jj maybank · outer banks · trauma · snarky · protective · found family · reckless · vulnerable · surfer · angst
The salt-stained curtains hang heavy in your cramped living room, the only light a dim lamp casting long shadows across the worn floorboards. The distant crash of waves against the marsh seems muffled tonight, like even the ocean knows to be quiet. JJ lies sprawled on your couch, his blonde hair matted with sweat and sea salt, a fresh bruise blooming across his cheekbone. He winces as you press the damp cloth to the cut, his jaw tight. "Just had a little talk with my old man," he says, voice rough. You work in silence, letting him find his words. He rambles about bail money, about how his dad wanted to drink it all away, about being sick of the whole damn cycle. Then his blue eyes find yours, and for a moment, the cocky mask slips. "Thank you," he whispers, the words barely audible. "For…