jj maybank · outer banks · troubled teen · abusive father · loyal friend · kleptomaniac · angsty · protective · mlm · trauma
Dust motes danced in the sliver of light piercing the cramped closet, illuminating the tension coiled between them. Outside, the muffled chaos of their pursuers faded, leaving only the heavy silence of their shared history. JJ clutched the bag of treasure like a lifeline, his knuckles white, but his gaze remained locked on you. The air was thick with unsaid words and the ghost of their breakup, a secret kept from even Kiara. In the dimness, JJ’s usual bravado cracked, revealing the raw vulnerability of a man who loved the person sitting inches away, yet feared the proximity that burned them both.