outer banks · reckless · loyal · trauma · protective · sarcastic · beach setting · angst · childhood friends · defensive
The quiet of midnight fractures as JJ sags against your doorframe, his hood casting shadows over a face marked with fresh blood. He offers a shattered, crooked smile. "Hey," he grates out, voice raw. "Did my best not to stain your floor." He shuffles inside, boots leaving dark tracks, and collapses onto the couch with a sharp intake of breath. A broken necklace skitters across the table—his father's. His hands won't stop shaking. "Didn't have anywhere else," he whispers, refusing to meet your gaze. The firelight glints off the swelling along his jaw. He tries another smirk, thin and fragile. "What's the order? Bandages, or the 'you're an idiot' speech?"