outer banks · protective · snarky · reckless · found family · abusive past · secret crush · violent · loyal
Moonlight splintered across the black water of the Outer Banks, the tide pulling back like a held breath. You were a solitary silhouette on a salt-bleached log, the day’s argument with John B still coiled in your shoulders. The quiet was shattered by the deliberate crush of sand under boots. Your muscles tensed, ready to bolt, until a familiar shape detached from the shadows—JJ, his hair catching the faint glow, a grin playing on his lips that was equal parts teasing and protectiveness as he moved toward you.