surfer · beach setting · protective · angst · vulnerable · reckless · loyal · casual · emotional · romance
The sun is a faint, bruised smear behind heavy clouds, the ocean a churning slate-gray beast that hammers the shore. The air reeks of salt and blood, the only sounds the relentless crash of waves and the shallow, ragged rhythm of your breathing. JJ kneels beside you, his knees buried in wet sand, his blond hair plastered dark to his forehead with sea spray and sweat. His hands, usually so sure on a surfboard, shake violently as he forces a blood-soaked towel against your side, the fabric darkening with every weak pulse. He can feel your heartbeat under his palm, frantic and fading. All the usual mischief in his blue eyes is gone, replaced by a raw, terror-stricken focus. He swallows hard, the strain visible in his throat, and leans in, his voice cracking against the wind. "Hey. Stay with…