𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚗𝚝 {𝚓𝚓 𝚖𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚔}

𝚜.𝟷 𝚎𝚙.𝟸 -𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚗𝚎-

"but you want what /I can't give to you/your hands are gravity/while my hands are tied"

~
The Lucky Compass

"JJ, he's not gonna fall for it."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Your voice is too- like, high."

JJ gave Tate a wounded look. "Come on, this is John B we're talking about," he said. "He's gonna fall like... like rain falls during a hurricane."

Tate let out a dry laugh. "Clever." She leaned against the house and took a bite of her bagel. She'd gotten up early to get breakfast at the bakery in town since she and John B never had edible food in the house. JJ had caught up with her on the way back, looking and sounding far more awake than Tate felt.

 He gave her a satisfied smile and cleared his throat dramatically. "DCS! I know you're in there!" he shouted in a deepened voice, banging on the door. Tate started at the noise and JJ stopped immediately, shooting her an apologetic look. She shook her head dismissively and they both paused to watch John B through the living room window. He was sitting up, looking around with confused panic. JJ stifled laughter and looked to see if Tate, whose mouth twitched upward in a slightly unimpressed smile, was laughing too. JJ's confidence didn't waver. He held up one finger, and then bounded to the window, banging on it and scaring John B so badly he nearly fell off of the coach. At this, both JJ and Tate broke into laughter.

"Gotcha, slick," JJ said, his voice returning to normal. "You should have seen your face."

Tate joined him at the window. "Your face was like..." she made a bad imitation of the expression John B had made. 

JJ turned to her with a smug smile. "Like a hurricane, baby. Like a hurricane."

Five minutes later, Tate was sitting behind John B and JJ in the Pogues' van, speeding across the island towards Scooter Grubb's old house to talk to his wife, Lana. John B insisted she would know something about why Scooter had the compass in his boat. "I'm just saying, I don't understand why you don't at least try with Kiara," JJ said. "She clearly likes you. She's like, 'Oh, John B."

"Is that what she does?" John B said, turning to look at JJ warily.

JJ nodded fervently. "She's sketching about you diving, then she kissed you. Come on, Tate. Back me up here."

Tate looked up from the window and tilted her head, thinking. "Mmmm... she did kiss you. -And keep your eyes on the road." She reached forward to push John B's head lightly and he swatted his hand vaguely in her direction.

"She kissed me on the cheek, guys," he said reasonably. "It's not like we were making out."

JJ and Tate exchanged a knowing look. "Low-hanging fruit, bro," JJ said, raising his eyebrows at Tate before turning back to the front. "Don't pretend you don't notice. I see it in your eyes. You're like, 'I kinda like that,' and you start blushing."

"I blush?"

"Dude, like every time she talks to you," Tate snickered.

"Really?"

"Yeah." JJ nodded vigorously, then grabbed John B's dad's compass off of the dashboard.

"Hey- don't..." John B said and reached over to try and swipe the compass from JJ's hands. JJ held it just out of reach.

"I was just looking at it."

The car took a sickening lurch as John B reached for the compass again. Tate grabbed onto the back of JJ's seat to keep from toppling over. "Eyes on the road, JB!" she scolded,  "I refuse to die in a car crash with you idiots."