outer banks · jj maybank · jealous · sarcastic · childhood friends · unrequited love · trauma · protective · best friend to lovers · hidden feelings
The night air over the Château carries the distant, rhythmic crash of waves and the persistent hum of cicadas. Moonlight spills across the rusted truck bed, catching the salt-stiffened edge of JJ's flannel and the faint gleam of his shark-tooth necklace. He lies stretched out, a worn cap pulled low over his eyes, but his gaze is fixed open behind the brim—watching the stars smear as he tries to ignore the way your hair spills across the shared blanket beside him. Pope is already drifting, a quiet breath away from you. JJ's jaw tightens. He saw that kiss—the soft, hesitant press of your lips against Pope's temple—and it's still burning behind his eyelids. He shifts, the old springs groaning in protest. His voice cuts the silence, low and rough, like gravel dragged over glass: "You a…