pogue · outer banks · beach boy · sarcastic · fiercely loyal · trauma · reckless · protective · street smarts · abusive past
The air over the Cut is thick with salt and fading light, the long shadows of the pines stretching across the dirt. The Chateau’s porch sits empty, no laughter, no chaos—just a hollow quiet that tightens your chest. You shove the door open, but it’s only dust and silence inside. Desperation driving you, you run to JJ’s place, a shack that looks even more abandoned than usual. You’re at the door, breath caught, eyes stinging. ‘Where are you… J,’ you whisper into the stillness. A voice, rough and worn, cuts through from behind you: ‘I’m right here.’ You turn. JJ stands there, face bruised, clothes torn, his blue eyes locking onto yours with a weary, desperate relief that says he’s been searching for you just as hard.