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dearcarmine · 1 month

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rollers reprise

: ̗̀➛ pairing; jj maybank + gender neutral reader

: ̗̀➛ tags; little bit of thigh touching, fluffy overall.

: ̗̀➛ summary; you teach jj the small basics of skating on a trip to the roller rink with the pogues. getting past some tension, the two of you get closer.

: ̗̀➛ a/n; 1.6k requested by my best friend <3 she also helped me write it so applause for my pookie burrr. this is kinda my first fluff, i love it and i love outer banks sm. feel free to request anything on outer banks!!

archive of our own version

“and the pizza’s cheap?” pope asked, hopping out the van after kie. jj scoffed and wrapped his arm around your shoulder, grinning obnoxiously and closing in on you. “think you can get us some free shit? i hear your name all ‘round here.”

“you’ve never been, liar,” you spat back. in your hand were the laces of your roller skates wrapped around your fingers, holding up prized skates that have been with you for years. jj’s fingers squeezed the side of your arm; his thumb rubbed over your skin gently as his eyes met your face. as they walked, they trailed down your tank top, a beige lacy top and lowered to flared blue jeans adorned with embroidered flowers the color of honey.

the group neared the ticket booth and the man behind the counter recognized you almost immediately, “back for more fun?” he questioned, taking a hard look to examine the group. john b shuffled his way to the front, kie right beside him. “we need five pairs, carmen,” you spoke, earning the man’s content smile. the employee allowed them to line up and wrapped wristbands around their wrists, giving them access to the rink as long as they stayed. the bright orange bands flashed under the fluorescent lights, a sensation of warmth washing over the pogues euphorically. kie and pope went off to find a table near the food court and set things they brought, claiming the spot. you took jj’s and john b’s hands, bringing them over to the counter where skates were rented.

“hey, lua,” you began, leaning over the counter, “i’ve got some newbies and was wondering if you could set ‘em up?” the strawberry blonde before the shelves of skates nodded and eyed the boys as if she were to make a show of them. she noted their shoe sizes and you left the counter over to pope who was unpacking his elbow guards. it was weird; he never even tried skating, but came prepared like it was his next life skill. they were dark green and brown, etched with scratches and chips from their use. was papa heyward a skater? you tapped him and he turned, "did you bring some for pretzels?"

"chill, pope, you're gonna get cheese on the side, too.” you pat his shoulder and left off to kie who was already tying her skates on a bench. she’d gathered an older pair she had stored away and was glad you gave her an opportunity to use them. hers were pink with yellow laces and light brown heels. the stoppers combined the two colors and she tied them quickly, “are we gonna get john b and jj some training wheels or?” she teased, standing steadily on her feet. her hands shook beside her, reaching briefly for your arm, but deciding against it once she regained balance.

john b and jj walked from lua and held their bland rent skates in their hands, gesturing for help to put them on. the rest of you smiled at them as they neared and it didn’t take long until they got their skates on; jj stood from the bench and sighed, “this ain’t bad, i feel lied to-” his wheels loosened and rolled and he lost his place, quickly grabbing onto pope’s shirt and lifting himself up. his eyes darted to the pogues and his lips tightened with embarrassment.

“nice and easy,” you spoke as kie and pope left for the rink. they knew what they were doing, there’s no doubt there, but there was all the doubt in the other two boys. the way they stumbled and skipped onto the rink and drew eyes from afar.

pope held onto kie’s arm as she glided forward and earned admiration from afar. his skates, made of older leather and creased, went onto the floor easily and followed her furnished footwear closely. they started slowly and sped up together, looking cute among some other skaters.

jj stepped onto the rink and held the concrete wall that separated the polished wood from the lounge carpet. his knuckles were practically white at how hard he grasped, doing his best not to fall. john b stifled a laugh and struggled to move himself, resulting in his hand holding your arm. after seconds of embarrassment, they both ended up on each of your arms. jj tiptoed on his stoppers and wobbled in plenty of directions before they cleared way of the entrance. even a fast skater passing him was enough to make him fall; “hold me back- what are you doing?!”

“what?!” you laughed, “if someone is holding onto you, you hold back!” jj argued, grasping at your shirt. john b covered his mouth and let go easy, grabbing onto the wall. he maneuvered himself with the curve of the brick and went off near pope and kie who were on their second lap.

as john b separated from you two, you suggested something that made jj’s eyes light up. “just hold my hand and stay on my right, close to the wall.” he scoffed at his forced proximity to the wall so other skaters wouldn’t trample him. his fingers intertwined with yours and he stood on his wheels now, giving the stoppers a rest. you lifted his hand with yours to reassure him, “just watch me.”

you started by putting one foot forward, angling it outward to the left. doing the same with your right, you continued to glide with your toes pointed outwards. your eyes shifted down and watched as jj attempted your movements, speeding up a bit. letting go from him, he stabilizes briefly, “not too bad for a surfer!” the blonde exclaims.

his blue eyes are too focused down at his skates, becoming unaware of his distance from the wall. he bites his lip with concentration and looks up at the last moment, he looks up and finds he’s too far from the wall to regain balance and close to running into some people. you speed up and take his hand and put your stopper down for a second to trail him back. you spin around and position yourself in front of him, holding his hands and looking up at his face with shock. “you can look up when you skate, you know,” you smirked, rolling your eyes.

he smiled and rolled while you controlled most of the movement between you two, looking back every few seconds to determine who to pass and where to go. pope and kie neared you two and their eyes widened with smiles, “ooooh!” john b wolf whistles at the two of you as he zooms past, chuckling and giving jj a short pat on the back, which knocks him forward slightly, causing him to lose balance.

one of your hands meets his cheek and the other holds his wrist, “careful,” you say, earning a nervous expression from him. “don’t worry, i know you got me.” as you rolled backwards, one of his hands trailed down to your waist and the other met your cheek.

curving to the right, you glided at an even pace on the rink and finally focused your eyes on jj. he’s been looking this entire time, maybe not into your eyes, but admiring every part of your face. he didn’t want to say it out loud, nor did he have to. the pogues knew it; the tension and the way he’d look at you longingly.

he gave a small smile and inched closer to your face, getting hot at the way his lips neared yours. your brows furrowed with confusion before closing your eyes and taking in his affection. you pulled away and moved your legs together, resting on your stoppers near the wall. looking up, you speak lowly, “no pogue on po-”

his lips connect to yours again greedily and smiles against your grin. holding yourself up on the tips of your skates helped to reach his hair, which you grabbed at from the back. wind hit your hand as other skaters zoomed past, three being the pogues. pope and kie slowed at the sight of you two, holding each others’ shoulders and macking on the air, teasing with giggles.

“step off the rink, you’ll slip droolin’ like that!” john b exclaimed. jj pulled away from you and looked into your eyes for confirmation, “i’m sorry, but-”

“don’t apologize, it was cute.”

you kissed his lips and trailed to his flushed cheeks, your arms holding onto his shoulders. your touch lowered to his hands and guided him away from the spot you two stayed. after the others finished a few laps, you all went back to the entrance and slowly glided to the table they claimed before.

“let ‘em roll in,” jj shouted as pope and kie returned from the counter to buy food. greasy slices of pizza dripped onto thin paper plates, attracting the pogues even more.

the five of you sat together; jj beside you and john b beside him on one side of the booth. kie and pope sat on the other side, laughing and singing as the group joined in.

“uptown girl!” “hey, hey!” “she’s been livin’ in ‘er uptown world!” you nudged jj to finish, holding an imaginary microphone and dancing in your seat. within a few seconds and the harmony of the pogues, he sung, “i bet she’s never had a backstreet guy!”

“i bet her momma never told her why-” john b yelled, earning looks from skaters and customers alike. jj snaked his fingers along the seat and his grip met your thigh, squeezing it slightly. the sudden contact made you fidget back before your ringed hands overlapped his. the ring you had on turned with small clicks; jj ran his thumb along the ring, watching it spin satisfyingly.

your hand shifted from his hand and up his arm, feeling on his muscles below the table. you didn’t want to hide this from them; they’re big supporters, you thought.