the house.

“We started Osmosis Jones,” he has a press-lipped smile, “it was kinda gross in the beginning but the cartoon part is really good.”

“I think I saw it, it came out before you were even born,” she tries to think back to it. It was one of the only movies playing at the Ivy Ridge theatre a few towns over when she was in her 20’s.

“What are we having for dinner tonight?” He changes the topic abruptly, rubbing his tummy as he looks up at her.

“I’m not sure,” she shrugs. “We’ve been so busy with the farmers market prep… but I can make you anything on the menu for dinner tonight, bud.”

“Would I be able to have a snack now?” He asks nicely.

“Sure can,” she pats his back.

It was as simple as that really, she was his mom and he was happier with her in his life, but that didn’t mean he didn’t miss Haley. Ever since he got that candle from Y/N, he’s been feeling closer than ever to accepting the fact his mom passed on, but she’ll forever be his guardian angel. Sometimes he felt like she was with them, in a way he could never explain, but he felt it in his heart.

—

And Haley was actually there, sat collecting dust with the other ghosts that inhabited Evermory.

She always wondered what the afterlife was like if she would be a ghost or an angel or something in between. When she died, when she felt the last breath leave her lungs, her only thought was ‘I need to protect my baby.’ So thats where her soul stayed connected, something she only learned when she got here.

Este died a few years after Haley, but even with less time under her belt, she understood more about being dead than anyone else she’s crossed paths with.

The day jack and Aaron moved to Evermory, Haley showed up on the farm, wandering around aimlessly in the dark for some answers. There was a little boy and his father out resting by the tree. A woman sweeping in the kitchen, singing to herself, and a lone woman in the cafe, in the chair by the window, wishing she could leave.

Haley took a seat beside her, “excuse me…”

“Hello,” she smiles, “you look like a friend I once had…”

“My name's Haley… my ex-husband and my son are living here, I guess I came with them?” She didn’t understand how it all worked.

“I’m Este, I’ve been here for a while… I was murdered—

“Me too,” Haley interjects. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she reaches out her hand, holding Haley’s, her eyes go wide.

“I can feel you…”

Este smiles at her, “Yeah, cause we’re both dead, we’re made of the same matter. I just don’t understand how you’re here if you never died here?”

She shrugs, “I go where Jack and Aaron go.”

“Who?”

“Daren and Mack, they’re in witness protection,” she explains, knowing that the secret couldn’t reach the land of the living even if they spoke them there.

“Oh,” she starts to think back. “That makes a lot of sense, Ed’s always housing people for a year or so at a time and then we never see them again.”

She sits back with a sigh, “Aaron works with the FBI, when I died some idiot felt threatened by him and Aaron didn’t take the deal he offered, and so he threatened to kill our family…”

“I confronted my husband Robert about cheating on me with someone he worked with, and he killed me,” she gets it. “how’d you go out?”

“Shot and stabbed,” she says it like it’s nothing, trading stories about scars that never got to heal.

“Strangled,” Este shrugs. “well… it’s nice to have you here for the time being. I’m the only one that stays right here, I can’t leave.”

“Have you tried?”

She nods, “I made a promise, my soul is stuck here.”

That promise was to watch over Jack. Which she’s been doing extra hard lately. Ensuring his safety on the farm, making sure the kids at school learn Karma is a bitch for messing with her son and always keeping an extra eye out for the creep who wants to kill him this time.

It was annoying knowing that Aaron was always in danger. Incredibly angered by the fact that even after she died because of him, he still went back to work, he still made dumb decisions and their son was still at risk because of him. Sure, she fell out of love with him a long time ago, and there was something about ghosts getting angrier the longer they stayed between worlds, but she was the most pissed that she was never enough for him.

Y/N was.

Within 2 months of knowing her, Aaron was ready to quit his job and retire on the farm for the rest of time, and Haley was just supposed to sit back and watch it happen. It was heartbreaking, it didn’t matter that he was her ex-husband, what matters is that she was never enough.

She did everything right, and still, he couldn’t stop until he met her… the same woman who’s taken in her son, the one who passed on real hugs and gentile reminders that he’s loved while Haley can't do that. She’s changed both Aaron and Jack’s lives and while she’s mad it wasn’t her to do it, she’s happy they’re being taken care of.

At the end of the day, her boys are happy and healthy and thats all she could ever ask for.

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@hotched @mrs-dr-reid @wander-lustbabe @m-mhotchner

#criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine #aaron hotch hotchner #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotch fanfiction #aaron hotchner #aaron hotch imagine #aaron hotch fluff #aaron hotch fic

[ilyjohnb]

a/n: sorry this took so long! i think i actually like this one! in case anyone is interested, im posting this on my wattpad now! link on pinned post. **gif credit to @lydiaas**

requester: anon “ “Wiggle your fingers. I need to make sure it’s not broken.” maybe this with john b… but it does turn out to be broken and he needs surgery?”

summary: when Rafe Cameron is bothering you, John B doesn’t hesitate to hurt himself to help you

warnings: fighting and a broken arm, both of which are not graphically detailed

word count: 1138

You loved being a Pogue, except when one specific boy Kook ruined everything. Your parents were Kooks, and everyone expected you, Y/n Y/l/n to be one too. Life simply didn't work that way. You loved hanging with your 3 best friends and your boyfriend. But those 3 dumb kooks always tried to remind you of what you were supposed to be.

This particular instance happened at the annual Bonfire. JJ, Kiara, and Pope all had something better to do, which you didn’t blame them. The bonfire was like any other party that happened all year. John B was right by your side, kissing you and returning the glare Rafe Cameron was sending his way. Everything was going fine, until of course John B had to leave and do something. Rafe made his way over. You backed up as far as you could, but they eventually caught up.

“Hello, Y/n.”

You backed up to the point where you were out of sight from everyone at the bonfire. Which meant that nobody could see Rafe, which means they also couldn't see that you needed help.

“Where's your goons this time?”

“Don’t need them. Not when I have you, the Kook Princess.”

“I’m not a Kook.”

He stepped closer, too close. “I think that the weak-ass excuse of a boyfriend manipulated you into thinking that. You're a Kook. Same as me, same as Sarah, and same as everyone who lives on Figure 8, which you legally do. I think.” He gently smiled over in your direction, lcking his lips. “you need someone to help you remember that.”

“Oh is that right Rafe?” John B asked.

Rafe charged at him, knocking him over. John B got the first punch in by the time you made it over there to help him. Rafe managed to stand up, but you kicked Rafe in the back of his knees making him collapse.

“I think it’s best if you leave now, Rafe.” You seethed.

“You know I'm right, Y/n. Just think about it!” He shouted as he ran over to his car to leave.

You scoffed before running over to John B.

“John B I'm so sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault that some dumbass Kook felt the need to try and mack on you.”

You pouted. “Well, I’m still sorry.”

You leaned in and hugged him, so he leaned down for a kiss, but you felt his hand being held at an awkward angle.

“John B? Stick up your hands.” You saw him, his hand was stiff and his fingers were bent. “Did you mess up something in your hand?”

“Uh, probably.”

“Wiggle your fingers. I need to make sure it’s not broken.”

“Fuck, ow.” He tried, but ultimately couldn’t.

“We need to get you to a hospital bubs.”

“Why?”

“Since you can’t wiggle your fingers, it’s probably a break.”

You took him home first, grabbing him a shirt and an ice pack. You walked back to the car and helped him slip the shirt on, opening the door of the van for him so he could get back in.

“I’m supposed to be opening the door for you.” He pouted.

“You broke your hand for me, I think that’s enough chivalry for the night.”

After waiting for an hour, he was taken back and they x-rayed his hand while I sat and waited in the room. Eventually, he came back.

“How’d it go?”

“Great I think I aced it.”

“That’s not how it works, you know what? Good job babe.”

Right after, a man came in.

“Mr. Routledge?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Hi I’m Doctor Jones,” He reached over and shook both of our hands.

“So it is indeed a break.”

“Nothing that a cast can’t fix, right doc?” John B tried to laugh but stopped when he saw the doctor didn’t look like he agreed with his statement.

“In most cases, yes. The problem with your arm,” He pulled up the X-ray and showed it to us. “Is that you’ve broken both of the bones. We'll put you in a splint for now, but you’ll need to come back in after your swelling goes down. Just fill in this paperwork and confirm that someone will pick you up, and we’ll get that scheduled for you.”

You helped him with the boring paperwork. He got his splint put on and then he was all set for the next three days when his surgery was.

“I don’t want surgery, y/n! I’m fine.” He grumbled.

“No, you’re not bubs. It’ll be okay. I’m dropping you off and then picking you up too.”

You sat in the waiting room for the last half-hour of the surgery. You had spent the time cleaning up a little so it wouldn’t be hard for John B to get around after he got home.

“Ms. Y/l/n?”

You looked up at the same doctor who went over the x-rays with you.

“Yes, I’m here for John Routledge. He had wrist surgery this morning.”

“Ah yes. The surgery went well and with no complications. If he leaves the splint on, and eventually the cast, and comes to his physical therapy after he’s done healing he should get full use of his arm again.”

“Thank you, Doctor. Am I allowed to see him?”

“Yes, he’s in room 210. It’s down the hall here on the left.” He pointed.

You nodded and took off to see John B. You honestly didn’t know what you were expecting. This was a little different than wisdom teeth removal surgery. You had absolutely no clue how he would be.

Post-surgery John B was tired. He was in the splint again as they waited for the swelling to recede after the surgery.

“Hi, Y/n.” He smiled up at you.

“How are you feeling, bubs?”

“Now that you’re here I feel perfect. Wanna know why?”

“Why?” You smiled, amused.

“Because you’re perfect. Excuse me, ma’am.”

The nurse who was writing something on his chart looked up at him, no sign of being annoyed was present on her face.

“My girlfriend is perfect, isn’t she?”

“John B!” You gently scolded. “You’re gonna embarrass me.”

“But you are and everyone needs to know that you are.” He pouted.

“Wait, shit. Don’t cry bubs. I’m sorry. Wanna go home and have ice cream?”

He nodded and you gently wiped away his tears with your thumbs. You quickly signed the discharge paperwork and then you were all set. You held the hand of his good arm as he was wheeled out of the hospital. You gently put him in the front seat and smiled over at him when you were both buckled in and ready to go.

John B was a keeper, and you were so glad to have someone like him in your life.

#john b routledge #outer banks #john b imagine #john b x reader #john b x fem!reader #john b one shot #outer banks imagine #obx imagine #my writing

[mviswidow]

you have terrible luck

Jane Banner x Reader

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: language, someone was murdered and all that so blood, death, etc., anxiety

Prompt: heyyy! just wanted to say that i lOve the thérèse fic you did, absolute *chef’s kiss* 🤌🏼 i was wondering if you could do a jane banner one?where y/n assists on an investigation but jane and y/n have this rivalry but also sexual tension and like the reader asks jane out a few times, and in the end jane accepts. sUm like that ya know, if you don’t mind. wind river is one of my fav films and jane is just bae

A/N: ur so sweet omg, i’m glad you liked the thérèse fic, i honestly thought no one would end up seeing it bc there’s so little thérèse content on tumblr. i hope you like this one and tyg for sending me requests for other lizzie characters :)) i love writing for them <3 i got SUPER carried away w this one.. oops? i had half the mind to make this angsty at the end but i decided against it.

“Janieee,” You called, seeing the blonde not too far away.

She turned around and rolled her eyes with a smile, “I told you not to call me that.”

You shrugged and gave her a hug to greet her, “I can’t always listen to everything you say.”

Jane chuckled at that and crossed her arms, “Didn’t think it could take you any longer to get here.”

“Well I wasn’t exactly in the state, so,” You said, squeezing your hands together as the wind picked up and you got cold, “Wasn’t the last investigation you were on in the cold, too?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” She sighed, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jacket before looking at you for a couple of seconds, “I don’t know why they keep putting us together.”

“Oh hush, you love when we get assigned to the same investigation,” You smirked, watching her huff and start leading the way to the body. 

A few hours later, the two of you made it to lunch in a quiet diner, “Where are we staying this time?” You asked as you shrugged your coat off and put it on the back of her chair.

“We?” she said with a raised brow.

You rolled your eyes, “You know we always get put in the same hotel room for these kinds of investigations. What would you have me do, sleep outside your door?”

“Would be nice,” she said sarcastically and sat down across from you, taking off the beanie she’d been wearing and smoothing her hair back.

You hummed, “Right, I forget you aren’t used to having attractive women in your bed.”

“For christ’s sake,” Jane groaned. “Can we work together once without you doing that?”

“When you finally go out with me, sure,” You smiled.

“We’re staying at a motel nearby,” she mumbled, looking down at her menu. “Now will you stop bothering me and figure out what you’re going to eat? We don’t have all day.”

——

“Has anybody been able to identify the body yet?” Jane asked you as she walked up after she got finished with a coffee run.

“Yes, uh- Mack Byrd, he was like 24, lived with a roommate, Bradley Collins. They have a cute dog, too.”

“You got all that while I was getting coffee?” She asked with a raised brow.

“Yep, You said, popping your ‘p’ and taking the coffee she was handing you. “I got their address too, one of the officers is friends with Bradley.” 

“Good,” She gave a small nod and your heart fluttered at the praise she so rarely gave. “You haven’t spoken to the roommate, though?”

“I’m not that good, Janie,” You teased, and she rolled her eyes at the name, humming in acknowledgment before walking away.

You stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds and before you were about to start wandering, but she turned around and called out to you, “What are you doing? Let’s go.”

By the time you caught up to her, she was already in the car, “You always get to drive.” You whined as you got in and closed the door.

Jane sighed and looked at you with her eyebrow quirked, “Are you serious?”

“..Yes?”

She turned the engine on and started backing out of her parking spot, “If you aren’t annoying you can drive us to the motel.”

“Since when do we negotiate for who drives?” You scoffed getting your phone out of your pocket to connect it to the aux cord to put on music and the directions to the house. You were glad that the one thing you and Jane didn’t argue about was the music you listened to.

“Since I figured out I’d benefit from it.”

You huffed, crossing your arms and taking your coat off before putting your seatbelt on.

Some minutes later of silence between the two of you, you spoke up, “Why are you always like this?”

“God,” she muttered. “Why am I like what, Y/n?” Jane asked, sounding irritated.

You frowned and turned up the music as you leaned against the window, away from her, but she turned it back down, “like what?” she repeated.

“Do you seriously not like me or are you just mean to everyone? I thought it was cute at first but now it’s like all you do is tell me to fuck off or that I’m annoying you.”

“Oh,” she sighed again. “Well, I’m not mean to everyone, I-”

Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by her phone going off, and you looked over to see your boss’ name on the screen.

She picked it up and spent the rest of the short car ride talking to him, and when you got to the house you opened the car door and got out quickly, not bothering to put on your coat until you were outside and the door was shut.

The rest of the day was really awkward. Usually, you bantered with her and it would make her laugh until she got bored of it, but you didn’t feel like talking to her so you tried your best to just talk to Bradley and ignore the way Jane’s eyes burned holes into your head.

When you’d gotten some information and it was time to leave, you said goodbye, offered your condolences, and went outside, leaving her to be walked out by the man. You made it to the car and stood by the passenger side, not wanting to have whatever stupid and awkward conversation she would try to have.

She seemed to get it because she just went around the car and unlocked it as she got to her side. You sat facing away from her the whole time. Was it childish? Yeah, maybe.

——

Jane let you shower first, and once she got in the bathroom for her turn, you made yourself tea in the little kitchen before leaving the room with a blanket around your shoulders to sit outside the doorstep in front of the balcony railing and watch cars pass every once in a while.

You enjoyed the sound of the cars passing and the wind blowing gently as you tried to ignore the uneasy feeling in your stomach. You didn’t want to fight with Jane. You teased each other a lot but it never got this serious.

Though you didn’t like to let yourself think about it very often, you liked Jane a lot. You had since the day you met her. There was a whole lot of sexual tension between the two of you, she knew it and so did you. The bickering was hot, the way she occasionally stared at you was hot, hell even the way she dismissed you after you said something stupid was hot. She didn’t seem like the type to date a coworker, though Maybe sleep with one, but your feelings would get complicated and then it would make things weird between the two of you.

Your sulking was interrupted when the door behind you was opened. You looked over your shoulder to see Jane in sweats letting out a breath of relief. You sighed and turned back to look at the street again while Jane hesitantly sat beside you.

Upon glancing at her, you realized you’d never really seen her looking this nervous before. You felt her looking at you for a few seconds before she cleared her throat and you looked over at her.

“I’m really sorry.”

“Okay,” You nodded hesitantly, waiting for her to say something else.

“I don’t dislike you, at all- it’s really the opposite. I think you’re really sweet and funny and you’re great company. I don’t think you’re annoying either-”

Your brow furrowed, “So now you can say you don’t think I’m annoying after you’ve hurt my feelings, but you complain about me all the time, so that means basically nothing.”

She nodded, “I know, and really, I am sorry. I have a habit of getting weird and kind of defensive around the people who I- well, like... I’m not good at showing people that I like them- their company. I’m trying to work on it. I don’t mean to be difficult and I don’t want this to fuck things us between because as much as we bicker and tease each other, I do like to think that we’re kind of friends.”

You hummed in acknowledgement, playing with your blanket for a few seconds, “You’re not as much of a bitch as I thought.”

Jane hit your arm playfully as you giggled, “Dick.”

“Hey, I thought the apology meant you were going to be nice to me from now on.”

“Nicer,” She chuckled. 

You turned towards her a bit, and pulled your legs up to your chest to rest your head on your knees, “But thank you for apologizing. I appreciate it.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Jane frowned a bit as she turned towards you a little, matching the way you were sitting.

“I know,” you nodded. “But since it seems to be vulnerability night.. does it bother you that I ask you out all the time? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

“No,” She blushed as she shook her head. “It’s cute.”

“So you will go out with me then?”

“We’ll just have to see,” Jane hummed, making you laugh. “But you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Not really. You’re pretty good company too,” You smiled, watching the way her hands were wrapped around herself, rubbing her arms. “Are you cold yet?”

“A little,” her nose scrunched and she let go of herself, flexing her fingers.

You sighed softly and got off the ground, “Let’s go inside.”

The rest of your night was spent well. You and Jane talked more than usual, and the conversations were more normal, with less teasing between the two of you. You shared a bed, which wasn’t new. 

You said goodnight to each other, you turned towards the edge of the bed, and after a short minute, you felt Jane moving around. She stopped when she was right behind you. Her forearm was against your back and you could feel her hair against your neck. 

Your demeanor towards each other over the next few days was calmer than usual. The teasing continued, of course, but it was more flirty and playful. You continued investigating after the medical examiner marked the case as a murder.

The nights were more than nice. Once you guys entered the motel every night, things felt very domestic. You’d fallen into a little routine to get ready for bed, one night you watched the Great British Baking Show together because apparently she loved it. 

After the first night, Jane started sleeping closer to you, and you stopped turning towards the edge of the bed. She seemed to seek out your touch.

On what neither of you knew would be your last night in the motel, you asked her about it.

“Are you okay?” You said quietly after she’d reached out for your arm.

“Is this not.. if you aren’t okay with it I can stop-”

“No, no- it’s nice. I’m just asking.”

You couldn’t see her since it was dark, but you heard her sigh and you felt her hand squeeze around your arm the tiniest bit, “I just get really anxious during the day because of like- I don’t know. Just- the last investigation I was on was kind of scary. I know this is our job but it doesn’t make it any better. Being around you helps, I think.”

“C’mere,” You sighed softly, turning to face her and holding your arms out.

“Are you sure?” She asked hesitantly.

“Mhm, get over here.”

Jane shuffled forwards and let out a breath when you pulled her closer and she tucked her head underneath your chin. She wrapped her arm around your waist, holding tightly, and you draped your arm over her to rub her back until she fell asleep.

——

“You have shit luck, Jane,” You huffed, because this was Jane’s second investigation in a row that has involved a shoot-out.

“Shut up, Y/n,” She hissed, breathing heavily as she pressed her back against the wall, getting ready to turn the corridor when she heard voices coming from far away.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” You said, breathlessly before putting your hand on your arm. “Stay here, I’ll go.”

She looked conflicted, and her eyes flicked between yours before she grabbed you by the back of your neck and pulled you forward, kissing you eagerly for a few seconds.

When she pulled away you gave her a cheeky smile before turning the corner.

——

“Will you go on a date with me now?” You asked after Jane ended the call with your boss.

She bit her lip and smiled before nodding, “Yeah, yes. I really want to go on a date with you.”

#jane banner #jane banner x reader #jane banner oneshot #jane banner x female reader #wind river #elizabeth olsen #lizzie olsen #wlw #wlw oneshots #sapphics #sapphic oneshots #wanda maximoff

[cakesunflower]

Outer Banks Series Rewrite/JJ Maybank Fic Series [5. Midsummers]

Disclaimer: None of the characters (except for Stella) or their dialogues (for the most part) are my own, and belong to the writers & creators of Outer Banks!

Previous Parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Read on AO3!

Here’s episode 5 “Midsummers”!

“Dude—Mom catches you out here, and you’re dead.” Stella peeked one eye open, catching sight of her sister standing over her, arms crossed over her chest and eyebrows raised. “You’re literally out in the open.”

Kie’s concern came from the pen Stella was currently twirling between her fingers as she lay on the ground in their backyard. Stella didn’t say anything, instead took another pull from the pen, letting the familiar smoke invade her lungs before blowing it out slowly. The act did its job in calming her down, and Kiara let out a sigh before shifting to sit down next to Stella, before going down on her back, too.

Stella could feel her sister’s gaze on her as Kie turned her head to look at her, but Stella kept her gaze up at the sky. It was sort of cloudy, but there wasn’t a threat for rain. If there had been, the celebration later tonight would’ve been rescheduled ages ago.

“Look, I know you’re worried about JJ—” Kie began, but Stella cut her off.

“He willingly let himself get arrested for something he didn’t do, and he has a drug-addict, abusive dad to go back home to. We haven’t heard from him yet.” Stella looked at Kie, then, jaw hard. “Of course I’m worried.”

Kie’s gaze was soft with sympathy, but Stella could see her own concern swimming, too. After all, Kie cared about JJ as well. Maybe not in the way Stella did, but just as good. “He’ll turn up,” Kie assured. “He always does.”

Despite Kie’s efforts, Stella wasn’t all that comforted. And maybe Kie saw the deep worry that had etched itself into Stella’s features, because Kie’s face softened even more, looking at her sister gently as she asked, “What’s going on?”

Stella’s throat worked as her heart drummed in her chest, forcing herself into a sitting position while Kie kept on her back, looking up at her. For a moment, Stella hesitantly chewed on her lower lip, wondering if now was the right time to indulge, but it was Kie. It was her sister, and if Stella couldn’t tell her, she couldn’t tell anyone.

“JJ and I kissed.” There. She said it. Now it was out in the open.

Kie blinked once before her eyes widened almost comically, shooting up in a sitting position opposite of Stella as she demanded, “What? When?”

“Yesterday,” Stella admitted, stomach flipping as memories of her and JJ’s actions played through her mind like her favorite movie. She couldn’t stop the small smile from playing on her lips. “We were at John B’s, before coming to the summer series.” She fiddled with the pen between her fingers. “It just—it kind of just happened.”

Kie scoffed with a shake of her head. “It didn’t kind of just happen,” she mocked. “This has been waiting to happen for so Goddamn long.” Stella tried not to laugh at the happiness shining in Kie’s eyes, which did a lot to relax Stella. She’d been worried Kie would ram on her for breaking one of their friend group rules, but Kie seemed anything but disappointed. Her eyes widened then, shoulders lifting. “Oh, shit, John B and Pope owe me twenty bucks!”

Stella blinked. “I’m sorry—what?”

Kie snickered, looking all too delighted. “We kind of had a bet going on over how long it’d take for you and JJ to get together.” Stella’s eyes widened, jaw dropping in disbelief. “I bet it’d happen before Midsummers and would you look at that! You just made me forty bucks richer, sis.”

“Wha—” Stella cut herself off with a scoff, ripping up some grass before tossing it at Kie. She shrieked through a laugh, jerking back before brushing away the pieces of grass. “Are you kidding me?! You guys bet on us?”

“Of course we did,” Kie responded with a smirk, not at all looking apologetic. At Stella’s gaping expression, she rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, Stel. You two have been dancing around each other for so fucking long. We were getting tired of waiting, so we thought we’d have some fun with it,” she finished with a shrug.

Stella couldn’t believe what she was hearing, cheeks heating up at the information. She wasn’t mad or upset that her sister and friends bet on when she and JJ would get together—she was just surprised, and a little bit amused. She wondered how long the bet had been going on for. But instead of asking that, she instead inquired, “So I’m guessing JJ and I are in the clear for breaking the no Pogue-on-Pogue macking rule?”

Kie waved her off, smile still in place. “You two are the exception to the rule,” she said confidently before crossing her legs and shooting Stella an expectant look. “So? Tell me how it was.” She quickly held a hand up. “But not too many details because it’s JJ and he’s like my brother and, ew, gross. But I still wanna know! How’d it happen?”

At that, the heat in Stella’s cheeks intensified into a fire as she recalled every single detail from yesterday—as if she could ever forget. “I was, uh, persuading him to come to the summer series with us.”

Kie’s eyebrows shot up. “Persuading, huh?” she repeated with an impish grin, prompting Stella to let out a giggle. “Well, looks like it worked. Not that I’m surprised. That boy is stupid for you.”

Stella pressed her lips together to keep her giddy smile from widening. “Stop.”

Kie snickered. “Man, you two are gonna be unbearable now, aren’t you? All over each other all of the time.”

“Dude, I don’t even know what we’re doing,” Stella instantly responded with a shake of her head. “All we did was kiss. We’re not suddenly together, Kie.”

She didn’t look convinced. “Only a matter of time.”

Stella’s heart fluttered in her chest. Of course she wanted to be with JJ—it was all she could think about for so long. After that kiss, it was closer to being a reality than she could ever imagine, but they needed to talk about it, first. “Maybe. But first he needs to let us know he’s okay and that his dad didn’t fucking kill him.”

Her words were tight in her throat as she said them, sending a new jolt of worry through her. JJ never really talked about it, but she knew the kind of man his dad was, knew what he was capable of. JJ getting arrested wasn’t going to go over well; it wouldn’t with any parent, but God only knew how Luke Maybank would react to it. So, yeah, Stella was sick with worry over JJ, and she just fucking wished he’d call or text her back.

Kie sighed. “Listen, maybe—”

Whatever Kie was about to say was interrupted by their mother’s voice shouting at them from the back porch. “Girls! Get in here! You need to start getting ready.” Simultaneously, both Stella and Kie threw their heads back and groaned, loudly—loud enough for Mrs. Carrera to hear them. “I don’t wanna hear it! Get your butts in here now!”

They stood up, and as Stella shoved her pen in the pocket of her shorts, Kie grumbled, “I hate everything.”

While every other soul on Figure Eight either was overjoyed to be attending Midsummers or envious that they couldn’t, Stella and Kiara were probably the only ones who hated the party. For Kie, it was more of a socialist thing that Stella respected her for, but she also knew that her sister’s disgust with Midsummers, ultimately, existed for the same reason as Stella’s: they hated the people they were surrounded by.

All of the Kooks would be gathered tonight for the party—this year a celebration for Ward Cameron, A.K.A the father of Sarah Cameron, Kie’s worst enemy. Stella didn’t care what the party was for—she despised it. The most Stella liked to dress up was in clothes of her choice, and sure that could sometimes include make-up and dresses, but not full on evening gowns with flowers in her hair. It often felt like she was getting dressed up as a lamb for a slaughter, being pushed into a crowd of Kooks who thought they were better than everyone else because of their overflowing pockets. The adults were bad enough—Stella did not want to even see the people her age.

Namely Rafe, Topper, Kelce, and anyone who was associated with them. Especially after what they did to JJ and Pope yesterday. Dicks.

But Midsummers, much to both Stella and Kie’s chagrin, was important to their parents, especially their mother. So as soon as the two girls returned inside the house, Mrs. Carrera was ushering them towards the bathrooms, like they were toddlers who needed supervised bath times.

“Hold on a second—” Mr. Carrera paused, and Stella and Kie exchanged looks when their mom sniffed the air around them. Her eyes then zeroed in on Stella, hands on her hips and eyes blazing as she demanded, “Did you just smoke, Stella?”

Knowing there was no point in lying, Stella huffed. “I needed something to take the edge off if I have to go to this stupid party.”

This wasn’t the first time their mom caught them smoking or smelling of weed, but it pissed her off just the same. While Kie tried to stifle a smile, Mrs. Carrera glared daggers at her Stella. “You’re not getting out of this, Stella. You better drown yourself in body wash and perfume when you get ready.”

Stella rolled her eyes behind her mom’s back, but listened all the same, albeit reluctantly. Kie was the first to hop into the shower in their shared bathroom, so Stella took the time to lay in her bed and unlock her phone, hoping to see a text or missed call from JJ. Her heart jumped when she saw just one text from him, chest tight as she read it quickly.

JJ: Don’t worry about me. I’m good. I’ll see u later.

That was it. Just ten words of reassurance and then nothing. Part of Stella was relieved to have received anything from him at all, but another part still felt worried and a little annoyed. She—all of them—had been worried sick over him after yesterday, and this was all he could say? Stella figured she shouldn’t be too surprised. It was typical JJ behavior. He got in a bind and somehow got himself out of it, and never really let his friends in on if anything was wrong. But the tough guy persona could only get him so far.

Chewing on her lower lip, Stella drafted a text, but not to JJ. Instead, she sent a message to John B.

Stella: You heard from JJ? Do you think he’s okay?

John B responded within moments.

John B: Yeah, it’s all good. I’m with him right now. We’ll see you guys tonight, alright? Keep an eye out.

Stella blinked at the cryptic message, wondering what the hell he was talking about. But if recent circumstances were any indicator, something was probably going down tonight. Stella’s stomach flipped in both apprehension and excitement. These boys might be the death of her.

Soon enough, Kie was out of the bathroom and it was Stella’s turn. She showered and brushed her teeth, stepping back into her room to catch sight of a satin slip dress with a halter neck waiting for her on her bed. It was a pretty golden color with a V-neck trimmed with lace, and a pair of white and gold sandals were waiting by the bed, too. Stella huffed, the towel wrapped tightly around her. She knew for a fact that her mother thought she needed to have everything out for her otherwise Stella would be useless in getting dressed for Midsummers. It was kind of insulting.

Stella expertly dried her hair, letting the natural curls come into place, before doing her makeup. She kept it light, as always, because not even Midsummers was going to make her slap on a face full of makeup, especially in the middle of summer. Some foundation, mascara, highlighter, and lipstick was as far as she went, with her jewelry consisting of a dainty diamond star necklace and the rings on her fingers.

“Oh, good, you’re dressed,” Mrs. Carrera said upon entering her room. “Come on, let me do your hair.”

Stella frowned but listened, sitting down in front of her dresser while her mom stood behind her. She worked quickly and efficiently, braiding back the two front locks of her hair and intertwining small yellow flowers in them that Stella tried not to wrinkle her nose at.

As her mom worked, Kie wandered into Stella’s room. Her slip dress was spaghetti strapped and a lavender color, a couple of layered necklaces around her neck, and her hair down in an updo with a crown of pink and purple flowers and locks of curly hair framing her face. She looked stunning, even with that scowl she wore as she stormed into the room.

“This is disgusting,” she announced without preamble.

Mrs. Carrera wove another flower into Stella’s braid, her voice dry above her as she responded, “I know. It’s just horrible. I’m asking you two to relax and go to a fun party.”

Kie scoffed, towering over their mom. They may be twins, but Kie somehow got the tall gene from their dad, standing at the elegant 5’8”, while Stella hadn’t grown past 5’5”. “We look like bourgeoisie pigs.”

Stella tried to keep the snort from escaping, covering it up with a cough as their mom finally patted down Stella’s hair, letting out a satisfied hum before stepping back. She shot Kie an exasperated look and said, “Will you please not worry about socioeconomic injustice for one night?”

Kie scowled and Stella’s face scrunched up. This was so much more than that. She twisted around in the seat and stood up, crossing her arms and siding with Kie, “Mom, people not three miles from here have no power, no running water—and we’re going to Midsummers.”

Kie nodded vigorously, gesturing to Stella. “That’s so tone deaf.”

Mrs. Carrera huffed, picking up the little pouch she’d dropped on the dressing table and pulling out the diamond earrings. As she put one in, she said, “Do you know how hard we had to work to get into the Island Club?”

Both Stella and Kie rolled their eyes, having heard this a hundred times before. “Yeah, Mom, how could we forget?” Stella sighed. “You had to grovel for, like, ten years—”

“Twelve,” Mrs. Carrera corrected, “and we also had to cough up a huge chunk of dough, and do you know why we did that?”

Kie wasn’t impressed. “To keep up with the Joneses?”

Mrs. Carrera’s hands were on her hips, looking at her daughter pointedly. “No. So you two could have the experiences that I had as a child. Sweethearts, do you know what the Island Club is?”

“A factory farm for debutantes,” Kie flatly said at the same time Stella said, “Where brain cells go to die.”

Kie gave her a subtle fist bump as their mother glared at them before smiling exasperatedly. She placed one hand on each of their cheeks, looking at both of them as she said, “It is a nice place, with nice people, where you can do fun stuff.”

Neither of them bought the company line. “With out of touch rich people,” Stella added.

Kie rightfully finished, “While the island sinks slowly into the ocean.”

Their mom dropped her hands from their cheeks, stepping back and shooting them a look. Clearly, she was done trying with her stubborn daughters. “Okay, I want you two to put on your party faces if you wanna live,” she said before walking out of the room.

Both Stella and Kie sighed, looking at each other in resigned defeat. Stella picked up her pen, offering a half hearted smile. “Wanna take a hit before we go?”

Kie scoffed, taking it from her. “Or maybe ten.”

Less than fifteen minutes later, the girls were at the Island Club with their parents, and instead of doing the polite thing and greeting the other party goers, Stella spotted a familiar face and grabbed Kie’s hand, jerking her chin to where Pope was working out on the lawn at the grill. She’d almost forgotten that he was working the party with his dad. Thank God for small miracles.

As they approached him, his back to the girls, Kie startled Stella by speaking in a terrible British accent, “Excuse me, sir. Do we have to shuck these ourselves?” Pope swiveled around as Kie grinned and Stella shook her head in bemusement. “’Cause it might mess up my costume.”

Pope chuckled. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” he asked and Stella stepped forward with a laugh, slapping her hand against his, front and back, before ending with a snap of her fingers. Their handshake. As he repeated the act with Kie, Pope added, “That accent was bad.”

Kie nodded. “It was. I was gonna let it go.”

Stella scoffed. “I wish you had,” she said as they came to stand next to Pope, arms folded across her chest. The three of them observed the scene before them, of all the guests gathered around in their fancy dresses and suits, drinking from flutes of champagne or drinks from the bar. “You ever seen this many Kooks in one place?”

“Yeah. Last year,” Pope answered.

Kie was squinting against the sun, but just like Stella’s, her brown skin glowed a pretty golden color against it. “We’re in the lion’s den.”

“Exactly.”

Pope glanced at the two of them, gaze lingering on Stella longer as he asked, “Have you heard from JJ?”

Kie shook her head. “No.”

“Just a text,” Stella answered, prompting Kie to look towards her, raising an eyebrow. Stella’s lips pursed. “He said he was okay and not to worry about him. But I won’t really believe it until I see him.”

“He’ll be all right,” Kie said, frowning to herself. “He’s got the survival instincts of a cockroach.”

Stella swallowed inaudibly. Kie wasn’t really wrong.

“It’s all my fault,” Pope said, the guilt thick in his tone as he frowned at nothing. He looked like he might be sick over everything that’s happened.

Stella frowned as Kie said, “Uh, you didn’t do this, Pope.”

“Yeah,” Stella chimed in firmly. “Topper almost killed you. Remember?”

He shot her a dry look. “Not something I can forget.”

Stella shot him a small smile. “JJ was just trying to do right by you. He—he knew what he was doing.” She stumbled over her words briefly because, well, she wasn’t entirely sure if she believed them. She believed that JJ thought he was doing the right thing, but getting arrested was no small thing. He was just adding onto his record, and this time for something he didn’t even do. JJ put loyalty above anything else, and it was one of her favorite things about him—until it landed him in trouble he might not be able to get out of.

Midsummers, as expected, was boring as usual. The adults drank and the teens snuck in their own alcohol in hidden flasks, dancing to the music from the live band while almost everyone kissed Ward Cameron’s ass. Stella stuck by Kie’s side, mostly because she didn’t care for anyone else there and because Kie kept glaring at Sarah Cameron, who looked like the perfect Kook princess. She was missing her not-so-Prince Charming, Topper, who seemed to be sticking by Rafe and Kelce’s sides than with Sarah. Hmm. Interesting.

At one point, Stella excused herself to go to the bathroom, walking inside the country club and down the hall. She did her business, ignoring the giggles of the few other girls inside as she washed her hands. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, however, she let out a gasp and stumbled into the doorframe as a figure rushed off in front of her, her gaze instantly following.

She’d recognize those blonde locks anywhere.

Stella’s heart thundered, gripping the doorframe tightly as she called out, “JJ?”

*****

Despite the severity of needing to find a hiding spot or escape, the sound of Stella’s voice had JJ stopping in his tracks. He turned, catching sight of her down the hall, too far down the hall, looking every bit as breathtaking as he expected her to in a golden dress that hugged her so perfectly. And the way she was looking at him—the surprise and relief and tenderness he was sure she reserved just for him—had JJ’s heart pounding right out of his chest, and not just because he was trying to save himself at the moment.

“Stella—” JJ stopped, looking through the glass of the doors, seeing Rafe, Kelce, and three of their suited up buddies purposefully making their way over. “Shit.” His blue eyes met her concerned brown ones. “Sweetheart, I’ll explain everything later, but I gotta run right now. Just—I’ll see you in a little, okay?”

“Wait, JJ—”

But he didn’t stick around, as much as he wanted to, and instead turned and ran off just as he heard Rafe and his buddies walk in. They’d spotted him talking to Sarah because he’d needed to give her a letter from John B, after he’d spoken to and received a surprising hug from Pope, and now they were hot on his ass looking to throw more punches. JJ’d already received a beating from his dad—he didn’t need anymore, thank you very much.

Except he made his way into the men’s room, and Rafe and his buddies were pretty fast and managed to corner him no problem. Five against one—this was totally fair. Assholes.

Rafe pushed him and JJ grunted, struggling as Kelce came up behind him and locked an arm around the front of his neck, the other keeping his head in place as JJ grabbed at Kelce’s arm to loosen the grip. He struggled, heart pounding, as Rafe looked at his friends. “Hold him still. What—what do you think? A four iron, right?” He mimicked holding a golf club. “Keep his head still. I’m gonna line this up.”

JJ didn’t make it easy for Kelce to keep him still. “Very Rafe of you,” JJ said through gritted teeth. “Five on one?”

Rafe looked pristine in his stupid blue suit and bowtie. JJ hoped he’d choke on it. “If you could please stop talking? It’s very disrespectful. I’m trying to hit a ball.” Oh, fuck no. “Learn your etiquette, my friend.”

JJ kept grunting, struggling against Kelce, using his hands as much as he could to try and get away. JJ’s voice was hoarse against Kelce’s grip as he spat back, “I’m gonna kick your teeth in.” As much fire as there was in his voice, JJ wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to deliver on his promise. Not when the odds were stacked against him.

Rafe smirked sardonically, crouching to look up at JJ with a mocking sort of sympathy. “Your face looks really bad. Starting to look like your dad a lot more.”

The insult was grating, especially given that the bruises and cuts on his face were courtesy of his father. JJ couldn’t do much more than spit in Rafe’s face. He jerked back, wiping the saliva off his face as he grinned. “Oh, shit. Alright. It was—”

The lights began flickering. “Gentlemen!” Kelce roughly let go of JJ and pushed him off, prompting the blonde to struggle before he righted himself. The security guard approached them. “Is there a problem?”

“Oh! Pardon me, officer. No, there’s not an issue. I just—” JJ cut himself off, his breathing labored as he panted to catch his breath. He looked at the others and JJ ran his fingers through his hair before deciding on a different course of action. One he knew would likely get him out of this. “Actually, yes. No, there is an issue. Uh, we got a criminal trespass in progress here. Beep!” He waved a finger around. “Call it in, right?” The others looked at him, trying to appear casual and like they weren’t doing anything wrong. “Blatant disrespect for private property.”

Rafe clicked his tongue, scratching his ear. “Yeah.”

JJ turned to the guard. “I’m in violation of all kinds of shit, sir, but these young gentlemen—” He made a show of righting Kelce’s bowtie before he jerked him away.

“Don’t touch my shit,” Kelce said lowly.

JJ continued, “Uh, caught me, sir, and they’re about to take me away. And that’s what you should do.” He held his fists up like he was ready to be handcuffed. Again. “Escort me out of here. You got me.”

The guard grabbed his arm. JJ was relieved. “Come on.”

“All right.” JJ looked over his shoulder as the guard pulled him out, looking at the Kooks. “Fix that tie, son,” he said to Kelce before looking at Rafe. “You’re lookin’ spiffy, too. You Powerpuff Girls have fun,” he turned back around.

Rafe took a step forward, his voice smug. “Tell Stella she looks pretty hot for a scarred Pogue.”

Fire erupted in JJ’s veins at Rafe’s comment, a newfound anger rushing through him at the blatant insult from the son of a bitch. JJ didn’t care who they were—nobody talked about Stella like that. Not at all, not in front of him. JJ’s body moved at his own accord, a low growl escaping him as he jerked away from the guard and tried to launch himself at Rafe, consequences be damned of a five against one. The asshole insulted Stella. JJ couldn’t just let him get away with that.

He rushed towards Rafe, only for Kelce to jump in and push him away as the guard came to his back and pulled him away. “Hey! Stop it. Come here! Let’s go! Let’s go!”

But JJ struggled, the urge to bury his fist in Rafe’s face overwhelming after his words. “You think I’m afraid of you, bro?”

The guard pulled him back. “Come on.”

JJ turned and was guided out as Rafe’s voice followed him out of the locker room. “Hey, safe travels back to the cut!”

JJ shouted back, “This ain’t over!”

The guard didn’t let his grip on JJ go as he guided him down the halls and towards the doors, his grip tight as they burst through the doors out onto the patio. “Look, man, I can walk myself!” JJ exclaimed, earning gasps and looks from the guests at him being escorted out. “I got legs. Can you see that, brother?”

The guard didn’t seem to care. “Come on.”

“I really appreciate what you did back there. Let me just walk out by myself.” He struggled against the guard’s grip before spotting the older gentleman from earlier who had asked JJ for a drink. At this point, JJ didn’t care for the attention he was drawing on himself, stumbling over to where the man stood. “Mr. Dunleavy, I see you got your drink. Good, that’s really nice of you. I’m actually gonna down that,” he said quickly before grabbing the drink and downing the whiskey in one gulp.

The man gaped at him, the guard apologized before pulling JJ away. Everyone was watching, murmuring, and JJ never had mastered the art of subtlety, so he made a commotion as he was so kindly escorted out. Might as fucking well go out with a bang.

“Let go of him!” JJ turned at the sound of Stella’s voice, standing up on the patio with Kie by her side. Their parents were behind them, quietly telling Stella to stay quiet while her gaze met JJ’s. He stopped, kind of fucking mesmerized by the sight of her. “You can’t just boot him!”

The guard stopped, still holding onto JJ, who was still watching her. “Excuse me, ma’am?” the guard asked.

“I invited him here,” Stella continued, her voice loud and carrying over the newfound silence amongst the crowd. Everyone was looking at her, but she didn’t seem to give a shit, and JJ kind of fell in love with her all over again.

Next to her, JJ could hear her mom say, “Stella, stop it.”

“No, she’s right,” Kie spoke up, glaring at her parents and then at the guard. “We’re members of this club.”

“Girls, stop it,” Mr. Carrera seemed to be saying to them.

JJ took the opportunity of the guard being distracted to jerk out of his grip and push him, wincing as the man went stumbling into a waiter carrying a tray full of glasses that went shattering on the ground. “Sorry about that!” JJ said over the commotion before looking towards the girls. He pointed at them, blonde hair falling over his shoulders. “Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon’s, ladies.” His gaze found Pope’s amidst the crowd’s. “Pope, you as well, all right? Rixon’s cove. Let’s roll.” He was walking backwards, people making their way for him as they all gaped at him in disbelief and annoyance. JJ looked back at the girls, holding his arm up. “All right, girls, come on.” He gripped his wrist. “Workers of the world unite. Throw off your chains!”

His gaze met Stella’s, who was watching him in, what he realized with relief, was amusement. He saw the looks she and Kie exchanged, a silent communication going on between the twins while their parents most definitely murmured warnings at them. And then, much to JJ’s relief, Stella and Kie broke away before running down the stairs.

JJ grinned widely, finally facing John B, who had been watching the whole thing with a grin. “Colonel.”

John B returned the salute JJ offered him. “Captain.”

JJ grinned. “Mission accomplished, sir.”

John B laughed as JJ shouted for the girls, watching as Pope pulled off his apron and handed it to his dad before running towards John B and JJ, all the while Mr. Heyward yelled, “Don’t do this! Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

But Pope didn’t listen, instead high fived John B and JJ, before John B ran off ahead and the two of them faced the girls running over, as well. Kie and Pope ran side by side, laughing, and JJ opened his arms so Stella could run into his embrace, and he laughed into her neck as he lifted her off the ground with a spin before setting her down, grasping her hand in his, and following the others as they ran.

“Later, losers!” John B shouted over his shoulder towards the partygoers.

Stella was laughing, the sound brilliant and wonderful in JJ’s ears as Kie cheered while they ran. JJ couldn’t help but laugh as well. It may have been a shitty couple of days, but at least he had his friends.

*****

The fire crackled between them as Stella sat on a log next to JJ. The cicadas were chirping against the otherwise quiet of the night, and JJ had changed out of the waiter get up and was back in his signature hat, shirt, and shorts combo. The sight of the shark tooth necklace Stella had gifted him around his neck always made her chest tighten in the best way. She and Kie were still in their Midsummers dresses, but mosquitos and bugs never bothered Stella, so she sat comfortably as the fire warmed them.

She kept looking towards JJ, though—at the cuts and bruises on his face. The sight of him injured tightened her chest uncomfortably, made her stomach twist nauseatingly. No doubt his dad had done this to him, and it enraged her. She wished, with every fiber of her being, that she could get him as far away from his dad as possible. It hurt, so badly, to see JJ injured at the hands of his abusive father. JJ, despite what others may see as faults and flaws, was probably the best person she knew. He had such a big heart, a soul that deserved to be loved and protected instead of stepped on and beaten. She desperately wished she could protect him from the cruelty of others. He deserved someone to do that for him.

“Hey, guys. So, like, my dad’s already gonna kill me,” Pope said as he and John B dropped some sticks to feed the fire before sitting down. “So what’s this mandatory meeting about?”

Stella watched as John B looked at JJ, pointing at him as if he needed permission. JJ nodded. “Might as well tell him, man, before we’re gaffed.”

John B smiled like he held some kind of secret. “You ready for this?” he asked, looking at Kie and Stella.

The two girls nodded impatiently. “Yeah.”

The fire glowed against John B’s skin as he looked at all of them. “So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant.”

Stella blinked as Pope groaned. “Oh, my God. Here we go again with this.”

Next to her, JJ sat up, holding out a calming hand to Pope. “No, all right, wait. Hear him out, all right?” he asked, raising his eyebrows at Pope and the girls.

John B had a finger to his lips before continuing, “It’s been here this whole time.” He looked to Kie. “It’s on the island.”

Her expression was one of shocked disbelief. “Are you serious?” She looked at John B before laughing in astonishment. “Oh, my God.”

Pope held up a hand. “I’d like to voice my skepticism.”

Stella was still trying to wrap her head around what John B said as he stood up. “I’m sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?”

Pope rolled his eyes. “Proceed.”

John B held up a piece of paper he pulled out from his bag, proceeding to tell them about a letter he had from Denmark Tanny, a slave who had survived the wreck of the Royal Merchant. He showed it to Pope and the girls, telling them that the slaves weren’t mentioned as crew members on the ship, but that his dad found the complete manifest—his big discovery. Stella listened attentively, mouth agape, looking towards JJ who nodded with a smile on his face. He knew all of this already, it seemed. It was probably why he and John B had been together earlier.

“So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom,” John B was saying. “After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll, please, because that farm is,” he paused dramatically as the group of them slapped their knees with their hands. “Tannyhill Plantation.”

Kie stopped. “Tannyhill?”

John B nodded, standing like a professor giving a lecture. “Yeah. So, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit-ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters, and then they decide to lynch him. So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold.”

John B had Stella’s attention as she hung onto his every word, shaking her head as she asked, “Where?”

John B grinned. “Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water.” He held up a hand. “Except, there is no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out.” He walked over to Pope, pointing at something in the paper Pope was holding. Stella leaned over to look as well. “The gold is in parcel nine, near the water.”

Kie laughed in disbelief as Pope murmured, “Holy shit.”

John B slapped his arm. “All we need is an original survey map of the property and we’ve found the gold.”

He was grinning widely as JJ stood up. Pope slowly started, “Okay, so this might have a small chance of being actually true.”

Kie bounced excitedly where she sat. “Dude, it’s like King Tut!” she exclaimed, earning a laugh from Stella.

“I am a genius,” John B announced, just as JJ tackled him into a hug. “Hey, whoa!” They teetered slightly where they stood before JJ lifted John B up. “Hello! Fire! You’re near the fire. You’re gonna burn.”

JJ pulled away and Stella snickered as he said, “I’m so proud of you right now.”

John B nodded somberly. “Thank you. That’s really sweet of you.”

With a shake of her head, Stella interrupted the moment by asking, “Okay, so, guys.” They all looked towards her. “What’s the plan?”

John B pointed at her as JJ made his way back. “Good question. Sarah Cameron’s coming tonight. She’ll bring the original survey map—”

JJ sat down next to Stella just as her eyes widened, gaping at John B before her gaze instantly shot to Kie, who was frowning. “Hold on,” she interrupted. “Sarah? Wh-why Sarah?”

Stella tensed, looking between a bewildered Kie and a hesitant John B. She and Pope exchanged glances, both of them suddenly aware of the tension building in the open space. “Um—” John B trailed off.

JJ took off his head, muttering, “This is gonna be good.”

Stella looked at him, catching the wince he shot her way. Silently, she frowned at him, but JJ shook his head before nodding towards John B, who stood with his fists on his hips. “Sarah, um, she. . . She got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday, and there’s where I got the letter.”

Kie’s face scrunched up even more, looking a mix of pissed off and confused, while Stella gaped up at John B. “You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?”

John B’s throat worked. “Yeah, um. . .”

Next to her, JJ announced, “He was mackin’ on her.”

Stella gasped as she stared at him, wide eyed, and JJ nodded somberly while Pope coughed uncomfortably into his fist. Across the fire, Kie was glaring up at John B, and Stella hated the betrayal she could already see melting into Kie’s eyes. John B shot JJ a glare. “I wasn’t macking.”

JJ lifted his chin, unrelenting. “You were totally macking Sarah Cameron.”

He wasn’t helping the situation, so Stella lightly flicked his arm, prompting JJ to immediately look at her, pressing his cut lips together to keep himself from smirking. She narrowed her eyes in warning, and all JJ did was link their arms together and pull her to his side.

“I wasn’t macking on her, okay?” John B spoke up, exasperated. “I was using her for access.”

JJ scoffed lightly. “There was access, alright.”

Stella pinched his side at that, despite the inappropriate laugh threatening to burst. Kie wouldn’t appreciate it, and Stella could tell her twin was seconds away from pushing John B into the fire. “Did you tell her about the treasure?” Kie demanded.

John B’s eyes widened. “I was trying to get into the archives.”

Kie’s voice grew loud with disbelief. “Is that a yes?”

“I. . . I left out key details,” John B said, looking to the others for help. Stella pressed her lips together, pressed up against JJ. If anyone noticed, they didn’t say anything, not with the current situation going on. Poor John B wasn’t going to get help on this.

“Yo, what?” Kie scoffed with a shake of her head. “You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe? What about the T-shirt company, bro?”

Suddenly, it was a battle between Kie and John B, and all Stella, JJ, and Pope could do was sit on the sidelines silently and watch. “I was just using her for information,” John B tried.

Kie shot him a wry look. “Why don’t I believe you?”

John B was growing exasperated already, shaking his head at the unhelpfulness of the others before looking back at Kie. “I’m trying to make us filthy rich here, okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or. . . or, uh. . .” He looked towards Pope, “send you to autopsy school to study bed bodies.” Stella’s face scrunched up as JJ suppressed a snort and Pope blinked owlishly. “Look, you guys know me. Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?”

JJ blinked. “Uh—”

Stella tilted her head at John B. “Do you want us to answer that?” She could guarantee neither he nor Kie would appreciate the answer.

John B held up a hand at Stella. “Just—just stop.”

Kie shook her head, her jaw tight as she frowned deeply. “Look, you don’t know her yet. I do! You can’t trust her.”

Pope chimed in, “Her brother did hit me in the back with a golf club.”

John B looked to Pope. “Rafe and Sara are different human beings.”

JJ’s cheek was resting on top of Stella’s head as he asked Kie, “What did she do to you, exactly?”

Stella sighed. Oh, boy.

Kie held up two fingers and jabbed them forward. “She’s like a. . . a spitting cobra.” Everyone blinked, bewildered. “First she—she blinds you, and then—”

Stella was already shaking her head, sitting up straight as she said to her struggling sister, “This is a bad analogy.”

“Listen to me!” Kie exclaimed, clearly fed up with the situation. “Whatever we get, she’s gonna try to take.”

Her words were met by silence, other than the crackling fire and chirping cicadas. John B stood quietly, throat working, clearly unsure of what to say as JJ and Pope stayed in their own awkward silence, too. Stella suppressed a sigh. It seemed as though it was up to her to smooth things over, even if she did slightly side with Kie in all of this. She didn’t have a begrudging hate towards Sarah like Kie did, but they were sisters, and Stella needed to show solidarity. But she could also, in some way, see John B’s side of things. God, this was gonna be tense.

“Kie,” Stella spoke up carefully, prompting Kie’s gaze to connect with hers. “Whatever John B promised Sarah, that’s his issue. But if she’s the only way we can get the map, then we need to let it happen.”

Kie’s jaw was hard. “I don’t want her involved. I don’t want to deal with her.”

“We won’t,” Stella said, glancing quickly at John B before looking at Kie again. “Let John B deal with her.” When Kie didn’t look entirely convinced, Stella let out a huff. “This is bigger than your beef with Sarah. I know you know that.”

Silence fell upon them for a few moments as they all waited for Kie to respond. She sat quietly, hands gripping the log she sat on, mulling over Stella’s words. Stella, in turn, hoped she got through to her sister. They needed Kie to be on board with this, no matter her issues with Sarah. They’d already gotten this far in their treasure hunt—an old beef shouldn’t hinder them now.

Stella remained quiet, waiting for Kie to make a decision, although she silently enjoyed the sensation of JJ’s fingers ghosting up and down her arm, their arms still linked together. It was calming when others would argue JJ was anything but.

“Fine,” Kie finally gave in and everyone instantly sat up. She glared at John B. “As long as I don’t have to speak to her.” John B pressed his hands together and brought them to his mouth, his grin already forming. “I just hope you know what you’re getting us into.”

After John B profusely thanked Kie for agreeing, they killed the fire and got up before heading back to the van, since they had to drive to meet Sarah. The twigs and leaves crunched under their shoes as they went, but as Pope, Kie, and John B chatted while walking ahead, Stella lingered back and grasped JJ’s hand to slow his pace down.

He looked at her, eyebrows raising. “What’s up?”

Stella looked up at him, her fingers ghosting on his chin. Finally, she let the worry come out in full force as she asked, “Are you okay? Did—” she stopped, throat working to get rid of the lump that formed. “Did your dad do this?”

JJ’s jaw worked, blue eyes glimmering under the moonlight as he looked down at her. “Got a good chunk of money to pay in restitution,” he told her. “The old man’s not too happy about it.”

Despite herself, Stella felt the hot tears sting in her eyes. She preferred the pink in JJ’s cheeks when they were flushed when he was happy or even drunk—not the pink and harsh reds that surrounded the cuts and marked the bruises. Stella wasn’t sure she ever hated anyone as much as she hated JJ’s dad. Her throat was tight, unable to say anything except to croak out his name, “JJ—”

“Hey, hey,” he shushed her, hands coming up to cup Stella’s that had been ghosting along his sharp jaw. He held her hand in both of his before pressing a kiss to it, blue eyes locked in her brown. “I’m okay, Stel. They’ll heal. It’s no big deal.”

Stella scoffed, though her concern remained clear. “You can’t actually expect me to believe that.” The flutters in her stomach returned when JJ kissed her hand, when he looked at her with those baby blue eyes she loved so much. She let out a breath. “You’re sleeping over at John B’s, right?”

JJ offered her a small dimpled grin. “When am I not?”

Stella pinned him with a stare. They’d stopped walking and she knew they had to move soon, but she took a breath. “Whenever you can, either sleep at John’s or you sleep at mine. Okay?”

JJ raised his eyebrows, though she could see his gaze soften at her offer. But he kept the mood light as he teased, “You inviting me to your room, shark bait?”

Her heart jumped. “Wouldn’t be the first time we shared a bed,” Stella pointed out. It was the truth. They shared hammocks, chairs, couches, and beds countless times before.

“Yeah, but it’s different now, isn’t it?” JJ questioned.

She looked at their hands before meeting his gaze again. “Is it?” she returned, throat working in anticipation. This was it. This was Stella asking JJ if whatever was happening between them was real, if something more was going to come out of it than a few kisses shared.

JJ’s gaze was intense, deep in a way she wasn’t used to as it stole her breath. “It is.” Steady, resolute, firm. No room for arguments. Thank fuckinf God.

Stella felt her grin appear before she could help it, relief warming her, and JJ mirrored her smile before ducking his head and pressing his lips to hers. She returned the kiss slowly, gently, not wanting to hurt his cut lips. Her heart jumped excitedly as he kissed her, but it was cut short, unfortunately, when John B’s voice cut through the air.

“Oi! What happened to no macking?”

The two of them pulled apart, but John B was grinning, as were Pope and Kie as they looked at the two of them. Stella’s face flushed as JJ slung his arm around her shoulders before they began walking towards their friends. “I’m sure we can make an exception,” JJ said smoothly, cockily.

John B’s grin was wicked. “If it means you’ll finally stop whining about how much you looooove Stel, then yes we will.”

Stella laughed, cheeks flushing, while JJ spluttered. “I never whined!” he protested as they joined their friends.

Pope rolled his eyes. “That’s true. You just bottled it all up inside because you’re emotionally constipated.”

“Sounds about right. I’m the one who made the first move,” Stella said, grinning widely at JJ’s betrayed expression, laughing as he used his arm around her to push her away. Stella continued laughing, along with the others, as she stumbled away, but didn’t lose her balance because JJ instantly caught her hand and pulled her back to his side.

“Whatever. I like an assertive woman,” JJ said with a charming grin, pressing a kiss to Stella’s temple as they neared the van.

Pointing at Pope and John B as they climbed inside, Kie said, “You two owe me twenty bucks, by the way.”

“No, we don’t!” John B argued as he started the van. “It’s after Midsummers.”

Pope nodded in agreement as Kie grinned wickedly before meeting Stella’s gaze as she sat on the back bench. With a giggle, Stella confessed, “It was actually yesterday. Before the summer movie series.”

John B and Pope’s gazes swung to JJ, who leaned back with his arms propped on top of the back bench casually as he said, “It’s true, boys.” John B shook his head and began driving, and JJ added, “Can’t believe you three bet on us.”

Sitting on the floor opposite of them, Pope scoffed. “Can’t believe it took you two this long to get together.”

“Okay!” Stella spoke up loudly, clapping her hands together once and shooting all of her friends a look. “We’re done talking about this.”

They reached their destination soon after that, a spot off in the middle of the woods where a tower stood, the apparent meeting spot John B had set up at Kildare Hawk’s Nest. As soon as he parked the car, Pope slid open the back van door as JJ slapped his knees. “Hit it, boys! We’re goin’. Recon mission.”

But before any of them could even get up, John B turned to face them. “Yo, uh. . . So, uh, I think I’m gonna do this one by myself. . . Tonight.”

Thunder rumbled overhead as Kie rolled her eyes and Stella and JJ fell back in their seats. She raised her eyebrows as JJ drawled a knowing, “Really?”

John B frowned. “What?”

JJ took off his head. “Nothin’.”

John B sighed, fixing his own hat atop his head. “I don’t want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery.”

Kie shrugged, voice sharp and annoyed as she looked at John B. “I just don’t understand why we’re involving her at all.”

Stella let out a sigh as she leaned back, JJ now sitting on the ground next to her, his head resting against her leg as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Kie, we’re not involving her, okay?” John B said, exasperated. “It’s—it’s just, uh, like a—a business meeting. . . Thing.” On the ground, JJ made a crude motion with the joint he held and made a gulping sound, prompting Pope to grin in amusement while Stella rolled her eyes at John B. He was not selling this well. “Look, once we get what we need, we cut her loose, all right? Plus, we need the map.”

Yeah, okay. Stella wasn’t quite sure how much she believed that.

Kie pursed her lips, leaning forward as she stared John B dead in the eye. “Promise me nothing’s happening between you two.”

John B widened his eyes, answering breathily, “Nothing is happening, Kie.”

“I’m being serious.”

“Okay!”

Kie was still frowning, as if she was trying to get John B to get the message through her glare. “This isn’t about you. This isn’t about us. This is about her.” Stella pressed her lips together as she watched them. Kie’s beef with Sarah was so damn deep, she wondered if they would be able to do with if she wasn’t on board with Sarah helping out just this once. Personally, Stella didn’t give a shit about Sarah Cameron; she just didn’t like her out of principle for the way the end of that friendship hurt Kie. Everything else was between Kie and Sarah. “Dude, she’s gonna get inside your head. Just promise me nothing’s happening between you guys.”

John B looked at her as lightning flashed outside and thunder rolled. “I promise.”

“That was really believable,” JJ piped up.

Pope nodded. “A hundred percent believable.”

Stella lightly knocked JJ with her knee while glaring at Pope, effectively shutting both of them up. John B didn’t dignify them with a response, instead saying, “Anyways, um, I’m gonna take care of business.”

JJ shook his head, playing with the joint. “You’re gonna take care of it so well.”

Stella waved John B off dismissively. “We’ll just sit here,” she said dryly. “In the hot-ass car.”

Pope added, “While it’s lightning.”

They left the back door of the van open as John B got out, backpack on as he walked off towards the tower. The wind rustled outside, thunder rumbling every now and then to accompany the flashes of lightning that warned of a storm rolling in. “Kiara, holding onto your grudge is like drinking poison and thinking Sarah will die,” Pope said once John B was gone.

“Exactly,” JJ nodded.

Kie shot the two of them a withering stare before looking at Stella. Her twin merely shrugged. “You know I’m on your side,” Stella said. “But you can’t really tell John B what he can or can’t do.”

“I’m not trying to tell him what to do,” Kie shot back. “I’m just warning him against the kind of person I know Sarah is. She’s gonna fuck us over.”

“Look, we just—we just gotta trust that John B knows what he’s doing,” Pope tried to placate, looking between Stella and Kie. “That he’s using his head.”

Kie scoffed, not really convinced. “I know what head he’s using, and it isn’t the one on his shoulders.”

“That’s a good one,” JJ mumbled quietly where he sat.

They were quiet for a few minutes, just listening to the rumble of thunder, before conversation started up again. Pope had asked about what happened at Midsummers, and JJ launched into the story that led up to the Kooks cornering him in the men’s room while they waited for John B to return with the map.

JJ was saying, “Rafe and Kelce followed me—”

Kie cut him off. “Wait, do you guys hear that?” Her eyebrows furrowed together. “Sh.”

Stella frowned. “What?”

And then, in the distance, over the sound of the wind howling and thunder rumbling, came a girl’s voice yelling, “Please, somebody, help!”

All of their eyes widened, instantly on their feet as JJ grunted, “Oh, wait, no, I hear that.”

“Shit,” Pope cursed as they all stumbled out.

“What the fuck?” Stella muttered, gripping the skirt of her dress so it didn’t get tangled in her feet as she ran.

The voice, Stella realized, belonged to Sarah, and her heart started pounding as they ran towards the Hawk’s Nest, throat already drying in worry. The first thought in her head was that something went terribly wrong, that John B was hurt, and when they all cleared a group of trees towards the base of the Nest, Stella’s fear came true as a gasp ripped through her at the sight of John B lying on the ground, Sarah crying as she cradled his head and begged for him to wake up and open his eyes.

“Sarah! What happened?” Pope asked as they came running over, skidding to a stop, their breathing labored.

Sarah was crying, and Stella’s heart clenched at the sight of John B, unconscious, fear drenching her veins in ice as she instantly gripped Kie’s hand. “I don’t know what to do,” Sarah sobbed. “He needs help. Topper shoved him.”

Anger heated Stella’s skin, momentarily taking over the terror trembling her body as JJ demanded, “Where the hell is he?”

But Sarah just cried, “Oh, please, please, please get help. I don’t care who. Just call someone.”

Stella pushed Pope away as she panted, “Go! Call 911! Go!”

Pope took off and Kie shouted after him, “Pope, hurry!”

They all stood, breathing labored and hearts pounding, unsure of what to do as their friend lay unconscious. Worry weighed heavily on them all, to the point where Stella couldn’t even stop to question the way Sarah was holding John B to her, crying for him, kissing him and begging for him to wake up. No, nothing else mattered other than their injured friend, the tears stinging in Stella’s eyes as she prayed to anyone who was listening that he would wake up. Soon. Now. Please.

#outer banks #obx #jj #jj maybank #john b #sarah cameron #pope heyward #kiara carrera #jj maybank fic #jj maybank fanfic #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank imagines #jj maybank blurb #jj maybank blurbs #obx fic #obx fanfic #outer banks fanfiction #outer banks fic #outer banks fanfic #obx fanfiction #obx imagine #outer banks imagine #obx blurb #outer banks blurb #jj maybank x oc

[grace-sully]

Jealous

* this is not my gif; all credit goes to the owner.

Paring: JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

Warnings: swearing

Word count: 2667

Summary: JJ likes you but hasn’t asked you out yet because of the rule, but he sees someone flirting with you and gets Jealous.

Requested: yes! - Can you do a jealous jj maybank imagine??

A/N: this is by far the most i've ever written but it was a fun request to write. Hope this was what you were looking for!! <3 also im very, very sorry it's taken so long pls forgive me 

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You had joined the infamous Pogues after moving to the Outer Banks when you were 9 and lived in the neighbouring house of JJ. He first spoke to you when he and John B were climbing trees in his back garden. Curious as to what the two boys were playing, you joined in. Back then it was just you, John B and JJ against the world, and you would make in known. 

Pope later joined the three of you after being in some of the same classes with you and the boys, and were instantly drawn to his honesty, charm and it also didn't hurt that he was so smart, you could get him to help you all out with your homework.

Then came Kie and as much as you loved the boys, you were so glad there was finally a girl around. You and her became best friends almost immediately when you saw her surfing one day alone, and later invited her to join you with the others. You then learned that she was technically a kook, but was surprised when she was completely different from the stuck up rich that occupied Figure 8, and was actually bearable to be around.

And from then on, you had always been the voice of reason within the Pogues.

However, anyone could see there was clearly something special between you and JJ. Everyone in the town believed you two already were together or would  end up together eventually. You had been one of JJ's closest friends his entire life, behind John B that is, whenever you two were together, the space would just be filled with laughter, constant bickering and just enjoying each other’s company.

You couldn’t see him that way, or so you told yourself. You were both completely different, and would never work as a couple. And besides, even if you did like him, he would never want to date you anyway. And due to the ‘no Pogue on Pogue macking’ you never thought of him or any of the other Pogues in that way and tried to avoid having a romantic relationship for obvious reasons.

It was a typical summer evening for the Pogues. After spending a day on the water, swimming, listening to music and being around each other's company, Kie suggested getting food at her parent’s restaurant. And the thought of free food made you and the other Pogues agree instantly.

Once Kie persuaded her dad in letting you all eat the leftovers, Mr, Carrera banished you all to a secluded table at the back of his restaurant, away from any of the actual paying customers. 

Sitting down with JJ to your left, you conversed with the other Pogues before you saw Kie return with a tray of food and jug of water for you all to enjoy.

You shrieked in shock as you felt something cold being smeared across your cheek, turning around you saw JJ sat beside you, owning a smug look on his face and  ketchup covering his fingers.

Grabbing a spare fry that was lying on the table, you threw it in his direction. Hitting him directly in the chest, he faked being hurt, holding his chest.

He then retaliated by throwing another fry at you. Soon it became a full on food fight between you two, while you giggled until you were out of breath.

“Can we not be kicked out by my dad please,” Kie spoke, trying to stop the chaos that you and JJ created.

He chuckled, stopping his movements before sipping his drink and digging back into his food that sat in front of him. You followed suit, still giggling.

“Shit!” John B squealed, quickly picking up a cup he knocked over in the chaos of yours and JJ’s spontaneous fight, and moving a few things out of the way from the spilled water to not get wet.

“Really John B, right in front of my salad,” Kie said, staring at the brunette boy trying to clean up the mess he made.

“Don’t worry I get some napkins” you sighed, John B gave you a nod in thanks and you found yourself walking up towards the countertop to grab the napkins. 

As you grabbed a pile of napkins from the bartop, you felt a hand on your waist and a head lean against your shoulder while feeling someone breathing against your ear.

You were surprised when you turned around to be greeted by a very familiar face.

“Hi.” Harry, a colleague from your work greeted you as he leaned in to kiss your cheek, “I wasn’t expecting to run into you in this fine establishment.”

The flirty banter between the two of you is not new. You had met Harry when he started working during your second month of being at the Figure 8 Country Club. He was a natural flirt, some people would call it cocky, but everyone knew he was harmless.

You haven't seen him in about a month due to the hurricane that swept through the island a few weeks back, and then scheduling issues kept you apart from most of your work friends.

“I could say the same to you.” you reply, still a little surprised to see him here. 

“It’s my parents anniversary.” He said simply, looking over his shoulder to a group of people all sat at a table on the opposite end of the building, chatting amongst themselves.

You nodded, coming to terms that it wasn’t just you and your friends at the Wreck, like it usually felt like when you were all together, stealing the scraps from Mr. Carrera.

He chuckled, leaning his elbow on the countertop to get a little closer to you, focusing all of his attention on you, “So, how have you been since the hurricane and all?”

“I’ve been alright. Helping out folks where I can,” you chuckled, before pointing behind him to the table where you all sat “and hanging out with my friends how about you?”

“Been good, time away was fun, missed your beautiful face though” he said through a smirk

“Easy, ” You warn, rolling your eyes and smacking his arm playfully before shaking your head and walking back to where your friends were, but you noticed Harry following after you.

As you approach the table, you noticed how JJ’s knuckles were gripped into a fist. His eyes were following behind you to where Harry was, which caused you to raise your eyebrow slightly at him. He saw your wandering eye and just scoffed, ignoring the look you were giving him as he took a sip of his water and sighed, watching as you proceed to introduce the Pogues to Harry.

“Guys this is Harry who I work with. Harry this is John B, Kiara, Pope and JJ.” you introduced pointing to each appropriate Pogue.

You had spoken fondly about Harry to your best friends. He was a great stress relief at work and it was nice to interact with someone different from who you usually hung out with. He was a few years older then you so you didn't share any mutual friends and never saw him around at parties.

“Hi. It’s so good to meet you all.” Harry grinned, extending his hand out to Pope and John B, who both returned his polite greeting, Kie gave him a small wave from across the table, while JJ let out another loud sigh obviously meant to be heard.

“You too.” JJ replied, voice full of sarcasm, as he waved his right hand while taking a sip of his water with his left.

Sitting yourself back down in your seat beside JJ, you gave him a slight nudge with your shoulder to ask him what was the matter as you knew he was a lot more polite when he met people so it certainly surprised you when his expression towards Harry seemed a little dry. You assumed that he was just tired, as his dad had been giving him a hard time recently and he had been living at John B’s for a few days now. But unbeknownst to you, JJ’s blood had been boiling the moment he had witnessed Harry approach you at the counter top.

Harry made friendly conversation with John B and Pope, while you focused all of your attention on the way JJ had been when you were talking with Harry. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Harry walk around the table and stand behind you, feeling him lean his body weight against the back of your chair that you were sitting in, causing you to focus back in on the conversation happening around you.

“Well I just can't wait to have Y/N all to myself again!” Harry placed his hands atop of your shoulders massaging them gently as all of the Pogues around you chuckled, including you to try and make it seem like you have been listening all this time and not thinking about the blonde boy next to you .

Watching Harry's hands remain on your shoulders, he was not happy about the way Harry had been acting around you. It was a strange feeling being jealous, he definitely wasn’t used to it. Deep down he knew he had no reason to feel this way because you weren’t his.

That was it. He had had enough. He slammed his fist against the table, gaining the attention of the other Pogues and marched in the direction of the exit, leaving you just as confused as the others who all sat with confused faces, they watched as JJ stormed out of the building, baffled as to what had caused his sudden tantrum.

You quickly turned over to Kie with a confused look on your face, mouthing a 'what the fuck’ to see if she had picked up on something you didnt, before getting up from your seat to quick to follow after your best friend. Curious about what caused his sudden outburst.

You found him standing outside by the deck, his back to you. His knuckles were still white as they gripped the wooden railing in front of him as he huffed, raking his fingers through his own hair.

“What the fuck was that?” You called out to him as you walked up to him. You stopped a few meters behind him waiting for him to answer, “What the hell has gotten into your head?”

He wasn’t his usual carefree self right now, that was obvious. You crossed your arms across your chest, a stubborn stance that couldn’t even come close to the outrage that sparked in your eyes. 

He quickly turned back to look at you and you noticed that his jaw was tightly clamped shut, his fists would stay firmly by his sides and was trying to regain his composure by controlling his heavy breathing, but failing miserably.

“I don't like him,” he said firmly, shaking his head lightly. The tension in his body made him stand rigid as he continued to stare at you with steam coming out of his ears.

“What are you talking about?” you asked him confused.

"The way he put his arm around you. The way he talks to you. The way he acts around you, Y/N, okay i don't like it! He was flirting with you!" he practically yells at you as he begins to pace back and forth on his feet, his body still completely rigid as he moves back and forth not even bothering to look at you.

“Is that what all of this is about?” You shook your head, raising your eyebrows to try and challenge him as you crossed your arms against your chest. “You’re jealous of Harry?”

“Y/N, I’m serious,” He paused his movements, looking at you dead in the eyes to hint what he was really trying to say to you when not knowing exactly how to express what he had been feeling for years now. To be honest with you and not wanting to ruin the beautiful friendship that you've had over the years. 

“No, tell me why it bothered you so much.” you ran your hand through your hair, and rolled your eyes, Unable to believe how childish he was being,

"He was flirting with you!”

“That’s just him JJ. He’ll flirt with a rock if he could!” You shook your head and took a deep breath. From an outsider's position, it may look like Harry was trying to come on to you, but anyone who really knows Harry, knows that it's completely harmless, and anyone who watched you knows your heart truly belongs to the boy stood in front of you now, “Are you telling me that you’re mad because someone was flirting with me in your presence?”

“Yeah i'm mad, i'm mad that they are gunna get your attention and you'll go off with them!” he said hanging his head low, finally letting some of the tension leave his body from partially admitting his feelings for you.

You remained silent, waiting for him to elaborate on what he meant. A part of you knew what he was about to say and you were hoping he would say it. You had been dreaming about it for years. But another part of you refused to believe that it was even possible that he had reciprocated feelings for you.

He sighed as he lifted his head to watch your reaction to what he was about to say, “I’ve liked you. For a long, long time now. And I know the rule, no Pogue on Pogue, so I never said anything about it. But this summer has made me realize how much I liked you more than just as a friend. And I know I probably fucked up our friendship for good now but… I don’t think I can keep it to myself for any longer.”

JJ liked you. Hearing him say this made you feel a huge weight lift from your chest, as you no longer needed to keep it to yourself either.

“JJ,” You bit down on your lip as you moved closer to him so you were now standing a foot away from him. “I like you too.”

With a huge grin plastered across your face, you let out a slight giggle, watching the smile on JJ’s face was the most amazing sight you had ever seen.

He put a hand on the back of your neck and pulled you to him, his lips against yours with his other hand at your waist. You were hit with the reminder of how it felt to have his soft lips on yours. 

You had only kissed him once before. A Touron at a boneyard party was being super clingy to JJ and he just wanted to shake her, so he claimed that you were his girlfriends and weren’t interested in her. She, of course, didn’t believe him so he kissed you to make it more believable. You had been comfortable with doing so as you had been wanting to get rid of her all night. This was a real kiss, filled with love and passion. You melted into the kiss, holding JJ closer. Wanting to pinch yourself to make sure this wasn’t a dream.

After a few moments, you both pull away, pressing your foreheads together, out of breath.

“Oh my god.”

You quickly pulled away from JJ and turned to see John B stood with his eyes wide, staring at the two of you still wrapped up in each other’s arms, shocked at what he had just  walked in on.

“Dude, it's not what it looks like,” JJ tried to explain.

“Pope!, you owe me $20!” He exclaimed as he ran back the way he came

You giggled. “I think we have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Sounds like they already know,” JJ smiled and kissed Y/N’s forehead before wrapping an arm around her and leading her back to the rest of the Pogues.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, please give it a reblog and leave some love <3

#obx #Outer Banks #obx imagine #outer banks imagine #obx x reader #outer banks x reader #obx x you #outer banks x you #obx oneshot #outer banks oneshot #jj maybank #john b routledge #pope heyward #kiara carrera #sarah cameron #rafe cameron #jj #jj obx #john b #john b obx #kie #kie obx #pope #pope obx #netflix #rudy pankow #chase stokes #madison bailey #jonathan davies #jj maybank x reader

[pankows-girl]

What Happens When Pogues Mack Ch.2

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Pregnant!Reader

Word Count: 1.2K

Warnings: mentions of abuse, cursing i think??

A/N: i did some research while writing this chapter but i don’t know how accurate what i wrote is. theres probably some types but im too lazy to correct them. also quick shout out to my lovely friends for their support of this series @outabanks @spilledtee @redridinnghood​

[Ch.1] [Ch.2] [Ch.3]

The following weeks of your pregnancy announcement were kind of tough on you and JJ. Word had got out that you were seen at the shop buying a pregnancy test and soon what seemed like the whole island knew you were pregnant. Everywhere you went, people gave you judgemental looks, especially the kooks. You tried your best to ignore their lingering stares but it was starting to bug you and even though you tried not to let JJ see it, he realized and it made him feel terrible.

He had done his best to make you feel better but he was struggling himself. His dad found out what happened, forcing JJ to come clean to him and then beating him senseless for his stupidity, calling him useless and a waste of space. He tried to fight back but he never even stood a chance. JJ was left bruised and limping for a week as you nursed him back to health in the safety of your home. 

 As far as you were concerned JJ should just move in with you so he can be close by when the baby comes. You even brought the idea up with your mother and she actually agreed, knowing how bad JJ’s home life was like. You were honestly surprised but didn’t want to question her in case she changed her mind. You gave her a big hug and she smiled at you. She just wanted the best for the two of you.

You planned to talk to JJ about it later on in the day when he came over. Your mother helped you schedule an appointment with an obstetrician and she was going to take you and JJ to it. You were going to take a nap until JJ arrived but a knock on your door distracted you.

“It’s open!” You called from your bed.

The pogues burst into your room a second later, scaring the shit out of you. 

“What the fuck?” You yelled, laughing a little with your hand over your heart. You were expecting your mom or your little sister but the sight of your friends made you smile. “What are you guys doing here?”

The four of them came to sit next to you, John B and Kie opting to sit on one of your bean bag chairs as your bed was too small to support the lot of you and lacked space. JJ took a seat next to you, pulling you into his lap and holding you close to his chest as Pope stole the spot you were sitting in before.

“We just wanted to see how you were doing,” John B said. “You haven't been around much and we miss you. JJ has been hogging you for far too long.” Kie nodded in agreement.

“I miss you guys, too,” You smiled, face contorting as JJ began to leave small kisses down your neck.

“Oh no, you don’t,” Pope laughed, shoving JJ back. “You guys are already having a baby, you don’t need to make another one in front of us.”

You all laughed and JJ flipped Pope off, a shit eating grin on his face. “You’re just jealous I’m actually getting some,” He told the Pope who rolled his eyes in response and your face grew hot at his words.

—-

“Are you nervous?” Your mom asked as you, JJ, and her followed the nurse down the hall. It was long and narrow, multiple rooms on each side and the linoleum floor squeaked as your feet shuffled along.

“I’m more excited than nervous, honestly,” You answered. JJ smiled at you, taking your hand. He was excited too. He still couldn’t believe that in just a few short months you and him would be parents.

“In here,” The nurse said, leading you into one of the many rooms. “The OB/GYN will be here in just a moment. Why don’t you get comfortable.” The nurse helped you settle into the recliner chair. The paper cover wrinkled as you climbed on, laying back. JJ and your mother occupied the chairs next to the bed as you all waited patiently.

A moment later there was a knock on the door and you all sat up straight as the doctor entered the room with a kind smile on her face.

“You must be Y/N,” She said reaching her hand out to yours and shaking it. “Nice to meet you. I’m Dr. Willson.” 

After introducing herself to your mother and JJ, Dr. Willson got to work preparing you for the ultrasound. She rubbed some sort of sterilizers on your stomach to clean it and grabbed some gel.

“This might be a little cold,” She warned before squeezing the tube of gel onto your stomach. You shuddered at the feeling, reaching out for JJ’s hand and grasping it tightly.

Dr. Willson began moving the sonographer over your belly, spreading the gel out evenly. She pointed at the monitor, “This area right here is your baby. Right now it’s about the same as a raspberry.”

Your mouth gaped open in astonishment, unable to believe that your baby was so small and that you actually had a child growing inside of you. JJ’s reaction was the same as yours. He looked shocked but so proud at the same time and it made your heart swell with love for the blond boy. You heard your mother sniffle and looked over at her in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” You said as you saw her start to cry.

She waved you off, “Nothing, nothing. I just can’t believe my little girl is going to be a mother. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, mom.” 

----

It had been a little over a month since your first appointment with Dr. Willson and your baby bump was starting to show. JJ was obsessed with it, always touching it every chance he got and giving it little kisses. You would stroke his hair as he did so and more often than not your mom would find the two of you asleep in that position.

You also finally asked JJ to move in with you and he said yes. You sort of expected him to fight you on it but you also knew that things were getting worse with his dad back at home so moving in with you was just the escape he needed. He didn’t even bother telling his dad because it's not like he would notice considering all he seemed to care about was his alcohol. JJ vowed to never let your baby grow up like he did and would make sure to always protect your guy’s child.

Today was no different than any other day. You and JJ were cuddling in your bed after a long day, your eyes closed in content as he gently rubbed your belly. Neither of you could wait until you were far along enough to feel the baby kick.

“How’s my little plum?” JJ whispers against your stomach.

“Your what?” You said, peaking your eyes open with a giggle. JJ flashed you a toothy grin, his eyes shining brightly.

“I looked up what size the baby is at 12 weeks. Right now she is the size of a plum.”

“She?” You questioned raising a brow. “What if it's a boy?.”

“It’s definitely a girl,” JJ said smugly. “I have a feeling. Call it a sixth sense or whatever but I’m certain. I bet my whole share of the gold on it.”

“My money is on a boy.”

“We’ll see, pretty girl,” JJ said, leaning up and pecking your lips. “Now let's get some sleep.”

Tag List: @outabanks @1-800-imagines @givejjmaybankahug  @jesssuperwholock03 @omgdani17 @styles-xoxo @katherine097 @someone2k19 @redridinnghood @classywaves @spilledtee​ @redridinnghood​ @eternalharry

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[jjaybank]

The ‘No Macking’ Challenge. (jj maybank)

Or  

The 3 times you almost got caught + the 1 time you were.

Summary: Pope and Kie feel like the PDA on The Cut is getting a bit out of hand, so for their own sanity they put stakes on keeping your hands to yourself. Pairings: JJ x Y/N, Sarah x John B,  Kie and Pope x 100% done with ur shit. Warnings: swearing, light smut, mentions of alcohol and drugs, not proof read. A/N: I can’t stand PDA, Kie and Pope I’m with u huns x I got this idea last night and I had to write it before I forgot x

Tagging some babes: @teamnick @spilledtee @downbytheouterbanks @https-luna @jellyfishbeansontoast @danicarosaline @kookkyra @bricksatanakinswindow 

You’re not quite sure who it was that first started getting on Kie and Pope’s nerves.  It could have been either you and JJ, or John B and Sarah, you were about as bad as each other.   But there is absolutely no doubt on earth that JJ was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  

_____________________

The heat of the day was almost unbearable.  The sun beat mercilessly down on the six of you, unforgiving and blistering.  You were sprawled out on the deck of the Pogue, drying off from your latest dip in the marsh.  The evidence of your swim evaporated almost as soon as you pulled yourself from the cool sanctuary of the dark water.  You lay on your back beside JJ, your boyfriend of almost a year.  There was something so completely sublime about being able to spend all day in the sun like this with your closest friends.  There was a comfortable silence on board the little boat, and the combination of beer and the heat of the day was causing you to drift off.  You could hear Sarah and John B muttering to each other, probably something impossibly sweet that would make you fake hurl.  You shut your eyes against the bright blue sky and settled in for a midday nap. When JJ suddenly poked you in the side you sprung to life, gasping and catching the attention of everyone else on the boat. He laughed animatedly and you squinted up at him, raising a hand to shield your eyes.   ‘What do you want?’ you mumbled, drowsy from your cat nap and the sun.  JJ smirked at you, his eyes trailing down your bikini-clad body and you slapped him lightly on the arm to regain his attention.  His eyes found yours again and his smile became softer- less lewd.  He handed you a bottle of water that had been stowed away in the shade.  You perked up a little, taking the bottle from him gladly. ‘Thank you, babe’ you said between sips.   ‘Gotta keep my girl hydrated!’ he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.   You handed the water back to him and turned over onto your front to even out your tan.   Beside you, JJ practically moaned and it’s like his brain switched off for a second, which wasn’t unheard of.  His hand found the flesh of your now exposed bum and you instinctively pushed up against his touch.  His fingers squeezed slightly, and that’s where you can pinpoint was the exact moment that Kiara and Pope had had enough.   ‘Fucking hell guys, get a room!’ Kiara sighed, throwing up her arms and rolling her eyes.  You pushed JJ’s hand off you quickly and rolled back over to face your friends.  Your face was flushed in embarrassment with everyone’s eyes on the pair of you. ‘Sorry’ you winced, suddenly incredibly conscious of how close you and JJ were sitting.   ‘No, actually, sorry doesn’t cut it anymore Y/N,’ Pope chimed in, ‘this happens literally all the time at the moment, and don’t go thinking you two are any less guilty!’’ he pointed an accusing finger at John B and Sarah who looked away bashfully.   ‘We really are sorry, Pope.’ you reiterated, sitting up properly and leaning against the side of the Pogue. ‘Nah, I’m not,’ JJ laughed, throwing an arm around your shoulders, ‘you’re just jealous you’ve got no butt to grab!’ ‘Right, that’s it,’ Kie burst out, ‘next couple to show even an ounce of PDA in the next two weeks has to clean the Pogue.’  

You all looked around the deck of the boat, suddenly acutely aware of how absolutely filthy the vessel was. And so began the ‘No Macking’ challenge.   ______________________________________ the times you were almost caught

1. You were all taking Kiara and Pope’s rules seriously. Even JJ didn’t want to risk taking on the monumental task of scrubbing the HMS Pogue clean.  You had noticed him mentally checking himself when he was around you, and it made you smile to see how much he was battling with himself to keep to Kie’s rules. The rules were that there was to be no PDA in front of anyone at all, including the other couple, which you had to say made the game much more interesting.  Hand holding was okay, in moderation of course.  And you were allowed one innocent hug once a day.  That was it, no other public affection allowed, and Kiara had shut down every objection with ease.  It was interesting, you thought, that it was John B and JJ who protested the most.   You had stayed the night at The Chateau and were currently making two mugs of coffee in the little kitchen.  The beach shack was eerily quiet, and you looked out onto the marshland which was already saturated in sunlight as you waited for the water to boil.  There was a gentle creak on the floorboards behind you and strong arms suddenly penned you in against the kitchen counter.  You beamed as JJ placed soft kisses against the base of your neck.   ‘Morning, baby.’ he murmured against your skin.  You melted into him, pressing yourself flush against his body.  He took your wrist in his hand and turned you gently to face him.   His lips were on yours in an instant, and you were getting vivid deja vu from the previous night.   His hands began to wander, tracing lazy patterns on the skin beneath the shirt you were wearing (which coincidentally belonged to him).  His hands were warm but he left a trail of chill on your ribs and stomach.  The sound of John B’s bedroom door swinging shut was lost on you as you ran your tongue over JJ’s lower lip.  JJ, however, was on high alert.  His eyes flew open and he pulled away from you almost as quickly as he’d initiated the kiss in the first place. He spun you around on the spot just as John B entered the kitchen.   You looked over your shoulder to see John B leaning against the doorframe, eyeing your close proximity suspiciously.  JJ reached over you and grabbed three mugs from the cupboard above your head.  He shook them in John B’s direction with his eyebrows raised, silently explaining why he had been standing directly behind you.   ‘Morning!’ you sang, adjusting your shirt discreetly.  John B narrowed his eyes at you, but there had been nothing to see on his end. You thanked your lucky stars that JJ was so against cleaning that boat.  Losing the game on day one would’ve been embarrassing. ________________________________ 2. It was three days since Kiara and Pope had declared their terms and so far so good.  You were down on the beach with Pope and JJ, setting up a barbeque and waiting for the rest of your friends to arrive.  Pope had rolled his eyes at the two of you holding hands on the walk to the bay, wishing he hadn’t convinced Kie to let you guys have that.   The sun was beginning to set, casting tones of amber and vermilion cascading over the calm waves.  You decided to head out for a swim while you waited for the others to arrive, the water looked too inviting to refuse it.  You stripped off your shirt and shorts all the while painfully aware of JJ’s gaze on your body.  You shot him a look that said, ‘don’t even think about it.’  He grinned toothily at you and took off in a sprint towards the sea.  You rolled your eyes and bit back a smile before following him in his tracks.   The three of you splashed around for a while, your whoops of laughter echoing up and down the beach.   The water was cool against your skin. A blue breath of fresh air after a hot and muggy day.  You lay back, floating on the waves as the sea washed over you and lapped against your skin.  You heard JJ swimming towards you and looked over to him with a wide smile.  His hair was dripping in gold and the sunset reflected off his body which glimmered in seawater.   ‘Stunning.’ you mused. ‘What is?’ He asked curiously, floating on his back in the water beside you. ‘This, yknow? The sun, the sea.  Everything.’ ‘Oh, how annoying, I thought you were talking about me.’ You laughed, knowing you’d been caught admiring him. ‘Yeah, you too.’ There was sudden movement beside you and JJ was pulling you towards him with his hands under your knees.  You glanced around to check for onlookers but Pope was swimming towards the other end of the bay, seemingly taking laps very seriously.  You wrapped your legs around JJ’s waist and rested your hands on his broad shoulders.   ‘How’re you doing, babe?’ you asked softly, resting your forehead on his.   He groaned, his fingers spreading wide under your thighs.   ‘This is the most torture I think I’ve been through’ he sulked, jutting out his bottom lip.  ‘I didn’t realise how much I touched you all the time!’ You nodded, tracing a finger along his jaw.  You were leaning in to press your lips against his when he moved quicker than you’d ever seen him move before, and you found yourself dunked completely underwater.  You came up gasping for breath and staring wildly at him. ‘What. The. Fuck?’  You wheezed, pushing your dripping hair out of your eyes and spitting seawater out of your mouth. ‘Guys!’ JJ shouted, waving at the beach excitedly and widening his eyes at you apologetically.  You whipped around to see Kie, John B, and Sarah walking along the sand and waving back out to you.  Pope met you at the shore line and looked concerned as you choked up more saltwater.   ‘You okay, Y/N?’ Pope asked, rubbing a hand over your back. ‘Fucker tried to drown me.’ You rolled your eyes and jabbed a thumb in JJ’s direction.  The blond smiled down at you and raised his arms in defense. ‘Hey, it was funny!’ He laughed, ‘I’m sorry I got you so good.’ Pope shook his head in disbelief and started towards your friends. The two of you dropped back as you approached the others.   ‘So, was that completely necessary?’ you asked, poking at JJ’s ribs. ‘Babe, I’m literally so sorry, I panicked!’ He stressed, grabbing your hand and running his thumb over in circles over your palm.   You laughed brightly, and of course you forgave him in a heartbeat.  You would get him to make up for it that evening when you had a moment alone.

_________________________ 3. On the fifth day you had a kegger and you had been absolutely dreading it.  You, JJ, Sarah, and John B had tried to convince Kie and Pope to let you have the night off from the challenge but they were having none of it. ‘Nope’, huffed Kiara, ‘it would be nice for you guys to spend some time with us tonight instead of sucking each other's faces all night long.’ It was going to be difficult.  Drunk you was magnetically drawn to JJ and you struggled to keep your hands off each other at the best of times, let alone when alcohol was involved. 

JJ watched you get ready for the night and sighed dramatically when you picked out your outfit.   ‘Babe, if we’re going to win this thing I don’t know if I can be around you in that skirt.’ You held it up on the hanger, playing with the pleats and throwing it back onto the bed. ‘Fine, I’ll wear that another time.’  You threw him a wink in the mirror and bit your lip against a smile as he adjusted his shorts.  You settled for jean shorts and a baggy t-shirt, the least tempting thing you could come up with.   The kegger was heaving with tourons, kooks, and pogues.  The bass thrummed across the beach and you could feel the music through your feet.  JJ left your side to grab you a drink from a couple of his friends and you teamed up with Kie in a beer pong tournament.  You were cheered on by John B, and JJ when he returned.  It kind of felt like the old times, before you and JJ had finally made it official.  Just hanging out with friends, nothing deep. In your drunken haze you made a mental note to do things like this more often.  To make more time for your other friends and to make sure Kie and Pope never felt excluded. You spent most of the night as wingwoman for Kie, helping set her up with a particularly gorgeous touron.  When she left you in favour of the company of her new conquest you smiled encouragingly as she walked away.  You sighed to yourself, looking into the party from the outskirts. You stood there under the palm trees and just enjoyed the rhythm of the alcohol coursing through your body for a moment.  A body broke apart from the throng of people on the beach and you beamed as JJ ambled towards you.  He looked so otherworldly, illuminated by the moonlight and the bonfire. ‘Hey, stranger.  You come here often?’ He hummed as he came to a halt in front of you.   You nudged him softly and took a sip of the drink in his hand.   ‘Mm, I might make a habit of it if you’re going to be around.’ you smiled up at him and caught the dark twinkle in his eye. ‘J-’ you started, tilting your head to one side. ‘Baby, no one can see us here.’ ‘You saw me!’ you exclaimed. ‘Only cos I was looking.’ His eyes were wide and innocent but you knew him too well to believe that facade. You looked past him and towards the kegger.  A new game had started up which seemed to involve running across hot coals from the bonfire, and everyone did look beautifully distracted. Weighing up your options took about 0.2 seconds.  Especially when one of your options was the extremely tempting specimen stood before you. You didn’t remember either of you making the first move. His lips were warm against yours and he tasted like the bitter beer he’d been drinking all night.  His hands ran down your sides, digging into your hips ever so slightly.  You sighed against his mouth as he took your bottom lip between his teeth, biting down gently.  Your hands bunched into the fabric of the back of his t-shirt as you leaned ever more into him.  His hand travelled up your back and settled on the back of your neck.  He ran his tongue over your lip while his hand twisted into the hair at the nap of your neck.  Your eyes flew open at the pleasure of the sensation, and just as well, because you could make out none other than Sarah Cameron walking across the sand towards you.   You pushed JJ away awkwardly and when he went to question you, you pulled him into a clumsy hug.   ‘Hi, guys - what are you doing?’ Sarah asked innocently as she approached you.   ‘Oh, hey there!’ you said, perhaps too brightly, holding JJ tightly against you as he fidgeted like a badly behaved child. ‘JJ had a bad hit of weed, just making sure he’s okay.’ You felt JJ stop struggling and you could almost hear his eyes roll against your lie. ‘Oh, okay...I could have sworn I saw - Never mind, hope you’re okay J!’  He groaned dramatically keeping up the act.  She looked at you suspiciously but turned on her heel and made her way back towards a couple of her kook friends. JJ pulled himself free of your embrace.   ‘Bad hit of weed?!’ he hissed, ‘how did she even buy that?’ You shrugged and wrapped your arm around his waist as you made your way back towards the party. ‘I’ll get you back for that, baby’ he whispered into your hair, before you parted ways and wished the rest of the night away. ________________________ + the one time you got caught. It was the seventh day of the no macking challenge.  You had woken up alone at your parents house to a promising sounding text from your boyfriend.   ‘Get here now.  Free house x’ You’d practically skipped to The Chateau, breathing in the heady scent of freshly cut grass and summer.  When you got there the yard was empty save for JJ’s dirt bike which was abandoned on the grass. The door hung open lazily and when you pushed it closed behind you JJ appeared in the hallway, letting out a low whistle.  You were in his arms in a moment, pushed against the door you’d just come through. ‘Morning, baby.’ he breathed pushing your hair back behind your ear and capturing your lips in his.  Your hands found his face and you traced your thumbs along his cheekbones.  He broke away and stepped back to look you up and down. ‘Hey, you wore the skirt!’ he grinned, flipping the pleats of your skirt gently and resting a hand on your hip.   ‘I did say I would.’ you smirked, watching his excited eyes take you in.  ‘Where is everyone this morning?’ you asked, walking further into the room and flopping onto the couch. ‘John B forced Pope and Sarah to go fishing,’ JJ slumped down beside you, ‘And Kie is at hers - think she has work this morning.’ He rested a hand on your thigh, spreading his hand out wide on the sensitive skin between your legs.  Your body quivered in response, lust flowing through your veins and settling at your core. You hummed, ‘that sounds like the perfect scenario then.’   You pushed JJ back against the couch and straddled him.  His hands found their home on the tanned skin of your ass, pushing your skirt up over your hips.   ‘I like this one.’ he remarked, admiring the way it looked bunched up around your waist.   ‘Really? Can’t tell at all.’ you deadpanned, moving suggestively against his shorts. ‘What else can that smart mouth do?’ You shook your head at him, smiling down at the sight before you.  The high points of JJ’s cheeks were tinted with pink and his hair stuck up awkwardly from sleep. He moved his hands over your skin, leaving a trail of gooseflesh in his wake. You shifted against him and he let out an involuntary moan.   JJ pulled you down over him, catching you up in a kiss again.  His hands continued to roam your skin before they finally landed on the soft fabric of your underwear.  His fingers were deft and light, they grazed lightly over you and coaxed quiet moans to spill from your mouth into his.  You were deep in the moment when JJ froze all of a sudden beneath you.  You pulled away and tried to catch his attention but he looked past you slightly. ‘You better get that red bikini of yours on, baby, we’ve got a boat to clean.’ Your head spun towards the door so fast you could’ve sworn you've got whiplash.  Standing in the open doorway was Kie, her hands tight over her eyes. ‘Fuck. Kie,-’ ‘Nah, I’m out! Guys, seriously? I’ve not even had breakfast yet!’ Kiara grumbled, her hands still firmly covering her face. ‘This can’t count surely?’ You protested, ‘we were home alone!’ ‘I don’t care, Y/N, I saw your whole ass.’ You blushed violently, resigning to the fact that you’d definitely lost the bet.   You moved off of JJ and readjusted your skirt.  Kiara peeked through her fingers and sighed in relief to see you were decent.   ‘I can’t believe you barely lasted a week, so gross guys.’  She rolled her eyes at you but she couldn’t help but let out a laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.   ‘I can’t wait to tell John B and Sarah, they’re gunna be so over the moon.’ Kie laughed, rummaging in her bag for her phone. ‘Hang on,’ you said, ‘ why don’t you just not tell them for a bit? Be funny to watch them work it out?’ ‘I like your thinking, Y/N! Knew there was a reason we were friends.’ She grinned. ‘Kie, I’d love to stay and cook up trouble, I really would’ JJ announced unexpectedly, ‘but Y/N and I have a situation that I think you’d prefer we handled in the bedroom.’ You didn’t stay around long enough to see Kie gag.

#jj maybank #jj Maybank smut #jj Maybank x reader #jj Maybank x y/n #jj maybank imagine #outer banks imagine #outer banks fanfiction #jj Maybank fic

[obx-adventures]

The Fall

Summary: Grace just moved from Figure Eight to the Cut. She never expected to run into her old friend, Kiara, and discover she lives next door to JJ Maybank.

A/N: If you want to be added to the taglist for future chapters, let me know. I also add people to the list who reblog any of the chapters.

Catch up here: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4

——

Chapter 5

“You just planning on ignoring me?” Kiara gave Grace a few minutes to collect her thoughts after she got in the van but can’t wait any longer. “Grace, come on, talk to me.”

“Nothing, Kiara. It’s nothing.” Grace’s voice is barely a whisper.

“Look, something obviously happened with your dad yesterday. I get that you don’t want to talk about that. But it doesn’t explain JJ being at your house this morning wearing the same clothes as yesterday or the weird vibe between you two. At least tell me what’s going on between you and him.”

“Kiara, if you want me to be able to get through my shift today, please let this go.” Grace’s grip on her emotions is slowly slipping. She’s not used to having people notice when she’s having a difficult time and it’s making it a lot harder to keep her composure.

“Ok, you don’t have to talk about it. But can I say one thing really quick?” Grace nodded but stayed quiet. “I’ve never seen JJ act like he does when he’s around you. He is horrible at talking about and showing his feelings and being vulnerable, but it doesn’t mean that the feelings aren’t there. My advice for you is to consider his actions as a whole, not just whatever happened between the two you since last night.”

True to her word, Kiara doesn’t say anything else during the trip to The Wreck. Grace silently mulls over everything that has happened between her and JJ. Was Kiara right? Grace didn’t really know JJ before becoming a Pogue so she can’t compare his behavior with her to his behavior with other girls. But if he felt the same about her, why would he reject her last night? She didn’t let him explain this morning, just assuming that he would try to let her down gently.

As they pull into the parking spot at The Wreck, Grace decides to give JJ the benefit of the doubt. Before Kiara can get out of the car, Grace grabs her arm gently to get her attention.

“Thank you, Kiara.”

Kiara is intuitive enough to know that Grace doesn’t want to talk about this anymore, so she offers Grace a smile and hugs her quickly. When she lets Grace go, she notices tears glistening in her friend’s eyes and gives her one final squeeze on the shoulders before getting out of the car.

----
“JB? You here?” JJ calls out as he walks into the Chateau.

“Hey, man. Where did you go last night?” John B has been worried about his best friend since he left the Boneyard last night. Normally, that means JJ went home but John B can’t find any new bruises. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean they aren’t there

“Just wanted to make sure Grace got home ok.” John B furrows his brow in confusion. He knew that something was off with the newest member of the Pogues, but JJ has never left a party to check on a girl.

“What was going on with her yesterday? Is she alright?”

“She’s got some family stuff going on. Rafe was a fucking asshole to her and she had enough.”

“Is she ok now?” John B studies JJ from across the room, trying to understand the weird vibe he’s giving off.

“Uh… not really. She’s working now and I’ll see how she is when I pick her up later.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot lately. Are you two a thing now?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” JJ pushes down his irritation, knowing John B is just fishing for information. He’s made comments about JJ and Grace for the past week or so. JJ has tried to hide his feelings for her better but apparently that hasn’t worked very well.

“Bullshit. I see how you are with each other.” JJ shrugs at John B and refuses to make eye contact. “Are you macking on her?”

“No. You know the rule.” John B rolls his eyes at his friend.

“Fuck the rule. And Grace wasn’t part of that rule. She just became a Pogue a few weeks ago. Don’t use that as an excuse.”

“Shut up, JB. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Whatever you say, man. But you two are clearly into each other. Just man up.”

JJ storms into his room at the Chateau and slams the door. He knows John B is right, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Why would Grace like him? She’s smart and strong and kind while he’s a fuck up who is only good at surfing. His own parents don’t even think he’s worth a damn so there’s no chance she would. He closes his eyes and remembers the way she looked at him last night. When he was holding her before Kie texted, she looked at him the way no one else did. And then when she came back from the bathroom, he thought that maybe she wanted to kiss him too. But she was drunk and sad. People do a lot of things that they think will make them feel better. There’s no way she would want to kiss him sober. Just because she was upset earlier, doesn’t mean she wants him. She was just embarrassed. Right?

He wakes up an hour later to his phone beeping, but he silences it and rolls over. Thirty minutes later, John B and Pope barge into his room.

“JJ, you have to text Kie back.” Pope is frazzled and out of breath.

“Did you run here?” JJ asks, confusion lacing his voice.

“Kie told me to find you ASAP. Grace needs you.”

“What’s wrong?” JJ bolts out of bed and throws on clean clothes.

“Her mom came to The Wreck and was really drunk. She was crying and begging Grace to forgive her. Kie couldn’t figure out what they were talking about, but she thought you would know.”

“Is her mom still there?”

“Yea, Grace went back to the office and locked herself in. I guess her mom is banging on the door and sobbing.”

“Fuck… JB, can I borrow the van?” In response, John B throws JJ the keys. “Thanks, man. And… sorry about earlier.”

“It’s fine, just go.” JJ pats John B on the shoulder and runs out of the house.

----

 “Grace? Where are you sweetheart?” Grace is hiding under the desk with her hands over her ears when she hears JJ’s voice.

“JJ?” Grace calls out.

“Yea, Kie gave me the key so I can check on you.” A wave of comfort rolls over Grace. Despite their fraught exchanges this morning, Grace is relieved that JJ is here. 
“Is my mom with you?” JJ follows her voice and realizes where it’s coming from.

“No, Kie’s dad got her to calm down and move away. What are you doing under the desk?” JJ sits down next to Grace and gently wipes her tears from her face.

“Just trying to block her out… Kiara called you?”

“Yes and no… she texted me, but I was ignoring my phone. She sent Pope to find me.”

“What did she tell you?” Grace won’t look at his handsome face, too afraid that she’ll see pity in those beautiful eyes.

“That your mom was here, drunk and upset, trying to talk to you.” JJ sees the familiar flush of her cheeks and scolds himself for not being tactful. “Hey, hey, no need to be embarrassed. You should hear some of the stories about my dad… Are you ok?”

Grace shakes her head no and JJ scoots closer to her and wraps her in his arms. He kisses her head as she cries against his chest. After a few minutes, Grace pulls back and wipes her face.

“I’m sorry, JJ…”

“For what?”

“This is the third time you’ve had to deal with my breakdowns since last night. I’m sure you would rather be doing anything else right now.”

“No way. I’m right where I want to be. You’re important to me and I’m here for whatever you need.”

Graces studies JJ’s face, hoping to find sincerity. She does but also sees something else that she can’t name. It’s the same thing she saw last night before Kiara texted him. But what does it mean? As if reading her mind, JJ reaches out and squeezes Grace’s hand.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here.” JJ helps Grace out from under the desk.

“I’m only half way through my shift.”

“Mr Carrera said you could take the rest of the day. Come on… I have the van and I want to take you somewhere.” Grace nods at JJ and tries to clean herself up a little in the office mirror. “You look beautiful already.”

Grace offers JJ a shy smile and grabs her purse from the locker. When they leave, they use the service door, so Grace doesn’t need to see anyone else on her way out. After she gets into the van, she texts Kiara to thank her for her help and tells her she’ll call her later.

“So… where are we going?”

“This place that Big John used to take me and John B to when we were younger. I still go there sometimes to be alone and get my head on straight again. I think you’ll like it.”

JJ drives them to a part of the island that Grace has never been. She tries to observe the new terrain instead of letting her nerves get the best of her. JJ seems just as nervous, tapping rapidly on the steering wheel as he drives.

“Here we are… Redfield Lighthouse. You ever been here?”

“Uh… no. I didn’t even know this was here. We can go inside?”

“Well… not technically… but I always just sneak up there.” Grace looks anxious but that soon disappears when JJ grabs her hand again. “Come on, it’ll be fine.”

They climb the stairs and get to the gallery without running into anyone. JJ drags Grace over to the edge and sits with his legs dangling over the side. Grace is skeptical but JJ pats the area next to him for her to sit down. They sit in silence for a few minutes. Grace is about to speak but she can see that JJ is trying to find the words, so she gives him more time.

“Grace… I wanted to kiss you last night.” Grace flushes pink and JJ chuckles as he brushes over her cheeks with his fingers. “I’ve wanted to kiss you every day since the first time you went out on the Pogue with us.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

“You were drunk and the whole thing with your parents is a lot. I didn’t want to risk doing this… us the wrong way.”

“Us?” Grace finally feels a flicker of hope. Maybe JJ does want to be with her.

“Well, I mean, I hope so. I remember the spark I felt when I touched your hand that night before you got out of the van. Then I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you. I’d catch myself watching you all the time when you were talking to one of the others. You would smile and I could feel my whole body relax. Sometimes I thought I could feel you watching me too. And then the other night… nobody has taken care of me the way you did. I finally felt peace when I fell asleep with you that night.”

“I felt that too. You’ve been my safe harbor during all of this. You’re the only person who has ever really known me…” Grace’s words fill JJ with confidence and hope.

“Can I… can I kiss you?”

Grace bits her bottom lip and nods shyly. JJ moves closer and brings his calloused hands up to cup her cheeks. He leans towards her and brushes his nose against hers. He pauses and stares into her eyes, searching for any reservations. She smiles slightly and moves the rest of the way to meet his lips. The kiss starts off soft and gentle. Grace brings her hands up, resting one in the crook of his neck while the other runs through his hair. He leans further into the kiss and probes along her mouth with his tongue. She obliges, opening her mouth to allow him entry. They get lost in the bliss of a perfect first kiss until they both need air. They rest their foreheads against each other, keeping eye contact as they catch their breath.

Taglist: @agirlwholovescoffee @alexa-playafricabytoto @mendesmaybank @teamnick @laurenyee09 @prejudic3 @teaheeee @shy-1234 @rudyismymanperiod @teaparadiso @ifilwtmfc @bxmaaa @qevon @lemur46

#jj maybank x reader #jj maybank #jj maybank x oc #jj maybank obx #jj maybank fic #jj maybank x y/n #jj maybank outer banks #jj maybank fanfiction #jj maybank x you #jj maybank imagine #jj obx fic #jj obx imagine #jj x y/n #jj x you #jj x oc #jj x reader #jj series #jj outer banks #outer banks x oc #outer banks fanfiction

[homeformyheart]

i don’t feel so alone anymore - noah harris x mc (mtfl)

author’s note: i had to repost this due to blog access issues. this was an idea i had early on when my two first loves started and takes place before mason and ava break up. i used the farmer’s almanac to pick specific flowers to reference in this fic. the meaning of white jasmine is “sweet love, amiability” and pink camellias represent “longing for you,” which i thought was fitting for noah. the other two flowers are defined in the fic.

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. moodboard created by me. series/pairing: my two first loves - noah harris x mc (emma rating/warnings: 13+; minor grief, mourning word count: 3.3k summary: it’s the third anniversary of emma’s mother’s passing and the price family have plans to visit her grave. noah finds out and offers emma his heart in support.

i don’t feel so alone anymore

the day was here again. i can’t believe it’s been three years, emma thought to herself as she grabbed a black sweater dress and pulled on a pair of black tights. am i really going to wear all black today? screw it, she thought, pulling on her calf-length black leather boots as well. she didn’t want to spend another minute thinking about her outfit or school. she just needed to make it to lunch.

emma sighed and pulled out a photo album from the bookshelf on her desk, opening it about three quarters of the way with practiced ease. she couldn’t help but smile at the photo in front of her – the last time her family was complete and happy. she had just started her freshman year of high school and made the cheerleading squad.

“we need to celebrate! can we have 4 specials, including milkshakes, and the family-sized ice cream sundae for dessert?” mrs. price ordered in rapid-fire succession, before everyone had even settled into the booth.

“mom, you know we’re not going to be able to finish all of that!” emma said, trying to be serious but failing to stop the wide grin on her face.

mr. price put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “it must be a special occasion if we’re getting the ice cream sundae.”

mrs. price looked pointedly at her husband, but the twinkle in her eye suggested she was teasing. “of course, it’s a special occasion. our little emma bear is a high schooler and a cheerleader!”

emma stuck her tongue out at the childish nickname her mom continued to use. “mom, don’t call me that!”

it was the last memory she had of her mother that she could look back on fondly, before she got sick. emma traced her mother’s face with her finger, her gaze lingering on the deep purple scarf with pink and gold flower detail and matching dangling earring set. she looked up at the box hidden in the top shelf inside her closet, where those same scarf and earring set were stored, untouched for the past three years. taking a deep breath, emma grabbed the box and pulled out the scarf first, running the soft fabric through her fingers before wrapping it delicately around her neck. she picked up the gold dangling earrings next, sliding them onto her ears, the pink and purple crystal flowers catching the soft light of the bathroom lights. her phone buzzed a few times and she glanced over at the notifications.

noah: [want a ride to school?]

mason: [hey emma, need a ride to school?]

it was the same every morning, except when mason was carpooling with ava. she stopped expecting texts from ava, after she decided that emma was trying to steal her boyfriend. however, she was not in the mood for any of the stupid drama today. she quickly texted a brief “no,” to both, put her phone on airplane mode, and followed her dad out to his car.

“i’ll pick you guys up at 12:00, right here,” mr. price said, looking over at emma and mackenzie, who just nodded and stepped out of the car.

emma looked over at her dad and noticed the tired look on his face. his eyes were red and puffy, like he had spent the night crying. “we’ll get through this together,” she said, softly.

mr. price met her gaze and smiled. “you look beautiful today, just like your mother did when she wore that scarf.”

emma felt her lips quirk up. “thanks, dad.” she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and stepped out.

she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone today. she walked to her locker to grab her history textbook before heading to homeroom.

“look at miss goth-wannabe over there. going to a funeral?”

emma took a deep breath. she saw lauren and ava walking towards her out of the corner of her eye and turned away so she wouldn’t have to make eye contact. she blinked rapidly at the stinging feeling forming behind her eyes at lauren’s comment and quickly sat down in the back corner of the room, on the side of the room closest to the door. if she had looked at ava, she would’ve seen the conflict on her best friend’s face. but they weren’t really talking these days, and emma didn’t want to feel hurt and disappointed in case ava didn’t remember what today was. only four hours to go.

as soon as the bell rang that signaled the start of lunch, emma walked as fast as she could toward the school entrance. she was weaving around students heading to their lockers or the cafeteria, heading in the opposite direction, when someone grabbed her wrist. emma tried to yank her wrist away and whirled around to see who had grabbed her.

“hey emma, where are you rushing off to? is everything okay?” noah asked softly, still holding onto emma’s wrist.

emma looked up at him and her eyes softened at the genuine concern in noah’s eyes. she bit her lip as she debated internally whether to tell him the truth. there were only two people who really knew what happened freshman year and would understand why today was so significant, but of course, those were the two people she wasn’t really talking to much lately.

“my dad’s picking me up for lunch and i have a free period after. i’ll be back for practice,” she said finally, avoiding eye contact.

noah let go of her wrist and moved to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. the simple motion made emma’s heart flutter and her body tense. bringing her eyes up to meet his, emma let out breath she didn’t realize she was holding. noah’s gaze was soft, gentle, but inquiring in a vulnerable way. his hand lingered by her cheek and she subconsciously started to lean into his palm. as if on cue, noah brought his palm closer and emma felt his thumb gently stroke her cheek.

there was something about the look he was giving her that made emma want to let him in. “we’re going to visit my mom’s grave. she died three years ago today,” she said softly, dropping her gaze to the floor.

noah held her chin firm and lifted her face so she was looking at him again. “i’m so sorry,” he murmured. “it’s understandable why you’d want to avoid everyone today. what can i do?”

emma pulled back instinctively, startled, but noah’s grip on her chin held her in place. most people who had never lost a loved one usually asked, “are you okay?” and emma would say “i’m fine,” as if it were a reflex. if they hadn’t lost a loved one, sometimes she would get the unintentionally offensive “time heals all wounds,” that she’d respond to with silence until they awkwardly excused themselves from the conversation. this was the first time in a long time someone just acknowledged her pain and asked her what they could do to be supportive rather than presume she wanted to hear unsolicited advice.

“that’s really sweet. i don’t think anyone’s really asked me that before, so i don’t really know if there’s anything you can do. but i really appreciate it,” she said finally, feeling a small smile appear on her face.

“i have a free period after lunch too,” noah started slowly, bringing his thumb to stroke her bottom lip. “i could keep you company or provide you with a distraction. whatever you need.”

his voice never wavered but emma saw the uncertainty in his eyes that darted between her eyes and her lips.

emma smiled a little wider. “that sounds nice. maybe you can meet me at the graveyard after my dad goes back to work? i’ll text you.”

noah’s eyes seemed to brighten and soften at the same time. “you got it, emma,” he said and with one last, quick glance at her lips, he dropped his hand from her face.

as soon as his hand left her face, emma missed the warmth. her gaze dropped to his lips once, before moving back up to meet his in what she hoped would be seen as silently asking for permission. noah’s gaze darkened so slightly that emma wondered if she imagined it, before his soft lips were on hers. she wasn’t sure who moved first, maybe they both moved at the same time, but all she could focus on was noah. he was kissing her sweetly and gently, as if he were afraid of pushing too hard or overstepping, and it was just what she needed.

she finally pulled away after what felt like minutes even though it was probably a few seconds and smiled. “thank you,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze before walking out the door.

ten minutes later, emma slid into the booth next to mack at the diner they used to go at least once a week. now they went as a family a couple times a year, in the spirit of remembering her mom. both mack and her dad were quiet and staring at the menus in front of them.

“3 specials with milkshakes and an ice cream sundae?” she suggested, mustering an encouraging smile on her face as she looked at her dad.

mr. price’s face brightened a little. “that sounds perfect for today.”

mack rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop a smile from forming on her face. “i am definitely going to fall into a food coma after lunch.”

emma quickly put in their order, making sure to also ask for coffee for her dad. once the food came, the awkwardness dissipated a little as they reminisced about their favorite memories with their mom. emma noticed both mack and her dad’s expressions seemed a little lighter by the time they were ready to leave.

after the meal, and boxing up lots of leftovers, they headed to the graveyard after a quick stop at the florist to pick up a bouquet of pink calla and stargazer lilies. emma held tightly on to the bouquet the entire ride over, feeling a sting behind her eyes and trying to keep the tears at bay by blinking rapidly. her mom absolutely loved pink lilies in all forms and while looking down at the picture-perfect flowers in her hands, she could feel how much she missed her mom. she missed her so much it physically hurt.

all too soon, she’s standing in front of her grave and the large tombstone with only the left half filled out. her parents had bought a shared plot and tombstone when her mom got sick. it was one of her mom’s strengths – she was always thinking ahead to find ways to lighten the burden on her family, even if said burdens came. the design and inscription on the tombstone were thoughtfully designed and selected by her mom, so the message was especially poignant. it was also the way her mom removed the burden from her family of having to deal with the logistics of arranging everything while they were deep in their grief.

“i love you mom. and i miss you so much every day,” emma said softly, kneeling down to help her dad clear out the weeds in front of the stone before laying the bouquet down. i hope i’ve made you proud, she thought to herself, taking a few steps back to allow her dad and mack to have their own private moments.

mr. price stood between emma and mack with an arm around each daughter. he gave their shoulders a light squeeze and emma wrapped her arm around her dad’s waist to give him a one-armed hug.

“come on girls, i’ll give you a ride back to school,” he said as he started walking back toward the car. mack followed but emma hesitated.

“actually, i’d like to stay a little longer. i don’t have any more classes today so i just need to get back in time for practice. i can take the bus back,” emma explained, tensing as she waited for her dad’s reaction. to be honest, she expected him to get angry and go into a lecture about skipping school even if she had a free period, but he didn’t.

he was quiet for a few moments before nodding. “i’ll see you at home later. be careful,” he said, turning back around.

emma let out the breath she was holding. she ignored the 30 unread texts and 5 voicemails from mason and sent a quick text to noah, who arrived more quickly than she expected. she walked back toward the main path so he could see where she was and noticed that he was holding two bouquets.

“what’s this?” she asked, as they walked back to her mom’s grave.

noah looked at her sheepishly. “well, i wanted to bring you and your mom something. the hyacinth and gladiolus flowers are for your mom,” he said, pushing the bouquet in his right hand toward her.

emma bent her face down to take in the scent of the flowers. “these are beautiful. usually people just get roses or chrysanthemums. i don’t think i’ve heard of these before, why’d you pick them?”

“i did some research on the meaning of flowers. white hyacinths can represent prayers for someone, and gladiolus flowers represent remembrance,” he said, softly. “i wanted these to be special.”

emma felt her heart swell with warmth. “noah… you being here is special. but thank you, this is incredibly thoughtful.” she smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. she motioned for him to place the flowers next to her bouquet from earlier before turning back to the grave.

“mom, i want you to meet someone special. this is noah harris from school, a very important friend i made this year,” emma said softly, intertwining her fingers with noah’s and giving him a light squeeze.

“just a friend?” he teased softly.

emma blushed and tried to keep her gaze forward. “i, well, you’re special to me,” she stumbled, embarrassed.

noah squeezed her hand. “you’re special to me, too.” he turned to address the grave. “mrs. price, you have an amazing daughter. she tried so hard to become my friend when everyone else preferred to ignore me. i never thought i’d have someone like her in my life, someone who sees me for me and chooses to see good. i am so grateful that you raised her to be so kind and thoughtful.”

emma’s jaw dropped and she turned to look at noah’s face. even from his profile, she could tell he was being sincere, and very vulnerable. he turned to her with a soft smile and emma just felt like her insides were melting. she surged forward to kiss him, hard, letting go of his hand so she could wrap hers around his neck. noah took a step back in surprise but quickly regained his balance and held her waist firmly as he kissed her back. he pulled back shortly after to hand her the other bouquet, which emma had forgotten about. she took the bouquet from him and inhaled the perfume radiating off the pink and white flowers before looking back up at him.

“these are for you. white jasmine and pink camellias,” he said softly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

“thank you,” emma said, sighing happily when noah placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “and what do these flowers represent?”

noah was silent. emma looked up from the flowers at him curiously but he was avoiding her gaze. was he blushing? she couldn’t remember if she had ever seen him blush before and now, she was really curious about what these flowers represented.

“you’re blushing! now i really want to know. please or i’ll just look it up,” emma teased, elated at finally seeing noah blush.

noah turned to head back toward the main path, but not before he grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. “i think i’d rather you look it up when you get home so you can’t tease me anymore today,” he said quickly as they made their way to his motorcycle.

“fiiiine, but i reserve the right to tease you about it tonight or tomorrow,” emma said, taking the spare helmet from noah.

he grimaced but emma could see the ghost of a smile twinkling in his eyes. she climbed behind him on the motorcycle and held tight as they made their way back to school. they walked hand-in-hand to the football field, ignoring the looks from everyone as they continued toward their respective locker rooms to get changed for practice. emma held on to her bouquet tightly and couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she chatted with noah the entire walk over.

if anyone was looking closely, which emma wasn’t, they would’ve noticed that noah wasn’t really saying anything but looking at emma adoringly as if everything she was saying was the most interesting thing ever. which it was, at least, to him. not even seeing ava being handsy with mason could put a damper on emma’s spirits as she said goodbye to noah before heading over to the bleachers for cheer practice.

“how good of you to come back for practice after skipping school at lunch,” lauren remarked sarcastically as emma started stretching. the entire cheer squad and even mason seemed to have gone silent, waiting for emma’s reaction or response.

emma took a deep breath and straightened up to look at lauren directly with a frostiness that seemed out of character. she could see ava and mason out of the corner of her eye look at her with concern. “i didn’t skip. my dad signs us out for a half day so we can visit my mom’s grave on the anniversary of her death every year. got a problem with that?” she stated, her voice unwavering. lauren’s eyes widened in surprise. “didn’t think so.”

“two laps everyone, now!” ava ordered. the other cheerleaders seemed relieved as they started jogging away from the bleachers. “emma, wait. can we talk?”

emma paused and turned to look at ava and mason. “em, i’m sorry. i tried texting and calling you all day,” mason said, hands clenching as though he was trying to keep himself from reaching out for her. emma knew what he was really saying, which was that either he was sorry he forgot it was the anniversary of her mom’s death and that emma would need all the support she could get from her friends or that he remembered and was sorry he didn’t try harder to reach out. maybe he was too preoccupied with ava.

emma gave both of her friends long, appraising looks. “is that all?” she said, a little inwardly surprised at her own indifference. ever since her two best friends started dating, instead of seeing them both more, she saw them even less. she thought she would feel less alone after coming back from wisconsin but being a third wheel threw a wrench in that. until she started getting to know noah.

“emma… you know we’re here for you,” ava said softly, her eyes searching emma’s face for cues.

emma thought back to how noah stopped her in the hallway before she left to meet her dad and the flowers he brought to the graveyard. “except you know, you actually weren’t there for me today,” she said, giving them both a piercing look. mason and ava seemed to both tense and inwardly withdraw.

“but don’t worry, i’m okay. more than okay, actually. for the first time in a long time, i’m happy and i don’t feel so alone anymore,” she said, more to herself than to them, as she turned to start jogging along the track.

she didn’t look back at the concerned looks on mason’s and ava’s faces but did wave to noah when she noticed he was looking at her. she still missed her mom every day, but today it didn’t hurt as much. and she knew who to thank for that.

* * * * * mentions: @nyastarlight​; @khoicesbyk​; @chetachisblog​;  @robintora​;​ @shows-simp-card​;

#choices fanfics #choices fanfiction #playchoices fanfiction #choices fic writers creations #my writing #reposting for new blog #my two first loves #noah harris x mc #mtfl noah #choices #pb choices #playchoices #not twc #my choices fics

[babyleclerc]

Tequila Sunrise

Pairings: Chris Evans x Fem Reader

Style: One-Shot

Request?: No, but 100% inspired by that stupid Shawn Mendes/Camila Cabello song I will never get out of my head

Warnings: Language. Smut. Unprotected sex (woops, wrap it before you tap it, kids). NSFW. Slight dom!Chris.

Word count: 4.5K 

Summary: You’ve known Chris since you were twelve. He’s always been a constant for you, never a romantic interest. But will the summer heatwave, humidity and pool time get to your head and change the way you feel about each other? Includes Anthony Mackie!

A/N: Holy shit, you guys. I’ve been working on this one all week. I won’t lie, I’m attached to this one and really hope you guys like it. :3 I’m considering doing a series tied to this -- more of what happens with Reader/Chris & potentially with Ava (bc I love her personality and modeled her off Blake Lively, if you couldn’t tell). If you liked this/would be interested in reading more in this world please comment and let me know!! Your support helps me write :))

This story truly feels like my baby so please do leave it some love/review if you liked it. Sorry if the smut sucked I hate writing it but felt like it was essential to the story jfdlakflds;akf;dsaf. Don’t hate me. ALSO, huge thank you to my #1 @deartomhardy. She helped me through this in so many ways. Hyped me up when parts of this fic made me sweaty, yelled at me when I whined about the smut. Supported me literally through it all. I love u my baby angel. <3 (Gif not mine!)

You say we’re just friends,

But friends don’t know the way you taste.

‘Cause you know it’s been a long time coming,

Don’t you let me fall.

It was hotter than all hell, and you were starting to get sick of the dry heat that was coursing it’s way through the city the past few days. Your hometown used to be so enjoyable; better weather, less traffic, less people, less lines, less noise. Now, everything was popular - and not in a cute way. The donut shop down the street you had been going to since you were five was now considered a collectible. You saw tourists at the airport with the stupid blue boxes everywhere. The quaint coffee shop that was next to a questionable Chinese restaurant had now multiplied where you could find one on almost every street corner. Even down to the people - one in particular - who used to just be a regular Joe Schmoe was now a celebrity in his (also your) hometown. Wild.

“Find any hotties out there?” You turned your head to the edge of the pool to peer through your circular sunglasses at the voice. Mackie was leaned against the cool tiles surrounding the edge of the pool, the bottom of his body enveloped in water. He turned to look at Chris who had just entered the gated pool area.

“I just went to get some beers, Mack. Chill.” Chris replied, and you couldn’t help the small smile that formed on your lips at his response.

Local-theatre-geek-turned-celebrity did have its perks, though. For one, you were able to enjoy a private pool on a 97 degree day, well, privately. Chris’s summer home was nothing short of a resort; food at any and all hours of the day, a pool, hot tub, and theater room. The best part about the pool was that there were no kids screaming and running around, wreaking havoc. You had a barbecue all to yourself, you could blast music and no one would complain. Plus, you found yourself suddenly surrounded by far better and more interesting company.

You and Chris had always been close. That was clear to everyone around you. You went to his premieres, supported him on Broadway, stayed up with him late into the night over the phone when his anxiety got the best of him, and he was a full Country away from you. Assured him that he would have the family he’s always wanted one day. And he supported you through all your endeavors. Helped you pay your way through grad school (I have so much money, Y/N, I literally don’t know what to do with it. Let me do something good for you, just this once he’d said to you late that night on the floor of your college dorm). Listened to you when you ranted about your parents and how the planet alignment was throwing off your mood. Was a shoulder to cry on when you went through breakups. There were no secrets between you, and there was no drama.

You knew this was because the only rule you had with Chris was the one that had stood the test of time: no sex. Period. No matter how drunk you got in the college dorms or at Marvel premieres. Even if you didn’t have someone to kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Even if you were vulnerable, heart aching for some affection and non-romantic sex after your ex cheated on you. Even if you were just plain horny. No. Sex. Your 20+ year friendship had lasted this long because one person in the relationship had always stood that ground no matter the circumstances. And for that, you were so thankful. Thankful for the lack of complications and strings; thankful you had someone in your life you could be you around. It was a rarity these days.

“Beer?” Said friend asked you, sunglasses adorned his tanning face. You looked up from Mackie and nodded, stretching out a hand to reach for the refreshing drink Chris was offering your way.

“Please,” You respond, waiting for Chris to pad his way over to you across the massive outdoor patio.

Had Chris not had his sunglasses on, you would have noticed the way he was eyeing your outstretched body, clad only in a thin, navy blue bikini on the poolside chair. Your bottoms hugged your hips as if made just for you; your tousled hair touching just beneath your shoulders; stray strands innocently snuggled beneath your breasts.

He took a breath, willing himself to look away as he handed you the cool drink. You noticed the way his obliques twitched with his arm movement, and how massive his biceps were after coming off of Endgame. You had, of course, noticed your best friend’s looks before - you weren’t blind - but the heat was making you see him in a different light. You took a swig of your beer, hoping the distraction would take you away from the way a bead of sweat was falling just along his torso towards the top of his swim trunks...

“I’d love one, Chris, thanks for asking.” Your best friend, Ava, spoke out next to you.

“Did you have to bring her?” Chris teased, grabbing another beer and gently tossing it towards Ava, who lay sprawled out on a lounge chair next to you in a stunning red one piece that hugged her cleavage just right.

Ava was the quintessential best friend whose kindness and selflessness made up for the fact that any woman next to her would otherwise feel inadequate.

She had long, slender legs, carved after years of soccer, tennis, biking, and basically any sport she could get her hands on. The constant need for an adrenaline rush made her tanned skin stay year-round, which was accompanied by a moderate four pack, large natural breasts, and wavy, thick blonde hair that always fell just right. Add her bright emerald eyes and a contagious laugh that lit up any room, and she was a heartbreaker to any man that was lucky enough to be in the same room as her.

But Ava didn’t care about that stuff, and that’s what made her so special. She was selfless. She put everyone else’s needs above her own, and had kindness oozing out of her, no matter the circumstances. She went to Mexico on a UNICEF trip on a whim after reading an article about children in need on a random Tuesday morning. She put her younger brother through medical school when both of her parents passed away unexpectedly (still a mystery to everyone else how she ever managed it). She was a perfect blend of compassion and enthusiasm that attracted men who wanted to get in bed with her and women who wanted to be associated with her. And it was effortless; as if it came to her like breathing.

“They’re kind of a package deal, those two.” Mackie piped up from the pool, grinning as he unashamedly drank Ava in. He had been trying to get with her all summer, but Ava stood her ground. She wasn’t one for summer flings.

But Chris knew this already; in fact it was Ava and Chris’s friendship that had gotten you to know Chris to begin with. Your mom had forced you into 6th grade soccer (hoping you would show some sort of athletic talent in your childhood) where you had met Ava on the very first day. Chris had been on the boys team at your middle school, and Ava being, well, Ava, had already made friends with the entire team within days. Your practices were on separate fields, separated only by a goal post but always ended at the same time. You would frequently all walk home together after practice, stopping for a smoothie, donuts, or ice cream along the way depending on the weather and talking about everything under the sun. Those walks were the reason you stuck with soccer for all those years (sorry, Mom).

“I already know what you’re going to say,” Ava started, lowering her voice and leaning towards you so the boys couldn’t hear. “But if I didn’t know any better, I’d say a certain someone was checking you out today.”

You rolled your eyes, but felt your heart skip a beat at the insinuation. “Don’t go starting shit, Ave. He’s seen me in a bikini a million times.”

“Yeah, and you’ve seen him shirtless a million times, too, and yet here you are gawking at him like he’s some Sports Illustrated model.”

“Am not!” You laughed, taking a drink of your beer. You noticed the way Chris’s eyebrows raised at the sound of you from across the patio; he was always in tune with you even from a thousand miles away.

“Prove it.” Ava deadpanned, swinging her legs over her chair to sit up and face you.

“What?” You asked, exhausted by your best friend’s antics.

“Prove it.” She repeated, setting her beer down on the cement. “If it’s no big deal, and you feel the same way about him you always have and nothing’s changed-” She used air quotations, referring to the thousands of conversations you’d had about Chris since you were both back visiting your hometown and hanging out with Ava, “-then swimming and playing around in the pool should be no big deal. Just another swim with your best buds.”

She had a wicked grin on her face, and you knew you were in trouble. When Ava set her mind to something, she always saw it through. No matter what.

“Please don’t do this.” You pouted, though your best friend was already standing, waiting to make her move. The pitied look on your face didn’t fool her, and you found she was ignoring you as she dramatically fanned herself, heading towards the pool.

“It’s getting a bit toasty. I think I’ll take a dip to cool off.” She announced, “Y/N, you coming?”

“I think I’m good, thanks.” You glared at her, unamused. She shot you a wink in response.

“Man, I was really hoping we could chicken fight. Evans!” Chris jumped at the sudden inclusion from the loud blonde. “You in?”

He looked up from the edge of the pool where he had been leaning against one of the railings. Him and Mackie had been discussing some latest sports announcement at length, since you had been too bored earlier to listen out at lunch.

“Mhm?” Chris asked, clearly not paying attention to Ava’s antics and shooting a look over to the both of you. You noticed the beer in his hand was nearly empty.

“Chicken fight!” Ava said enthusiastically, “Me ‘n Mack vs you two losers.”

“Alright!” Mackie shouted happily, “Now things are getting interesting. Finally.”

Chris sighed, not near excited for the fight as the other two. “You in, partner?”

“I guess.” You groaned, knowing you had no way out of both Anthony and Ava’s persistence. You pulled yourself up off the chair and stood, stretching and rolling your neck, which had been stiff from the CrossFit class Ava had forced you to earlier in the week. Your muscles still ached from the fifty minute torture session you cursed your best friend all the way through, and though you’d never admit it - a dip in the pool sounded so refreshing after nearly 45 minutes in the heat.

Chris’s eyes never left you, or the way your body was glistening in the sunlight. The summer heat was leaving your cheeks just flushed, and he noticed how the thin swim material hugged your plump ass seductively. You were oblivious. Oblivious to the beauty and perfection Chris saw in you, how your right dimple surfaced when you laughed, and your eyelashes fluttered when you slept deeply. He felt a small pang of jealousy in his gut at the thought of all the guys who had seen you that way, and wondered if they noticed all those things about you that he did.

Throughout high school and through adulthood, people had always assumed Chris was dating Ava. Whether it was friends, family, or tabloids - people always gushed over what a “beautiful couple” he and Ava made. Maybe it was because of the stark blond hair, or maybe that she was almost taller than Chris, and they appeared to be “perfectly matched”. To Chris, she was just Ava. A close, and dear friend, but no one he would ever be romantically interested in. 

She wasn’t you.

--- 

Much to your annoyance (and to Ava’s pleasure), chicken fighting with Chris had been just as awkward as you had expected. You were acutely aware of every touch - the way his strong hands gripped your thighs when you were straddled on top of his shoulders, desperately trying to shove your best friend off Anthony’s. She was stronger than you; that much was obvious. But having Chris at the base gave you an edge, and you ended up winning more than the other pair thanks to his cheating swipes at Mackie from under the water.

While the game was innocent enough, you heart drummed loudly in your chest every time his skin made contact with yours. Several times as you fell, shoved off by Ava’s very aggressive pushes, you’d feel Chris’s strong arms envelope you, laughing and crashing into the water with you. His arm stayed wrapped around your torso, holding you easily against his hip as you pushed up for air. Water droplets danced along your shoulders as you laughed, easily wrapping your legs around Chris as an excuse for support.

Finally, after several hours of Marco/Polo, ring tossing, and shark and minnows, Anthony and Ava had tired themselves out and retired to their respective homes. You and Chris had moved to the hot tub, tucked deep into the corner of the house, where you could still see the stars. The heatwave had finally burnt off, and you felt a cool breeze rolling through the property, sending a slight shiver down your spine. You leaned your head back onto the cool, diamond tiles that lined the tub, your legs peacefully resting on Chris’s lap across from you as the jets made water bubbles all around you. You sighed, blissfully happy - nothing was better than a long, warm day at the pool with your best friends.

“What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?” Chris asked softly. His fingers danced across your legs like a whisper, his warm blues matching the color of the water just beneath his sturdy chest. 

“I’ve just missed this,” You reply, raising your eyes to meet his. “Life should always be this simple.”

“It can be.” Chris retaliated, thumb now making small circles just above your ankle. You smiled softly.

“Sometimes. But other times I remember that there’s reality, and we have to work and pay bills and like... be an adult.” You sighed again, “It’s just not the same as...” You trailed off, not having the balls to finish your sentence. You awkwardly broke eye contact with him, looking down at your hands in the water.

“Not the same as what?” He pressed, hand now gripping your ankle gently. He tugged just enough to force you to make eye contact with him again. 

“Real life just isn’t the same as being here with you,” You finished out awkwardly. This was uncharted territory - you’d never talked about this kind of stuff with Chris. You were always just friends, and that was the extent of it. Nothing more; and there was never really an opportunity to be more than that because both of you had never let it. 

But now... now he was here. And he was so... perfect. And caring. And kind. And he listened to your ideas, beyond just wanting to get into your pants. And he knew you so intimately, it was hard to think about being with anyone else. It made you wonder if all of your past relationships had failed for a reason, maybe there was someone else you were supposed to be with, and he had been right in front of you this entire time?

Chris tugged on your leg, a little stronger this time, willing you towards him as the water bounced between you guys softly. He was closing the gap between the both of you, but the pace in which he was taking was painfully slow. You felt every second, as if it had been slowed down five times, as you inched towards him slowly.

“Chris, I...” You whispered, as his hands enveloped you, gripping your waist and maneuvering you so that you straddled his lap.

“What?” He asked breathlessly, drunk on your smell, and the way your ass was settling on his groin. His eyes still haven’t left yours, he’s testing you - daring you to be the one to pull away first. 

“I don’t trust myself right now.” You reply, eyes boring into his. Your face was millimeters away from his, and you so desperately wanted to reach out and taste him; know what it would feel like to kiss those soft, pink lips. 

“Just one kiss.” He breathed. His tone was more of a request than it was statement, he was begging you to give in just this once. You lifted your hands and rested them on the sides of his face, feeling his slight stubble against the palms of your hands.In the decades of knowing him, you had never been this close. You breathed in deeply, taking in his scent. You felt as though you were home. And although it was likely only seconds that passed by, it felt like it had been a million minutes all smashed into one, and you finally leaned in, closing the fraction of space between your lips.

And suddenly, you were falling. Falling so deep into Chris and your feelings it was indescribable. He tasted like a perfect blend of vanilla, honey and strawberries; likely from the massive bowl he had eaten just hours before. 

His arms wrapped around you, pulling you as close into him as he could. This was more than just one kiss, and both of you knew it. There was no going back now.

After a few breathy moments, Chris pulled back for air, immediately relocating his lips onto the crook of your neck, kissing every inch of your skin from your jawline down to your shoulder. Your skin felt as though it was on fire, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the water. You leaned into him, a soft moan escaping your lips as you let your eyes flutter closed. His hands roamed up your spine, tugging at the spandex material that was barricading him from access to your breasts.

“Not here,” You murmured, letting your head fall against his shoulder. As warm and sexy as the hot tub was, you weren’t interested in your first time with Chris being messy and wet in his outdoor hot tub. Plus, the cool breeze was starting to give you goosebumps.

He pulled away from the hickey he was working on just above your right breast. “Hold onto my neck.” He said against your skin. Wrapping your legs around his waist he easily stood, carefully maneuvering the both of you out of the hot tub and towards one of the guest bedrooms just a few feet from the hot tub. All the while his lips continued his assault on any part of you that he could, stumbling in the dark towards the massive queen bed that was enveloped in snow white sheets.

A small giggle escaped from your lips as he tripped slightly, dropping you backwards and onto the soft mattress.

“Think that’s funny?” He asked, grinning as he took in the sight of you; eyes sparkling and hair wet and wild, soaking the cotton sheets beneath you. Nothing separated him from you other than your skimpy bikini, which he was determined to pull off within minutes of having you on the bed.

“I mean, it was a little dramatic,” You teased, reaching out to grab his left arm, and interlacing your fingers easily as he leaned over, hovering over top of you. No part of you were touching just yet, other than his hand in yours. “I do have working legs, ya know.”

“Well, yes, but where’s the fun in that?” He teased, allowing himself to settle on top of you easily. He was grinning from ear to ear, and you weren’t sure if it was your ego or the heat of the moment - but you could have sown you’d never seen him this happy.

“Are we really gonna do this?” You asked softly, reaching your hand to stroke the side of his face, your eyes searching his.

“Do you want to?” He asked, ever the gentleman. Your heart was ringing in your ears, aware of the hard erection Chris was sporting through his swim trunks. It pressed against your right thigh gently. You squirmed beneath him.

“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.” You murmured, and that was the final confirmation Chris needed to close the gap between you two once more.

And this time was different from the hot tub. In the water you were slow, deliberate, wanting every nerve in your body to feel him against you. This was different; he was hungry for you. His hands made quick work of your bikini top, tossing it onto the floor as your lips parted to make room for his tongue.

His right hand massaged your left breast, pinching and flicking your nipple every so often. The sensation made you moan, and you arched your back in response. You could feel your pussy throbbing for him, begging him to please you, touch you.

Needing air, you pulled away from him, placing kisses along his chin and down his jawline.

“Chris,” You moaned into his ear, slightly tugging on his long, wet hair as his thumb padded your tout nipple.

“Mhm,” You were quickly realizing that Chris was going to make you beg him for this one. After years and years of waiting, he wanted to hear exactly what you wanted him to do to you. He wasn’t going to give you an easy out. Not tonight anyway.

“Please,” You begged, as his right hand moved slowly, torturously from your breast and across your tummy, running a finger along your slit over top your bottoms.

“What do you want?” He asked, nose nuzzling your neck before biting you gently.

You groaned, annoyed at the teasing. “We’ve had twenty years of foreplay, Evans. You know what I want.”

He chuckled against your skin, palming your pussy in response.

“Don’t be a smartass.” He bit your earlobe gently, running his tongue along your neck. “All you have to do is ask.”

You weren’t used to such a dominant side of Chris, but the rate in which it was turning you on was unbelievable. He was confident and sexy in the bedroom - a side of him you weren’t used to seeing. It was a relief to feel like you were being taken care of, and that your needs were coming before his. Even if he was making you beg.

Deciding that being blunt was the only way to get what you want you pushed him away from your neck gently, meeting his warm blues. There was a quick beat.

“I want you to fuck me, Chris.” It was so vulgar you felt your cheeks go warm. But if Chris was turned on before, it was nothing like the look of desperation and hunger he had in his eyes now.

He shoved  his swim trunks off, freeing his cock that was standing at attention. You craned your neck to get a look, mouth practically watering at the sight. Chris yanked off your bottoms next and paused for a minute, drinking you in.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” He breathed, his hands running down your sides. His hand stopped just above your folds, locating your wild eyes and watching your face as he slipped in one, two, then three fingers, testing your readiness.

You hissed, writhing at the feeling and pulled at the sheets in a death grip. After a few pumps he pulled out of you, but not after sliding his index finger once across your clit. The feeling made you shutter, and your eyes rolled to the back of your head.

He aligned himself, pausing to soak you in. After all these years of wondering, wishing, hoping; you were all his. He didn’t have to worry about anybody or anything else. You were here, and this was perfect.

Your eyes fluttered open, wondering what the hesitation was. You knew immediately he was silently asking for permission one more time. Once you crossed this line, there was no going back. Your hand found his and you intertwined your fingers once more.

“I want this.” You whispered reassuringly.

That was the confirmation Chris needed to settle himself above you, and slide into your pussy slowly. Inch by inch you felt yourself filled up by his impressive length, and you squeezed his hand, moaning loudly.

“Jesus,” He moaned, allowing your body to adjust before beginning to fuck you slowly. “So wet.”

His mouth latched onto one your breasts, licking and nipping at your sensitive nipple as he began slamming into you with more speed. His thumb was still making fast work of your clit, and the triple combination was making it hard for you to not cum quickly.

“Chris,” You breathed, reveling in the way his cock felt inside of you. You bucked your hips hoping to allow him to penetrate you deeper.

“So absolutely perfect.” Chris kept murmuring against your skin, over and over as he kissed, licked, and squeezed every inch of you he could. He picked up the pace, feeling your walls tightening around his cock. You were dangerously close to release.

You tried to form words but couldn’t think coherently. Everything was a blur, and every nerve was on edge as you felt yourself inching quickly toward orgasm. One more thrust from Chris and you let go, crying out as your walls clenched down on his cock without mercy.

Squeezing your breast, he found your mouth and kissed you as if his life depended on it. After a few more thrusts, he, too, let out a loud groan as you felt him finish inside you.

Still seeing stars you blinked a few times, your brain trying to catch up to the scene unfolding in front of you. You had just had sex with Chris Evans. Best friend of over 20 years. Man you shared every intimate secret with. He’s seen you naked. Touched you everywhere. Came inside you. Holy shit.

Chris was still lost in his orgasm, panting slightly. He pulled out of you, rolling over to his side.

“Wow,” He breathed. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his side. “That was…”

“Amazing?” You offered, snuggling into his chest and letting a hand dance along his skin. Your heart still hadn’t recovered from the previous cardio session, and you could feel Chris’s still racing also.

“I was gonna say mind blowing.” His chest rippled in your hand from a laugh. “But amazing works too.”

Fin.

---

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[thatwhumplife]

It’s All Coming Back

Whumptober 2020 Prompt 26: If you thought the head trauma was bad...

Fandom: Chicago PD/Med

Summary: After-effects of Jay’s military service come back to haunt him. Will gets his eyes opened to some of what Jay has been dealing with.

Words: 2441

Will approached the apartment and knocked enthusiastically. He had been pulling a lot of extra shifts at Med recently and hadn’t had much time to spend with Jay. But finally – finally he had a night off and they had plans for a Hawks game and a couple of beers.

Several seconds passed with no answer.

Will knocked again. “Jay, buddy! Quit puttin’ that makeup on; it’s just a night with your brother!”

Again, he was met with silence. Will hesitated but the worry took over. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it slightly. It was unlocked and gave way immediately. The door swung open revealing a dark apartment.

“Jay?” Will called.

A soft voice cried out in response. “Agh!”

Will rushed forward and flipped the entry light on, flooding the living room with bright light.

“AH! Turn it off!” Jay moaned from the couch.

Startled, Will flipped the light back off and stumbled forward as his eyes readjusted to the darkness. He found his way to the couch and put a hand on Jay’s shoulder.

“Jay? What’s going on?”

“Hurts,” he whispered. “Too loud.”

Will brought his voice down to a whisper. “What hurts? What happened?”

“Head,” he breathed out, heaving as he pushed the palms of his hands against his temples.

“Did you get hurt? Did something happen at work?” Will was growing more concerned by the second. He didn’t see any blood though that was hard to know for sure with the two of them shrouded in darkness.

“Migraine…bad one…” Jay finally said.

Will took a calming breath. A migraine was something he could deal with. “Did you take anything?”

“Imitrex. A while ago. Hasn’t touched it.”

Jay suddenly pitched forward and reached for a bowl on the floor that Will had just barely missed with his foot. He leaned halfway off the couch and began dry heaving.

“How long since the pain started?”

“I don’t know,” he gasped once the gagging subsided. “What time is it?”

“Almost 7:30.”

“Oh god. Right. The game. Aw man, I’m sorry, I should have called you.” Jay rolled back onto the couch and covered his eyes with his arm.

“No, no, no, don’t worry about that. When did the pain start?” he asked again.

“Around 3?”

“Is that when you took the Imitrex?”

Jay nodded silently.

“God, Jay, you should have called me. When did you start throwing up?”

“I don’t know. A while ago.”

Will put his hand under Jay’s shoulder blade and started to help him up. “C’mon. You’re going into Med.”

Jay moaned and tried to push him off. “No, no, just let me try and sleep it off. I can try another Imitrex.”

“Nope. Not negotiable. You’re dehydrated from throwing up and the pain is way out of hand. You need to get it under control.”

Will made another move to pull Jay into a sitting position. He obeyed this time but kept his hands over his eyes and laid his head back as soon as he stopped moving.

“Are you dizzy?”

Jay shook his head. Will didn’t believe him but figured it wasn’t worth arguing about.

“Wallet in your pocket?”

Jay nodded, trying to conserve his energy for what he knew would be a very uncomfortable walk to the car.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Will pulled Jay to a standing position and took his right arm to guide him. He opened the door to the hallway and the hall light hit Jay like a Mack truck.

“Agh,” he moaned, trying to cover his eyes more thoroughly with his left arm.

Will slipped his sweatshirt off and pushed it against Jay’s hand. “Use that instead.”

Jay balled up the sweatshirt and pushed it against his eyes as they made the slow trek to Will’s car. Once inside, Will buckled him in and shut the door as softly as he could.

Jay used both hands to hold the sweatshirt over his eyes and curled up, leaning against the window.

The ride was uneventful and quiet. Will left the radio off and tried to avoid any sudden jolts.

Pulling up to the entrance, Will whispered to Jay to stay in the car, that he would be right back.

Will arrived back a few minutes later pushing a wheelchair with Natalie in tow. He tapped on the window, which alerted Jay to his presence, before carefully opening the door.

“Jay, I’m here with Natalie. We have a wheelchair here to make it easier.”

“No, no I’m good.”

Will suppressed the urge to chuckle. “Just ride in the wheelchair. It will be easier to keep your eyes covered. The lights are going to be bright.”

Jay took a deep breath and stepped out of the car, allowing Will and Natalie to guide him into the seat. Will placed his feet on each of the footrests before nodding to Natalie.

“I’m gonna go park the car, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Jay grunted a noncommittal reply and Will took that to mean he’d better hurry.

Natalie guided Jay into the ER and into a waiting treatment room. She immediately turned down the lights as low as they could go and helped him up onto the bed.

“Halstead?” he heard a voice ask.

Natalie turned and saw Maggie standing in the doorway.

Natalie nodded. “Migraine. Can you send a nurse in?”

Maggie nodded and turned around to flag someone down. “April, need you here in treatment two.”

April walked over and nearly ran into Will who was rushing to get back to Jay’s side.

“Jay, I’m back, I’m right here.” Will put a hand on Jay’s thigh and squeezed gently. Jay continued to keep the sweatshirt over his eyes but visibly relaxed at Will’s touch.

“Jay,” Natalie said cautiously, trying not to speak too loudly, “Will filled me in on most of it. Sounds like your migraine med isn’t working. You have a history of migraines?”

Jay nodded and Will felt a stab of guilt in his stomach. He had no idea.

“Since my TBI,” he said, painfully, “Overseas. But I haven’t had one for a long time.”

Will realized again how absent he was when Jay needed him most. Jay didn’t tell him much of anything about what happened in Afghanistan or what happened when he got back stateside.

“Let’s see if we can get that pain under control. How would you rate it right now?”

Jay was quiet for a few moments. “Six,” he said simply, then after another second, “seven.”

Will shook his head and mouthed to Natalie, ‘no way’. Natalie smiled and shook her head back at him.

“Jay, I’m going to have you get in a gown and then we’ll get you some medicine to help with that pain and nausea. April? Start a line and give 30mg of Ketorolac and 8mg of Zofran. And run a bag of saline.”

“You got it,” she replied with a smile. “I’ll be right back, Jay.”

They left the room leaving Jay and Will together. Will tapped Jay’s leg. “Let’s get you into this gown.”

“Don’ wanna,” he complained without missing a beat.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. But do it anyway. For me.”

Will helped Jay out of his clothes and into the very unflattering hospital gown. Getting him back into bed, he grabbed a thin blanket out of the cabinet and covered him up before trying (and failing) to snap the bed rails up as quietly as possible.

“Will-“ Jay said suddenly, “sick.”

Will grabbed a small basin out of a cabinet and rushed it under Jay’s chin as he started dry heaving again, spitting a mixture of saliva and bile into the bowl.

“I gotcha Jay. Take some deep breaths,” Will whispered, rubbing his back. Jay finally stopped gagging and laid back against the bed, holding the sweatshirt back to his eyes tightly.

“You okay now?”

Jay nodded wordlessly.

Will took a seat next to the bed. As much as he wished he were treating his brother, he was secretly relieved that he could just be here for him. Especially since he wasn’t there for him before.

April returned with the medication and an IV kit.

“Jay, I need to turn the lights up a bit so I can see to get this IV in you, okay? You can keep that over your eyes, I just need to borrow your arm.”

Jay took a deep breath and offered his left arm to her while trying to keep the sweatshirt over his eyes with the right one.

Will watched carefully and noticed his breathing becoming slightly more rapid.

“Jay, I’m going to put the bed back just a little further so we can wrap this around your head and you won’t have to try and hold onto it.”

Will did his best not to jostle Jay’s head too much. Once the sweatshirt was firmly in place, Will grasped Jay’s right hand and squeezed. He leaned forward and whispered in Jay’s ear. “I’ll tell you everything before she does it, I swear.”

April looked on and waited for Will to signal to her that she could start. He looked back at her and nodded.

“She’s going to put that elastic band around your arm and feel around a bit, okay?”

With no response from Jay, she continued.

“Now she’s going to wipe your arm down with an alcohol pad.”

April continued working quietly and readied the needle.

“Okay, Jay, you’re going to feel a big stick here in just a second but it will be over so fast.”

Will squeezed Jay’s hand in his and placed his other hand on his shoulder. “Ready?”

Jay gave a slight but hesitated nod.

April slid the needle in and Jay’s body tensed for a moment before relaxing. She pulled the needle back out, leaving the cannula in place, and taped it down securely.

“That’s it, it’s in,” Will said, rubbing Jay’s shoulder. “You’re gonna start feeling better soon.”

April pushed the medication and then hooked the line up to a fresh back of saline before turning the lights back down and leaving.

Silence stretched out between them. Will knew Jay was still in immense pain and didn’t want to make it worse by talking. So he opted for holding his hand and occasionally running his fingers gently through his hair.

A half hour or so passed before Natalie reappeared.

“Jay,” she whispered, “how are you feeling?”

Jay took a deep breath before cautiously pulling the rolled up sweatshirt off of his eyes. He cleared his throat before mumbling, “Better.”

“How would you rate your pain?”

Jay pondered the question for a moment. “Like a two?”

Natalie smiled. “Good, good, I’m glad to hear that. Keep relaxing for a bit longer so we can make sure that pain stays under control. Do you need anything?”

“Water? Can I get some ice water, please?”

Will immediately jumped up. “I got it. No problem, Jay.”

Will followed Natalie outside as his anxiety for his brother’s well-being finally calmed.

“I had no idea he had lasting migraines from a TBI,” Will admitted.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“No. He hasn’t told me much of anything from his time overseas or his time after he came back home. And I wasn’t exactly around when he got back. God, I feel awful. I haven’t really ever been there for him. Not since we were kids.”

“I’m sure he understands. You’re here now and that’s what matters.”

Will shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Just go get that water and be with him.”

Will hurried back to Jay’s room with the Styrofoam cup and straw. “Here Jay, I got you that ice water,” he said, pulling the bedside tray closer and setting the cup down. “Do you want me to raise the bed back up?”

Jay nodded and wiped a hand down his face, trying to get rid of the sudden grogginess that had appeared once the pain subsided.

Jay sat up a little straighter and gripped the cup tightly before taking a long sip. “Thanks, man.”

“Of course.”

An awkward silence fell over them. Jay took a couple of more sips before putting the cup back and laying his head back against the pillow.

Natalie appeared again at just the right time. “Still doing alright there, Jay?”

Jay cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. “Yeah, yeah I am. Thanks.”

“Do you still have a neurologist that you see regularly?”

“Uh, no, not really. I haven’t had a migraine this bad for a long time. I didn’t really feel like I needed to keep going. I had the Imitrex which was working.”

Natalie nodded. “Maybe it’s time to consider going back, just for a cursory check in and to maybe see if your Migraine treatment plan needs to be modified.”

Jay didn’t really respond other than a slight nod.

“Before we kick you out of here, I’m going to give you a dose of Decadron – it’s a steroid that will help make sure your migraine doesn’t come back in the next day or so. Sound okay?”

“Yeah, absolutely. That would be great.”

“Just so we’re clear, this will not exempt you from seeing your neurologist. This should cover you for tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have another one next week,” she warned, hoping that Will would at least be able to get him to follow through.

“Neurologist. Got it,” Jay said reluctantly.

“Good. I’ll send April back with the Decadron and then we can get you out of here.”

“Sounds great. Thanks, Natalie.”

The room was silent again for several seconds before Will finally spoke up.

“Look Jay, uh, I know I wasn’t a great brother to you back then. Back when you came home, I mean. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I should have been here –“

“Nope, don’t even go there,” Jay cut him off. “Water under the bridge, man.”

“But it’s not. I didn’t even know you still had symptoms from your TBI. And I was just off in New York doing my own thing while you were back here alone.”

“I wasn’t alone; I had dad.”

Will scoffed. “Yeah, I’m sure that was a grade A support system.”

“It is what it is. And honestly, I don’t get the migraines very often. I can’t even remember when my last one was. It’s just a fluke that I had one today and that it was really bad. I’m managing just fine otherwise.”

“Which I’m thankful for. But please, Jay, please, for me. Take care of yourself. Call your neurologist and make an appointment.”

Jay smiled and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I will.”

#whumptober2020 #no.26 #if you thought the head trauma was bad #fandom #fic #chicago pd #jay halstead #will halstead