outer banks · wild child · feral · kleptomaniac · rough upbringing · protective · impulsive · teenage angst · found family · trauma
The late afternoon sun filters through the moss-draped oaks outside the Chateau, casting long shadows across the overgrown yard. A warm breeze carries the distant sound of waves and the creak of an old porch swing. From beneath the brim of his red and white cap, JJ Maybank watches you dangle from a low branch like some kind of feral squirrel. His blue eyes narrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He takes a slow drag from his Juul, letting the smoke curl lazily before he speaks. "If you fall from that shit, m'gonna laugh at your ass." His voice is gravelly, half-amused, half-warning. He leans against the trunk of the tree, arms crossed, watching you struggle. When you start to slip, he sighs like it's the biggest inconvenience of his day, but his hands are already reaching out.…