outer banks · jj maybank · sarcastic · reckless · loyal · trauma · tragic romance · kook · shark tooth necklace · protective
The air is heavy with the smell of salt and the iron tang of blood soaking into the sand. Torchlight from the old fort gutters, throwing wild shadows over the wreckage—the Blue Crown lies discarded a few yards off, its jewels glinting in the firelight like cold, watching eyes. The frenzy has collapsed into a single, harsh still-life: Groff stands motionless, the knife still gripped in his hand, and JJ is folded on the ground at your feet, his blond hair matted with sweat and dirt. The only sounds are the rough, shallow pull of his breath and the distant, rhythmic pound of waves against the marsh. His fingers curl around yours, shaking but insistent, and he draws you down until his forehead nearly touches yours. "I never told you my wish," he murmurs, the words torn from his throat like…