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❤️=smut 🩷=request

Bsf!JJ Maybank x Reader

The Walking Dead (50+ Parts)🧟‍♂️❤️ Walking Dead x OBX crossover

Besties You and your best friend, JJ, wake up together after a blurry night of drinking way too much (or just enough) at the bonfire

YOU Obsessed!JJ Maybank, 5 parts, 16,000 words

Mermaid Motel❤️ You and JJ are stranded two hours away from home and have to stay the night in a motel room with one bed

Mermaid Motel Part 2 🩷

Caught in the Act❤️ You never thought that anything would happen between you and JJ, no matter how much you'd fantasized about it for years and definitely not like this

Quick, Kiss Me You and JJ are on a mission to find something in an empty classroom and need to look like you weren't when you get caught

My Girl JJ protects you from a drunk Kook at a party

His Angel You're the only person that JJ Maybank would come to for comfort after a brutal encounter with his dad

Her Angel JJ sees a Kook roofie you at a party and takes care of you

Midsummers Just a sweet little interaction when you and JJ run into each other (literally) at Midsummers before all hell breaks loose

You Don't Wanna Kiss Me? You can't stand to see JJ talking to another girl at a bonfire, so you decide to drown your sorrows a little bit more than you should

You Don't Wanna Kiss Me? Part 2

Playing Pretend A Kook won't leave you alone at a party so JJ pretends to be your boyfriend

Playing Pretend Part 2❤️

You or Yucatan JJ plans on telling you how he feels at the boneyard after years of avoiding it—mainly because John B tells him he has no balls—but ends up getting a little too drunk and jealous when he sees you talking to some Kook boy

Pretty When You Cry Y/N's dad passed away recently and her mom has slowly become somebody she doesn't recognize. JJ, having similar issues, is going to be there for his best friend in any way that he needs to be.

🍄 You and JJ take some mushrooms and after years of pining, he's finally able to admit how he really feels

Dr. Maybank JJ kisses you better when you accidentally hurt yourself exploring Poguelandia, the island that you're stranded on

Tiny T-Shaped Miracle JJ takes you to a doctor's appointment to get an iud put in and spends the rest of the day taking care of you

Poguelandia 4L You're stranded on an island with JJ and your friends (takes place during Outer Banks season 3 episode 1) and you're touch starved

Poguelandia 4L Part 2🩷

Wrong Bed❤️ JJ blacks out and falls asleep in the wrong bedroom of the Poguelandia 2.0. house and it's the best decision he didn't know he was making of his life

Nice Catch You tell Sarah exactly how you feel about JJ not knowing that he's under the dock (Sarah knows though)

Southport JJ takes you on a trip to Southport NC for your birthday

Part 2 ❤️ (smut is not detailed)

Part 3 ❤️❤️❤️

Safe Haven When a terrifying encounter at a party triggers old trauma, JJ steps in and continues to be the one person who helps you feel safe again.

Part 2 JJ goes to comfort you when he hears you having nightmares in the guest bedroom of the Chateau

Not-So-Sexy Little Stumble After JJ kisses the reader at a party, JJ pushes her away completely

Hit and Run You and the pogues watch JJ get hit on his bike

Christmas Eve Service🎄 Y/N's parents invite JJ to to come to church on Christmas eve (preachers daughter!reader)

Kinda My Girl ❤️🩷 Aftercare with friends with benefits JJ

Home Safe 🩷 JJ panics when you don't text him that you got home safe

Part 2

Part 3

Full Kook (Kinda) ❤️ JJ comes to hang out with you at your petsitting house and you pretend to be Kook husband and wife

Part 2❤️

Way Too High 🩷 JJ takes care of you when an edible makes you WAY TOO HIGH

Handyman 🩷 Your Kook parents hire JJ to fix some things around the house and you've had a crush on him for forever

Snowday It snows in the OBX, hard, and JJ couldn't be more excited

Daddy Kink ❤️🩷 You and JJ have secretly had feelings for each other for years. One night, after drinking a lot of tequila, he finds out you kind of like the idea of calling somebody daddy. Later that night he does something about it.

JJ Maybank x Routledge!Reader

Mackerel JJ and John B’s sister are always roughhousing, but one playful wrestling match leaves the Pogues wondering if there’s more to their chaos than just friendship

Mackerel Part 2

Mackerel Part 3 ❤️

JJ's Playlist The party dies down for everybody but JJ and his lifelong best friend, John B's little sister. They drunkenly have some fun in the front yard of the Chateau. JJ is the DJ and they have one of those nights where the music just hits

Boo🎃 JJ loves your fairy Halloween costume a little too much

For Survival You and JJ have to sleep in the Twinkie when it breaks down in the middle of the night in the dead of winter

Masseuse Maybank ❤️ JJ gives you a massage after a long day

Enemies to Lovers

His Biggest Hater Everything changes when you stumble upon a very upset JJ Maybank, your enemy since childhood, at your secret spot in the Cut.

Oops ❤️ (3 Parts) You wake up next to JJ after blacking out at a party

Bf!JJ Maybank x gf!Reader

In Sickness🩷 JJ takes care of you after you have surgery

Dream Come true❤️ JJ catches you having a private moment with yourself, thinking about him, and decides to lend you a hand

Dream Come True Day Before Flashback❤️🩷 Boat smut

The Swell y/n beats Ruthie's ass after she runs over a baby turtle

His Little Rockstar🩷 You're a singer and when your friend comes to town and asks you to preform a song with him and his band JJ tries to be supportive but is secretly extremely jealous

Mirror, Mirror❤️ (2 Parts) You and JJ have been together for less than a month after years of friendship are addicted to each other. When your parents leave for a few days JJ finally gets to come over and loves your mirrored closet doors

Weird Brain 🩷 JJ helps pull you out of a depressive episode

Female!JJ

365 Partygirl JJ gets too drunk at the boneyard and you help her out

And even as he's looking down at you looking like you're actively dying, all he can think is that somehow, even with tangled hair, swollen cheeks, and yesterday's mascara smudged beneath your eyes, you're still the prettiest girl he's ever seen.

"Two or three Advils?"

"Ten."

You open your mouth, holding your tongue out, refusing to move an inch in fear that you'll simply pass away if you do.

"Aw, you poor baby." He laughs quietly, dropping the three pills into your mouth.

That makes you giggle, which immediately makes you regret giggling.

"Here, open back up," he says gently, unscrewing the cap of the water bottle and slowly pouring it into your mouth slowly.

"Thanks, Jayj." You smile, then frown, eyes squeezing shut as another wave of nausea hits you. "Never again. Ever. If you ever see me drink another drink just smack it straight out of my hand."

He snorts. "You said that last time."

"This time is not last time. I genuinely overdid it. Beyond overdid it."

"I know, I know..." He brushes hair out of your face in a way that makes your heart flutter, distracting you from everything for just a second.

"It'll pass," he says quietly. "First two hours are usually the worst."

"Yeahh, I know." You lay there for a moment, trying to remember getting in your bed, unable to shake the feeling that you did something crazy when you were blacked out. "Did I do anything stupid last night? I can't remember past dancing with you by the fire."

He shakes his head quickly. "Nah. Nah. You're good. We had a lotta fun."

He's not lying.

You did do something he's sure you wouldn't be happy about but he doesn't think it's embarrassing. And he doesn't have the guts just yet to bring it up.

You let out a long sigh of relief.

"And if you did..." He gently pats the top of your head. "...that was Captain Y/N. You're not responsible for her actions."

Normally you'd laugh at the mention of your drunk persona, but today, with your hangxiety in full force, that comment makes your bloodshot eyes grow wider.

"Wait... did I? Don't play, JJ. I'll have a panic attack right now."

His smile disappears at the fear creeping into your voice. "Hey." He reaches over, resting a warm hand against your forearm. "I'm serious."

You look at him.

"You didn't embarrass yourself."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

His thumb absentmindedly brushes your arm once before he realizes what he's doing.

You look down at his hand, heart fluttering. "So... what're your big plans today?"

JJ barks out a laugh. "Not shit." He leans back on his hands. "Probably gonna lay on the couch, scroll on my phone until I accidentally pass back out. What about you?"

You groan. "Same. Probably gonna rot in this bed until I start feeling better. If I ever do."

"You'll survive."

You smile tiredly. "I was probably just gonna stay in bed and watch that documentary about the cruise ship on Netflix or something."

JJ's eyebrows lifted. "The one everybody's been talkin' about?"

"Yeah."

"I kinda wanted to watch that."

"Then watch it with me."

JJ's lips tugged into a grin. "Yeah?"

"Yeah, we can suffer together."

"Ok." He nodded quickly. "Yeah. Sure."

You smiled back before your eyes drifted toward the dresser across the room and landed on the remote. "...Damn it."

He laughed as you whimpered dramatically, reaching towards it instead of just asking him if he could get it for you.

"I got it."

JJ stood and grabbed the remote, then climbed onto the bed beside you. He settled on top of the comforter and starfished, tossing one leg over yours just to be annoying.

"Oh my goddd, move over," you laughed, kicking him playfully from under the blanket. As if you didn't actually love the closeness "No manspreading allowed."

"I'm literally on the edge."

"JJ. Don't think I won't make you lay on the floor."

He shook his head, smiling to himself as he laid normally now and started the documentary.

It was interesting at first until your eyes started to get heavier fifteen minutes in.

He looked over at you and smiled softly for a moment before he took this as permission to let himself drift back to sleep too now.

He wasn't sure how much later it was when he blinked awake. All he knew was somehow you'd rolled over and ended up with your head on his chest, your arm draped over his stomach.

JJ's heart nearly stopped when he saw you, because he'd dreamed of this situation more times than he'd ever admit. He just stared at you, suddenly afraid that if he breathed too deeply, you'd wake up and pull away.

You began to stir and he instinctively shut his eyes, praying that you wouldn't think this was weird. That maybe you'd lay there just a little longer.

A second later, you shifted just enough to lift your head.

Still pretending to be asleep, JJ could practically feel your gaze on his face.

Now it was your time to just stare at him, taking the moment in as much as you could while it lasted.

You smiled and let out the faintest happy sigh before nestling right back into his chest, even closer than before.

JJ had never been so thankful for his ability to fake being asleep, because if you'd looked at him now, you would've seen the grin threatening to split his face in two.

His heart began to hammer against his ribs as he wondered if what you'd told him last night really was true.

Or had it just been Captain Y/N talking?

He wanted to believe it. But he also knew better than to trust the words of someone who'd been so drunk they couldn't remember getting into bed.

Still...

You'd knowingly cuddled closer to him like it was exactly where you wanted to be and that had to mean something right?

JJ stayed perfectly still, secretly hoping you'd go back to sleep and he'd get to hold you just a little longer.

Eventually, you shifted again, rubbing your eyes as you slowly blinked awake for real.

"How long was I asleep?"

"No clue," JJ mumbled, opening one eye with a sleepy smile. "Long enough to miss about six episodes."

You laughed quietly, your head still resting against him and looked over at the documentary still playing on the TV, pretending to watch it even though you had no idea what was going on and you honestly couldn't concentrate on anything but how you were being held by the boy who you'd been pining over for years.

"You're comfy," you admitted quietly.

He looked down at you, trying to keep his cool even as his heart squeezed. "Yeah? You seem comfy."

You huffed out a laugh. "I am."

"Me too."

After a comfortable silence, yeah felt JJ's heart begin to thump a little faster under your ear.

He cleared his throat. "So, uh..."

You turned your head slightly toward him.

"Captain Y/N told me something around two am this morning."

You turn your head slowly towards him, heart beginning to beat out your chest like it had been when you first woke up. "What... what the hell did she say?"

He's quiet for a second, lips twitching, a little nervous to say it out loud... Actually, very nervous.

"JJ. Please. You said I didn't do anything embarrassing."

He shakes his head. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

You turn fully towards him now. "What? What did I– what'd she say? Just tell me."

He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly finding the wall a lot more interesting than your eyes.

"You...she... uh..."

"What?" you asked, your stomach already tying itself into knots.

"You said you really liked me."

You forgot how to breathe for a second. "I did?"

He gave a small nod. "It was when I was tuckin' you into bed."

Your face immediately heated. "Oh my god."

He let out a tiny laugh and hesitated for a second. "Then you uh... You told me..."

Your eyes widened. "There's more?!"

He swallowed. "You told me you were in love with me."

The room went completely still.

You stared at him, completely horrified. "I–"

"Hey. Hey. Don't be embarrassed... I figured you were just drunk."

You covered your face with both hands and let out a nervous laugh. Ok, that's good.

He noticed how you weren't denying it and he felt a tiny bit hopeful.

"I told you you weren't in love with me." He gave an awkward little shrug. "I figured it was just the alcohol talking."

You could practically feel your heart pounding in your ears.

"And then..." JJ said with the tiniest smile, "...Captain Y/N got kinda mad at me."

Your eyes squeezed shut. "Did she?"

"Mhm. She said..." His smile grew as he remembered it. "'JJ Maybank, don't tell me how I feel.'"

Your mouth fell open. "Did she?"

"Sure did."

"Oh my god..."

"She told me 'I do so love you. I always have.'"

You stared at him, every ounce of color draining from your face before rushing right back. "I am so, so sorry."

JJ frowned. "For what?"

"For making everything weird. For–"

"Hey." His hand found yours. "It's okay. Nothing's weird."

You looked up at him.

"I know you were drunk."

That somehow made your chest ache even more but you nodded once.

"You don't have to worry about it, alright?"

You nodded again and then you both lay there, not speaking. You didn't know what to say at all.

You swallowed. "Yeah."

JJ watched you carefully, noticing how quiet you'd gotten. Noticing how you still didn't actually deny it. His thumb slowly brushed across your knuckles.

"Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Did you mean it?" His voice barely above a whisper. "You can tell me. I promise you won't make things weird."

Every instinct told you to laugh it off or blame Captain Y/N. But you looked down at your intertwined hands, the way he was still laying beside you, talking to you in that soft voice it seemed like he only used with you.

Screw it.

"...Yeah." Your voice was so quiet he almost didn't hear it. "I did." You glanced up at him, chewing on your bottom lip, eyes wide and worried. "I've... I've felt this way for a really long time."

JJ stared at you, processing, and for a second you almost wanted to burst into forced laughter and say April Fools. But instead you waited.

"Seriously?" he practically choked out.

He still looked completely stunned. "You mean... all this time?"

You nodded. "I didn't think you'd ever... I don't know." You laughed, soft and nervous. "I figured I'd just keep it to myself forever."

"Yeah."

"And you weren't just... drunk?"

"No."

You smiled sheepishly and his lips twitched up as he looked at you in a way that you'd never seen before.

"I've spent..." He shook his head. "God, I've spent so long trying not to tell you the exact same thing. Felt stupid for feeling that way about you."

Your eyes snapped to his.

"What? Really?"

He nodded, carefully scooting closer. "I love you too, Y/N."

The words settled between you so naturally it almost felt impossible that neither of you had said them before. Neither of you could stop smiling.

"So..." you whispered.

"So..."

"Can I kiss you now?"

JJ laughed. "I was kinda hoping you'd ask."

He reached up, gently cupping your cheek, his thumb brushing your skin once before he leaned in.

When your lips touched, you melted into each other immediately. It was slow and careful and more smiling than kissing at first because it felt so insane to be doing this with someone who had been your best friend half your life.

You pulled back after a moment and just looked at each other, smiling softly for a few seconds before leaning back in at the same time. You laughed into his mouth as he pulled you closer.

After who knows how long, you finally pull back, eyes half lidded and a little breathless. Hangover pretty much forgotten.

"I can't believe we've been this dumb," you mumbled.

JJ chuckled. "For real. We're so dumb. Actual idiots."

"The biggest."

"The absolute biggest."

You smiled against his shoulder. "Can we not leave this bed all day?"

He nodded. "I like the sound'a that."

You looked up. "Yeah?"

"Mhm." He pressed one more quick kiss to your forehead.

"But first... I'm gonna make us something to eat."

You nodded in agreement. "God. Thank you so much."

"And we're both drinking more water."

You nodded again. "Absolutely."

"And... I'm getting us two Gatorades."

"You're the best."

"Then," he said, giving your hand a gentle squeeze, "we're not leaving this bed except maybe to pee. Deal?"

"Deal. Thank you, Dr. Maybank."

"Anything for my girl," he said quietly, almost testing out the words.

You giggled a little too hard at that and JJ smiled wide and bright at the sound.

"You like the sound of that?"

You nodded, chewing your lip in an effort not to smile too hard. "I do."

"Good. Get used to it because I'm gonna be annoying as hell about it." He stood, then leaned down to steal one last quick kiss before heading toward the bedroom door.

You watched him go with a smile you couldn't seem to wipe off your face. Your head still hurt and your stomach still felt a little questionable, but today had somehow maybe become the best day of your life.

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He asked questions and listened to Craig's wife and his coworkers' advice. He stayed late. He learned from Craig's old notes. And little by little, things started falling into place.

Business stayed steady, the shop was doing well and for the first time in his life, JJ wasn't worrying every single day about whether he'd be able to pay his bills.

And more importantly to him, he was able to spoil you more than he had been.

He wasn't rich by any means, but he had enough to buy you nicer things. Take you on nicer dates. Like a ride on the ferry and then the aquarium and then let you pick a stuffed animal from the gift shop because, according to you, Sharkira and Swim Shady "needed a baby." Which ended up being a pink dolphin you let him name Fin Diesel.

He could even take you to have a nice dinner afterwards too.

Maybe six months in, the receptionist at the shop who had worked there for years walked into JJ's office and let him know she'd be leaving in two weeks to retire.

JJ sat there for all of five seconds before picking up his phone.

"Hey, pretty girl."

"Hey, bossman."

He laughed quietly, hearing the smile in your voice when you said it. "You wanna come work with me?"

"Seriously? Doing what?"

"Pam just put in her two weeks. And yeah. Dead serious."

That afternoon, you put in your own two weeks at the country club.

You made a little less at the shop, but you honestly didn't care. And your savings had been stacking like crazy anyways. 

You were just incredibly happy that you didn't have to smile through uncomfortable conversations with creepy golfers anymore or laugh off comments that made your skin crawl every day. 

Your mom appreciated this too after all the stories you'd told her.

Now, every morning you got to unlock the shop with your favorite person in the entire world.

You handled the phones, appointments, invoices, and customers while JJ ran the garage. And somewhere along the way, the place started feeling less like Craig's shop and more like yours together.

You also made a very sincere effort to be a little less "gross" at work for Daryl's sake, keeping kisses quick and short and trying to keep your hands off each other for the most part... which was never easy for either of you.

Of course, JJ's office door had a lock for a reason. 

And of course, Daryl would roll his eyes whenever he noticed that the blinds were shut.

Two years later, nothing had changed between the two of you. 

You were still madly in love, still each other's best friend, and still never bored as long as the other was around, making each other giggle like two oversized kids.

But also everything had changed too.

You and JJ had finally saved up enough to buy a little double wide trailer and park it on the Chateau property. And it was perfect timing, since Sarah and John B found out that they were expecting.

Some people look down on trailer living but you thought it was perfect and just as good as any house. It was just enough room for the two of you and you had turned it into the cutest, coziest little home imaginable.

It was full of memories with him-- way more than could fit in JJ's box. And, of course, it was always filled with flowers, from him and from the little garden you'd started out front.

There was a tiny little porch that the two of you spent almost every evening on. You watched the sun sink down over the marsh, having drinks and/or smoking a joint. Or you just sat there talking about anything and everything just like you always had.

One night, you were hanging out on the old wicker couch that you'd scored from your favorite second hand shop, both of you exhausted from work that day. Your head was on his lap, eyes closed as he ran his fingers through your hair.

"We're kinda like an old married couple," you said, the corner of your lips curling up as you tilted your head into his touch.

JJ huffed out a laugh and looked down at you, liking the sound of that more than he was ready to admit. "Yeah?"

"Always sitting on this damn porch. Too tired to do anything else."

His fingers kept combing lazily through your hair as he smiled. "Guess we are... World's youngest old married couple."

You smiled too now, snuggling further into his lap. "I like it."

He smiled harder, eyes crinkling. "Yeah?"

"Mhm." You glanced toward the marsh, then toward your new gravel driveway that sat your car, his bike, and the old truck Craig's wife had left to him when she passed away a few months earlier. Then you looked around your porch, to all your potted plants and little decorations and fairy lights.

Then you turned your head to look up at JJ. 

The way he was looking down at you did something to your heart that you still couldn't describe. You couldn't help the feeling of happiness that filled you in that moment. Or the pride.

You were proud of a lot in your life, actually. But more than anything, you were proud of him. 

And not just because he owned the shop now. Or because he'd gone from being the crazy kid everyone expected to end up in trouble or worse into to a hardworking man who people genuinely looked up to. And at such a young age.

You were mainly proud because he finally looked proud of himself. And he finally seemed like he had accepted that he really was loved.

Watching him slowly realize he might actually deserve the life he'd built had been one of your favorite things you'd ever gotten to witness.

Everybody else was proud of him too... and almost shocked.

Actually, yeah, very shocked.

They couldn't believe that this was the same boy who used to steal and be known as the local menace and live like he had nine lives– zero of which he had actually cared about until you came back.

One Saturday night, everyone was over at the Chateau. You and the girls had disappeared into the trailer to do god knows what, leaving JJ outside by the fire with John B and Pope.

He leaned back in his lawn chair and glanced over when he heard you laughing and singing purposely terribly through the kitchen window. He could see you inside dancing with Cleo and he couldn't help but smile to himself.

John B noticed and smiled a little too. He nudged his arm. "Hey. I'm proud of you."

JJ blinked, snapping out of it. "Huh? ...Oh. Thanks man... I'm alright."

Pope snorted. "'Alright,' he says."

John B barked out a laugh. "Dude, a couple years ago I would've bet money you'd be dead or in jail."

JJ took a sip of his beer. "Yeah... Me too, honestly."

Pope smiled. "Craig would be proud."

JJ looked into the fire for a second before nodding. "I think so too." He took another slow sip and his eyes flicked back toward the trailer when he heard you laugh loudly at something. "I don't think any of this would've happened without her though."

They both smiled a little.

"I thought I was gonna spend my whole life just kinda... surviving? Then she came back and we got together and it was like I was a kid again. Just stupid in love and actually motivated to get my shit together and be good enough for her." The corners of his lips twitched. "And she told me I was... No matter how much money I had or what I'd been through or after all the stupid stuff I'd done… Didn't really believe it for a long time though."

John B smiled, looking toward the trailer too now, laughing a little at the sight of Sarah flicking your forehead for something. "You believe her now?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think so."

John B reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Good."

JJ stared at the ground, looking a little nervous all of a sudden, then he cleared his throat. "I think I'm gonna ask her to marry me."

Both of their eyes widened. They looked at JJ, then each other, then back at him.

Pope laughed and shook his head. "'Bout time."

"I think you should." John B nodded.

JJ looked up at him. "You think?"

"Of course I do. Couldn't imagine it being anyone else."

JJ, while still nervous, smiled too now as he played with the tab of his can. "Alright. I will."

John B leaned forward. "You got a ring?"

"Yeah. Got it from her mom's friend with the antique jewelry store. She helped me pick it out. Was cryin' the whole time."

John B snorted. "I bet she was."

JJ laughed a little too as he thought about how happy your mom was when he asked for her blessing and how much that meant to him. "Been hidin' it for a week."

"Oh yeah? Where?" Pope asked.

JJ took another nervous sip. "Wouldn't you like to know." 

They all laughed but JJ's died quicker as nerves took over all over again. He stared at the nothing for a moment then swallowed.

"You think she'll say yes?"

Before either of them could answer, the screen door of the trailer swung open and the four of you walked out carrying s'mores supplies.

You immediately crossed the yard and plopped into his lap, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him everywhere. Twice on his cheek, then his lips, then his nose. "Hi."

Pope and John B looked over at each other, silently communicating how they were pretty sure that you'd say yes.

JJ laughed, trying to dodge the fifth. "What're you doin', Shrimp?" he teased.

"I missed you."

"It's been like ten minutes."

"I know. I still missed you." You kissed him again.

He brushed hair out of your face and placed his hat on your head. He was unable to help but smile at the way you pouted, and the way your lips twitched as you tried not to laugh at yourself.

"Missed you too, cutie." He kissed you too now. "You been eatin' chocolate?" He kissed you again, lingering this time, and smiled against your lips. "And takin' shots without me?"

"Yeah. What?" You lowered your voice, playing with the hair at the base of his neck. "You wanna go inside and take a shot with me too?"

A tiny smirk crossed his face when he realized that you were looking at him in a way that said you didn't just want to go inside for shots.

"Yeah, I'll go take a shot with you..."

You hopped up and held out a hand. "Ok. Come on."

He let you pull him up and towards the trailer, leaning down close to your ear. "You're keepin' my hat on."

You giggled hard at that. "Yes sir."

Pope snorted as he watched the two of you walk away. "Oh, there they go."

John B's face scrunched up. "I don't even wanna know."

JJ looked back over his shoulder, wearing the least convincing innocent smile imaginable as he threw his arm over your shoulder. "We're goin' to take shots. Get your heads out the gutter."

"Yeah," you laughed. "Y'all are so nasty."

Nobody believed either of you and you knew that.

But one thing JJ believed, after how excited you were to see him after ten minutes of being apart, is that there might actually be a chance you say yes.

The screen door banged shut behind you, and he didn't take his arm from around your shoulders. He guided you toward the kitchen and you were already giggling before he even let you go to pull down the blinds over the kitchen window.

"Alright, Shrimp. You said shots. We're takin' shots."

"I did say that." You leaned against the counter, watching him grab the tequila bottle from on top of the fridge and two mismatched shot glasses.

He filled them both and slid one glass toward you with a little smile and his voice low. "Been thinkin' about gettin' you alone for the last hour."

You smiled back. "Have you now?"

"Mhm." He lifted his glass, blue eyes fixed on you over the rim. "To... what're we toasting to?"

You picked up your shot, biting your lip. "To ten minutes being way too long to be apart."

He laughed softly, just the sound of it making your stomach do something funny. "Cheers to that."

You threw it back and shivered at the taste before slamming the glass down beside the bottle.

JJ did the same and then immediately reached for you. His hands found your hips, pulling you into him, and your back pressed against the edge of the counter.

You automatically hummed when his lips met yours.

He kissed you slow, like he was tasting the tequila on your tongue and decided it was better there than in the glass.

"Been watchin' you all night," he murmured, pulling back just enough to rest his forehead against yours, his fingers digging into your hipbones. The brim of the hat bumped his temple and he grinned as he reached up to adjust it. "You knew what you were doin', walkin' around in that little sundress."

"Maybe." Your fingers hooked into his belt loops, tugging him closer. "Maybe I just wanted your attention."

"Baby." He kissed the corner of your mouth, then your jaw, then the spot just below your ear that made your knees forget how to work. "You always got my attention. You know that." His mouth traveled lower, dragging hot and open down your throat. "Every second of every goddamn day."

Your head tipped back against the cabinet and the hat slipped backward but stayed on.

One of his hands left your hip and slid up, his rough palm skimming the outside of your thigh, pushing the hem of your dress higher.

"You know what I was thinkin' about earlier?"

"What?"

"Thinkin' about how lucky I am."

Your heart squeezed, not expecting that at all.

He pulled back to look at you, and there was something softer in his eyes than just his inebriation. His thumb traced a circle on your thigh. "Thinkin' about how different everything would be if you never came back."

"JJ..."

"I know, I know." He shook his head, a crooked smile tugging at his mouth. "Don't mean to get all mushy or whatever. But I mean it." He kissed you again, quicker this time, almost shy. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

You reached up and cupped his face in both hands, his slight stubble rough against your palms, and his eyes fluttered half closed at your touch. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me too, idiot."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

You just looked at each other for a second, a little dunk and a lot in love. Full of so much love that sometimes neither of you knew what to even do with all of it.

Then, you don't even know who leaned in first, but your lips found each other's again. Hard and rough like you were pouring out everything that neither of you had words for.

JJ's hands went to your ass, lifting you onto the counter like you weighed nothing and stepped between your legs. His hips pressed against the edge of the counter and you could feel him already half hard through his jeans.

"Need you," he said against your mouth.

"Then have me."

He groaned, kissing you again, all tongue and teeth and pure desperation. His fingers found the straps of your dress, sliding them down your shoulders before gently gripping your breast as your hands worked at his belt buckle.

"Wait." He pulled back abruptly, chest heaving. "Hold on."

"What?" you breathed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. Just–" He reached up and adjusted his baseball cap on your head, turning it backward. "There we go. So cute."

You laughed so hard you snorted, and he kissed the sound right out of your mouth.

His belt came undone. Then the button of his jeans. You shoved them and his boxers down far enough to free him, wrapping your hand around his length.

He hissed through his teeth, forehead dropping to your shoulder. "Fuck, your hand's cold."

"Sorry," you laughed, not sounding sorry at all.

"Don't be." He nipped at your shoulder. "Just–give me a second or I'm gonna embarrass myself."

"You can't embarrass yourself with me, Jayj." You stroked him slowly, watching his face, the way his jaw clenched and his eyes squeezed shut.

One of his hands was braced on the counter and the other had found its way between your legs, pushing your underwear aside.

"God, princess. You're soaked," he breathed, smiling.

You whimpered when his fingers found your clit, circling. One dipped inside you, and your hips jerked forward. He added a second, pumping slow, and your grip on him faltered. The kitchen filled with the wet sound of his fingers working you open, your ragged breathing, his low muttered curses.

"JJ, please–"

"Please what, baby?"

"Please fuck me. Right here."

He withdrew his fingers and lined himself up. The head of him pressed against your entrance and just stayed there, teasing. His forehead pressed to yours again and you could feel his pulse hammering in his temple.

"I love you," he said, voice rough. And it wasn't casual or just the easy thing you said to each other a dozen times a day. This one had way more weight to it.

"I love you too," you whispered back. "So much it's stupid."

He thrust inside you in one slow, deep stroke that made your back arch and pulled a sound out of your throat that was half a gasp and half a moan. Your fingers dug into his shoulders as he filled you completely, stretching you in that perfect way that still felt new every single time, even after over two years.

"Okay?" His voice was strained.

"So okay. So–"

You couldn't finish the sentence. He pulled out halfway and thrust back in, hard enough that the shot glasses rattled on the counter. Your legs wrapped around his waist, heels digging into his ass.

"Holy shit, JJ..."

He picked up the pace, the tequila bottle trembling with every thrust.

"Harder," you gasped.

He obeyed immediately, his hips snapping forward with enough force to slide you back on the counter. Your hand flew out to steady yourself, knocking against the tequila bottle. JJ caught it without breaking stride, setting it safely on the other side of the stove as he held you closer.

"I got you, baby."

"I–Ah!– I know."

Your orgasm built quick and sudden after who knows how long, your vision starting to blur at the edges.

"JJ, I'm–I'm really close–"

"Me too. Look at me."

You did and the way he was looking at you, pupils blown and strands of sweaty blond hair falling over his eyes only got you there quicker.

"God you're so fucking beautiful," he choked out.

You whimpered as he reached down to help rub you though it. "So–fuck–so are you."

He smiled, teeth clenched. "Come on, baby, let go. I got you... I gotcha."

Your body squeezed even tighter around him, riding wave after wave, and you buried your face in his neck to muffle the scream that tore out of your throat. He followed a second later, burying himself deep, a guttural groan rumbling against your temple.

He held you close for a minute as you both took your time riding it out and catching your breath and soaking in every second of that moment.

Then the world came back in pieces: your friends' laughter outside, the crackle of the bonfire, the music playing in the distance.

JJ pulled back first and brushed a strand of hair from your forehead, slowly tucking it behind your ear.

"Damn."

"Yeah," you whispered back, laughing softly, chest still rising and falling a bit.

He smiled and kissed your nose before his eyes flicked to the left. Toward the bedroom where your ring was in the closet. Hidden in the shoebox behind his old boots.

Sooner rather than later. He thought.

You looked too. "What're you looking at?"

"Nothin'." He shook his head and smiled as he helped you off the counter. "Come on. Let's getcha cleaned up, pretty girl."

"Ok," you smiled. But you couldn't help but glance back over at your bedroom, wondering what was hiding in there.

The next Saturday, the two of you spent the afternoon doing what you'd always done at the Boneyard.

You took turns trying to outsurf each other, argued over who'd caught the better wave, knocked each other off your boards. Then after a while you paddled back in and flopped onto your towels, laying in the sun and talking until neither of you could stand being still anymore.

Suddenly your stomach grumbled and you started digging around in the little tackle box he'd made... or "snackle box" as he'd seen the idea called online.

It was a tacklebox full of fruits, cheese, crackers, meats and candies a lot like a charcuterie board– a word JJ refused to say because he'd much rather say 'shark coochie.'

"This is awesome," you said, shoving a cracker and a cheese cube in your mouth.

"Isn't it? Very classy."

You snorted. "It is not classy."

"It is if you eat it with your pinky out."

You watched him stick out his pinky while eating a piece of cheese and went into a full on giggle fit.

He was so adorable sometimes it hurt.

After eating almost the entire box, the two of you wandered the shoreline collecting shark teeth and building a sand shark wearing sunglasses with seaweed hair. Then you swam for about another hour and got hungry again.

You pulled sandwiches from the cooler and sat side by side on the same towel watching the sun begin to sink into the ocean.

JJ had gotten more and more quiet in the last hour, like his mind was somewhere else.

You caught him staring out at the water more than once, not talking through mouthfuls of food like he usually did.

"You okay?" you finally asked.

"What you mean?"

"You've been weird. Like... all thinky."

He looked over, smiling, but it wasn't the confident grin you were used to. There was a look in his eyes that was almost nervous. "I ain't bein' weird."

"You are."

"Nuh uh."

"I know you, JJ. Come on."

He laughed once. "Guess I'm just thinkin'."

"About?"

He shrugged. "Nothin'."

You pretended to accept that answer. "Okayy."

You both finished your food and sat there a little longer watching the sunset lower before you heard JJ let out a breath through his nose.

He stood up slowly and brushed the sand off his shorts. "Come on. I wanna show you somethin'."

You looked up at him and tilted your head. "Show me somethin'?"

He nodded, holding a hand out. "Yeah."

You took it and let him pull you up and when you felt how shaky he was, your heart gave a funny little jump.

Oh.

The thought of what this might be barely had time to form before you pushed it away. Maybe you were imagining things. Maybe you weren't. Either way, you didn't say a word. You just smiled and quietly packed your towels into your backpacks, grabbed your cooler and boards and headed into the woods with him.

A little ways in, you abandoned the boards where you figured nobody would find them and kept walking.

You glanced over at him. "Are we going to the fort?"

"...Maybe."

The woods grew darker the farther you walked until you spotted the faintest warm glow through the trees.

Your footsteps slowed when you finally saw what it was: The driftwood fort was wrapped in tiny fairy lights. Blankets covered the floor inside, a bundle of roses laid in the corner beside a bag of Hershey's Kisses. 

Your eyes immediately began to sting at how beautiful it all looked.

"Jayj."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I... uh..."

"Did you do all this?"

He laughed nervously. "The Pogues all did it while we were at the beach."

"It's so cute," you whispered, smiling over at him.

He swallowed, mind going a million miles per minute, then gestured toward the entrance. "After you."

You ducked inside and sat cross legged on one of the blankets, heart racing as you gently picked up the roses.

"They're gorgeous. And the Hershey's Kisses are a really nice touch, of course."

JJ sat beside you.

You looked around the little fort and smiled. "So..." You nudged him with your shoulder, trying to stay calm. "We campin' out here tonight again?"

He laughed, a little breathy. "If you want." Then his smile slowly faded into something much softer, even with his nerves in full force. "...But first..." He took a long breath. "I gotta tell you somethin'."

You turned toward him completely, at the way he was fidgeting. The way he looked actually terrified.

"I've... kinda been thinkin' about this for a long time." He laughed once under his breath and looked down at his hands. "When you left... Everything just kinda got dark. I didn't care about nothin'... And not just because you left– That wasn't your fault. But..." His eyes met yours again. "Then you came back and everything just... got so much better."

You felt tears gathering in your eyes. You had to blink a few times in an effort to not let them fall.

"You made me wanna get my shit together." He laughed softly. "You believed in me when I didn't. You made me wanna actually... have a future." His voice cracked as he shrugged. Then he lightened up, just a bit. "I've never had more fun with anybody. I can tell you anything... the stuff I'd never tell anybody else..." He smiled through damp eyes. "I can cry in front of you and not feel like a little bitch."

You were trying hard not to cry now, but tears still slipped down your cheeks.

He reached over and wiped one away with his thumb. "You're my best friend. You've been my best friend since we were kids. And I think... I think I've known you were my soulmate for a real long time."

Your lip trembled.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny piece of crumpled silver foil.

You blinked, and then let out a quiet wet laugh.

He laughed too. "What? It's sentimental." He carefully unfolded the Hershey's Kiss wrapper, hands still shaking slightly. "I figured it fit us better than some fancy box."

Your breath caught at the ring. It was actually the prettiest thing you'd ever seen. You laughed through your tears. "It does."

He took the ring in his fingers but didn't move yet, instead he looked at you for one long second.

"You were my first kiss..." His voice had gone almost to a whisper. "...And I really want you to be my last one." He swallowed hard and took another shaky breath. "So... Will you marry me?"

You just stared down at the ring for a second and he immediately started panicking.

"And if you're not ready–or you're not sure–we can just pretend I never–"

You grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him so hard he almost forgot to breathe.

"Yes," you said against his lips. Then you finally pulled back and your forehead rested against his.

"Yeah?"

You nodded quickly. "Yeah. Yes. I wanna marry you."

For a second he just stared at you, then his own eyes filled with tears. "Really?"

You laughed again, nodding. "Really. Of course."

He let out a laugh that sounded suspiciously like a sob before pulling you into the biggest hug you'd ever had.

Then he kissed you hard and eventually you climbed into his lap, giggling as he wrapped both arms around your waist.

You held your hand out, admiring the ring sparkling beneath the lights.

"Barefoot beach wedding?"

He grinned so wide his face hurt. "Yeah. Barefoot beach wedding."

"For real now?"

"For real."

He leaned back until both of you were lying on the blankets, tangled together, still kissing and laughing every few seconds like you couldn't stop.

As if you couldn't believe that you were really going to get to spend the rest of your lives together.

Neither of you could help but think about how you were still, and probably always would be, those same two crazy kids. Two kids who were making everything they'd ever dreamed of a reality.

Every dream. One by one.

And today, this one was coming true in the same place where you had once pretended to be pirates and explorers and survivors on a deserted island. Where you laughed about the future, pretending to be joking, before thinking there was no chance of any of it happening anyways.

But then it did.

And neither of you could imagine how things could get any more perfect than they were now.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩⋆✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩𖦹⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

You finished helping the customer before turning to him.

"What can I do for you?" you asked calmly.

Rafe shoved his hands into his pockets. "You can start by telling me what the hell that was at the bonfire."

You sighed. "Rafe–"

"No, seriously." He shook his head. "I thought we were cool."

"We were cool. You were just... coming on a little strong."

His face immediately said fair enough.

"And," you continued, "you were talking a lot of shit about my friends... And my cousin."

That made him pause. "Your... cousin?"

"Oh yeah... uh... John B's my cousin."

He just stared at you for a second. "No shit."

"Yeahhh. And you kind of got him sent to jail... and all sorts of other stuff." 

You decide it's best to just not bring up the rest of that story.

Rafe drags a hand down his face, which had turned just a little paler as he began to realize what else the Pogues had probably told you about. "Jesus Christ."

"Yeah. I, uh, didn't realize that was you."

He stared out over the course for a second, then finally sighed. "Look. Y/N. I know it's not an excuse, but I was on a lot of drugs back then. And honestly... I was kinda messed up in the head."

You stared at him. "'Kinda?'"

"Okay. Very messed up in the head."

You laughed quietly.

He sighed. "Point is, I'm trying to do better."

That caught you off guard.

"You're a cool girl." He shrugged. "I don't want drama with you."

You studied him for a second, still not fully trusting him. Probably never would. But he actually did seem sincere.

"Okay," you said finally. "No drama."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

Rafe nodded once. "Cool."

Another awkward silence.Then, the corner of his mouth twitched up just a bit and you automatically narrowed your eyes.

"Well... If you ever get tired of Maybank..."

You immediately groaned. 

He'd been doing so good.

"...you know where to find me."

You smiled sweetly. "I won't."

You both laughed a little, surprisingly comfortable, and then he started backing away.

"Alright, alright. Have a good shift."

"Thanks."

And that was the end of that.

Being with JJ never stopped being amazing, even for a second. 

He continued to be just as sweet and obsessed with you as he always had been.

He began to give you an excessive amount of flowers, just like when you were kids and you'd told him that bringing you flowers was one of his official boyfriend duties.

Now that he was actually your boyfriend, he was determined to take the job just as seriously, if not more, which meant you were getting flowers faster than they could die.

Sometimes they came from the grocery store because JJ had a little bit of "big boy" money now.

Most of the time they didn't though, just like back in the day.

They were picked from the side of the road, found growing in the dunes, or suspiciously missing from some Kook's flower bed.

He'd hand them to you with zero of the aggression he used to and say something like

"I know you like these." or "I know they ain't much but..."

And no matter whether they were sunflowers, roses, wildflowers, or glorified weeds, you'd hug him and treat them like they were the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen every single time.

And every single time, your reaction would make his heart swell out of his chest.

Your mom caught on fast, and not just because of the flowers. She heard it in your voice whenever you talked about him or noticed that specific smile you got every time his name popped up on your phone. She noticed how every story somehow became a JJ story and how your eyes lit up when you showed her pictures of him or of the two of you.

She noticed how JJ would be looking at you in almost every picture like he couldn't believe he was even breathing the same air. 

Just like he did in the pictures she had of the little you and him.

You weren't fooling anybody. Especially not her.

One afternoon after work, you walked past the living room carrying a huge bundle of slightly wilted and thirsty sunflowers that JJ had given you on your lunchbreak, still smiling way too hard about it.

Your mom glanced up from where she was sitting on the couch. "Oh wow."

You stopped and looked down at them. "They're pretty, right?"

"They are," she nodded. "JJ has good taste."

You froze. Then slowly turned toward her, trying to keep your face neutral even though your eyes were much wider than a second before.

"How did you know these were from JJ?"

Your mom looked at you over the top of her glasses. "Honey. Please."

You stared at her.

She paused her show and folded her arms, smiling smug as ever. "You know... I knew this was gonna happen."

"Whattt? No you didn't," you laughed.

"Yes I did."

"Nuh uh."

"Oh, yes I did."

You shook your head. "Since when?"

"Since he started giving you flowers like this when you were kids... Or since I called up John B, before we moved back and he said JJ hadn't had a girlfriend since you left."

You gasped. "What the hell, mom."

She shrugged.

"Oh my goddd." You buried your face in the flowers.

She stood up and walked over, gently adjusting one of them. "They're beautiful."

You sighed and your smile softened a bit. "Yeah."

"Seems like he treats you well."

You nodded. "He does."

The smile she gave you then was softer than before, the kind only moms could give. "Good. Invite him over for dinner. Maybe tomorrow? Or whenever works." She pointed toward the flowers. "Any boy bringing my daughter this many flowers deserves a good dinner."

You laughed quietly. "Ok, I will."

She started walking back toward the kitchen, before stopping and glancing over her shoulder.

"And tell him to wear that red shirt he has," she added, half joking.

You narrowed your eyes at her. "What red shirt?"

"The one with the sleeves cut off that shows off those biceps. Good lord. Where did those even come from?"

She fanned herself dramatically and you had to look the other way, shaking your head and scrunching your nose as you tried not to laugh.

You knew exactly what shirt she was talking about.

Like mother like daughter.

"Mom! Really? You're so weird."

She smiled and walked into the kitchen. "I said what I said!"

You had the day off the next day off and JJ didn't, so around noon you headed to autoshop with some lunch for him.

He was underneath the hood of an old Chevy, wiping grease off his hands with a rag while he talked to Daryl.

Your stomach still did that stupid little flip every time you saw him, which was slightly embarrassing considering he was your boyfriend now and all.

But what's love if they don't sometimes still make you a little nervous?

You stepped into the garage and set down the food and drinks. "Hey Jayj."

JJ looked up and immediately smiled so wide it made Daryl snort beside him.

"Oh, hey there, pretty girl." He threw the rag down and crossed the shop to pull you into a quick kiss.

"Y'all make me sick," Daryl grumbled.

You laughed, looping your arms around JJ's neck and kissing him again. "Don't be jealous."

He just smiled a little and went back to work.

"Leave the lovebirds alone, Daryl."

You looked over to see JJ's boss, Craig, standing nearby with a coffee mug in his hand. He looked between the two of you and shook his head. "You two remind me of me and my wife when we were your age."

You smiled softly at that.

JJ laughed. "Oh yeah?"

"Couldn't stay away from each other. You'd walk into a room and suddenly she'd be there... I think I was a little more obsessed though. Wouldn't shut the hell up about how amazing she is. Or how pretty she is." He nodded at JJ. "Just like you."

JJ huffed out a laugh. "Craig."

You looked over at JJ, cheeks going a little pink. "He says stuff like that?"

Craig ignored him. "Seriously. Thought maybe it'd calm down once he actually got the girl."

"Craig."

Craig looked at you now. "He got worse."

You giggled. "Did he?"

Daryl finally looked up from what he was working on. "Yeah after two weeks of moping around and not mentioning you at all. I don't know what happened between y'all, but he was pitiful. Almost had to have an all staff intervention."

You stuck your bottom lip out, looking over at JJ, remembering how down he was when you first got your beverage cart girl job. 

JJ groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. "Oh my god."

Craig pointed his coffee mug at you. "Kid talks about you constantly. 'My girl this.' 'My girl that.'"

"He ain't lyin'," Daryl agreed.

JJ glared at him.

You tried not to smile too hard.

Daryl shrugged. "I know more about your favorite ice cream, favorite flowers, and favorite movies, than I know about myself."

You looked up at JJ, batting your eyelashes a little in that way that you knew made him blush. "Reallyy?"

JJ looked down at you for a second, the corners of his lips twitching. Then he looked back over at Daryl and pointed at him. "Traitor."

Craig laughed. "You got it bad, son."

JJ rolled his eyes but he didn't disagree.

He took another sip of coffee, then his expression softened for just a second as he looked at him. "You know..."

JJ sighed dramatically. "Oh my god, what now?"

"The lucky stuff doesn't happen to everybody. There's nothing wrong with bein' grateful for what you have. Not everybody realizes what they got."

JJ rolled his eyes, but he smiled at you anyway.

Craig nodded like that was exactly the response he'd expected, then he clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't screw it up."

He flinched and nodded slowly. "I'm tryin'."

"I know." He nodded back. "Go to lunch."

The two of you ended up sitting on overturned crates behind the shop to eat. 

You stole one of his chips. In retaliation, he stole the burrito straight out your hand and took a big ass bite.

"Are you serious? That is not a fair trade." You laughed as you snatched it back. Then you wacked the backwards baseball cap right off his head.

He just grinned through his mouthful, unphased.

"Soo my mom knows about us," you said suddenly.

JJ immediately choked, just as you'd expected he would.

You laughed and patted his back as he struggled to get it together. "Payback's a bitch, huh?"

He grabbed his drink, coughed some more, then recovered and narrowed his watery eyes at you. "That's not funny."

"That's a personal opinion. I thought it was hilarious."

JJ was quiet for a few seconds. He slowly grabbed his hat and put it back on, forward now, like he was trying to hide the nervous look on his face under the brim.

You noticed.

"What did she say?" he finally asked quietly, staring at his tacos instead of you, bracing himself for the answer.

You smiled softly. "She was happy."

He looked up at you like that was the exact opposite of what he'd expected you to say.

"She was?"

"What? Yeah." You laughed, a little sad because you didn't immediately understand why he would think she wouldn't be.

She'd always treated him like he was her own.

When you were kids, if JJ showed up with some sort of Luke inflicted injury he couldn't explain away, she'd patch him up without making him feel embarrassed about it. She'd hand him an ice pack, make him something to eat, put on a movie for the two of you and remind him that none of it was his fault.

Even if he didn't always fully believe that.

Sometimes she'd force him to stay the night too and JJ secretly appreciated it beyond words.

Your mom had always had a soft spot for him, never keeping you from hanging out with him even if she knew he could be trouble sometimes.

If she caught him doing something dumb, she never yelled. She'd just sit him down and somehow make him feel guilty and loved all at the same time.

But JJ was still figuring being loved out, so when you told him this, he just stared, genuinely confused at the fact that she was allegedly happy that he was with her daughter.

"Why?"

Your heart squeezed. "Because she loves you, Jayj. She always has."

He nodded slowly, still looking a little skeptical.

You nudged his knee. "She knows how good you've always been to me."

That got him quiet.

"She said she always knew we'd get together." 

His brows shot up. "She did?" 

You took a bite of your burrito. "That's what she said."

His lips immediately twitched the second those words left your mouth and you knew what was coming.

"That's what she said," he mumbled, snorting to himself as he shoved a chip in his mouth.

You groaned and rolled your eyes so hard it almost hurt, laughing anyways. "Oh my god. Are you twelve? I think you might be the only person who still finds that funny."

He shook his head, still smiling before his expression got serious again. "You tell her?"

"I didn't have to. Do you know how many flowers you've been giving me?"

His mouth dropped open a little and then he started laughing. "Oh."

"Yeah... I have like... four vases in my room." You nudged him gently. "I'm not complaining though. I love them all so much."

He leaned his knee against yours. "Yeah, I didn't even think about that."

"Yeahh."

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking happier than he'd probably admit, and a bit relieved. "Well... I'm glad you like them... And I'm glad she likes me."

You placed a tiny kiss on his cheek and leaned your head on his shoulder for a second. Then you perked up again, remembering what your mom said. "Oh. Also, she wants you to come over for dinner."

JJ nodded automatically. "Okay. Okay, yeah, I'll be there. Serious boyfriend duties."

"Yeah?" You smiled wider "She's gonna make that lasagna you like."

His eyes practically rolled back as he thought about it. "Oh, fuuck yeah. I'll definitely be there."

"Thought so," you giggled. "Tonight cool?"

He reached over and squeezed your knee. "Yeah sure. 'Course."

You ended up staying at the shop for the rest of the afternoon, mostly because Craig's wife stopped by and the two of you clicked instantly.

By the end of the day, you were pretty sure you both knew each other's entire life stories.

"You found a good one, sweetheart," she said.

You both glanced through the office window toward the garage where JJ was working. He had grease on his cheek and was arguing with Daryl about something, that adorable stupid smile on his face that made it hard to be mad at him. Or, it worked on you, at least. Daryl just rolled his eyes, looking slightly exasperated.

"Yeah, I know."

She smiled over at you. "Seems like he got pretty lucky too."

You smiled harder.

By the time JJ clocked out, the sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky. Since you'd walked there, you climbed onto the back of his bike and wrapped your arms around his waist for the ride to your house.

JJ seemed normal at first, then the closer you got, the quieter he became.

You squeezed his side at a red light. "You nervous?"

"No."

"You are."

"A little."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I dunno."

The second you walked through the front door your mom appeared from the kitchen. "JJ!"

He was immediately smiling, kinda lopsided and nervous, but still genuine. "Hi, Ms. Y/L/N."

She pulled him into a hug.

"Sorry I'm gross," he mumbled.

She pulled back and waved a hand dismissively. "You never have to apologize to me for being a hardworkin' man."

JJ smiled again. "Yes ma'am."

Dinner ended up being really nice.

The second your mom set the lasagna on the table, JJ was grinning ear to ear.

"I heard somebody liked my lasagna."

JJ looked at you. "You told her?"

"I might've mentioned you practically inhaled half that tray last week at JB's in like five minutes."

"You weren't lying." He looked up at your mom as he cut his piece. "Best thing I've ever tasted. I'm not joking. The extra ricotta you put in there does it's thaaang."

She laughed proudly. "Well, I'll make sure to send you home with leftovers then."

"I'd love that."

She walked into the kitchen and came back with a basket of garlic bread, setting it on the table before taking her seat.

"I have a feeling I'll be feeding you a lot more often now anyway."

You glanced over at JJ and couldn't help smiling.

He looked down for a second, almost bashful. "I... I'd really like that, ma'am."

"Good," she said warmly. "Because you're always welcome here. And don't call me ma'am. Makes me feel old."

The conversation at dinner bounced everywhere from work to the Pogues to old memories that made you both laugh so hard you almost choked.

"Oh my gosh, JJ," she said. "You know when we moved to Argentina, all she talked about was you."

You immediately felt how JJ had felt earlier in the shop with Craig. "Mom."

"What?"

JJ looked up. "Oh yeah?"

Your mom smiled innocently. "Ohh yeah. JJ this. JJ that."

"Mother."

"JJ would've liked this. JJ would've thought that was funny."

This honestly meant the entire world to him.

After eating, she disappeared suddenly for a moment then came back with a box of pictures from the last five years. She showed them to him excitedly, explaining the backstory of every single one.

One of you at thirteen hugging your stuffed shark, Sharkira, making a frowny face in your new room, the bracelet JJ gave you visible on your wrist. You obviously weren't very happy about the move

You feeding pigeons in Plaza De Mayo. Definitely very happy in that moment.

You hiking in Patagonia, bundled up, cheeks rosy.

You at fifteen in front of some brightly colored houses in La Boca, smiling with one of your friends. Ice cream on your nose.

An absolutely gorgeous one of you on your eighteenth birthday in front of a giant purple jacaranda tree.

JJ smiled at every single one, each photo being another piece of you he'd never gotten to see. The realization that he'd missed five years of birthdays, holidays, adventures, and you growing up hurt for a second. But then he looked over at you sitting beside him and realized he didn't have to miss anything anymore.

He made a wish right there that he'd never have to miss anything ever again.

A little while later he finally stood to leave.

Your mom handed him a container with leftovers and hugged him goodbye.

"You come back whenever you want, alright?" she said.

He nodded. "I will."

"And don't work too hard."

"No promises."

She laughed and began to head to the kitchen to clean up. "Drive safe."

"Yes ma'm–oop, sorry–will do Ms. Y/L/N."

"Nice save."

You walked him outside and you both stopped beside his bike, devious little smiles spreading across your faces, knowing the night definitely wasn't over.

"Gonna go drop my bike off and shower." He nodded over at your bedroom window. "I'll be there in forty."

You giggled. "Ok. Cool. See you in forty."

"Thirtyfive if traffic's good."

"There is no traffic."

"Thirtyfive."

You laughed softly before leaning up to kiss him. "Gonna be wearing that matching set you got me when you get here. That sound good?"

JJ let out a breathless laugh, shaking his head. "Thirty," he corrected immediately. "I'll be back in thirty."

You chewed your lip, smiling, as you watched him climb onto his bike. "Don't speed, Jayj. I'm gonna need you all in one piece."

He shot you one last grin before taking off down the road to take the fastest shower he'd ever taken in his life.

A few months later, something terrible happened.

And something amazing happened too.

Craig died on a Tuesday morning of a heart attack.

According to his wife, it happened quickly. His health had been declining for a while, so she knew something like this wasn't far off, but it didn't make losing him any easier.

It hit JJ like a truck.

For the first few days, JJ kept catching himself looking toward Craig's office whenever he had a question before remembering there wasn't anybody sitting in there anymore. 

You spent a lot of time just sitting in silence with him when the grief was really bad. Craig had never officially been family, but he'd been the closest thing JJ had ever really had to a father figure.

The guy had taught him everything. He'd believed in him and gave him a job when he had a hard time finding one anywhere else on the island because of his reputation. He treated him like he mattered. Like he actually saw the good in him. Saw what he could be if given the guidance he desperately needed.

The funeral was harder than he'd expected. By the time they lowered the casket, JJ was wiping at his eyes and muttering about how these were "manly tears" and anybody who said otherwise could shut up.

You couldn't help laughing at that through your own tears.

A week later, Craig's wife stopped by the shop when JJ was closing up

As soon as he saw her, he crossed the garage and pulled her into a gentle hug. "I'm so sorry."

She hugged him back, tight. "I know, sweetheart."

When they pulled apart, she smiled sadly. "He loved you, you know."

JJ swallowed. "Yeah."

"No." Her eyes watered as she squeezed his arm. "I mean it." 

Then she reached into her purse and pulled out a folder.

JJ frowned as he took it. "What's this?"

"Craig wanted you to have it."

His confusion only grew as he opened it and saw all the paperwork inside: Business documents, ownership forms, etc etc.

"What am I looking at?"

She smiled softly. "If anything ever happened to him, he wanted you to take over."

JJ just stared at her, wondering if he was hearing things. Because why the hell would anybody trust him with this level of responsibility? 

"What?"

"He told me a few weeks ago... He said you were like the son he never had."

For a second JJ couldn't even process the words, but tears filled his eyes anyways. He blinked a few times to try to compose himself and cleared his throat. "You gotta be kiddin' me."

"I'm not, sweetheart. It's what he wanted."

"He wanted me to run the shop?"

"He trusted you."

JJ looked back down at the papers, a little overwhelmed, completely caught off guard.

"Can I..." His voice cracked slightly. "Can I have a night to think about it?"

"Of course." She squeezed his shoulder. "Take all the time you need."

Later that evening, you climbed the Chateau steps and found JJ sitting on the porch couch, hair a little messy from running his hands through it repeatedly as he thought himself in circles. There were papers all over every inch of the coffee table.

He looked up when he heard your footsteps, something in him calming a bit at the sight of you.

"Hey, baby."

You smiled, although the papers had you slightly concerned. "Hey, Jayj. What's all that?"

He leaned back and sighed. "You got a minute?"

You slowly sat beside him. "Yeah. Everything okay?"

He took a breath, then explained everything, and by the time he finished, your eyes were absolutely huge.

"JJ."

"What?"

"That's... that's amazing. Holy shit."

His eyes flicked up to your face.

You frowned. "It's also really sad."

"Well yeah."

"But JJ..." You grabbed his arm, smiling now, big and bright and excited and more proud than anything. "That's really amazing. This is huge."

He laughed weakly. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No." He gestured at the papers, eyes getting a little wet. "What if I screw it up?"

You reached for his hand and squeezed gently. "Craig was a smart man."

He looked away, jaw clenching.

"Hey. I'm serious." You scooted closer. "You've basically been running that place every time Craig wasn't feeling good."

He opened his mouth, then closed it.

"You've been working your ass off there. I'm not surprised he asked you. At all."

His expression softened. "You really think I can do it?"

"Absolutely. And I'll be right there cheering you on the whole time. I'm sure all of us will."

JJ looked down at the paperwork again, then at you. Then he finally smiled.

"Alright. I think I'm gonna do it... Gonna make Craig proud."

You immediately squealed, launching yourself into his lap and wrapping your arms around his neck.

He caught you and laughed as you began kissing him everywhere. Then you cupped his face in your hands and pressed your lips to his.

"You're gonna make him so proud. I know you will. Congratulations, bossman."

His grin widened as he wrapped his arms around your waist. "Bossman, huh? I kinda like the sound of that."

"Oh, I bet you do," you whispered before kissing him again. "So..."

His eyes narrowed. "So?"

"You wanna go celebrate? Seems like you need to de-stress a little... Maybe you can practice being in charge of something?"

You immediately felt how much JJ loved how that sounded too. Could see it all over his face.

"Sure. I think I can handle that."

"Think?"

He leaned in until your noses brushed. "Pretty confident, actually."

You bit your lip, trying not to smile. "Let's go to your office then."

"My office?" he repeated.

"Your bed." You giggled. "Take me to your bed, Maybank."

He grinned wide. "Thought I was supposed to be the one giving orders."

You giggled more. "Oh, right. Sorry."

His hand slid down to your ass and squeezed. "Go get your pretty ass in my bed... That's an order."

You snorted as he smacked lightly and kissed him again. "Sir yes sir."

"Good girl."

The screen door suddenly flew open and both of you jumped as Sarah and John B stepped onto the porch. JJ quickly moved his hand back to where it had been on your back.

John B's face twisted up immediately. "Ew."

You couldn't help but laugh, even as your face turned bright pink.

JJ looked way too pleased with himself. "What's up, JB?"

"I don't know man," he mumbled, looking at anything but the two of you. "Was gonna go pick up some dinner. Now I'm not really hungry."

You rolled off JJ's lap, still giggling.

Sarah glanced down at the coffee table, smiling curiously. "What are those papers?"

JJ explained everything to them. 

By the time he finished, Sarah was hugging him. John B was slapping him on the shoulder. You couldn't stop smiling if you tried.

And for the first time since Craig had died, JJ felt something besides grief. Because for the first time ever, he felt like somebody had truly believed in him.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩⋆✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩𖦹⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

Part 10 (Last Part)

A/N: Just over here giving JJ the ending he deserved🥲