outerbanks imagines.

her protector-jj

there had been a time where y/n l/n and jj maybank were once inseparable.
they had befriended one another before they were even in diapers,
and it had been exuberance ever since.
they would spend their days outside,
from sun up to sun down,
building their own versions of forts,
pretending to be pirates,
searching for treasure,
and being as lighthearted as kids could be.
"i think our houses are haunted,"
seven year old y/n told jj one day,
the two of them hovered over a mud-pie they made.
jj placed a few rocks in it and asked,
"why?"
"our dads are always mad...it must be why."
he looked up to see y/n's face painted in worry.
when he began to think about it,
he realized how true it sounded.
"it's okay, y/n,"
he said.
"i'm a ghost hunter, didn't you know? i'll get rid of the ghosts and our dads won't be angry anymore."
y/n then melted into relief,
wrapping her muddy hands around his neck and pulling him in for an innocent hug.
"thank you, jj! you're amazing!"
and from there on out,
jj became y/n's protector from whatever harm she faced.
including today,
the day of his suspension.
"so...you slammed his head into the locker because...?"
"because he called y/n a name i'm not willing to repeat. i'm innocent, principal. you should be suspending him."
the principal let out an exasperated sigh and folded his hands on the desk.
"y/n told us that she never asked you to do that."
"yeah...so? i did it anyways. she didn't need to ask."
"go home, jj. come back in a week."
jj stood up from the seat and began to make his way out of the office and into the parking lot,
where his motorbike would remain.
despite him and y/n's friendship becoming fissured when her mom moved her up to land of the kooks,
he never could let go of that position he'd taken up.
he would go to the grave protecting her name,
her well-being,
whatever it would come to.
jj remembered,
before their dissolved friendship,
y/n would come rushing to his house in a mess of tears.
and through hiccuping breaths,
she'd explain how her father had channeled his anger towards her again,
resulting in a battle that she always lost.
jj would hold her close and let her cry until she fell asleep,
going over a plan to beat the ever living hell out of her father for ever speaking a foul word towards her.
but he never got the chance.
when he arrived to his bikes parking spot,
he saw a girl standing by it.
y/n l/n,
in all her glory.
she had grown several inches since they last talked,
eyes a different shade of beautiful,
and a gentle smile on her perfectly painted lips.
her skin still looked as soft as ever;
jj longed to reach out and touch her to verify that it was her after all.
"jj maybank. you never disappoint, do you?" 
"i would thank you for thinking so highly of me, but that means admitting to whatever it is you think i did."
y/n let out a laugh that instantly made his smile widen.
"oh, so you didn't slam kelce's head into the locker?"
"uh,"
jj began,
scratching his head.
"no, no. must've slammed himself into it. wasn't me."
y/n nodded,
still smiling,
then pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.
"thank you for still protecting me."
and with that,
she walked back into school.
jj sat himself down and allowed for his breath to steady itself.
for all he knew,
y/n had been none the wiser about his fights with the people insulting her.
but now,
he knew that y/n knew.
and she had known all along.
the thought made his cheeks flush with heat,
making him quick to shake it away.
y/n, to him, would always be that little girl in need of  stories and entertainment to keep busy.
she'd be the little girl looking for excuses to make up for everyone's horrible behavior.
even now.
but jj had grown up and realized that it wasn't ghosts making his father angry,
or people's troubled lives making them horrible,
but that some people were just born with evil in their bones.
even if y/n was no longer allowed to be his friend,
he would spend forever protecting her from those people with evil inside of them,
waiting to take advantage of her soft heart.
***
jj had been sitting outside,
soaking up the sun,
when he heard the sounds of rattling chains arise in the air.
he picked his head up to see y/n riding on her bike towards him,
her hair flying in the wind.
she looked elegant as ever;
jj had to swallow the excitement rising inside of him.
"well, well. you can take the girl out of the cut, but can't take the cut out of the girl."
"home sweet home,"
y/n teased,
hopping off her bike to meet him.
there was static in the air around them,
heated by their anticipation and riling nerves.
but it felt as though no time had passed between them.
"what brings you back here?"
"felt bad you had to spend your suspension alone. especially since kelce slammed his own head into the locker."
y/n raised her eyebrows at him,
which made him laugh in turn.
"i don't know what's in that kook water. they're crazy."
jj saw her turn her head away and into the distance.
he hurried to say,
"i'm sorry. i don't think i'll ever get used to you being a kook."
"me either. doesn't feel right."
jj nodded in understanding.
"well, you'll always have a home here, y/n."
y/n nudged him with her knees,
nerves blooming in his chest.
the chemical reaction that came with y/n's touch would never make sense to jj.
"i've got to go. mother gothel's gonna be home soon."
y/n laughed,
standing back up and brushing the dirt from her clothes.
jj stood up beside her.
"you just got here?"
y/n didn't want to admit that she'd come out all this way to just lay her eyes on him and feel comforted.
she didn't want to admit that she missed him dearly,
feeling like a huge part of her was missing in his absence.
"i know."
she went to caress his cheek,
but quickly withdrew her hand back.
"can i see you tonight, jj?"
"y-yeah, of course. where?"
her lips spread into a grin.
"you know where."