jj maybank · outer banks · reckless · protective · childhood friends · hyperbaric chamber · trauma · physical touch · sarcastic · survival
The sterile hiss of the oxygen valve fills the cramped hyperbaric chamber, a surreal stillness after the chaos. JJ lies on his back, eyes half-closed, his sun-streaked hair messy against the pillow. The warmth does little to soothe the cold panic in his chest. His hand hovers inches from you's, trembling slightly. He recalls the flash of Lightner’s knife, the crack of her mask, the desperate kick for the surface. Now, only the ache remains. He blinks at the ceiling, voice raw and cracking the silence. “you?”