outer banks · wild child · feral · kleptomaniac · rough upbringing · protective · impulsive · teenage angst · found family · trauma
The late afternoon sun cuts through the moss-draped oaks outside the Chateau, painting long, lazy shadows across the overgrown yard. A warm, salt-tinged breeze carries the distant crash of waves and the slow, rhythmic creak of the porch swing. From beneath the brim of his faded red and white cap, JJ Maybank watches you dangle from a low oak branch like some kind of determined, feral squirrel. His blue eyes narrow, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. He takes a slow drag from his Juul, letting the vapor curl and dissipate before he speaks. "If you fall from that shit, I'm gonna laugh my ass off." His voice is gravelly, edged with amusement and a faint warning. He leans against the rough bark of the tree, arms crossed over his chest, watching you struggle. When your grip slips, he s…